Written Answers Nos. 92-101
92. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if the allowances portion of salary, excluding the Teachta Dála salary paid to Ministers, Ministers of State and the Taoiseach, was reduced by 50%. [26618/15]
View answerBased on current rates, a 50% reduction in the Officeholder allowances (salaries) payable in respect of the positions of Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister and Minister of State would yield an annual saving of €805,762.
93. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if all Oireachtas officeholders' allowances were withdrawn. [26619/15]
View answerBased on current rates, the Officeholder allowances (salaries) payable in respect of all Oireachtas Officeholder positions amount to a total of €1,789,448 per annum.
94. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if party leaders' allowances were reduced by 10%. [26620/15]
View answerBased on the amounts currently payable, a reduction of 10% in the Parliamentary Activities Allowance (formerly called the Party Leaders Allowance) would yield an annual saving of €765,857. The Parliamentary Activities Allowance was last reduced in 2014.
95. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if committee chairpersons' allowances were withdrawn. [26621/15]
View answerThe allowances currently payable to Chairpersons of Oireachtas Committees amount to a total of €139,840 per annum.
96. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission allowance was withdrawn. [26622/15]
View answerThe allowances currently payable to certain Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission amount to a total of €61,667 per annum.
97. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if the super-junior Minister allowance was withdrawn. [26623/15]
View answerThe two Ministers of State who regularly attend meetings of the Government are each paid an allowance of €15,829 per annum.
98. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer if all Minister's special advisers' salaries were capped at the first point of the principal officer grade, €75,647. [26624/15]
View answerThe annual saving to the Exchequer, if the salaries of the Special Advisors in my Department were capped at the first point of the non-PPC Principal Officer grade, would be €42,844.
In the context of current Special Advisor's pay, the first point of the Principal Officer scale, referred to, applies to those appointed prior to 1 January 2013.
Arising from the revised pay arrangements for certain new entrant employees to the public service who are required to be members of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (Circular 3/2014 refers), the appropriate first point on the Principal Officer scale is €79,401 and the annual saving would be €35,336.
99. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to the Exchequer in a single year if the mobile phone allowance for Teachtaí Dála and Senators was withdrawn. [26625/15]
View answerThe current provision available under the Direct Purchase Scheme to TDs and Senators is a maximum of €750 every 18 months for the purchase of one mobile phone, car kit, installation costs and insurance subject to an application with receipts and proof of all of the expenditure incurred. The Deputy may wish to note that Ministers and Ministers of State are not eligible for this scheme. In the eighteen months from January 2014 to June 2015, the total expenditure under the Direct Purchase Scheme was €23,936.
100. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to his Department if spending on professional fees, including but not limited to legal, information technology related, accountancy and other advisory and consultancy fees, was reduced by 10%. [26626/15]
View answerIn response to the Deputy's question the total cost of professional fees during 2014 was €2,494,281. The annual saving to the Exchequer based on a reduction of 10% would be €249,428. (Payments are inclusive of VAT where applicable.)
My Department ensures that every effort is made to limit the use of consultants where possible. All contracts are negotiated with a view to achieving best value for money and are kept under review to ensure this is maintained. When the use of consultants is unavoidable the staff in my Department ensure appropriate skills transfer to reduce the requirement for consultants going forward.
I understand the Office of Public Works will be contacting you directly with their response.
101. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual saving to his Department if spending on education and training was reduced by 2.5%, 5%, and 10%. [26627/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out as follows. The learning and development budget for my Department in 2015 is €350,000. The overriding objective of learning and development as set out in the Department's Learning and Development Strategy is to implement initiatives which are fully aligned with our business priorities and provide an array of opportunities for all staff to develop and reach their full potential. Expenditure on staff learning and development in my Department is a valuable investment.
|
Learning and Development 2015 |
||
|
Reduction (%) |
Budget |
Saving |
|
|
€350,000.00 |
|
|
2.5% Reduction |
€341,250.00 |
€8,750.00 |
|
5% Reduction |
€332,500.00 |
€17,500.00 |
|
10% Reduction |
€315,000.00 |
€35,000.00 |
