Written Answers Nos. 272 - 284
272. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the annual saving to his Department if spending on professional fees, including but not limited to legal, IT-related, accountancy and other advisory and consultancy fees, was reduced by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26948/15]
View answerThe amount invoiced to my Department in 2014 to which professional services withholding tax was applied was €1,833,549.06, of which €392,774.12 related to payments in respect of the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments.
The potential saving, had a 10% reduction applied, would have been € 183,354.91.
273. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the annual saving to the Exchequer if the Minister's special advisers' salaries were capped at the first point of the principal officer grade, that is, €75,647; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26962/15]
View answerPayment of salaries to staff of my Department is made in line with pay scales approved by the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform. If the salaries of my Special Advisors were capped at the first point on the Principal Officer scale, the saving in 2015 would be in the region of €11,080 (not including Employer’s PRSI).
274. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the annual saving to his Department and the bodies under its aegis if all the fees for all State agency, non-commercial State-sponsored bodies and commercial semi-State board members were reduced by 25%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26977/15]
View answerInformation in relation to Board member fees, on which calculations of the impact of fee reductions can be based, is set out in the following table.
|
Agency / Body |
Post |
Number of board members |
Remuneration |
|
Dublin Docklands Development Authority |
Chairperson |
1 |
€20,520 |
|
Member |
7 |
€11,970 |
|
|
Housing Finance Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
Member |
10 |
€7,695 |
|
|
Irish Water Safety |
Chairperson |
1 |
€8,978 |
|
Member |
11 |
Nil |
|
|
Housing & Sustainable Communities Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
Member |
7 |
€7,695 |
|
|
Local Government Management Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
Nil |
|
Member |
10 |
Nil |
|
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
Chairperson |
1 |
€6734 |
|
Member |
11 |
Nil |
|
|
Private Residential Tenancies Board / Rent Tribunal |
Chairperson |
1 |
* |
|
Member |
11 |
* |
|
|
Western Development Commission |
Chairperson |
1 |
€8,978 |
|
Member |
7 |
€5,985 |
|
|
Pobal |
Chair |
1 |
Nil |
|
Members |
15 |
||
|
An Bord Pleanála **** |
Chairperson |
1 |
PPC Rate: €175,877 - Non PP C Rate: €167,300 |
|
Deputy Chair |
1 |
PPC Rate: €124,716 |
|
|
Non PP C Rate: €118,581 |
|||
|
Member |
7 |
PPC Rate: €109,580 |
|
|
Non PP C Rate: €104,317 |
|||
|
Environmental Protection Agency **** |
Director General |
1 |
PPC Rate: €153,162 |
|
Deputy Director General |
1 |
PPC Rate: €136,216 |
|
|
Directors |
4 |
1 @ PPC Rate: €136,216 2 @ PPC Rate €124,716 1 @PPC Rate €119,381 |
|
|
PYRITE Resolution Board |
Chair |
1 |
N il |
|
Directors |
4 |
€2400 *** |
|
|
NOAC |
Chair |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
Members |
10 |
€7,695 |
|
|
Irish Water |
Chair |
1 |
** |
|
Directors |
3 |
** |
* Those PRTB / Rent Tribunal members of the Board, who are entitled to Board fees, are paid such fees on an attendance basis only. Details regarding the scale of fees and the amounts paid are published in the annual reports of the PRTB.
** In the case of Irish Water the appointments are executive in nature; details of their salaries are not available in my Department.
*** In the case of the Pyrite Resolution Board those directors who are entitled to fees are paid on an attendance basis.
**** The Boards of An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency are executive in nature, and Board members are full-time, salaried positions.
From 1 May 2009, fees were reduced by 10% in line with the Government decision to revise the fees for non-executive Chairpersons and members of Boards of State Bodies. From 1 January 2010, fees were further reduced in line with the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009.
Reference to remuneration for chairs and members of Boards is to the level of fee to which they are entitled. Where public servants are appointed to Boards, no fees are payable.
Details in relation to the fees paid to individual Board members are also available within the respective annual reports of the individual agencies.
275. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the date the Commission for Energy Regulation was established and under which Government; the annual cost to the State since its establishment; if he will provide a list of the directors since establishment and the length of their term; under what structure of authority does the commission operate; to whom is it accountable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26557/15]
View answerThe Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is Ireland’s independent energy regulator. The CER was initially established as the Commission for Electricity Regulation under the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999. Under the Gas (Interim) (Regulation) Act, 2002, CER's remit was expanded to include the regulation of the natural gas sector and its name was changed to the Commission for Energy Regulation. It has a wide range of economic, customer protection and safety responsibilities in the energy sector. The CER is financed by means of a levy on industry and is not a cost on the Exchequer.
Members of the CER, also known as Commissioners, are appointed by the Minister pursuant to Schedule 1 of the 1999 Act, as amended, and the names of current and past CER Commissioners are provided in successive published annual reports. The current Commissioners are Mr. Garrett Blaney, Mr. Paul McGowan and Ms. Aoife MacEvilly who have, to date, held office for approximately five years, two years, and nine months, respectively. There have been four other Commissioners since the establishment of the CER, namely Mr. Tom Reeves, Mr. Michael Tutty, Ms. Regina Finn and Mr. Dermot Nolan, who held office for approximately ten years, seven years, one year, and six years, respectively. The appointment of other staff members, including directors, is an operational matter for the CER.
The authority structure, operation and functions of the CER are set out in the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999, as amended. Pursuant to Section 25 of Schedule 1 of the Act, as amended, the CER is obliged to present an annual report and accounts to the Minister. These reports and accounts, including information on costs, are publicly available on the CER website. Pursuant to Section 26 of Schedule 1, the CER is accountable to a Joint Committee of the Oireachtas for the performance of its functions.
276. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans for Boyle, County Roscommon in relation to the badly needed broadband upgrade for the town and its environs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26601/15]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.
The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.
Last November I published a national high speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours BLUE and AMBER. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services and include the town of Boyle Co Roscommon. The AMBER areas on the map show the target areas where the State will be obliged to intervene to ensure the availability of high speed broadband services.
The map allows all members of the public, be they business or residential, to see whether their premises or home will have access to commercial high speed broadband services or whether they will be included in the Government's proposed intervention. It also provides detailed information on over 50,000 townlands throughout the entire country including County Roscommon.
According to the publicly available information on eircom's website (www.eircom.net) Boyle has already seen a number of upgrades under the company's e-fibre investment programme, with one further upgrade nearing completion. Where parts of the town or its environs are not covered by commercial high speed services, these will be the target for the State's intervention.
277. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the annual saving to his Department if spending on education and training was reduced by 2.5%, 5% and 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26916/15]
View answerMy Department seeks to ensure that spending on education and training represents value for money and expenditure in this area is incurred in accordance with EU Regulations and Department of Finance guidelines.
The annual cost of Learning and Development in my Department can vary depending on demand and the requirement for courses. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table based on the 2015 Learning and Development budget for the Department.
|
Total Learning and Development Budget 2015 |
Savings if budget reduced by 2.5% |
Savings if budget reduced by 5% |
Savings if budget reduced by 10% |
|
€115,000 |
€2,875 |
€5,750 |
€11,500 |
278. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the annual saving to his Department if spending on professional fees, including but not limited to legal, IT-related, accountancy and other advisory and consultancy fees, was reduced by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26945/15]
View answerMy Department administers a very diverse, complex and technical brief. It has a total complement of around 250 full time equivalent staff of whom a limited number are technical personnel. This requires my Department to procure specialist external professional advice notably in legal, financial and technical areas to assist in discharging its functions. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and that these professional services contribute to project delivery and informed, robust and evidence based policy making.
Based on 2015 expenditure to the end of May, it is estimated that applying a 10% reduction in professional fees would reduce the amount to be paid in 2015 by approximately €0.7m.
My Department adheres to the relevant EU Regulations and Department of Finance Guidelines on the procurement of goods and services and will continue to keep spending on all consultancy/professional services to a minimum consistent with ensuring the necessary expertise is available to discharge the Department’s wide and complex brief.
279. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the annual saving to the Exchequer if the Minister's special advisers' salaries were capped at the first point of the principal officer grade, that is, €75,647; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26959/15]
View answerSpecial Adviser appointments are undertaken in accordance with the Instructions on Ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dáil (July 2014) and the Guidelines on Staffing of Ministerial Offices (March 2011) issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In accordance with Section 11(1)(a) of the Public Service Management Act 1997, I appointed two Special Advisers in 2014. The annual saving if their combined salaries were capped at the first point of the Principal Officer scale would be €12,223. This figure has been calculated using the Principal Officer (Personal Pension Contribution) scale.
280. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the annual saving to his Department and the bodies under its aegis if all the fees for all State agency, non-commercial State-sponsored bodies and commercial semi-State board members were reduced by 25%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26974/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
The One Person One Salary policy introduced by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform provides that serving public sector employees are not eligible to receive remuneration in relation to their membership of boards of State Bodies. In addition, non-public sector board members may choose to voluntarily waive their fees as a matter of personal choice. Both of these initiatives have been brought to the attention of the bodies under the aegis of the Department. Consequently, the remuneration details in the table below refer to fees that may be payable and are not indicative of fees actually being received by board members. In the case of Commercial State Bodies, any fees payable are not funded by the Exchequer.
In the case of public bodies established by Statute, the maximum, and sometimes minimum, number of persons that may be appointed to the Board is generally set out in the relevant legislation. I have set out in the following table the maximum number of persons that could be appointed to these bodies together with the fee level that may be paid in each case.
|
Body/ Regulator |
Number of Members |
Board Fee Applicable |
Fee if there was a 25% reduction |
|
An Post |
15 |
Category 1 Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
Category 1 Chair: €23,625 Director: €11,812.50 |
|
Bord Gáis Éireann |
9 |
Category 1 Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
Category 1 Chair: €23,625 Director: €11,812.50 |
|
Bord na Móna |
12 |
Category 2 Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
Category 2 Chair: €16,200 Director: €9,450 |
|
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland |
9 |
Category 4 Chair: €8,978 Director: €5,985 |
Category 4 Chair: €6,733.50 Director: €4,488.75 |
|
Digital Hub Development Authority |
**14 |
Category 3 Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
Category 3 Chair: €8,977.50 Director: €5,771.25 |
|
EirGrid |
10 |
Category 2 Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
Category 2 Chair: €16,200 Director: €9,450 |
|
ESB |
12 |
Category 1 Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
Category 1 Chair: €23,625 Director: €11,812.50 |
|
Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (Loughs Agency) |
12 |
*Category 3 Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
Category 3 Chair: €8,977.50 Director: €5,771.25 |
|
Inland Fisheries Ireland |
10 |
Category 3 Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
Category 3 Chair: €8,977.50 Director: €5,771.25 |
|
Irish National Petroleum Corporation Ltd |
**5 |
Category 2 Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
Category 2 Chair: €16,200 Director: €9,450 |
|
Mining Board |
3 |
€545.42/ full day for public and private sittings. €200.93/ full day for any necessary attendance (other than sittings) in discharge of the Board’s business |
€409.07/ full day for public and private sittings. €150.70/ full day for any necessary attendance (other than sittings) in discharge of the Board’s business |
|
National Oil Reserves Agency |
**6 |
Category 4 Chair: €8,978 Director: €5,985 |
Category 4 Chair: €6,733.50 Director: €4,488.75 |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
10 |
Category 3 Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
Category 3 Chair: €8,977.50 Director: €5,771.25 |
|
RTÉ |
12 |
Category 1 Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
Category 1 Chair: €23,625 Director: €11,812.50 |
|
TG4 |
12 |
Category 2 Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
Category 2 Chair: €16,200 Director: €9,450 |
|
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland |
**12 |
Category 3 Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
Category 3 Chair: €8,977.50 Director: €5,771.25 |
The Irish Exchequer pays half of the cost of Loughs Agency board fees
** Staff in my Department are on the Board and no fee is applicable to them
281. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the release of confidential information (details supplied) concerning the matter of a contract within his Department. [26494/15]
View answer282. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Data Protection Commissioner was informed of any data breaches in relation to any communication from the Minister's Department to the Revenue Commissioners in relation to a matter (details supplied). [26495/15]
View answer283. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is the normal practice of his Department to give a view on the issuance or non-issuance of tax clearance certificates to the Revenue Commissioners. [26496/15]
View answer284. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason a view was given by his Department to the Revenue Commissioners in relation to the issuance or non-issuance of a tax clearance certificate in relation to a taxpayer (details supplied). [26497/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 281 to 284, inclusive, together.
These Questions relate to tax compliance matters of an individual person and associated Notices of Attachments from the Revenue Commissioners. It would not have been possible for the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport to comply with the requirements of these Notices without communicating with Revenue.
As these matters relate to tax compliance of an individual the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport would regard such communication as confidential.
