Results 141-160 of 31,083 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: -----we are supplying resources and roles and we are corresponding that with the reform measures to make a difference and help even more.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what the Government accepts to be a very important issue. The Deputy in her question made reference to Maggie and other families who have approached Deputy McDonald. They have also approached Deputies on all sides of the House. Through our constituency work, of course, we are all deeply familiar with the challenges that are there for families and carers...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: ------a further mental health Bill with 35 different sections, all of which will be focused on the regulation of mental health services. We believe the Bill, which will be brought forward shortly, will provide a different and more effective way of responding to the regulation needs that we acknowledge are there.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Climate Action Plan (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department is in regular contact with other Departments as part of its expenditure management function. This includes the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Environment, Climate and Communications. In relation to the Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023, I understand that my officials have had some limited engagement with...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Flood Relief Schemes (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer to the previous updates on this matter I have given to the House regarding the consent process for the Crossmolina (River Deel) Flood Relief scheme, the most recent on the 8th of February. In accordance with the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, the Office of Public Works has sought consent for the Crossmolina (River Deel)...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Staff (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been in contact with the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) regarding the Deputy’s query on pension payments. The NSSO have informed me that pension related queries can be quite complex which can often necessitate requesting and reviewing an individual’s hard copy personnel file. It may also require engaging with their current local HR unit (or previous where...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Data Centres (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department uses a number of data centres which are ISO 27001 certified and are located across Dublin City, the greater Dublin area, Kildare and Cork. These data centres are a combination of private and Government owned facilities. To ensure the continued integrity and security of the services provided by my Department and across the Public Service, the exact locations of these data...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (21 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan 2021-30 (NDP), rests with the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (20 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Single Public Service Pension Scheme is a statutory Public Service Career-Average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, established on 1 January 2013 under the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. The Single Scheme was established to place publicly-funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing in the context of longer life expectancies. The Single...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A contingency fund.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Chair and committee for the invitation to speak to them today. I am accompanied by Mr. Ken Cleary and Mr. Patrick Moran from the climate division in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. I look forward to engaging with the committee and discussing the role of my Department in achieving the sustainable transition of society and our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The question summarises the tensions that are there in the work we need to do. For example, we need to build more infrastructure. Even the supply and construction of infrastructure that has the potential to reduce carbon emissions has a carbon impact. We have the obvious trade-off between the need to support a growing population, and what that means for our economy and the delivery of more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I make the case that we already have a significantly bigger State in the aftermath of the pandemic. As I look to the time ahead, the number of people working in our public service alone will cross 400,000 at a point this year. Of course, it will cross 400,000 people in the context of a population that is also larger than it was a number of years ago. If the Chair was to ask me what all of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The most recent update we have prepared in regard to compliance and potential costs is the paper that was published in 2022 by my Department. We did so in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It laid out a range of different compliance scenarios, including the most extreme cost which is the risk that the compliance cost by 2030 could rise to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: That is the great value of the climate action plan. The current draft climate action plan is out for consultation at the moment. That details where we are on a sectoral basis and where we are with the delivery, or indeed the non-delivery, of targets. The action plan, and all the work that goes into the preparation of its draft, is having a significant effect on the discussions under way in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy, or Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I will address all the members of the committee as Deputies, as to be equal. To address the first question, if I was to pick any area that I believe is exceptionally important to the future of the NDP and how we can make it more sustainable, I would probably pick one process and two projects. The process would be the thorough implementation of the revised infrastructure guidelines that I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator makes a fair point. I agree entirely with his point around how we couch and talk to ourselves and the country about our response to the great climate challenge. During the week, I came across a phrase in a book that mentioned the concept of a "transition trough"-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A transition trough.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: It referred to the challenge in politics of a situation whereby costs are seismic and threatening and pose such a challenge to all of us but are in the future. While the build-up to those terrible moments is incremental, the decisions that are needed to minimise that difficulty are significant with big costs in the here and now. The climate issue is the leading example of that. Therefore,...