I thank the Chairman and the committee for receiving the Estimates for the Department of the Taoiseach and associated offices for 2006.
A total of €37.598 million has been provided in the Estimate for my Department in 2006. This represents a decrease of 3.5% on the 2005 allocation, arising mainly from the completion of the work of the Information Society Commission. It also represents an increase of 28% over the 2005 outturn, reflecting the significant provision made in both years to provide for completion of the Moriarty tribunal. I will outline some changes in the allocation of funding to subheads within the Vote, particularly in respect of the National Economic and Social Development Organisation, NESDO, the Commission of Investigation, the National Forum on Europe, the Moriarty tribunal and the e-inclusion fund.
The Estimate for my Department has been allocated to fund a range of activities to advance the objectives set out in our strategy statement. My Department plays a key role in supporting the Government as it continues to progress national priorities, including sustaining a strong knowledge-based economy, balanced development and a caring society, as well as supporting civic life through good government, promoting our interests within the EU and the wider world and our overriding priority of securing lasting peace in Ireland.
The Minister for Finance announced a reform of the Estimates process, including an annual output statement by each Department, commencing in 2007. I am pleased that my Department has been able to produce this statement a year ahead of schedule and I hope that it will be of assistance to the committee in its consideration of the Estimates by facilitating greater understanding of what the Department does with the resources provided. The statement, which I have provided for the committee's information, expands on each of the Department's objectives, particularly on its achievements during the past year, and outlines the targets which we aim to achieve in 2006. This document also, for the first time, explicitly links inputs and resources to the expected outputs. Using this new reporting format, I will outline to the committee the key objectives and projects that will be progressed during 2006 in respect of each of the Department's high level objectives.
My Department provides the secretariat to the Government and acts as a link between the President, the Taoiseach and other Departments. The Department supports effective policy development by fostering a whole-of-government approach and exercising a facilitation role in respect of many cross-cutting issues. The secretariat provides an overall support role for the various Cabinet committees, which contribute significantly to policy-making.
My Department aims to continue to improve its service in support of Government decision-making by providing a comprehensive and effective service, both in advance of and following Cabinet meetings. The new e-Cabinet system has made a major contribution in this regard, resulting in a complete change in the way Government memoranda are drafted, circulated, submitted and considered at Cabinet. Considerable efficiencies and benefits have emerged from this, including improved presentation of Government memoranda; instant secure transmission of Cabinet documentation; elimination of time lags relating to printing and delivery; and improved consultation.
Throughout the year the secretariat continued to engage with all Departments in managing the substantial change process in implementing and operating the system, which, in its first full year of operation, has supported some 25,000 transmissions of electronic documents.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Blair and I announced our plans to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland. On 15 May, the Assembly will be recalled with a specific and primary responsibility to form a power-sharing Executive. We want to see an Executive elected before the deadline of 24 November. We are very clear that this is a fixed deadline. If it cannot be met then, the two Governments are agreed that this will have immediate implications for our joint stewardship of the process and that British-Irish partnership arrangements would be necessary in these circumstances to ensure implementation of the Good Friday Agreement across its structures and functions. While we must plan for the possibility that agreement may not be forthcoming, our goal and priority is to secure agreement between the parties by 24 November. The arguments for cross-community, devolved government in Northern Ireland are compelling. For the first time since 2002 Northern Ireland's politicians are being given the opportunity through the Assembly to agree on the establishment of a power sharing Executive. There is a particular onus on the two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, to engage with one another and everyone else and give the initiative a chance.
Recent developments have helped the political climate. The IRA statement in July, followed by its announcement on decommissioning in September, were two particularly significant steps. Earlier this morning the two Governments published the tenth report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, IMC. This is the most positive IMC report to date and comes at a vital time. I welcome the fact that its assessment of the Provisional IRA is positive. It is the IMC's view that the IRA leadership has committed itself to following a peaceful path and has expended considerable effort to refocus the movement in support of its objective. The IMC states it is not aware of current terrorist, paramilitary or violent activity sanctioned by the IRA leadership. It states the leadership continues to seek to stop criminal activity by its members and to prevent them from engaging in it. It also states it is not aware of any intelligence related activity which is outside the aims of the statement of July last year. I believe the developments outlined in the report should help to create an environment in which the political parties can come together on 15 May next and begin the process of agreeing a devolved Executive.
The two Governments will continue to urge the parties towards agreement. It is, however, for the parties themselves to engage, to agree and to move on. This is what we want them to do. It is what the initiative of the two Governments allows them to do. I hope they will seize the opportunity.
In subhead D €200,000 has been allocated for commemoration initiatives. This significant increase on last year's outturn allows for certain projects to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising and the Battle of the Somme. The military parade held in Dublin on Easter Sunday, 16 April 2006, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising was a resounding success. Some 120,000 spectators watched as 2,500 military personnel marched in the parade which highlighted the Defence Forces' role in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Earlier in the day I attended a wreath-laying ceremony in Kilmainham Gaol to commemorate those who had participated in the Easter Rising.
The strong public response reflects a broad consensus that the men and women of 1916 deserve to be commemorated, deserve our continuing respect and, most of all, that their sacrifice and achievement deserve to be remembered. The parade reflected both the heritage and the evolved role of the Defence Forces, specifically their service abroad on peacekeeping duties with the United Nations. The ceremonial order observed on the occasion was of an inclusive nature, acknowledging the totality of lives lost in the Rising.
The select committee will also be aware of the establishment of a 1916 centenary committee to make preparations for a major celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Rising in 2016. The Government will bring forward arrangements for the centenary of Easter 1916 to be commemorated in an appropriate manner and which will permit all the people to take pride in that remarkable generation that laid the foundations of the State.
The sum of €60,000 under subhead L was allocated to allow the independent commission of inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings to complete its work. The last report from Mr. Justice Barron concerning the 1975 Dundalk bombing was issued recently. The report also contains references, in the form of appendices, to other incidents brought to the attention of the inquiry, including bombs in Castleblayney, Dublin Airport, Silverbridge and the Miami Showband murders. This marks the completion of the work of the commission of inquiry and no further expenditure is envisaged.
Provision has been made for the completion of the work of the commission of investigation into certain matters related to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. At the end of February Mr. Paddy MacEntee SC, the sole member of the commission, was granted an additional extension until 31 May 2006. This was necessary to allow him to pursue a line of investigation which had arisen. In accordance with the requirements of the legislation, Mr. MacEntee provided me with a third interim report which was published and placed in the Oireachtas Library. Although it is unfortunate that we will have to wait a further period before the final report is available, everyone will agree on the importance of Mr. MacEntee being allowed sufficient time to pursue any lines of inquiry that he deems relevant. I am grateful to Mr. MacEntee for the work he has completed to date and look forward to receiving the final report.
Funding of €337,000 has been provided in subhead N to promote mutually advantageous co-operation between Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador through the Ireland-Newfoundland partnership. The work of the partnership spans co-operation initiatives and activities in a wide range of sectors, including marine science and engineering, arts, culture, tourism and education.
The defeat of the referendums on the European constitution in France and the Netherlands was a significant setback in the process of its ratification. The June European Council decided on a period of reflection, allowing for a broad debate in all member states on the European constitution and on Europe generally. My Department is active in using this period to encourage understanding of the importance of issues in the ratification process for Ireland and for Europe.
My programme of meetings with international partners forms part of Ireland's strategic approach to developing our bilateral political, economic and cultural relations with non-EU countries. These meetings also serve to maintain Ireland's position at the forefront of international affairs and raise our profile in terms of inward and outward economic and investment opportunities.
In January 2006 I made a successful visit to India, accompanied by an all-island delegation. I was pleased that business and educational organisations from both sides of the Border were represented. Like my visit to China in 2005, the visit was undertaken in the context of the Government's Asia strategy, the goal of which is to heighten Ireland's profile in the region, develop and nurture business connections and enhance bilateral relations.
The Government's economic strategy is working well and the performance of the economy is the envy of the rest of Europe. Significant progress is also being made in several key areas of infrastructural development. Transport 21 provides €34.4 billion for transport infrastructure development over the next ten years.
The economic and social policy division of the Department works with other Departments and agencies in preparing the ground and providing advice for major decisions that require a whole of Government perspective. The division convenes the cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and public private partnerships and the senior officials group on social inclusion that support Cabinet committees chaired by myself. The division also works with other stakeholders in several key areas, including financial services. It also works with the Central Statistics Office in promoting the use of statistics in evidence-based policy making.
The division plays a critical role in maintaining and developing the structure of social partnership. In this context, the current negotiations on a new agreement to succeed Sustaining Progress are presenting a major challenge. The negotiations are being conducted on a strand-based approach. Officials of all relevant Departments are participating in the talks. The positions to be finally agreed in the context of these talks will reflect the Government's policy priorities since the response to the social partners in the talks is determined by my colleagues and me. I hope the progress made in discussion of the sensitive and challenging area of employment standards will enable the process to proceed to address the pay and other key elements of a new social partnership agreement.
The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, continues to be at the forefront in identifying and analysing strategic policy issues. The council's work during 2006 will involve completion of its work on child income supports, publication of a report on migration policy and completion of work on the Lisbon strategy, focusing particularly on policy learning through the open method of co-ordination. Other topics are the preparation of a periodic social report, requested by the Government, and reports on competition and regulation in networked sectors and taxation policy. There is provision of €952,000 in subhead B to fund the council's activities in 2006.
The National Economic and Social Forum, NESF, evaluates and monitors the effectiveness of policies and programmes to tackle inequality and social exclusion in the context of social partnership agreements. The forum, with its strands of the Oireachtas, employer, trade unions and farm organisations, community and voluntary sectors and central and local government, is uniquely placed to harness the views of a wide range of interests. The forum has decided on three priority work topics for 2006: the delivery of quality public services, cultural inclusion and mental health. A provision of €704,000 has been made in subhead H for 2006 to fund this work.
The role of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, NCPP, is to lead and support change in Irish workplaces based on partnership. A particular focus this year is on building a greater commitment to innovation in the workplace as part of a knowledge-based economy and society. In 2006 the activities of the centre are based on five broad programmes of work which include practical approaches to promote partnership as an enabler of change, providing support to a high level implementation group for the national workplace strategy, managing and administering the proposed new workplace innovation fund, and working in collaboration with other agencies on the key research priorities arising from the national workplace strategy.
The centre aims to create greater awareness among employers and employees of the strategy and the services provided by the centre in support of workplace transformation. This will involve working towards a much greater level of engagement from the social partners in targeted sectors of the economy. A provision of €1.46 million has been made in subhead G to fund these activities.
The National Economic and Social Development Office comprises the NESC, NESF and the NCPP. Its primary role is to add value to the work of its constituent bodies by creating the conditions under which co-operation between them can be maximised, joint projects pursued and the potential for duplication minimised. The National Economic and Social Development Office Bill has completed all Stages in the Dáil and awaits Second Stage in the Seanad. Pending enactment of the legislation, the office has been operating on a non-statutory basis.
In 2006 the office will manage and co-ordinate a joint initiative on a learning society foresight project, which follows up the work of the Information Society Commission. The foresight project is being undertaken to create a wider understanding of requirements for the learning society and to assist policy makers in seeing the implications for their areas of responsibility. A provision of €1.923 million has been made in subhead L for NESDO in 2006. This will fund the joint activities to which I have referred and the costs of running the office premises and shared administrative services for the NESC, NESF and NCPP.
An allocation of €200,000 has been provided in subhead R of the Department's Vote for the new task force on active citizenship, as part of the Government's commitment to encouraging active citizenship and developing sustainable communities. The work of the task force, to be chaired by Ms Mary Davis of Special Olympics Ireland, will be to recommend measures to facilitate and encourage a greater degree of engagement by citizens in all aspects of life and the growth and development of voluntary organisations as part of a strong civic culture. The allocation will cover administrative costs, including a consultation process and publication of a report on its findings.
Good progress continues to be made on the modernisation agenda for the public service. As the committee will know, this is an area on which we work closely with the Department of Finance which has responsibility for implementation of many of the modernisation initiatives across the Civil Service and public service.
Sustaining Progress set out a substantial modernisation programme for the public service. An important development was the establishment of performance verification groups, PVGs, with independent chairpersons in each of the main sectors, that is, the Civil Service, health, education, local government and justice. The PVGs were given responsibility for verifying the progress achieved under the modernisation programme before the pay increases provided for under the agreement could be paid. This established a clear link between pay and the implementation of change. The Government will be seeking to strengthen this linkage and ensure similar arrangements will apply in any successor agreement.
As the committee will know, the terms of Sustaining Progress expire for the public service in June this year. Negotiations have been under way for some time with a view to securing agreement on a new national social partnership agreement and it is vitally important that we succeed. A new agreement will include further public service modernisation measures. This will give us the opportunity to build on changes already started in key areas of the public service such as human resources management, financial management, regulatory reform and quality customer service.
An allocation of €8.052 million has been made in subhead J to fund the ongoing work of the Moriarty tribunal and provide for costs which will arise if the tribunal concludes its work in the current year. An allocation of €407,000 has been made for the All-Party Committee on the Constitution which will continue its very valuable work on reviewing the Constitution.
I turn to the other Votes which are the subject of today's meeting. Vote 3 is for the Office of the Attorney General. The 2006 Estimate for the office is €15.199 million. Of this, €13.155 million is for operating costs. The remaining €2.044 million is provided by way of a grant-in-aid to the Law Reform Commission. Salaries, wages and allowances in the office account for €8.707 million. Some of the extra costs arise from up to five advisory counsel being recruited for training and subsequent secondment to a number of Departments. After secondment, the cost of the advisory counsel will be met by the Departments concerned.
An allocation of €1.151 million is earmarked for office machinery and other office supplies. The costs arising include those in respect of the roll-out of the new case and records management system being installed in conjunction with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, the installation at year end of the office's new human resources management system and the updating of the electronic Irish Statute Book on the office's website and by way of production of a new CD-ROM. The case and records management system is now operational in many areas of both offices and roll-out is expected to be completed in the summer. The 2004 chronological tables, 2005 Acts and statutory instruments to June 2005 are expected to be available on the office website from mid-May and the CD-ROM as soon as possible thereafter.
The consultancy services provision of €1.298 million includes a sum of €623,000 for the employment of consultant drafters who are required in view of the Government's extensive legislative programme and a sum of €150,000 for the employment of contract researchers on the pre-1922 legislation project. The remaining €525,000 arises from IT and other consultancies — €257,000; restatement of legislation — €206,000, and updating of the chronological tables for the electronic Irish Statute Book — €62,000.
The Law Reform Commission is continuing to implement its second programme of law reform for the period 2000 to 2007. By the end of this year, the commission will have completed or begun 27 of the 32 projects identified in the second programme. It is engaged in 16 separate projects this year and intends to publish ten major documents.
Vote 13 provides for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. The estimate for 2006 is €38.042 million which represents an increase of €2.2 million or 6% on the outturn for 2005. This includes funding for the continued implementation of a new case and records management system, undertaken jointly with the Office of the Attorney General. Provision has also been made for implementation of a new human resources management system. An allocation of €5.65 million has been made in subhead A to provide for the local State solicitor service. This includes provision for a package of measures to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for the local State solicitor service to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Estimate also provides €11.043 million in subhead B for fees to counsel engaged in litigation and advisory work for the office and the Office of the Attorney General.
The Estimate for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is €33.65 million. This provides for the salaries and expenses of the director and his staff, fees to counsel engaged by the director to prosecute cases in the various courts and legal costs awarded against the State arising from judicial review and other legal proceedings.
I conclude by commending the Estimates to the committee and thanking committee members for their attention. I will hand over to the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Treacy, who will make a statement on European affairs and then the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Kitt, who will make a statement on the Estimates in respect of the knowledge society initiatives and the Central Statistics Office for which they have ministerial responsibility.
