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Wednesday, 21 Nov 2012

Written Answers Nos. 29-36

Croke Park Agreement Issues

Questions (29)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

29. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he expects negotiations to commence on a successor to the Croke Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51648/12]

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Written answers

The Government, at my request, on 20 November 2012 invited members of the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to discussions on a new agenda for improvements in the productivity of public servants and reductions in the cost of delivery of public services.

This invitation has been issued in light of the Government’s determination to meet the challenge posed by the fiscal consolidation in the period from 2013 to 2015 to reduce the deficit below 3% of GDP by 2015 and a shared ambition to build on the substantial contribution already made by public servants to Ireland’s ongoing economic recovery.

Depending on the outcome of the initial discussions which I expect to commence shortly, the Government has indicated its willingness to enter a process of negotiation with the objective of concluding an agreement on workplace change and savings with its employees at the earliest possible date.

Semi-State Bodies Remuneration

Questions (30, 37)

John Halligan

Question:

30. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of the number of former semi-State agency executives or employees, on an agency basis, in receipt of pensions in excess of €90,000 per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51616/12]

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Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

37. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of the number of former semi-State agency executives or employees, on an agency basis, in receipt of pensions in excess of €90,000 per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51614/12]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 37 together.

Regarding An Post National Lottery Company, which comes under the aegis of my Department, I wish to inform the Deputies that pay and pensions issues are a matter for An Post. The information requested regarding pensions would therefore be provided by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

In respect of the other agencies under the aegis of my Department, I can confirm for the Deputies that no executives or employees are in receipt of pensions in excess of 90,000 per annum.

Public Procurement Contracts Tenders

Questions (31)

Denis Naughten

Question:

31. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to assist small business to obtain public contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51424/12]

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Written answers

I am very aware that public procurement can be an important source of business for local enterprises. Current guidelines, Circular 10/10, issued by my Department require public bodies to promote participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the award of public contracts. These guidelines set out positive measures that contracting authorities are to take to promote SME involvement in a manner that is consistent with the principles and rules of the existing public procurement regulatory regime. The guidance also highlights practices that are to be avoided because they can unjustifiably hinder small businesses in competing for public contracts. The key provisions of the guidance include:

- supplies and general services contracts with an estimated value of €25,000 or more to be advertised on the www.etenders.gov.ie website;

- less use of “restrictive” tendering procedures and greater use of “open” tendering;

- ensuring that the levels set by contracting authorities for suitability criteria are justified and proportionate to the needs of the contract;

-sub-dividing larger requirements into lots where this is practical and can be done without compromising efficiency and value for money.

Circular 10/10 has been in place for just over two years. It is clear that there is a need to ensure greater consistency in relation to the implementation of this circular. In this regard, the National Procurement Service, NPS, established its 'Working Group to assist Small and Medium Enterprises' in February 2012 to facilitate open discussion on the issue of public service procurement. The Working Group consists of representatives from the NPS, the Health Service Executive, the Irish Business and Employers Federation, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, Chambers Ireland and the Small Firms Association. The group has met on a number of occasions and has raised many issues relating to procurement and particularly how these issues impact on SMEs. Resulting from these discussions the NPS has issued two circulars to all buyers in, and suppliers to, the public service with the aim of improving practice in the procurement arena.

Expenditure Reviews

Questions (32)

John Halligan

Question:

32. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if any public service cuts he is considering in budget 2013 will be weighed up against the possible impact on front-line services and on the wider macroeconomic environment; if so, the way he intends to do same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51615/12]

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Written answers

The Comprehensive Review of Expenditure was the culmination of an intensive exercise carried out by all Departments in 2011 to identify means of reducing expenditure, in line with commitments under the Joint EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland, while minimising the impact on service delivery. All proposals, including those from members of the public and third party submissions, were fully appraised for this exercise and the outcomes were published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012 – 2014 (CER). The Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit (CEEU) within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform promotes best practice in the evaluation of programme expenditure across all Government Departments and Public Sector Agencies. In particular, the CEEU supports implementation by Departments of Value for Money and Policy Reviews and has been involved in bringing several of these reviews to completion in recent years. Furthermore, as part of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, the CEEU also produced a series of cross cutting evaluation papers covering a range of topics which were published on the Department's website in 2011. The role of evaluation was further enhanced by the introduction earlier this year of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES). The work of the Service will support Departments in evaluating policy and expenditure options; value for money exercises; cost benefit and regulatory impact analyses; and regulatory and competition issues.

One of the primary objectives of the Government is to stabilise the debt to GDP ratio and reduce it to a lower, safer level over time. This will be done through the implementation of further budgetary consolidation as well as policies which foster employment and economic growth. In reducing public expenditure and reforming services, we must be conscious of our obligations to reduce public spending in a way that is fair, that protects those who rely on public services, that supports employment and enterprise and that takes a more strategic view of what needs to be done to position ourselves for economic recovery over the medium to longer term.

Departmental Staff Recruitment

Questions (33)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

33. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he intends to make any further changes to the top level appointments committee. [51551/12]

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Written answers

In line with the Programme for Government commitment, the restructuring of the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) was announced in April 2011.

In July 2011 I announced the five external appointments to TLAC, one of whom would be the chairperson. Together with the four Senior Civil Service Members the restructured Committee commenced work in July 2011.

I am happy that this new structure is working well and have no intention to make further changes at this time.

Public Sector Staff Redeployment

Questions (34)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

34. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of the redeployment taking place across the system as stated in his progress on the implementation of the Government's Public Service Reform Plan September 2012. [51552/12]

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Written answers

The Public Appointments Service (PAS), which has day-to-day operational responsibility for the implementation of redeployment, has put in place a system of Resource Panels of Civil Service and State Agency staff to support the redeployment processes in those sectors under the Croke Park Agreement. Posts to be filled by redeployment are offered in the first instance to the relevant panel or panels. I am advised by PAS that 343 staff have been redeployed through the Resource Panel system up to 26th October 2012.

Redeployment is managed separately within the local authority, education and health sectors and day-to-day issues arising are a matter for the Minister responsible for the relevant sector. As progress is reported directly to the Implementation Body and details are available on its website at http://implementationbody.gov.ie/progress-and-delivery/ my Department does not collate information on the number of positions filled by redeployment in individual sectors or organisations.

Ethics in Public Office Legislation

Questions (35)

Brian Stanley

Question:

35. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the work completed to date by his Department with regards to his commitment to overhaul the existing statutory framework for ethics; if he will provide a single, comprehensive ethics framework in line with best international practice. [51548/12]

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Written answers

Substantial preparatory work has been carried out by my Department on this significant legislative project to date. I propose to advise Government of the proposed legislative approach early next year and expect to initiate a wider consultative process at that time.

Parliamentary Inquiries

Questions (36)

Martin Ferris

Question:

36. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a brief comparison between the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2012 provisions and the provisions for parliamentary inquiries in other jurisdictions that his Department considered. [51557/12]

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Written answers

The legislative proposals contained in Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2012 are primarily underpinned by a comprehensive legal analysis of the constitutional requirements set down in the Abbeylara case. The process was also informed by an examination of provisions for parliamentary inquiries in a number of other jurisdictions from existing published sources and research within my Department.

For further information on the position in other jurisdictions taken into account in the Department’s work I would refer the Deputy to the following:

- Research paper prepared by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service for the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution on the powers of inquiry of national parliaments in selected comparative jurisdictions. This paper is available at: http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Committees30thDail/J-Constitution/Submissions/document1.htm

- Parliamentary committees of inquiry in national systems: a comparative survey of EU Member States, which provides an update and extension of a 2007 overview of national provisions for parliamentary committees of inquiry. This paper is available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afco/studiesdownload.html?languageDocument=EN&file=66151

- Appendix 3 of the Committee of Public Accounts Report on the crisis in the domestic banking sector: A preliminary analysis and a framework for a banking inquiry – Inquiries in other jurisdictions. This paper is available at: http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/pac/PAC-Report---FINAL.pdf

The Department also considered other information regarding the design and operation of inquiry systems in other jurisdictions available from internet searches.

The Deputy may wish to note that a key conclusion that emerged from the Department’s review of the international position is that national differences in the constitutional, legal, parliamentary and political environment are such that there is no one recommended or best practice model for parliamentary inquiries. Rather the approach taken in different jurisdictions reflect the interplay over time of multiple and often unique national factors and characteristics.

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