Results 241-260 of 31,111 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Evaluation of Government expenditure is a vital component of the public expenditure management framework. This goal is fully embedded across Government and is progressed in a number of ways from the day-to-day management of resources, regular engagement across Departments and through the public service reform programme. It is also progressed through a range of budgetary reform initiatives...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Services Provision (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am pleased to say that great progress is being made across government to digitalise public services. I am delighted to report that this progress has been recognised nationally and internationally, most recently in the OECD’s 2023 Digital Government Index. Ireland is ranked amongst the top 10 international performers alongside countries such as Korea, Denmark, the United Kingdom,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 104 together. Reform and transformation of our public services remains a key priority for Government and it is always a feature of Public Service Agreements. As such, the proposed Public Service Agreement 2024 – 2026 includes a chapter on transformation. If ratified, the Agreement will underpin the ongoing transformation of our public services,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The National Development Plan (NDP) provides investment of €165 billion over the period 2021 - 2030 and supports a broad range of infrastructure projects and programmes across the country. As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments. My Ministerial colleagues in Government are responsible...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A comprehensive review of the National Development Plan involving several strands of work was undertaken over the course of 2020 and 2021. The Phase 1 report was published in April 2020 and drew upon a number of pieces of research and policy papers. This work culminated in the publication of an updated National Development Plan 2021-2030 (NDP) in October 2021. The NDP provides for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the proposed agreement that was made at the WRC two weeks ago, following a challenging set of discussions. In my view, it is an Agreement that seeks to achieve a balanced approach to public service pay that rewards the ongoing efforts of public servants, while ensuring the responsible management of public finances. This has been Government’s ambition throughout this process....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 125 and 129 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Since 2017 my Department has been responsible for the co-ordination and management of the annual Spending Review process. This involves individual Departments choosing an expenditure or policy area to review and conducting analysis that improves our knowledge of and the data around that policy or programme with the aim of making it more effective and efficient. The objective and scope of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been informed by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) that Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition published a resolution (Resolución Obra Civil 2 S/0021/20) on 5 July 2022, imposing fines for infringement of Spanish and European competition laws on six Spanish construction companies. The NDFA understands from correspondence with one of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Supports (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The European Union’s Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) is a unique regulation established specifically to provide support to counter the adverse economic, social, territorial, and environmental consequences of the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. The regulation is clear that in order to be eligible for BAR funding, the expenditure must fall within the eligibility period for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government has committed to €165 billion in capital investment through the National Development Plan (NDP) published in 2021. As a percentage of national income, annual capital investment is now among the largest in the EU. In 2024, €13 billion will fund vital infrastructure in areas such as housing, transport, education, enterprise, sport and climate action. Achieving value...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The 2020 Programme for Government contains a commitment to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office Legislation”, which inter alia underpins the operation of the Standards in Public Office Commission. As the Deputy’s question notes, the Minister at the time asked my Department to undertake a review of the statutory framework in advance of bringing new proposals...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Budgetary and expenditure reform is a key feature of public expenditure management and is progressed in a number of ways including through regular engagement across Departments on cross cutting issues and through the public service reform programme. The promotion of innovation may be seen within the overall context of budgetary reform through a range of initiatives including: •...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The latest data available from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, relates to 2021. According to Eurostat, in 2021 35.2% of General Government Expenditure in Ireland was on the Social Protection function, 21.2% was on the Health Function and 12% was on the Education function. This compares to an equivalent EU average of 39.9% on the Social Protection Function, 15.8% on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In considering a move to a four day working week in a public service context, there are two main concerns – the cost to the taxpayer and ensuring the continuity of services to the public. There would be substantial costs associated with any move towards a four day working week in the public service. It is not clear that increased productivity would be sufficient to offset that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In line with the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, my Department’s focus is to further develop the potential of strategic procurement, with an emphasis on sustainability and social considerations, public works reform and innovation. My Department has taken a number of actions in this regard. Through the inter-departmental Strategic Procurement Advisory Group, chaired by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A comprehensive review of the National Development Plan involving several strands of work was undertaken over the course of 2020 and 2021. The Phase 1 report was published in April 2020 and drew upon a number of pieces of research and policy papers. This work culminated in the publication of an updated National Development Plan 2021-2030 (NDP) in October 2021. The NDP provides for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will be aware that the Government Legislation Programme for the Spring 2024 Session was published on 16 January. The Spring Legislation Programme sets out that my Department has one Bill on the Legislation for Priority Publication list, which is the Civil Service Regulation and Public Service Management (Amendment) Bill. My Department also has one item on the Legislation for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Proposals for a new public service pay agreement – Public Service Agreement 2024 to 2026 were finalised at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on 26th January. Public service unions and associations can be expected to ballot on these proposals in the coming weeks. The proposed Agreement runs for two and a half years and the total estimated cost amounts to €3.6...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (8 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, a broad range of factors, of which accommodation costs is only one, influences staff recruitment and retention. As a result of Ireland's robust economic growth, unemployment is low and labour market conditions are tight. Labour and skills shortages are presenting recruitment and retention challenges for employers across the labour market, including the civil and...