Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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146. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 722 of 25 March 2025 and 910 of 8 April 2025, if he is aware of any Government department that failed to submit quarterly prompt payment reports, as required under Government Decision S29296 of 19 May 2009, 2 and 8 March 2011, and 28 March 2017, for any quarter in 2022, 2023, or 2024 to date; if so, to provide a list of such Departments; the quarters for which data was not submitted; and outline any corrective action taken or requested by the Department; to clarify the following specific omissions from the Department's published prompt payment returns, the absence of the Department of Health's return for Q2 2024, despite prior submissions, the absence of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth's returns in both Q2 2023 and Q4 2023; and if these omissions were due to non-submission by the relevant Departments or due to other reasons for example, a reporting error or publication oversight. [22582/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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It is a government requirement that all government departments, the Health Service Executive, the local authorities and all other public sector bodies (excluding commercial Semi-State bodies) pay their suppliers within 15 calendar days of receipt of a valid invoice. As part of the 15-day prompt payment requirement, departments and relevant public sector bodies are required to publish on their respective websites, their quarterly payment performance reports. My Department collates and publishes the composite quarterly returns by central government departments of payments made to their suppliers within 15 days. As of May 2025, all Departments are up to date with their quarterly submissions.

The absence of the Department of Health’s return for Q2 2024 was due to an error on the submitted return. The error has subsequently been corrected, and the revised data has been included on an amended Q2 2024 composite report published on my Department’s website.

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The absence of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth’s returns in both Q2 2023 and Q4 2023 composite reports were due to the returns being received after the publication date. These reports have now been updated and published on my Department’s website.

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Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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147. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department aggregates or compiles quarterly prompt payment reporting data submitted by public bodies and agencies under its remit, in accordance with Government Decision S29296 of 19 May 2009, 2 and 8 March 2011, and 28 March 2017; if so, to provide the compiled data or summary tables for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 to date; if not, the reason his Department does not aggregate this data; and if any steps have been taken to ensure public bodies under its remit are meeting their reporting obligations. [22607/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Since 2009, Government Departments have been obliged to pay their suppliers within 15 days of receipt of a valid invoice (Government Decision of 19 May 2009). This policy initiative was implemented to improve their respective payment times and primarily to assist the cash flow of businesses. All Departments are required to report to my Department on the implementation of these arrangement.

In 2011 the 15-day prompt payment requirement was extended beyond central government departments to include the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other Public Sector Bodies (excluding Commercial Semi-State bodies) (Government Decision of 2 March 2011 and Government Decision of 8 March 2011 refer). On foot of these Decisions all public bodies are required to report quarterly to their parent department on their performance.

Accordingly, every quarter my Department publishes on its website, tables of compiled data in respect of the public bodies under its remit.

Links to tables for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 are provided:

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Officials from my Department are currently compiling the data in respect of Q1 2025 and will make the report available on the Department’s website when finalised.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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148. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has considered introducing formal sanctions or funding consequences for public sector bodies that fail to meet prompt payment reporting requirements under Government Decision S29296; and if not if he will now undertake a review of enforcement mechanisms. [22613/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Government departments, the HSE, Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other public authorities (excluding commercial Semi-State bodies) are required to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment. There are no sanctions in place where such bodies do not meet this requirement.

However, sanctions in the form of late payment interest and compensation for recovery of costs are in place for those payments that breach the 30-day legal time-frame for payment of invoices under Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council.

In March Government agreed new measures to support effective delivery of the Public Sector’s obligation to pay its bills within 15 days. Officials from my Department are currently working towards the establishment of a Prompt Payment Officer network with representation from each Government Department. The programme of work will include reviewing with parent departments where public sector bodies are not meeting the requirement to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment with a view to ensuring that this reporting requirement is met going forward.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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149. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide copies of any guidance or correspondence issued to parent departments regarding the requirement to monitor and enforce prompt payment reporting by bodies under their remit since March 2017. [22614/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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In May 2009, Government Decision of 19 May 2009 put in place formal arrangements to reduce the payment period for Government Departments from 30 days to 15 calendar days.

This Prompt Payment obligation was extended to the HSE, Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other public authorities (excluding commercial Semi-State bodies) in March 2011 (Government Decision of 2 March 2011 and Government Decision of 8 March 2011 refer).

In March 2017 these bodies were obligated to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment using a revised payment performance template (Government Decision of 28 March 2017).

In June 2017 each Department was requested by email to ensure that a revised Reporting Template 1(a) is used when submitting Department prompt payment returns and in respect of the bodies under their aegis that they use the revised Reporting Template 1(b) when submitting their returns to their parent Department. This correspondence also required that Government Departments and public sector bodies will continue to publish their quarterly payment performance reports on their respective websites. This correspondence also requested that parent Departments are required to publish quarterly a report detailing the payment performance of each of the public sector bodies under their aegis.

Each quarter officials from my Department request completion of the payment performance template report by all government departments and for the reports to be returned to my Department in order to compile a consolidated report and publish it on my Department’s website.

This quarterly request also reminds Departments of their responsibilities in respect of the bodies under their aegis that are also bound by the 15 Day Prompt Payment Government Decision:

• To ensure that the correct template is used in compiling and submitting their returns to their parent Department
• Each Department is then responsible for ensuring these bodies publish their own data on their websites
• Each Department is to collate a table of returns for bodies under their aegis for publication on its own website.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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150. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to confirm which public bodies under the aegis of his Department are required to submit quarterly prompt payment reports in accordance with Government Decision S29296 of 19 May 2009, 2 and 8 March 2011, and 28 March 2017, regarding the 15-Day Prompt Payment Commitment; to provide a comprehensive list of those bodies; and to specify which of those bodies submitted reports covering each quarter of 2023 and Q1 2025, and which did not, in tabular form. [22626/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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In March 2011, the 15-day prompt payment requirement was extended beyond central government departments and rolled out to the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other Public Sector Bodies (excluding Commercial Semi-State bodies) (Government Decision of 2 March 2011 and Government Decision of 8 March 2011 refer). This included the requirement for each body to report quarterly to its parent department on performance in respect of these arrangements.

In March 2017 these bodies were obligated to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment using a revised payment performance template (Government Decision of 28 March 2017).

The public bodies which were under the aegis of my Department at the end of Q4 2024, the last completed prompt payment reporting period were: Enterprise Ireland, Health and Safety Authority, IDA Ireland, Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority, National Standards Authority of Ireland, Personal Injuries Resolution Board (formerly Personal Injuries Assessment Board), Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and Corporate Enforcement Authority.

Officials from my Department are currently compiling the data in respect of Q1 2025 and will make the report available on the Department’s website when finalised.

Table of Public Bodies under the aegis of my Department that provided quarterly prompt payment reports