Written Answers Nos. 102-108
102. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the percentage and number of total employees of the civil and public service who are competent in and use the Irish language in their workplace; the proposed percentage to be reached within the next five to ten years; the recruitment strategy that will be used to achieve this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26250/14]
View answerThe number of employees in the civil and public service that are competent and use the Irish language in their workplace is a matter for each individual Department and public sector organisation. As regards my own Department, in the region of sixty five staff members currently provide services to the public through the medium of Irish on a regular basis. In addition, a significant number of staff in my Department have varying levels of competence in Irish, which they may use in their work from time to time. This would mainly extend to an ability to comprehend verbal or written queries and to respond to verbal queries. The Deputy should also be aware that, following a review of the Official Languages Act 2003, my Department recently published the heads of the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2014. It is proposed to include a new provision under section 13 of the Bill requiring public bodies to specify the posts that require an Irish language competency in their language schemes. This amendment reflects a decision by Government to replace the policy of awarding bonus marks for Irish language proficiency in civil service recruitment and promotion competitions with a competency-based system whereby specified posts will have an Irish language proficiency requirement.
In addition, as a result of the Government decision, the workforce plans of Departments will specify the posts/areas of work which require functional bilinguals. Having regard to the implementation of the Gaeltacht Act 2012, Departments will be asked to pay particular attention to posts located in, or serving, Gaeltacht areas. This process will be central to ensuring that future recruitment and inter-departmental promotion competitions run by the Public Appointments Service make sufficient provision for appointments to posts requiring functional bilinguals. In the case of Departmental recruitment and promotion competitions, an assessment will be made of the requirement for functional bilinguals and, where necessary and appropriate, a sub-panel of functional bilinguals will be put in place.
It had been intended to pilot the new arrangements in the upcoming Executive Officer (EO) recruitment competition. However, I am informed by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, that priority is now being given to a Clerical Officer (CO) competition and that the proposed EO competition will not take place until later in the year. Accordingly, it has been decided that the new arrangements will be piloted in the CO competition, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The new arrangements provide for a sub-panel of functional bilinguals comprising up to 6% of the overall CO panel and will be revised as necessary in the context of experience and progress in achieving the Government's objectives.
103. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department in each year from 2011 to 2014; the number that were publicly advertised; the reason all appointments are not open to public competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26265/14]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy regarding appointments to State Boards in the bodies funded from my Department's Vote Group in each year from 2011 to 2014 is set out in the following table. My Department was established on 2 June 2011 and the Deputy will appreciate that the information sought by him can only be provided from that date. My Department seeks expressions of interest from the public by advertising on my Department's website. As the Deputy will be aware, in making appointments to State Boards, I am not restricted to giving sole consideration to those who have responded to publicly advertised invitations to submit expressions of interest. The reason for this is that it provides flexibility for me to approach candidates who may not have expressed their interest through the publicly advertised process but who have, in my view, a contribution to make and are willing to serve. In the case of certain bodies, board appointments may also be made by the bodies themselves or on an ex officio basis.
It may also be noted that appointments to the boards of Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency, being agencies of the North South Implementation Body - An Foras Teanga, are made by the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), arising from nominations on a 50:50 basis from each jurisdiction.
|
Board |
Appointments made between 2 June 2011 and 17 June 2014 |
Appointments made between 2 June 2011 and 17 June 2014 |
Appointments made between 2 June 2011 and 17 June 2014 |
Appointments made between 2 June 2011 and 17 June 2014 |
Number of positions that were filled from the publicly advertised process. |
|
- |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
National Concert Hall |
15 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Irish Film Board |
0 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
|
Arts Council |
7 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
13 |
|
Heritage Council |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
|
National Archives Advisory Council |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Censorship of Publications Board |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
|
Censorship of Publications Appeals Board |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
0 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
|
Chester Beatty Library |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
0 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
4 (It should be noted that 5 of the 12 appointments made were by County Councils which have Gaeltacht areas within their jurisdictions). |
|
Foras na Gaeilge |
15 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
N/A |
|
Ulster-Scots Agency |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
104. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the commemorative activities and projects the Government has planned to mark the centenary of each of the following events, the passage into law of the Home Rule Act on 18 September 1914; the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914; the Easter Rising in April 1916; the first sitting of Dáil Éireann and the Declaration of Independence on 21 January 1919; the end of the Irish War of Independence and creation of the Irish Free State in December 1921; and the Irish Civil War, 1922-1923. [26329/14]
View answerThe final phase of the Home Rule legislation will be commemorated this year in Ireland and, in association with the parliament at Westminster, in London. Arrangements relating to the centenary of the legislation in September are in preparation. The centenary of the World War has been acknowledged already this year by several local authorities and academic centres. Regimental associations and ex-service organisations are arranging visits to battlefield sites. National cultural institutions are organising special events and presentations. Special arrangements relating to the entry into the war are being made in Ireland, Britain and abroad in late July and early August. In this regard, I would specifically mention the dedication of a large monumental cross at Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin on 31 July. The centenary of the Easter Rising will be the culmination of the first phase of the Decade of Centenaries programme that commenced in 2012. A number of capital projects have been commissioned for completion to feature in the commemorative programme. Consideration is underway of the events and activities that will complete the programme.
The 1918 election and the 1st Dail will be addressed in due course as they arise on the centenary timeline. The commemorative programme to date has been strengthened and enhanced by the initiatives of partners in relation to their heritage. The consideration of the Oireachtas in relation to the Centenary of the 1st Dail would be very welcome.
Similarly, the conclusion of the War of Independence, the Anglo-Irish treaty and the Civil War will be addressed on the Centenary timeline. At this remove, I can only advise that the commemorative programme will seek to ensure that the arrangements are comprehensive, authentic and inclusive.
105. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide the cost to the Exchequer each year from 2009 to 2014 of the amount paid by his Department under the terms of settlements which included confidentiality agreements or confidentiality clauses. [26177/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that there were no settlements made by my Department during the period in question which had confidentiality agreements or clauses included.
106. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department in each year from 2011 to 2014, inclusive; the number that were publicly advertised; the reason all appointments are not open to public competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26267/14]
View answerThis Government has made changes in relation to appointments to State Boards and bodies with new arrangements involving advertisement, seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates, for appointment to these Boards/bodies. In accordance with this Government Decision, I have, since 2011, on my Department's website, invited Expressions of Interest from persons wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies on State Boards under the aegis of my Department and this information has been used to inform decisions for such appointments. Such invitations are designed to extend the range of suitable persons from which a Minister might make appointments – not to constrain that range. I have outlined in the following table the number of appointments made each year.
|
Year |
Number of Appointments made |
|
2011 (from 9th March) |
16 |
|
2012 |
45 |
|
2013 |
36 |
|
To date in 2014 |
12 |
107. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding motor tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26223/14]
View answerRates for private vehicles registered prior to 1 July 2008 are based on engine capacity, and rates for vehicles registered after that date are based on the CO2 emissions of the vehicle given on the Certificate of Conformity for the vehicle. All of the foregoing are based on a graduating scale, with higher rates for vehicles with larger engines or for those with higher CO2 emissions.
While the operation of the motor tax system is kept under regular review, I have no plans currently to move away from the current basis of charging for motor tax for private vehicles or to introduce an additional element to the motor tax system based on the type of fuel.
108. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the implications for the future delivery of services by local authorities of his decision to discontinue the 2010 land aggregation scheme which was designed to relieve councils of development debts, by housing them in a separate body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26263/14]
View answerThe Land Aggregation Scheme was introduced in 2010 as part of revised arrangements for the funding of land for social housing purposes. Applications to the value of some €164 million in loans, were accepted into the Land Aggregation Scheme.
The figure of €164 million includes €111 million in respect of loans which were fully redeemed by local authorities with funding recouped from my Department, under the original terms of the Scheme. The remaining €53 million accepted into the Land Aggregation Scheme is in the form of annuity loans, for which local authorities are making repayments to the Housing Finance Agency. Such annuity repayments are recoupable from my Department subject to the local authority complying with terms of the Scheme.
In 2013 as a consequence of continuing pressure on Exchequer resources, and following a review of the Scheme carried out in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, it became evident that further expenditure on the Land Aggregation Scheme, in terms of accepting new applications into the Scheme, was no longer a sustainable option. The review concluded with the issuance of Circular 35/2013 on 11 December, 2013, notifying Local Authorities of the discontinuance of the Scheme in respect of new applications.
The focus of the Scheme has now shifted to the management and utilisation of the lands included in the Scheme. The Housing Agency is developing a strategy for the utilisation of transferred lands, which will involve consultation with the relevant local authority and other appropriate parties. The development of this strategy is being progressed in the context of the new Social Housing Strategy, a Departmental commitment under Construction Strategy 2020.
I recognise the cessation of the Land Aggregation Scheme presents challenges for some local authorities. However, it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting annual budgets, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority.
Following the discontinuance of the Scheme, local authorities had been advised to consult with the Housing Finance Agency directly on the management of loans relating to lands not accepted into the Land Aggregation Scheme. I understand the Housing Finance Agency has made arrangements directly with some local authorities to extend interest-only arrangements to land acquisition loans, on maturity, for a further five years, after which they will revert to normal-course annuities.
