Results 41-60 of 31,039 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department has not sponsored any PPP projects, however, the OPW under the aegis of my Department manages the Convention Centre Dublin on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media who are the sponsors of the project. In terms of costs for the completed projects, the payments made by the State over the life of the PPP contract (typically 25 years...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Energy Conservation (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 313 together. Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) are a form of Public Private Partnership (PPP), but are significantly different from ‘traditional’ PPPs. Under an EPC, an Energy Service Company (ESCO) takes responsibility for undertaking the energy efficiency upgrade of a building. In return, an agreed proportion of the resulting...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for the management of gross voted expenditure and the annual estimates process, general sanctioning powers in relation to expenditure and policy matters relating to the appraisal, review and evaluation of expenditure. I am not responsible for the management of non-Exchequer expenditure, which mainly comprises of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 317 together. During the life of the PPP contract (typically 25 years after construction), a portion of the unitary payment is adjusted annually by an inflation factor to reflect changes in a general inflation index specified in the contract (the Consumer Price Index or the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices). This indexable portion represents...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 314 and 315 together. PPPs have been very useful in facilitating the delivery of important infrastructure, particularly in previous years when the Exchequer was seriously constrained in terms of its ability to fund infrastructure directly. PPPs, and their use of private finance on an off-balance sheet basis, enabled projects to proceed which would not...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I can confirm to the Deputy that all PPP unitary payments are classified as capital expenditure. PPPs are generally considered to mean projects financed and constructed by the private sector and remunerated by deferred annual payments (unitary payments) from the Exchequer for the design, build, operation and maintenance of the project. Upon completion of the construction of the project it...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Statutory Instruments (7 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, I have overarching responsibility for public service pension policy, including in relation to pension increases in the public service. As the Deputy is aware, the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1964 provided for ministerial discretion on the application of pension increase policy for public servants, without a prescribed methodology for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (6 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, I have overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes payable to retired public servants. For all new entrants to the public service (including members of HSE) on or after 6 April 1995 (the date of introduction of full social insurance for public servants who now pay Class A PRSI) and before 1 January 2013 (the date of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (6 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department and the bodies under its aegis. In the period since 2018, the total amount paid by my Department in this regard was €50,705 and by the Office of Public Works was €36,621. These amounts have been aggregated in order not to identify the amounts paid to any individual person. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (6 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there have been no such instances in my Department or the bodies under its aegis since 2019.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (6 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy. Year Role Basis 2016 Ministerial staff (4 staff members) Severance arrangements are in place for Ministerial personal staff 2019 Assistant Principal Officer Section 7(b) of the Superannuation and Pension Act 1963 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Bus Services (5 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides a very broad definition of public bodies at Section 6(1) and further provides that all new public bodies comprehended by this definition will automatically come under freedom of information (FOI) legislation, unless specifically exempted by order. This reversed the system under previous legislation whereby new bodies would have to be brought into...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Advertising (5 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department had expenditure of €54,910 (including VAT) on advertising in 2023. There has been no such expenditure to-date in 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies (5 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The general policy and practice for the duration of terms for Chief Executives of State Bodies under the aegis of Government Departments is as follows: Non-Commercial State Bodies: CEOs are generally appointed for a term of five years. Where re-appointment is agreed, it is for one further and final term of 5 years (with total duration of 10 years). Commercial State Bodies: CEOs are...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (5 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there were no ground rents payable by my Department in the period specified. This is also the position with regard to all but one of the bodies under the aegis of my Department. The position with regard to the Office of Public Works will be conveyed directly to the Deputy by that Office shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (29 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department's role regarding EU funding in the 2021-2027 period is as set out below. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) is the designated body for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. DPENDR also includes the implementing body for Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Programme (NRRP) and the Certifying Authority for Ireland’s European...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (28 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am informed by PAS that there are currently no plans to advertise Administrative Officer or Assistant Principal with Fluency in Irish competitions in Q2 2024. However, PAS have included an option for candidates to opt in for an Irish Language Stream in the Administrative Officer general and specialist stream competitions. Candidates who expressed an interest in Irish-speaking positions...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (28 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Much has been done to tackle operational carbon in a building’s lifecycle, however, the carbon emitted in the production and transportation of materials (embodied carbon) used in construction along with excavation and demolition material is more challenging to address. The current Building Regulations apply Nearly Zero-Energy Building standards (NZEB) to new buildings, whereas...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I agree with Deputy Bruton’s point. Some time ago, a campaign was run by the Revenue Commissioners to make people aware of the entitlements they could avail of within the tax code. The Deputy’s idea was a good one and I will follow up with the Ministers for Finance and Social Protection. The allowances to which he referred can make a considerable difference to taxpayers and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I acknowledge that the Deputy has been raising this consistently over recent months. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and I are very much aware of his keen interest in this and his determination to try to find a way to resolve it. Given that this is a complex matter and that there may well be negotiations that will happen in the future, I do not want to undermine our ability to...