Written Answers Nos. 152 to 162
152. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the measures he will put in place to ensure an alignment of interests between good cause beneficiaries and the new operators within the new national lottery licence framework. [15714/13]
View answerSince 1986, the lottery licence has been managed by An Post National Lottery Company and has made a significant contribution to the State through making good cause contributions of approximately €4 billion. Importantly, the new licence is being designed to align interests between the new operator and the State with the objective of maximising contributions to be paid to good causes over the life of the next licence.
Therefore it is intended that good causes contributions under the new licence will be linked to a percentage of Gross Gaming Revenues (Sales less Prizes) over the period of the new licence. This will offer the new licensee greater flexibility and scope for the growth and development of lottery games and distribution channels. Growth in Good Cause Revenues will ensure contributions to Good Causes are maximised over the period of the new licence.
Our aim is to maximise the annual payment to Good Causes over the period of the new licence. This will be determined prior to the launch of the licence competition when a number of other matters in relation to the licence structure and licence competition have been determined. This development follows detailed engagement by our financial advisers Davy with the marketplace.
The Government’s aim in this process is to deliver a significant upfront payment while ensuring that the annual revenues for good causes are maximised.
153. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform following his Department's review of public sector allowances in 2011, if he will provide a list of the allowances currently under review; if he will provide, in tabular form, a list of the allowances to be withdrawn accompanied by the date on which he intends to withdraw each allowance. [15716/13]
View answer154. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if any of the 88 public allowances identified in September 2012 for abolition have been withdrawn; if so, if he will provide a list of the allowances; and if the use of a dedicated fast track arbitration process has been used for all such cases. [15717/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together.
Departments were notified by my Department on 28 September 2012 of details of the Government decision in relation to the outcome of the Review of Public Sector Allowances and Premium Pay. Copies of these letters, detailing allowances to be abolished for new beneficiaries and allowances to be approved for new beneficiaries but subject to review and/or modification are publicly available on my Departments website at www.per.gov.ie . Extensive material relating to the review, including a spreadsheet summarising statistics and the outcome of each allowance reviewed are also published on the website.
Approval for payment of an allowance to a new beneficiary pending the outcome of the review was withdrawn from 31 January 2012 and was not restored in the case where the review found that there is no business case for its payment to new beneficiaries.
Following the review, sectoral management have been instructed to engage immediately with staff interests with a view to securing their early agreement to the elimination of those Departmental allowances payable to current beneficiaries, where no business case exists to pay those allowances to new beneficiaries, with a list identified for consideration among the allowances they should prioritise for early elimination. In addition, Departments have been asked to identify other allowances, including legacy allowances, for elimination from current beneficiaries. Departments are now directly engaging with staff representatives on the allowances specific to their areas. In cases where no agreement can be reached, the timebound mechanism for dispute resolution through in the existing industrial relations systems by the Public Sector Agreement 2010-2014, is available.
The Labour Relations Commission proposals in relation to the new Public Service Agreement contain a provision that there will be full co-operation from all parties with the follow-up measures to be undertaken by sectoral management related to the Review of Allowances.
155. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 249 of 12 March 2013, if he will provide a reconciliation between the 0% change he claims will occur to the gross salary and allowances of staff earning less than €65,000, with 10.63% reduction which the 24/7 Frontline Alliance claims will occur. [15719/13]
View answerThe proposals put forward by the Labour Relations Commission on 25 February last are a fair and equitable package of measures which will deliver the €1bn savings in the pay and pensions bill required by Government, while protecting those on lower incomes to the greatest extent possible.
For example, under the proposals, there is no change to the core pay of the 87% of workers in the public service who earn less than €65,000.
In contrast, those on salaries over €65,000 will have their pay reduced by between 5.5% and 10%. In the case of those with salaries greater than €100,000 salary scales will be permanently cut by the relevant percentage.
This was illustrated in the table included in Question No. 249 to which the Deputy refers.
I am not aware of the basis for the figure of 10.63% referred to by the Deputy. However, I would again reiterate that the proposals emerging from the negotiations represent a fair and balanced deal, which protects the core salaries of the vast majority (87%) of public servants.
156. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a list of public sector PPP project contracts that include a provision for payments by the State to the operator to be subject to indexation based on the CPI each year. [15734/13]
View answerFor the Design Build Operate Finance (DBOF) PPP contracts the following projects are subject to partial Indexation at CPI/HICP:
Criminal Courts of Justice
Convention Centre Dublin
Schools - Pilots
Schools 1
Schools 2
Schools 3
Cork School of Music
National Maritime College
M50
All operating payments under the toll roads (First Roads PPP Programme) – are subject to CPI.
The Department of Environment Community and Local Government have provided the below list of Water Services DBO contracts which are in Operation and Maintenance phase as of now. It should be noted that the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government do not hold details on all projects, these details are held by the relevant Local Authority. The annual payment for operations made to the contractors by local authorities are subject to indexation from the date of tender. On contracts procured since 2008, this is based on CPI but on contracts procured prior to then indexation is based on other indices published by CSO.
Contracts subject to indexation based on CPI
|
WSA |
Location |
Status |
Contract Signed |
O&M Phase Commenced |
O&M Phase Ends |
|
Clare |
Feakle/Scariff/Quilty WWTPs |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
Cork County |
Kinsale WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
Donegal |
Donegal Group A |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2008 |
2028 |
|
Letterkenny WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2011 |
2012 |
2032 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown |
Shanganagh WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2012 |
2032 |
|
Fingal |
Portrane/Donabate/Rush/Lusk WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2010 |
2012 |
2032 |
|
Kerry |
Kilcummin/Barraduff WWTPs |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
Firies WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
|
Milltown WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
|
Kildare |
Kildare Town WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2010 |
2012 |
2032 |
|
Kilkenny |
Kilmacow WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2010 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
Laois |
Portlaoise WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
Leitrim |
Carrick-on-Shannon WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
Leitrim Villages bundle DBO |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
|
Limerick City |
Clareville WTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
Mayo |
Kiltimagh WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
Castlebar WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2010 |
2012 |
2032 |
|
|
North Tipperary |
Templemore WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2020 |
|
Offaly |
Tullamore WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2010 |
2012 |
|
|
Sligo |
Sligo WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
Westmeath |
Mullingar WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2009 |
2011 |
2031 |
|
Wexford |
Bunclody WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
New Ross WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
|
|
Wicklow |
Wicklow Town WWTP |
O&M Phase |
2008 |
2010 |
2030 |
* Note that the capital cost has been paid upfront to the DBO contractor in stages over the Design-Build Phase so the contractor has not financed any of the capital works.
157. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total cost to the taxpayer of paying the aggregate fees, salaries and any other remuneration to directors of all State bodies, to include majority State owned banks, all public interest directors, all semi-State bodies, all State agencies and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15411/13]
View answerThe payment of fees, salaries and other remuneration to directors of the semi state agencies under the aegis of my Department is a day to day matter for the agencies. I have asked each of the Agencies to respond directly to the Deputy.
158. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of grants paid by the Industrial Development Authority to companies (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15457/13]
View answerTwo of these companies, the first and fourth named as listed by the Deputy, have unfortunately ceased operations some years ago. The amount of grants paid by IDA Ireland to these companies before their closure is as follows:
|
Company |
Ceased operations |
Total Grants Paid |
|
First named company |
2004 |
€1,871,365 |
|
Fourth named company |
2008 |
€266,208 |
In relation to the other two companies, the second named company has received a total of €1,732,137 from IDA Ireland in grant payments to date, and the third named company, which is an Enterprise Ireland supported company, has been paid a total of €196,817 in grant payments by that Agency to date.
159. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the full cost of ministerial transport and the breakdown of this cost between salaries, mileage allowance and other travel costs for Ministers and Ministers of State in his Department for 2012. [15676/13]
View answerDetails of the Ministerial transport costs as requested by the Deputy are set out in the table below. My Department does not incur any other costs relating to Ministerial transport.
|
Ministerial Transport Costs 2012 |
Ministers Mileage Costs |
Drivers Gross Salary Costs |
Drivers Employer PRSI |
Drivers Subsistence Costs |
Total Costs |
|
Minister Bruton |
€6,387.07 |
€69,582.75 |
€7,108.42 |
€262.69 |
€83,340.93 |
|
Minister Perry |
€28,721.59 |
€72,109.75 |
€7,352.87 |
€16,642.11 |
€124,826.32 |
|
Minister Sherlock |
€20,710.70 |
€69,745.20 |
€7,087.68 |
€12,370.23 |
€109,913.81 |
|
Total Costs |
€55,819.36 |
€211,437.70 |
€21,548.97 |
€29,275.03 |
€318,081.06 |
160. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal of rent allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and when a decision will be made on same. [15381/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28 February 2013, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.
161. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Social Protection the total cost to the taxpayer of paying the aggregate fees, salaries and any other remuneration to directors of all State bodies, to include majority State owned banks, all public interest directors, all semi-State bodies, all State agencies and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15414/13]
View answerThe statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal.
Details of the total cost of fees, salaries and other remuneration paid to members of the Boards for years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are set out in the table below:
|
Agency/ Board |
Year |
Total cost € |
|
Citizens Information Board |
2009 2010 2011 2012 |
59,422 76,853 87,891 66,550 |
|
Pensions Board * |
2009 2010 2011 2012 |
131,306 120,341 105,525 91,079 |
|
Social Welfare Tribunal** |
2009/2010 2011 2012 |
6,084 Nil Nil |
* The operations of the Pension Board, including payment of fees to the board members, are largely financed by annual fees payable to it by occupational pension schemes and by providers of Personal Retirement Savings Accounts and trust Retirement Annuity Contracts.
** Fees and expenses in respect of both 2009 and 2010 were paid during 2010. No further costs have incurred in respect of 2011 and 2012.
162. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 312 of 20 March 2013, if entitlement to arrears in respect of an application for jobseeker's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be re-examined in view of the fact that the reason the applicant did not collect his basic supplementary welfare payments was due to only receiving a letter from her Department dated 5 February informing them that a payment was ready for collection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15428/13]
View answerThe person concerned collected his first basic supplementary payment on 21 December 2012 covering the period 18 December 2012 to 2 January 2013 but he did not collect the following four payments.
Entitlement to arrears of jobseekers allowance will be re-examined when the person concerned attends the social welfare local office to explain why he did not collect the weekly basic supplementary welfare payments covering the period 3 January 2013 to 30 January 2013.
