Written Answers Nos. 1-32
9. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding the funding application from Fingal County Council for urgent remedial coastal protection measures to be implemented in Portrane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16719/14]
View answerI visited Portrane in late January of this year to see at first hand the coastal erosion issues in Portrane. An application by Fingal County Council for funding under the Office of Public Works Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme was approved in February 2013 for a Coastal Erosion Risk Management Study for Portrane/Rush. The approved funding of €57,800 was fully drawn down and the Report has been completed by consultants RPS.
The Report recommends that a dune management system including dune re-profiling, matting and planting in conjunction with sand fencing is put in place along the eroded part of the central and southern sections of the Portrane dunes where significant erosion has occurred in recent times.
Prior to the storms in late 2013 and early 2014, no follow-up application for funding had been received by the OPW from Fingal County Council in respect of the works recommended in the report.
Following the severe storms that impacted on many coastal areas during the past Winter, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government requested the relevant local authorities to submit estimates of the cost of repairing public infrastructure that had been damaged, focussing initially on the period from 13th December 2013 to 6th January 2014. Fingal County Council submitted estimates to the Department in respect of proposed works at a number of locations in its area including Portrane. The estimate submitted by Fingal County Council in relation to Portrane was for funding of €200,000 to enable the Council to undertake the works recommended in the RPS Report.
The Government decided on 11 February 2014 to make available up to €69.5 million for a programme of repair and remediation works to roads, coastal protection and flood defence and other public infrastructure damaged in the storms from 13th December 2013 to 6th January 2014 based on estimates provided by the local authorities concerned. Of the total amount being made available, up to €19.6 million is available via the Office of Public Works for the repair of damaged coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government wrote to Fingal County Council, indicating, based on the estimate submitted by the Council to that Department, that up to €200,000 is being made available to the Council via the OPW to undertake the necessary repair works to damaged coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure.
Fingal County Council must submit an overall programme of works to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government detailing how it proposes to spend the total allocation that is being made available to it. It must also submit the relevant elements of the programme to each Department from whom funding will be made available for consideration of technical aspects of the proposed works. When the Council's programme of coastal protection and flood defence projects is received by the OPW it will be reviewed having regard to related guidance issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to the local authorities.
The OPW has written to the local authorities indicating that in order to assist them in a practical way and to avoid any potential cash-flow issues, it will consider requests for advance funding of up to 80% of the estimated cost of approved projects where a contract for works has been made.
11. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reductions in public service staff numbers under each Government Department heading since March 2011. [16618/14]
View answerThe detailed information the Deputy asks about is available on my Department's web site, at databank.per.gov.ie. Here the Deputy will find comprehensive data on all Government Departments, including staffing levels and expenditure - both pay and non-pay. This relatively new information resource is updated on a quarterly basis and provides a comprehensive profile of staffing levels and public expenditure as far back as 1980.
The Deputy will see from the databank information that, in overall terms, the public service has reduced in size from 303,457 whole time equivalents in the first quarter of 2011 to 287,780 whole time equivalents at the end of 2013. This is equivalent to a reduction of 5% across the system. In the course of this downsizing, Government has ensured the prioritisation of key posts and services and has supported recruitment into priority vacancies across key areas of the public service. In Education, for example, which has reduced in overall terms by 2% since the beginning of 2011, teaching posts have been prioritised and indeed additional SNAs and resource teachers have been provided for. The Deputy will also know that new Garda are being recruited, in addition to the recruitment and training up of Garda reserves.
It is important to recognise that the reduction in the size of the Public Service since 2011 and the resultant savings achieved were necessary, given our fiscal position, but they have also served to drive real reform in the way public services are delivered.
13. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of retirements from the public service envisaged to take place by the end of the new extended grace period of June 2015; the expected consequences for public service delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16772/14]
View answerSection 9 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 provides that persons retiring before 31 August 2014, or a later date made by Order under the Act, will be entitled to have their pensions calculated as if the pay reduction and any increment pause or freeze had not applied to them. As the Deputy is aware, I have decided to extend the grace period from 31 August 2014 to 30 June 2015.
It is only when public servants declare their intentions to retire in line with the normal notice periods provided for retirements that an indication of the numbers retiring can be determined. However, I note that the pay reductions provided for under the 2013 Act applied to only 13% of public servants, those on salary rates of greater than €65,000. Those public servants who choose to retire will have applied to their pension the public service pension reduction which was brought in under the 2010 Financial Emergency legislation and amended in 2013. For that reason, it can be anticipated that only those within that cohort who are above or near minimum retirement age and have significant service accrued will likely avail of the provision, and therefore the potential additional impact from the grace period on retirements in 2015 will be relatively limited in terms of total numbers.
In order to ensure that the impact would be effectively managed across all sectors, the approach I have taken in extending the grace period will assist sectoral management in the implementation of workforce planning measures, in order to maintain service delivery standards and minimise any potential adverse affect on services that may arise. In line with the ongoing management of all retirements within the public service, those public servants electing to retire and avail of the grace period will be required to give appropriate notice.
14. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 14 of 26 February 2014, his views on that based on the information provided in his reply where 44 bodies have roles in relation to the maintenance and management of the River Shannon, that an examination should take place to review the effectiveness of the current management and governance issues that affect the river; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16617/14]
View answerAs outlined to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question number 14 on the 26th of February 2014, there are many organisations, national and local, with an involvement in some aspect of the management of the River Shannon catchment. For example, Waterways Ireland has responsibility for navigation and, as such, will exercise some limited control over water levels in lakes and river stretches. The Electricity Supply Board, has statutory responsibility for the control of lake levels arising from water requirements for hydroelectric generation of electricity at Ardnacrusha. Environmental concerns, fisheries matters and tourism/recreational issues are dealt with by the relevant agencies with responsibilities in these matters. Local authorities – ten county councils – in the catchment monitor water quality with the assistance of a number of laboratories and have responsibility for its control. The Office of Public Works has no oversight role or authority in relation to the Shannon. Its main area of responsibility is for maintenance on those tributaries where capital works have been carried out under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945. The Office of Public Works hydrometric service also gathers water level and discharge information at a number of sites on the river.
Operational control of water flows and levels on the Shannon is primarily the responsibility of both the ESB and Waterways Ireland. The ESB has overall statutory responsibility for the management and control of water flows and levels on the Shannon. Waterways Ireland (WWI) also has a direct role and function in managing levels on the river. A system of management and control is in place involving co-operation by those two bodies under a detailed set of operational protocols and arrangements for the regulation of water levels on the river. I am advised that it is the bodies' view that this system has worked and is working satisfactorily.
The question of creating a single authority for the River Shannon is a major policy issue because of the very diverse range of powers, activities and responsibilities that would be affected. These include electricity generation, tourism, infrastructure, water quality, water extraction, waste water disposal, flood risk management and a range of environmental responsibilities.
The question of the optimum structure or structures to manage the Shannon and its tributaries was the subject of a report in 2002 by a sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport. It is worth noting that that Report indicated that, among the numerous groups and bodies involved in the management of the Shannon, a consensus existed among these groups that, while improvements in the management of the Shannon basin were needed, there was no agreement on the establishment of a new organisation as the best means to achieve this end.
The 2002 report identified the main merits of the present arrangements for the management of the Shannon catchment as:
- functional responsibility is clearly fixed in law and each organisation has a precise remit, knows exactly what it is required to do and has clearly established priorities; and
- communication and collaboration between the various agencies take place using well established mechanisms, such as committees, working groups and partnerships.
The main weakness identified was a lack of co-ordination, among the organisations involved. The sub-committee took the view however that it would be undesirable to establish any additional institution unless it could be clearly demonstrated that tangible benefits would flow, which could not otherwise be achieved. It noted the danger that an extra organisation might usurp or duplicate existing institutions or else be just a talking shop. The report concluded that the establishment of a new organisation would be something that could be recommended only as a last resort.
One of the main problems with the Shannon is, of course, that of its frequent flooding. The management of flood risk on the Shannon is being actively and comprehensively addressed through the OPW's Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme.
The CFRAM programme is the core strategy for addressing flood risk in the Shannon Basin. The CFRAM Study is being conducted by Jacobs Engineering on behalf of the OPW and I am advised that good progress is being made on the project. The output of this important project will be an integrated plan of specific measures to address, in a comprehensive and sustainable way, the significant flood risk factors in the Shannon basin. The consultants will look at all existing arrangements for the management of water levels and the roles and responsibilities of the main bodies involved including the levels of co-ordination between them and will make recommendations on the best way forward for the co-ordination of the management arrangements for the Shannon. In the meantime the main bodies involved will continue to maintain constructive dialogue with all the main stakeholders to ensure to the greatest extent possible that a balanced and fair approach is taken to the management of water levels in the Shannon and its lakes to meet the needs of navigation, power generation and the welfare of those living directly adjacent to the main river channel.
15. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way ongoing delays in major capital projects can be tackled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16784/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department sets the capital allocations for Departments and the delegated sanction arrangements under which they make their spending decisions. The actual roll-out of particular capital projects and programmes is, of course, managed by the individual line Departments and their agencies who are responsible for project and programme delivery.
All Departments are required to report to my Department on a monthly basis in relation to their actual expenditure compared with their published profiles and to explain variances where they arise. My officials liaise with Departments to ensure that any issues are addressed promptly in order that there are no expenditure overruns and, in relation to capital expenditure, that projects and programmes are progressed in a timely manner.
It is notable that of the €7.3 billion allocated to capital budgets over the last two years, €7.2 billion has been spent. This level of spend, when compared with the allocation, indicates that Departments' capital spending plans are generally progressing on time.
We recently looked at the 20 largest capital projects being delivered at the moment by Departments - about half of these are Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and the remainder are traditional Exchequer-funded or part-Exchequer funded projects. I am happy to report that, for most of these large scale projects, Departments did not identify major issues relating to the timeliness of delivery. As would be expected with any large scale infrastructure development, some issues had been experienced in certain cases and these either have already been or are currently being managed by the relevant Departments and Agencies to mitigate risk to delivery while continuing to help ensure value for money. These issues include time taken to reach planning decisions, time taken to reach financial close with project funders (in relation to PPPs) and capacity constraints within the construction industry.
Government is very conscious of the fact that we need to focus on the Construction sector. With this in mind, we had a special Government meeting recently on construction and will shortly publish a Government response to address the challenges in the sector in a targeted and meaningful way.
As I announced on Budget day, a review of the public capital programme will be undertaken by my Department this year. This exercise commenced recently and will culminate in the setting of the Government's capital investment framework for the next five years.
16. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will report on his visit to China and his meetings with Government officials and business leaders. [16815/14]
View answerAs part of the Government's Promote Ireland Programme, I travelled to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing for the St. Patrick's Day period, participating in 25 events over 8 days in 3 cities. Priorities for Ireland are the Tourism, Culture, Agriculture, Education, Financial Services and Science & Technology sectors. Thus, my programme included events designed to encourage business opportunities in these areas.
In Shanghai, I attended and spoke at a number of engagements aimed at promoting Ireland, from a Bord Bia-organised showcase of Irish seafood to a networking dinner to increase the profile of Ireland's capacity in the technology sector, as well as visiting Fudan University School of Computer Science, presenting the "i-Shamrock" Software Award to students.
The main focus of the visit to Hong Kong was on connecting with the estimated 3,000 strong Irish community in the city, in light of the Government's recent decision to open a career Consulate General in 2014. While there, I met the Irish Chamber of Commerce, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, spoke at the GAA Ladies All-Stars Exhibition Game, which took place under lights at Hong Kong Football club and spoke at the St Patrick's Society Ball which drew an attendance of some 450.
In Beijing, I met with both the outgoing and incoming Ambassadors of China to Ireland, Luo Linquan and Xu Jianguo, I spoke at the Embassy's St Patrick's Day reception and several other events including the China Ireland Research event.
In order to build on the relationship between China Investment Corporation (CIC) the fifth largest investment fund in the world and the NTMA/ NPRF, I met with their most senior management discussing potential for investment in Ireland.
Of course, one of Ireland's unique selling points is our rich cultural heritage. According to Fáilte Ireland every 1,000 additional tourists support 15 jobs in that sector. Culture is an asset and so I participated in a series of cultural events, including attending a sell-out concert by Altan in the large Forbidden City Concert Hall (supported by Culture Ireland and the State Agencies in China). I opened an exhibition of works by Irish artists Fion Gunn, Niamh Cunningham and Sean Campbell at the China Central Mall (also funded by Culture Ireland) and visited a continuing exhibition by Chinese and Irish artists at the 798 Art City in Beijing. In an unprecedented and unique gesture of friendship, Chinese officials agreed to the "Greening" of the Great Wall of China. I presided at that historic event at midnight on 16 March.
Throughout the visit, I undertook media opportunities aimed at actively promoting the story of Ireland's recovery, giving an extensive interview to Caixin, China's foremost business and finance weekly magazine, as well as to the flagship interview platform with Hong Kong based Phoenix TV channel, which reaches some 200 million Chinese viewers.
The South China Morning Post, the largest circulation independent English-language newspaper, carried an opinion piece I wrote on 14 March 2014 and my interview with the same paper ran on 15 March. I have forwarded copies of both. A selection of photos may be found on my Department's website, per.gov.ie, where you will also find my recent blog post on the visit.
17. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will re-examine a site (details supplied) in Balbriggan, County Dublin as the most advantageous location for the Intreo office, with substantial car-parking and which would serve to rejuvenate this part of the town. [16718/14]
View answerThe Commissioners of Public Works have been seeking a suitable property in Balbriggan to accommodate a Department of Social Protection Intreo service for the town and surrounding catchment area in a central and accessible location that represents best value for the exchequer.
The former shopping centre property was evaluated and ruled out initially in December 2011 when it was proposed in response to an advertising campaign seeking suitable accommodation and a recent re-evaluation of the premises has been undertaken by the Commissioners of Public Works, which indicates that substantial funds would be involved to bring the building up to modern standards.
18. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to ensure that voluntary retirement and targeted redundancy from the public service is managed in a manner that minimises disruption to service delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16778/14]
View answerThe new Public Service Reform Plan, which I launched in January, sets out ambitious goals for improving the quality and efficiency of public services between now and 2016. It envisages changes in the way public services are delivered, demands greater efficiency and calls for better use of technology and shared services.
Responsibility for making this happen lies with public service managers, who are expected to look at how their organisations function, identify ways in which they can be improved, and implement the necessary changes. This may involve automating what are currently manual back-office processes, or it may involve moving to online service provision. Of course, where change of this nature happens fewer people may be required, and often different skills sets are needed. In such cases, public service managers are able to offer voluntary redundancy to existing staff, where appropriate. In this way, voluntary redundancy can facilitate Departments and agencies in introducing streamlined and improved systems for providing public services.
To underscore this point, I wish to emphasise the following:
- Our approach to voluntary redundancy schemes is to allow public service organisations to use it on a targeted basis in different areas where it makes sense and can be shown to offer value for money in the long run;
- Voluntary redundancy is by definition not compulsory, and therefore people will only leave if that is what they want; equally there is no automatic right to redundancy. All applications are considered in the context of ongoing business needs and service provision priorities. It is at the discretion of management and would be one of a range of options for managers, to replace for example back-office processes or replace outdated skills.
19. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the priorities that will attach to Ireland’s next round of Structural Funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16785/14]
View answerIn the context of the agreement on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Irish Government was successful in securing €1.2billion of Cohesion policy funding for the period 2014-2020. It should be noted that this represents an increase of 8% in real terms over the 2007-2013 programming period, at a time when the overall EU budget for Cohesion policy was cut by 8%. In particular, the Government was successful in negotiating two special allocations, €100m (2011 prices) for the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) Region, in recognition that it is now classified by the EU as a more developed region, and €150m (2011 prices) towards a new Northern Ireland PEACE programme.
Of this €1.2 billion, some €951 million is for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) co-funded programmes in Ireland, with the balance being devoted to European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) programmes, including the Northern Ireland PEACE Programme, the Ireland/Northern Ireland/West of Scotland INTERREG Programme, the Ireland/Wales INTERREG Programme and a number of smaller transnational programmes in which Ireland participates.
The funding priorities identified for Ireland's Structural Funds programmes take account of the Europe 2020 Strategy of Smart, Inclusive and Sustainable Growth and the National Reform Programme. They include promoting jobs and growth; combating unemployment and social exclusion; promoting R&D and ICT investment and the competitiveness of the business sector; and promoting an environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient economy. These priorities have also been informed by the EU regulations governing the funds and by needs analyses, consultation processes and ex-ante evaluations.
The ERDF and ESF funding will be delivered through operational programmes. The draft ERDF operational programmes for 2014-2020 are being prepared by the Managing Authorities located in the BMW and Southern & Eastern Regional Assemblies, while the ESF operational programme for 2014-2020 is being prepared by the Department of Education & Skills.
20. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will confirm the number of staff members who have transferred or been redeployed under the provisions of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013 since that Act's enactment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16787/14]
View answerSince the enactment of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013 last December, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has been notified of 246 public service employees that require to be designated for redeployment to comparable positions elsewhere in the public service under the Act. The PAS has completed the formal designation of 19 cases, which has involved formally confirming with the sending and receiving organisations issues such as the tenure and the basis of the initial assignment of the person involved, their suitability as regards health and character, their abilities to discharge the duties of the post, as well as grading, pay, pensions issues. It is continuing to liaise with sending and receiving organisations on the remaining cases, with a view to designating these over the coming weeks.
The 2013 Act has removed the legislative barriers to redeployment and overall mobility within the public service and addresses other issues that arise on changing employer. Before it was enacted, secondment arrangements were used to facilitate the placement of staff being redeployed from another employer. Designation by the PAS under the Act makes such redeployments definitive and provides certainty of assignment for the staff and for the sending and receiving organisations involved.
There are no legal impediments to redeployments that do not involve a change of employer, for example moves from one Department in the Civil Service to another, and it is not necessary therefore to apply the provisions of the 2013 Act in respect of such moves.
