Written Answers Nos 340-349
340. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress the high level forum has made to date and if he envisages a final solution to issues raised with regard to the community and voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18182/16]
View answerThe issues referred to in the Deputy's question concern Community and Employment Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors who are seeking through their union representatives the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme dating back to 2008. In this regard the position has been that it is not possible for the State to provide funding for such a scheme to employees of private companies notwithstanding the position that those companies are or were reliant on State funding.
These issues have, however, remained under review and my predecessor held a meeting with the relevant trade unions in relation to the matter. The Community Sector High Level Forum has been reconvened in order to examine the matter fully, having regard to the implications for costs and precedent.
341. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if it is permissible for a county councillor to work as a clerical officer in the Civil Service. [18197/16]
View answerThe Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour sets out the standards required of civil servants in carrying out their work and applies to all civil servants. These standards of behaviour and values support a high quality public service, based on high levels of personal performance and responsibility. The standards which underpin the general ethos of the Civil Service also include impartiality. The Code is available here: http://www.sipo.gov.ie/en/Codes-of-Conduct/Civil-Servants/Civil-Service-Code-of-Standards.pdf.
Specifically in relation to political impartiality, the Code states that Civil servants in the performance of their duties:
(a) must conscientiously serve the duly elected Government of the day, the other institutions of State and the public;
(b) must advise and implement policy impartially and, in particular, be conscious of the need to maintain the independence necessary to give any future Minister or Government confidence in their integrity
and
(c) should not display partiality whether as a result of personal or family ties or otherwise.
To ensure public confidence in the political impartiality of the Civil Service restrictions have traditionally been imposed on civil servants engaging in political activity. These restrictions are set out in Circular 9/2009 available here: http://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/finance/2009/09.pdf.
However, the Code permits members of the clerical grades in the Civil Service, and non-industrial civil servants in grades with salary maximum equal to or below the Clerical Officer maximum, to apply to their Department/Office for permission to engage in politics and to stand for local election. Officers employed on particular types of work may, at the discretion of Departmental management, have their applications refused.
Accordingly, if a County Councillor was successful in the recruitment process for a Clerical Officer position in the Civil Service, the question of his/her continued involvement in politics would be a matter for the Department/Office to which he/she was assigned.
342. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of a flood relief scheme (details supplied); the reason this project has been delayed; when these matters will be addressed; when this scheme will move to tender and construction phases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18216/16]
View answerThe statutory Public Exhibition of the River Mall (Templemore) Flood Relief Scheme took place in March/April of 2015. Following this, work on finalising the detailed design of the scheme has been ongoing. This has involved necessary consultations with relevant stakeholders. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is working to progress the scheme as quickly as possible and aims to submit the scheme to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for Confirmation (approval) shortly. Allowing for the required independent review by the Minister of the scheme's Environmental Impact Statement, the OPW would anticipate some preliminary site clearance and associated works commencing in late 2016. A tender competition for a main works contractor will not be necessary as the works will be undertaken by the OPW's direct labour force.
343. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the average annual cost of the mileage reimbursement scheme within the public service in each of the years 2011 to 2015 and 2016 to date in tabular form. [18247/16]
View answerMy Department does not normally collect information on overall figures for travel in the Public Service. However, if the Deputy wishes to consult the response given to PQ No. 102, this sets out the most recent estimated figures on this matter.
344. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has received correspondence from a person (details supplied); if he has examined the issue raised; his views on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18391/16]
View answerI can confirm that correspondence has been received from this company.
Having reviewed the issues raised, I am satisfied that the Office of Government Procurement ("OGP") tender process was robust, transparent and open and that it acted in line with Circular 10/14 Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement (April 2014) and the appropriate Directives and Regulations. The tender process enabled participation by all potential tenderers, whilst being mindful of the OGP's core purpose of delivering sustainable value for the taxpayer.
345. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of a person who wishes to transfer within the public service (details supplied); the arrangements in place for transfers and swaps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18434/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, transfers for Clerical Officer and Staff Officer grades, which are represented by the Civil Public & Services Union, can be arranged in accordance with formal procedures which were agreed with the Staff Side at General Council under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for the Civil Service. Agreements were reached for Clerical Officers in 1978 and Staff Officers in 2001.
This formal Central Transfer Scheme provides for cross-Departmental transfer arrangements and is a mechanism for filling vacancies in provincial locations at the agreed grades.
Information on possible or actual transfers under this scheme are not held centrally by my Department.
Interdepartmental transfers between other grades in the Civil Service can be arranged on an informal head-to-head basis. Such transfers are arranged between the officers seeking to move and the relevant Personnel Units and require the agreement of both Personnel Officers.
Action 15 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan has a commitment to develop a mobility scheme both within the civil service and the wider public service. Work on this mobility programme is ongoing with the Civil Service Management Board, Departments and staff interests. It is not possible at this stage to give a definite date when such a scheme may be introduced.
346. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans regarding the internal promotion mechanism in Departments, the filling of vacancies and the issue in respect of external competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18435/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in general, promotion within the Irish Civil Service takes place by way of
- competitions confined to particular Departments (Internal promotion) or
- competitions open to candidates from all Departments (Interdepartmental promotion) or
- open competitions to all qualifying candidates including members of the public.
Candidates who are successful in all competitions are ranked in order of merit and are placed on panels to await appointment when and if a vacancy arises. Promotions are made on the basis of an agreed method of sequences for promotion and recruitment. Sequences vary for each grade and usually involve a combination of open, Interdepartmental and Internal panels.
Increasingly the policy has been for more open recruitment. In 2015 the Civil Service Arbitration Board agreed to more open recruitment for the Assistant Principal and Principal Officer grades.
More open recruitment and more competitive promotion procedures are needed as part of the continued modernisation of the Civil Service so that it can recruit and promote the staff required to advise the Government and implement its policies in an increasingly complex and fast-changing society and economy.
The rationale underpinning this policy is to allow the Civil Service attract staff with the wide range of skills and experience needed in a modern public administration, to actively manage the challenges of an ageing workforce, to ensure that all appointments in the Civil Service draw on the widest possible pool of available talent, and to provide more open development opportunities for all staff.
347. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress to date and when works on a castle (details supplied) will be competed. [18543/16]
View answerConservation works are ongoing at Askeaton Castle and involve the stabilisation and repair of the Castle and the Hellfire Club, an early 17th century building. This is a long-term, complex project and certain works require input from marine engineers as part of the structure is in the river. To date, the curtain wall of the castle has been conserved and repaired. The first phase of works to the Constable Tower, which necessitated a major structural intervention, has been completed, holding works have been undertaken in the Hellfire Club and remedial works to the property which abuts the road and which was recently acquired by the State have been effected. Given the complexity of the works and the delicate nature of the conservation tasks involved, it is not possible to estimate the completion date.
Conscious of the long term nature of the works the Office of Public Works has worked closely with the Askeaton Civic Trust Ltd. in order to facilitate access to the site while works are ongoing. A member of the Trust has been given permission to bring tour groups to Askeaton Castle on weekends during the summer months and the building holidays at the end July/start August. This access appears to satisfy the vast majority of those who wish to visit the site.
348. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the legislation in place and the body responsible for the preservation and ongoing maintenance of listed and preserved buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17959/16]
View answerMy role, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as is the role of local authorities. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides for the protection of architectural heritage and gives local planning authorities primary responsibility to identify and protect architectural heritage by including structures on the Record of Protected Structures. The making of an addition to, or a deletion from, the Record of Protected Structures is a reserved function of the relevant planning authority.
A number of State financial supports provide for the conservation and preservation of heritage structures in general.
Financial support is being provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings. My Department itself operates a Structures at Risk Fund to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration.
This fund, which has an allocation of over €900,000 in 2016, is administered through the local authorities and seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. Applications for this scheme have now closed for 2016, and recommended projects have been recently announced.
I also launched a new €2 million scheme - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme - for the repair and conservation of protected structures on 21 October 2015. This scheme will operate in 2016, via the local authorities, on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which ran in 2014. It is expected to support a significant number of projects across the country and to create employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas. The scheme for this year is now fully allocated.
The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. For 2016, the Council is administering a community based heritage grants scheme available for projects that contributed to particular heritage themes, of which further details can be found at www.heritagecouncil.ie.
349. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of an issue regarding Leader funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17968/16]
View answerMy Department issued Funding Agreements for the delivery of the LEADER programme to the first 18 Local Action Groups in the week beginning 20 June 2016. Applications for LEADER funding can commence in these areas from 8 July, provided that the Funding Agreement has been signed by the respective Local Action Groups. Contracts will issue in each of the remaining 10 sub-regional areas as the strategy selection process is concluded. Additional information has been requested by the Independent Selection Committee as regards a number of the strategies in these 10 regions.
The final draft of the LEADER Operating Rules was circulated to all Local Action Groups on 20 June 2016. The official consolidated version of the Operating Rules, which will include some additional appendices, will be available upon the launch of the LEADER programme, which is expected to take place in early July.
