Results 81-100 of 31,108 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Advertising (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform has conducted one public awareness campaign in the last year. The campaign ran in April/May 2023 and flagged upcoming changes to the national tendering platform eTenders. The goal of that campaign was to ensure that no business missed out on public procurement opportunities due to changes to the eTenders platform. As part of this, a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Last Wednesday, March 27, I agreed revised capital allocations totalling €2.25 billion out to 2026. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-30 published in October 2021 set out €165 billion of funding to support capital projects across the country. As set out in the Summer Economic Statement (SES) 2023, an additional €2.25 billion was made available to be allocated in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy mentions in her question, my Department undertook a review of the statutory framework for Ethics in public life, in furtherance of our commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office Legislation”. This Review was completed in December 2022 and its Report was submitted to Government. The Government agreed to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The review of the FOI regime is nearing completion. The review process has been an open and collaborative one, taking in the views of a wide range of stakeholders. It commenced with a scoping process which sought the views of stakeholders across all sectors in setting the direction of the review. Approximately 1,200 responses were received at this stage of the process from individuals,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government is committed to continue to detail the delivery of the National Development Plan at regular intervals into the future to allow for full transparency on the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. This is achieved through regular updates of the capital investment tracker and myProjectIreland interactive map as well as the publication of annual reports and regional reports...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Exchequer Payments (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: During the lifecycle of a 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 costs incurred by the PPP company over the operational...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Lobbying Reform (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Once a lobbyist engages in lobbying activities with a Designated Public Official he or she is obliged to register this on the Lobbying Register. This is to provide the general public with information on who is lobbying whom about what. This information remains indefinitely on the lobbying register as a permanent record of transparency. If a lobbyist stops lobbying and does not intend to lobby...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360, 361 and 362 together. Last Wednesday, March 27, the Government agreed revised capital allocations totalling €2.25 billion out to 2026. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-30 published in October 2021 set out €165 billion of funding to support capital projects across the country. As set out in the Summer Economic Statement (SES) 2023, an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Referendum Campaigns (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The deadline for Returning Officers to submit all of their costs to my Department is six months after the referendums are held, so final figures for the cost of the referendums held on 8 March will not be available until then. However, it is estimated that the costs over which my Department has oversight will be approximately €21 million, broken down as follows: €17 million in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (9 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Pension abatement may apply to a public service pension where the pensioner is re-employed in a public service body. It is provided for under Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. The 2012 Act also defines the public service bodies to which abatement applies and also, in the Schedule of the Act, the bodies to which abatement does not apply. ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (21 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I and my Department are responsible for the civil service pension schemes, which cover members of established and unestablished civil service and State industrial schemes. The authorities responsible for the administration of the large number of pension schemes operating in the various sectors of the public service are, in general, the relevant employers and Ministers in those sectors. It...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (21 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 189 together. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform made a technical submission on the value of public service pensions to the Public Service Pay Commission in 2017. Following analysis of all submissions, the Commission set out findings in relation to the relative value of the various categories of public service pension...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (21 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy has noted, the Summer Economic Statement, published in July 2023 provided that an additional €2.25 billion from windfall corporation tax receipts would be made available over the period 2024 to 2026 to boost delivery of critical capital infrastructure projects and make a contribution to the existing Climate Action Fund. This will continue to provide the additional...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (21 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. However, the National...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: An Garda Síochána (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has found it necessary to contact An Garda Síochána in the context specified in her Question. I would emphasise that such instances tend to be very isolated but the health, safety and welfare of those working in the Department to provide a public service is a key priority and, therefore, any such instances are treated with the utmost...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (20 Mar 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. All new...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Referendum Campaigns (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: It is estimated that the cost to the Exchequer of holding the two Constitutional referendums on 8 March 2024 will be approximately €21m. It is estimated that about 80% of this cost would be made up of payments to Returning Officers, with a further 16% to An Post and the remainder made up of smaller payments in respect of costs incurred by the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, I and my Department have responsibility for providing and maintaining rules and guidance on severance terms in the civil and public service as per Circular 09/2018. Under Circular 09/2018: Consolidation of arrangements for the offer of severance terms in the civil and public service, Government Departments may seek sanction to pay severance to an individual by...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: At present there are no plans to make an order under section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act in respect of any organisation. However, a comprehensive review of the Freedom of Information Act has been undertaken. Among the themes identified as requiring examination in the consultation process were the mechanisms for designating a body as one to which FOI applies. This issue is being...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 288 together. In the first instance it should be noted that this is a matter for the Minister for Children as it relates to expenditure of that Department. Budget 2024 provides an allocation of €1.9 billion by DCEDIY for the provision of accommodation for beneficiaries of temporary protection and international protection applicants. This...