Written Answers Nos. 277-292
277. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the supports available from his Department to support those persons who have structures including estate walls which are in need of investment to conserve them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29995/14]
View answerAs the Deputy can appreciate, the scope for funding for the conservation of the built heritage is currently constrained by the significant reduction in the public finances. Nonetheless, I keep the competing priorities regarding the preservation and enhancement of the national heritage under ongoing review, having regard to the resources available to my Department. In this regard, earlier this year I approved in principle the allocation of €5 million under the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme for repair and conservation to over 600 structures protected under the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2012. Owners of protected structures throughout the country will benefit from this scheme in 2014. This scheme is directly administered by city and county local authorities.
Under Section 482 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 as amended, owners and/or occupiers of approved heritage buildings and/or gardens can apply for tax relief in respect of expenditure incurred on repair, maintenance or restoration, on the condition that they open the property to the public. In order to be approved for this relief, a building/garden must be intrinsically of significant scientific, historical, architectural or aesthetic interest and reasonable access to the property must be afforded to the public.
The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of heritage. I understand that funding is fully allocated under Heritage Council programmes in 2014.
278. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form by county and project category of the distribution of funds by his Department in 2013 on the issue of landscape heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29996/14]
View answerMy Department does not directly provide financial support for landscape heritage projects. The Heritage Council, which is a statutory body funded by my Department, provides grant aid across a range of heritage issues, some of which relate to landscape issues. The Deputy may wish to contact the Heritage Council directly in this regard. It may be noted that I recently published Ireland's first ever draft National Landscape Strategy, which is now open for public consultation. The draft Strategy is available for viewing on my Department's website www.ahg.gov.ie.
279. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide details of the appropriations-in-aid spend in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30036/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Appropriations-in-Aid are receipts received directly by Departments that are used, with the agreement of the Dáil, to defray expenses within the Vote to which they refer. Appropriation-in-Aid receipts of just under €4.5m are expected to be received by my Department in 2014. More than three quarters of these receipts, almost €3.5m, relate to contributions from civil and public sector employees under the Public Service Remuneration Pension-related Deduction arrangements, commonly referred to as the Pension Levy. Services and charges at National Parks and Wildlife Service sites amount to under €0.5m and account for almost half of the remaining Appropriations-in-Aid. A full break-out of my Department's projected 2014 Appropriation-in-Aid receipts is published in the 2014 Revised Estimates Volume, which is available on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform website via the following link:
http://www.per.gov.ie/estpubexp2013/.
280. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a breakdown of the expected training and development and incidental expenses with a list of the training and development courses he expects officers in his Department to undergo in 2015; the spend allocated for same in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30038/14]
View answerMy Department supports the career and personal development of staff through formal training courses, in-house training, attendance at relevant conferences and seminars, refund of academic fees and reimbursement of professional membership fees. Training and development needs and skills requirements to deliver on business plans and objectives are identified during my Department's business planning process and also from the outcome of the Performance Management Development System at the end of each calendar year and the beginning of the following year. Some €240,000 is allocated for training and development in 2014. The training and development being delivered this year includes training in health and safety, IT, financial management, accounting, business and economics, corporate governance, the Irish language and specialist areas such as legal, biological and archaeological functions.
The allocation for training and all other aspects of my Department's activities in 2015 will be determined as part of the process leading to the finalisation of Budget 2015, which will be presented to Dáil Éireann in mid-October. In advance of that, it is not possible to provide the Deputy with the allocation for the training and development budget for 2015 or a list all of the training and development courses and expenses to be provided in 2015.
281. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the category of office premises expenses, if he will list the individual offices operated by his Department here alongside the expenses that they will incur in 2015; the expense for 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30039/14]
View answerA total of €795,000 is provided for Office Premises Expenses in my Department's Administration Budget. This funding is set out in the 2014 Revised Estimates for Public Services and will be used to meet expenses such as heating, lighting, waste disposal, cleaning and water charges. These costs relate largely to my Department's main offices which are listed on my Department's website at http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/ContactDetails/. It is too soon to estimate where precisely all such costs will be incurred in 2014 or to estimate the equivalent totals that may be incurred in 2015.
282. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide the annual saving to the Exchequer from a 20% reduction in all professional fees, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT-related, advisory, advertising and accountancy for his Department; and the company name and amount invoiced between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014. [30060/14]
View answer283. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form a list of all professional fees for his Department, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT-related, advisory, advertising and accountancy; and the company name and amount invoiced between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014. [30075/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 282 and 283 together.
It is not possible to collate the information requested in respect of my Department in the time-frame permitted for a Parliamentary Question but it will be sent directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
284. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of all third level courses, training programmes and courses provided for employees of his Department, and the accompanying cost, for the 2013-2014 academic year, from 1 September 2013 to the end of June 2014. [30090/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department is responsible for a broad range of programmes in the arts, heritage and language sectors. The successful development, management and delivery of those programmes requires my Department to have staff with Irish language skills and other skills across a broad range of disciplines, including genealogy, marine archaeology, ecology and other disciplines relating to the natural and built heritage, as well administrative and organisational skills in areas such as management, law, HR, ICT and finance.
The following table gives a breakdown and accompanying cost of third level courses, training programmes and other courses undertaken by staff of my Department for the period 1 September 2013 to 30 June 2014. The diversity of these courses reflects the broad range of work undertaken by my Department. In the case of some of the training courses and academic studies referred to, several staff members are participating and the costs reflect this. Staff in my Department also availed of in-house training or courses run by other public bodies, which accrued no direct cost to my Department. These are not included in the following list.
|
Academic Course/Programme |
Cost (€) |
|
Bachelor of Arts in Public Management |
2,865 |
|
Master of Arts in Public Management |
4,500 |
|
Doctorate in Governance |
16,350 |
|
Bachelor of Technology in Computing |
2,280 |
|
Master of Science in Innovation Management in the Public Service |
4,980 |
|
Bachelor of Science in Psychology |
1,742 |
|
Bachelor of Laws in Irish Law |
4,410 |
|
Advanced Diploma in Legislative Drafting |
4,050 |
|
Master of Economic Science in Policy Analysis |
4,500 |
|
Certificate in Genealogy/Family History |
540 |
|
Bachelor of Arts in Business |
3,420 |
|
Master of Science in Biology |
2,097 |
|
Doctorate in Archaeology |
3,342 |
|
Doctorate in Spatial and Behavioural Ecology of Sharks |
1,530 |
|
Diploma in Field Ecology |
2,300 |
|
Diploma in Computer Studies |
1,950 |
|
Certificate in Public Finance Management |
1,080 |
|
Bachelor of Science in Computing |
3,780 |
|
Diploma in Family History – Genealogy |
805 |
|
Diploma in Law |
2,750 |
|
Bachelor of Arts - Gaeilge Fheidhmeach |
2,749 |
|
Diploma - Gaeilge Fheidhmeach |
891 |
|
Certificate in Learning & Development Practice |
4,400 |
|
Higher National Certificate in Web Design |
2,950 |
|
Postgraduate Diploma in Policy Analysis |
7,900 |
|
Doctorate in Accounting, Finance and Information Systems |
2,596 |
|
Master of Arts in Human Resource Management |
5,000 |
|
Advanced Diploma in Employment Law |
2,280 |
|
Accounting Technician Diploma |
1,601 |
|
Bachelor of Business Studies |
2,647 |
|
Certificate in Professional Irish (Level 3) |
12,069 |
|
Certificate in Professional Irish (Level 4) |
11,178 |
|
Certificate in Professional Irish (Level 5) |
8,716 |
|
Training Course/Programme |
Cost (€) |
|
Abseil Access |
300 |
|
Adobe Illustrator |
1,300 |
|
Biodiversity (various courses) |
250 |
|
Bryophyte (Bog Moss and Lichen Identification) |
650 |
|
Cardiac First Responder |
500 |
|
Certificate of Professional Competency (Driver CPC) |
160 |
|
Chainsaw |
1,700 |
|
Configuring, Managing and Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 |
1,350 |
|
Corporate Governance (various courses) |
1,620 |
|
Courtroom Skills/Expert Witness |
7,227 |
|
Disaster Team (Protection of Archival Records) |
688 |
|
ECDL/Computer (various courses) |
2,055 |
|
Effective Writing |
3,690 |
|
Enclosures & Housing: Protecting Our Collections |
120 |
|
e-Tenders |
2,900 |
|
Evacuation Chair |
460 |
|
Finance and Accounting (various courses) |
2,640 |
|
Firearms Safe Handling |
1,545 |
|
Forest School Leadership Training |
1,183 |
|
French |
350 |
|
Higher Executive Officer Programme |
810 |
|
Horticultural Tools and Equipment |
3,300 |
|
Internal Audit (various courses) |
4,575 |
|
Interview Skills (various courses) |
1,195 |
|
Irish Language (various courses) |
3,659 |
|
Jigsaw (Fuel Management) Software |
367 |
|
Leadership (various courses) |
5,550 |
|
Lean Six Sigma |
2,190 |
|
Live Stranding |
50 |
|
Manual Handling Instructor |
675 |
|
Microsoft Access |
876 |
|
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Power Users |
2,050 |
|
Mobile Tower |
1,494 |
|
Mountain Skills |
135 |
|
Microsoft Word 2007 (Long & Complex Documents) |
750 |
|
Occupational First Aid |
4,392 |
|
Off Road Driving |
5,600 |
|
Pole Saw |
1,000 |
|
Preservation Risk Management |
400 |
|
Professional Tree Inspection |
1,650 |
|
Project Management (various courses) |
1,624 |
|
Remote Emergency Care |
1,030 |
|
Safe Pass |
90 |
|
Scuba Diving |
360 |
|
Sea Survival |
300 |
|
Social Media |
433 |
|
Time Management & Personal Effectiveness |
245 |
|
Tracking Course |
927 |
|
Wildlife Aware Train the Trainer |
455 |
285. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the annual saving to the Exchequer from a reduction of 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20%, respectively, in the staff training and development provision for his Department. [30105/14]
View answerThe calculations of savings requested by the Deputy are based on total expenditure of some €232,200 on training and development by my Department in 2013. The following table shows the saving to the Exchequer of a 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20% reduction on that expenditure.
|
% Reduction in 2013 Training and Development Expenditure |
Saving to the Exchequer (€) |
|
5% |
11,610 |
|
7% |
16,255 |
|
10% |
23,221 |
|
12% |
27,865 |
|
15% |
34,831 |
|
17% |
39,476 |
|
20% |
46,442 |
286. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the annual saving to the Exchequer from a reduction of 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20%, respectively, in the cost of travel and expenses for his Department. [30120/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, details of my Department's administrative provisions are published in the Revised Estimates Volume which is available on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's website via the following link: http://per.gov.ie/estpubexp2013/
This shows that an allocation of €1.463m has been made available for Travel and Subsistence in 2014. For the Deputy's convenience, I set out in the following table the savings which would accrue based upon reductions of the order specified.
|
2013 Rev Allocation €000 |
1% |
7% |
10% |
12% |
15% |
17% |
20% |
|
1,463 |
15 |
102 |
146 |
176 |
219 |
249 |
293 |
287. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in a tabular form the expected carryover of current expenditure savings from 2014 into the next year. [30154/14]
View answer288. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the expected carryover of capital expenditure savings from 2014 into the next year. [30169/14]
View answer289. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the expected unspent current expenditure from 2014 into the next year. [30201/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 287 to 289, inclusive, together.
An allocation of some €264m has been provided to my Department's four programme areas in 2014 as follows:
|
- |
Current |
Capital |
Total |
|
Arts, Culture & Film |
100,654 |
37,295 |
137,949 |
|
Heritage |
32,864 |
12,426 |
45,290 |
|
Irish Language, Gaeltacht & Islands |
32942 |
8,467 |
41,409 |
|
North-South Co-operation |
35,271 |
3,977 |
39,248 |
|
Total |
201,731 |
62,165 |
263,896 |
As of 30 June 2014, my Department’s expenditure amounted to some €121.4m. This represents approximately 96% of the published expenditure profile.
I am committed to ensuring that the maximum value is derived from my Department's budget in terms of maintaining, promoting and protecting Ireland’s heritage and culture, developing cultural tourism, advancing the use of the Irish language, supporting the sustainable development of the islands and fostering North-South co-operation. The progress of spending across the Vote is monitored on a continuous basis through the year in order to ensure the optimal use of the available financial resources.
It is anticipated that expenditure across the Vote in 2014 will remain broadly on target to year-end.
290. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of public sector workers that are on temporary contracts or other non-permanent contracts of employment in his Department. [30395/14]
View answerThere are currently 7 staff employed in my Department on the basis of temporary contracts. A further 56 staff are employed in my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service on the basis of seasonal contracts. The position in respect of respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in the following table.
|
Bodies |
Number of staff on temporary contracts (non- seasonal) |
Number of staff on seasonal contracts |
|
Arts Council |
1 |
0 |
|
Ulster-Scots Agency |
1 |
0 |
|
Irish Film Board |
1 |
1 |
|
Chester Beatty Library |
0 |
3 |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
3 |
0 |
|
Foras na Gaeilge |
0 |
0 |
|
Heritage Council |
0 |
0 |
|
IMMA |
0 |
0 |
|
National Concert Hall |
4 |
0 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
5 |
0 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
1 |
0 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
1 |
0 |
|
Waterways Ireland |
0 |
32 |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
22 |
3 |
|
Total |
39 |
39 |
291. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he is concerned by the number of appointments to State Boards under his remit that do not go through the Public Appointments Commission; his plans to review the manner in which State Boards are appointed to ensure that the most suitably qualified persons fill vacancies that arise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30799/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements for the appointment of State board members. Under the new arrangements, my Department seeks expressions of interest from the public by advertising on my Department's website. As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in making such appointments I am not restricted to giving sole consideration to those who have responded to publicly advertised invitations to submit expressions of interest. I can also approach candidates who, in my view, may have a contribution to make and be 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 should 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 arising from nominations on a 50:50 basis from each jurisdiction.
I am satisfied that the new arrangements introduced by the Government in 2011 have significantly improved the appointments process to State boards. As Minister, I have made over 40 appointments to boards through this process to date, with a view at all times to ensuring, as far as possible, that the most suitably qualified persons are appointed to vacancies that arise.
292. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in a tabular form the annual salary of all commercial State company Chief Executive Officers under his remit. [30858/14]
View answerThere are currently no commercial state bodies under the aegis of my Department.
