Written Answers Nos. 257-262
258. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 453 of 12 March 2013, if he will provide the full projected unitary cost of the Criminal Courts of Justice complex between 2007 up to and including February 2035, including the projected budgeted 43% of the unitary charge subject to indexation based on the CPI each year, projected budgeted items paid for on a per usage basis and VAT. [15732/13]
View answer259. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No: 453 of 12 March 2013, if he will provide a breakdown of the monthly €1.6 million unitary charge payment; the amount of the payment that is for design and construction of the Criminal Courts of Justice complex, financing, insurance, ICT and the services provided by G4S. [15733/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 259 together.
As the Deputy is aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, including the provision and maintenance of accommodation for court sittings. As I informed the Deputy in my reply to Question No. 453 on 12 March, the contract between the Courts Service and the Public Private Partnership Company (PPPCo) provides for a single monthly unitary charge payment to cover the design, construction, financing and service provision in the Criminal Courts of Justice. The financial model underpinning the monthly unitary charge formed a central element of the extensive negotiations undertaken by the Service prior to entering into the contract with the PPPCo. I am further informed that this information is commercially sensitive and its release would have implications for the Courts Service's negotiating position for future public private partnership projects. As previously stated, the CCJ contract is between the Courts Service and the PPPCo and ongoing amounts paid by the PPPCo to its subcontractor G4S for the provision of services are part of their internal financial and contractual arrangements. The services provided by the PPPCo through its subcontractor G4S include security, cleaning, maintenance, facilities management, energy and utilities management, health and safety, helpdesk and portering.
Under the terms of the contract, the PPPCo has to provide the facilities and the services in the Criminal Courts of Justice to a required standard and in accordance with a performance regime as set out in the contract. Failure to meet these standards or failure to have all or part of the Criminal Courts of Justice available for use during the course of the contract period will result in financial penalties being incurred by the PPPCo. As the Criminal Courts of Justice will be handed over to the Courts Service in an "as built"’ condition in 2035, the contract provides that the PPPCo is responsible for the ongoing maintenance, including replacement costs for the fabric, contents and equipment in the Criminal Courts of Justice. In the 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the total expenditure to February 2035 was projected at €625.4 million. The current annual commitment for the Criminal Courts of Justice base unitary charge is €21.9 million (including VAT). In 2013, annual indexation provisions increased the unitary charge by approximately €200,000. In future years, any increases or decreases will depend on the CPI published by the Central Statistics Office on an annual basis. Therefore, it is not possible to predict this in advance. However, I understand the projected costs of the project mentioned above assumed an inflation rate of 2% over the period of the project.
The total amount paid on volume related items, such as jury minding and jury meals, will be based on the usage for these items over the lifetime of the contract. As a consequence, the Courts Service has informed me that it is not possible to predict in any meaningful manner expenditure to 2035 on such items. Expenditure will depend on unpredictable factors such as the number and length of jury trials. In addition, the Courts Service has indicated that it can discontinue the use of the PPPCo for the provision of such services once the contracted notice period is provided. Expenditure on volume related items in 2012 was €650,000, including VAT. As I mentioned in my reply of 12 March, there have ongoing operational savings for other criminal justice agencies, including the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána resulting in more members of An Garda Síochána being released for front line duties, in addition to considerable savings on lease costs. Finally, as stated previously, this PPP contract was dealt with in detail by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his 2008 Annual Report and was also examined by the Committee of Public Accounts in July 2010.
260. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Defence 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. [15406/13]
View answerThe only body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The main functions of the Board are to investigate applications for pensions, allowances and gratuities. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners: a civilian doctor and an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the civilian doctor are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps doctor is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. The chairperson and the civilian doctor are entitled to annual fees of €7,618 and €5,079 respectively.
261. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Defence 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; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15670/13]
View answerIn accordance with a Government Decision of 15 March 2011, I retain a State car and Garda drivers in my capacity as the Minister for Justice and Equality. The cost of this service is funded from the Vote for an Garda Síochána. The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, was assigned two civilian drivers in May 2011. Any mileage and car related expenses due to the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, are met by the Department of the Taoiseach. The costs associated with the drivers are met by the Department of Defence and amounted to €101,285 for the period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012.
262. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the concerns regarding the sale of Coillte forests (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15395/13]
View answerFurther to the Government’s decision that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests be considered for sale, the National Treasury Management Agency, via its NewERA Unit, engaged with Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department to examine the financial and other implications of a potential transaction. Substantial work has been undertaken to date on the identification of the forestry assets involved, the determination of their value and the consideration of a number of issues associated with the proposed sale of the harvesting rights. The replanting obligation, the future management of the estate, the maintenance of existing amenities and public access to recreational land are all being considered in the current analysis. The Government is fully conscious of the concerns that have been raised by the general public, recreational groups, the timber processing sector, trade unions and members of the Oireachtas in relation to the Coillte sale proposal. The Government will proceed with caution in relation to this matter and no final decision has been taken, as yet.
