Results 1-20 of 5,150 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Jack Chambers

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (3 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The multi-annual capital investment framework introduced in 2004 offers Government Departments greater certainty for planning and allocating resources to meet their strategic priorities. Expenditure ceilings are set for each area over the medium term to ensure public spending remains within sustainable limits and enables Departments and their agencies to plan and manage their capital...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Artificial Intelligence (2 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: Achieving the potential for digitalisation and AI to improve the delivery of effective and inclusive public services requires the combined efforts of all government departments and public bodies, in line with the strategic direction and targets that have been agreed by Government, including those set out in Connecting Government 2030, Better Public Services, and Harnessing Digital. While...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 284 together. Public Procurement is governed by EU and National rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. Specifically, EU rules require tenderers to be compliant with relevant employment law in order to participate in a public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 285, 286, 287 and 288 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that a deferred reply will be issued to him in respect of these Parliamentary Questions, in line with Standing Order 52(1)(b).

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: In March 2023, my Department published Circular 05/2023: Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement. The circular highlights the positive measures that contracting authorities can take to promote SME participation in public sector procurement, including an increase to the threshold at which all contracts for goods and services must be advertised on eTenders from €25,000 to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget 2025 (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: Budget 2025, introduced in October 2024, announced investment of €105.4 billion to deliver continued improvements in our infrastructure and enhance our existing public services to build for a stronger future. This represented an overall increase of almost €7 billion in voted expenditure over the 2024 starting position set out in the 2024 Summer Economic Statement, with a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The total public service pay bill figure (inclusive of Local Authorities) for 2025 is estimated to be €30.2 billion. This includes all elements of pay, including basic pay, allowances, overtime, premia, and employer PRSI. The estimated cost of a 10% pay increase for public service workers earning less than €100,000 would be approx. €2.8 billion.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Government's assessment is that, in general, and consistent with the approach adopted since FOI first came into effect in 1998 commercial state bodies should not be subject to FOI requirements. The rationale for this approach is the risk of the uneven competitive market environment that would be created in circumstances that commercial state bodies operating in a competitive market were...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Pensions (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: From the details supplied by the Deputy, it would appear that the individual concerned was initially employed by a public service body in the 1970s, before leaving that employment. The individual re-entered public service employment in 2018. The Single Public Service Pension Scheme is a statutory Public Service Career-Average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme. It was established on 1 January...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Priorities (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: In line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government, earlier this year I announced a series of actions to accelerate the provision of strategic infrastructure in Ireland, including the creation of a new Infrastructure Division in my Department. This Division is focusing on how infrastructure development can be accelerated, particularly in the electricity, water and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question. As the Deputy is aware, Ireland has comprehensive legislation to protect workers who raise concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace. The Protected Disclosures Act was enacted in 2014. This legislation was further enhanced by the Protected Disclosures Amendment Act 2022 (the 2022 Act). The 2022 Act broadens the scope of those who can...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Rail Network (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Review of the National Development Plan (NDP) will allocate funding to update capital expenditure ceilings out to 2035. Sectoral capital allocations will be published in the Review document in July, in line with the Programme for Government commitment. In total, around €97 billion in capital funding will be allocated until 2030, which reflects an almost €20 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (1 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I would like to reassure the Deputy that my Department did act in 2022 with the specific purpose of ensuring compliance with regulations and mitigating the risk of legal challenges and the delays associated with such challenges. The details behind these actions and the current status of the project are set out below. The Deputy will be aware that the timeline for the examination of this...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Ministers and Ministers of State may make certain personal appointments, which, in the case of Ministers of State, include that of Civilian Drivers. Ministers’ drivers are members of An Garda Síochána. Under delegated sanction arrangements, Ministerial appointments to the positions of Civilian Driver do not require sanction by the Minister of the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The number of staff working as accountants at professional accountant grades in my Department is set out in the table below. - 2024 2025 No. of Whole Time Equivalent staff at Professional Accountant Grades 8 8

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Policies (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy will be aware, the gov.ie website is the key source of information on government and public services. Initially launched in 2018 by my Department, it aims to provide a much better user experience by thematically presenting and simplifying information about our public services to ensure that they are not only easy to find, but also easy to follow and navigate. Gov.ie is a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The data available to my department, in particular to the Office of Government Procurement through the eTenders platform data, provides information in relation to the number of submissions received for competitions published on eTenders. Data is also available on the number of competitions that have published a contract award notice on the platform. My department does not however have access...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The 2016 Regulations made mandatory the use of electronic procurement (eprocurement) in all procurement procedures. eTenders as the national eprocurement platform allows contracting authorities meet their obligations in this regard. In terms of notices, the Regulations mandated the items below:Mandatory enotification and electronic access to tender documents.Mandatory submission of tenders...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Individual Accounting Officers are responsible for ensuring that their public procurement functions are discharged in line with the standard accounting and procurement rules and procedures and are accountable for expenditure incurred. Individual Contracting Authorities are responsible for establishing arrangements for ensuring the proper conduct of their affairs, including conformance to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy will be aware, ultimate responsibility for public procurement within the Department, like all matters of financial management, falls to the Secretary General as Accounting Officer. However, the Deputy may also be aware that, under Circular 40/02, all Departments are required to appoint a Procurement Officer. In that context, the Procurement Officer in my Department is Gillian...