Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a policy is in place on the payment of legal fees to applicants taking judicial reviews against the State or public bodies, in the case of a settlement between the applicant party and the State or the public body. [55582/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In the normal course, a settlement agreement is the process of confidential negotiations between the parties and it can vary as to what is agreed regarding legal costs. Accordingly, there is no one agreed process as to the payment of legal fees or costs of applicants that is applicable to every judicial review taken against myself as Minister. However, I am cognisant of the State Litigation Principles and of the legislation and legal principles that govern legal costs, including the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, the Rules of the Superior Courts and the case law of the Superior Courts.

In that overall context, it is a matter for individual public bodies to determine their position based on the circumstances of individual cases, and as such there is no specific, central policy in this area. Finally, I would note that the Accounting Officer for the relevant Vote has responsibility for ensuring the appropriate expenditure of funds and the achievement of value for money in line with the Public Financial Procedures.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Government has benchmarked the roll-out of public service AI initiatives against similar programmes in other jurisdictions; whether lessons from international best practice have informed the adoption of AI in areas such as legal research, document summarisation, data breach identification, and high-volume disclosure; and if his Department plans to provide guidance, tools or frameworks to other public bodies to ensure the responsible, transparent and consistent deployment of AI across Government. [55597/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has taken a proactive and coordinated approach to supporting the responsible and effective adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the Public Service. In May 2025, the Department published the Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service, which provide a practical framework to assist Public Service Bodies in designing, developing and deploying AI in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with public service values.

The Guidelines are structured around seven core principles. The are (1) human agency and oversight, (2) technical robustness and safety, (3) privacy and data governance, (4) transparency, (5) diversity, non-discrimination and fairness, (6) societal and environmental well-being, and (7) accountability. These are supported by a decision framework, an AI lifecycle model, and a practical Responsible AI Canvas tool. Together, these elements help Public Service Bodies to assess the appropriateness of AI use cases, manage risks, and embed good governance throughout the AI project lifecycle.

To build capability and ensure consistent understanding and application of these standards, my Department has worked with the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) to develop a suite of training courses, including Implementing the AI Guidelines, AI Essentials, and an AI Masterclass. These courses are designed to meet the needs of both technical and non-technical staff.

In addition, CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI, acts as the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for AI, providing advice, testing facilities and technical support to both Public Service Bodies and enterprises seeking to explore or adopt AI responsibly.

Through these combined measures, my Department is ensuring a consistent, transparent and supportive approach to AI adoption across the Public Service, enabling innovation while maintaining public trust and ethical standards.

In developing Ireland’s approach to Public Service AI, my Department has drawn extensively on international best practice and benchmarking of initiatives in other jurisdictions. The Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service were informed by the Ethical Guidelines for Trustworthy AI published by the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI (2019), which established the seven principles for responsible AI.

The Guidelines are also aligned with the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), adopting a risk-based approach that distinguishes between minimal, limited, and high-risk AI systems, and emphasises proportional governance and oversight in Public Service use cases.

Furthermore, reference is made to the OECD’s classification of Public Sector AI opportunities, which identifies potential applications across a range of government functions, including automation of administrative tasks, predictive analytics, and enhanced information management. This framework, highlighted in the Guidelines, supports a structured understanding of where AI can deliver most public value.

The Guidelines also incorporate international examples of AI deployment in public administration, including use in:

1. Internal operations (e.g. automating document management and translation);
2. Service delivery (e.g. intelligent chatbots for citizen engagement);
3. Internal and external oversight (e.g. anomaly detection for compliance or data protection monitoring); and
4. Policy-making (e.g. use of AI for data analysis and evidence generation).

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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120. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Table2: 2026 Current Expenditure Breakdown to confirm whether the € 0.3 billion provided for 'To be allocated' is for new measures or for ELS costs; and to provide the breakdown. [55665/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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121. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Table2: 2026 Current Expenditure Breakdown to confirm whether the €1.4 billion provided for 'Other' is for new measures or for ELS costs; and to provide the breakdown. [55666/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Table2: 2026 Current Expenditure Breakdown the portion of the €2.2 billion provided for 'Key Policy Adjustments and Expansion of Services' is for Budget 2026 new measures that will commence in 2026. [55667/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Table2: 2026 Current Expenditure Breakdown, to provide details of the €0.3 billion provided for 'to be allocated'; and the way in which it differs from the 1 billion contingency reserve which is also held centrally. [55668/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of funding determined as required for ELS (public sector pay, carryover, demographics, and so on) costs in Budget 2026 which in the case of Budget 2025 the Expenditure Report 2025 on pages 24 and 25 set at €3.4 billion. [55671/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of current funding provided for New Measure in Budget 2026 which in the case of Budget 2025 the Expenditure Report 2025 on page 24 set at €1.9 billion. [55672/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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126. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Table 2: 2026 Current Expenditure Breakdown to confirm whether the €0.9 billion for 'Increase in recipients' relates to increases in recipient numbers as a result of changes to the size and demographic composition of the population; and if so the portion of the €0.9 billion which is to cover that or if this allocation is to cover the cost of Budget 2026 new measures that are scheduled to commence in 2026. [55675/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126 together.

Budget 2026 takes a whole of budget approach, considering the totality of expenditure, where this funding is being invested and what is being delivered for our growing population. This year a different approach to the Estimates process was undertaken which placed a greater emphasis on reform, efficiency and placing value for money at the centre of Government decision making.

Budget 2026 will increase the total gross voted expenditure ceiling to €117.8 billion. This represents an increase of €6.1 billion in current expenditure to cater for increased demand in service delivery for a growing population and to progress key policies in line with Government priorities across a range of sectors and €2 billion additional capital expenditure in line with NDP ceilings. The overall ceiling also has a €1 billion unallocated Contingency Reserve which will be used to fund once off costs relating to Ireland’s hosting of the EU Presidency in 2026 and an additional pay day in 2026 in the Revised Estimates. €0.3 billion of current funding remains to be allocated under the expenditure ceiling, separate to the €1bn reserve.

Detailed information on where the additional current funding is being allocated in 2026 is set out by Department in Part II of the Budget 2026 Expenditure Report. The vote chapters detail the overall level of resources available next year (including staff resources); the programmes and policy outputs to be delivered with this funding; and a list of reforms to be undertaken in order to enhance efficiency.

Each vote chapter includes a reconciliation table demonstrating the key components of the 2026 ceiling. The amounts reflected in the Vote Group reconciliation tables at the time of the Budget are collated in the aggregate Table 2 on page 12 of the Expenditure Report. This reflects:

• €1.1 billion is included for the 2026 cost of decisions taken in 2025 and carryover of Budget 2025 decisions. Some examples include the additional costs of running public transport services through the Public Service Obligation payments, costs associated with rollout of Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit and introduction of auto-enrolment, Bovine TB Action Plan, and costs of the 2025 childcare measures.
• €1.2 billion for public sector pay agreement costs arising in 2026 for all sectors, including the pension impact of this agreement.
• €0.9 billion for increased recipients of public services particularly in the area of social protection, housing and childcare and disability. This includes an additional c.30,000 recipients in pensions, illness, disability and carers schemes in 2026.
• €2.2 billion for key policy adjustments and expansion of services reflects expenditure for broadening the availability of supports, expansion of eligibility for schemes, extension of policies or introduction of new supports to deliver enhanced services for citizens, particularly through social protection, education & youth and further & higher education.
• The “Other” category reflects costs associated with the running of particular schemes and recruitment of additional staff, this includes the World Food Programme, Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme and additional funding in the justice sector.