Written Answers Nos. 58-64
58. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of works required on a river (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3426/16]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for maintenance of the location referred to by the Deputy as part of the River Feale Catchment Drainage scheme.
The OPW will be carrying out the necessary maintenance works at this location during this year as part of its rolling annual arterial maintenance programme.
59. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on a submission (details supplied); if he will reply to the requests in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3292/16]
View answerIn response to the Deputy's question there have been no cases made against my Department or the bodies under my aegis by civil servants that objected on age grounds to being retired when they reached 65.
60. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he plans to end the financial emergency measures in the public interest early; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3306/16]
View answerI refer to my reply to Question No. 69 of 19 January 2016. The position has not changed.
61. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a personal assistant to a Minister is eligible for the voluntary early retirement when Dáil Éireann is dissolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3324/16]
View answerStaff in Ministerial Offices are generally employed as unestablished civil servants. No voluntary early retirement scheme is currently sanctioned for civil servants.
With regard to severance arrangements, following the 2011 General Election my Department agreed that Personal Secretaries and Personal Assistants who had previous service under the Scheme for Secretarial Assistance could opt, as an alternative to the Ministerial Staff Severance of 4 weeks' pay per year (or part thereof), for the package paid out to the Staff of the Scheme for Secretarial Assistance. Any such payment would be dependent on the individual circumstance of the employee. The rate of pay under this calculation will be the rate the person would have reached had s/he remained in their previous grade of Secretarial Assistant/Parliamentary Assistant as appropriate and is inclusive of retirement lump sum but does not provide for early payment of pension. This payment will be made by the relevant Government Department but the HR Unit for the Houses of the Oireachtas is responsible for providing necessary service and salary details to Departments. Matters regarding termination dates, notice etc. will be notified to staff of officeholders by the relevant Government Department.
62. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the timetable for restoration of all Civil Service and public service pension cuts and his views on a mechanism for future pension increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3391/16]
View answerThe Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015 is delivering significant boosts to the occupational pensions of most retired public servants. This is being done by way of a substantial part-reversal, or restoration, of the cuts imposed on those pensions since 2011 by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR).
These effective pension increases are being delivered by changes to the applicable PSPR tables effective from 1 January 2016, 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018. When fully rolled-out from 1 January 2018, these changes mean that all public service pensions with pre-PSPR values of up to €34,132 will be fully exempt from PSPR, while those pensioners not fully removed from the reach of PSPR will, in general, benefit by €1,680 per year. The cost of these changes is estimated at about €90 million on a full-year basis from 2018.
Looking beyond PSPR restoration, it will be necessary in due course to consider the question of how to adjust the post-award value of public service pensions in the medium term. I expect the Government will return to this issue at the appropriate time, as we move beyond the FEMPI era towards a more normal environment for pay and pension setting, all the while continuing to ensure the affordability of the cost of the public service over the long term.
63. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has received a submission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine about a matter (details supplied) regarding forestry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3405/16]
View answerAn initial submission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on the establishment of a reconstitution scheme to assist forest owners whose forests were damaged by winter storms, was received by my Department. This matter is the subject of ongoing discussion between the two Departments.
64. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his proposals to carry out maintenance and drainage work on the Graddum river that flows from Graddum lake in Crosserlough parish, and which joins with the River Erne at Drumkilly in County Cavan; if he is aware of the concern of many residents in the general area whose properties are flooded, given that this flooding has become more severe over recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3425/16]
View answerThe location referred to by the Deputy does not form part of any Arterial Drainage Scheme which would fall under the remit of the Office of Public Works (OPW) under the 1945 Arterial Drainage Act. The OPW therefore has no responsibility for the maintenance of the channel, nor any authority to carry out any works there.
Investigation of flooding, in the first instance, is a matter for each local authority to investigate and address. Cavan County Council may carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources. The Council may also apply to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for funding of flood mitigation works under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor works to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. Any application received will be considered in accordance with the scheme eligibility criteria and having regard to the overall availability of resources for flood risk management. Details are published on the OPW website www.opw.ie.
