Written Answers Nos. 76-83
76. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of appointments she has made to State boards since the move to the Public Appointments Service two years ago to date; the names of those appointed and the relevant position on each board; the names of those persons on the shortlist; the date when the short list was provided to her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20070/16]
View answerI regret that it has not been possible to provide the information required in the time available. The information is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is to hand.
78. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when she will transpose the fourth European Union anti-money laundering directive 2015/849 into law. [20099/16]
View answerThe fourth EU Directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing was published on 20 May 2015 and provides that Member States shall transpose this Directive by 26 June 2017.
The full implementation of this Directive will involve the development of new policies, operational structures and practices and this process involves a range of Government Departments and other stake-holders in developing and bringing forward a number of legislative and non legislative measures. While other Departments are developing legislation relevant to their areas of responsibility, my Department has responsibility for bringing forward the necessary amendments to the relevant criminal justice legislation in this area and work on these aspects of the transposition are ongoing.
79. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide information on the number of persons of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds currently working in her Department and in other public service organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20440/16]
View answerI am informed that my Department does not seek or retain the information sought by the Deputy as data on the ethnic and cultural background of staff is not considered to be relevant to their employment.
80. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den an Tánaiste agus Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais cén líon státseirbhíseach atá earcaithe le bliain anuas in a Roinn a bhfuil Gaeilge agus Béarla acu; cén grád ar ar earcaíodh iad; cén líon iomlán státseirbhíseach a earcaíodh i rith an ama sin agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [20448/16]
View answerRinne mo Roinn 256 ball foirne a cheapadh le 12 mhí anuas. Tá baill foirne a earcaíodh mar Oifigigh Chléireachais Shealadacha san áireamh sa líon sin, a bhformhór acu atá fostaithe ar bhonn conartha ar théarma seasta chun folúntais shealadacha agus riachtanais foirnithe ghearrthéarma, a tháinig chun cinn ar fud na Roinne, a chlúdach. Níl an t-eolas atá iarrtha ag an Teachta maidir leis an líon foirne a earcaíodh le bliain anuas a bhfuil Gaeilge agus Béarla araon acu ar fáil. Mar is eol don Teachta, déantar baill foirne le haghaidh mo Roinne a earcú tríd an tSeirbhís um Cheapacháin Phoiblí (PAS).
Tá áthas orm a chur in iúl don Teachta, áfach, go bhfuil cohórt de bhreis is 40 oifigeach ag mo Roinn, arna tharraingt as na hacmhainní reatha, atá ar fáil chun seirbhísí a sholáthar (is é sin, ceisteanna agus fiosruithe a fhreagairt) as Gaeilge. Ó 2006 i leith, le tosach feidhme a Scéime Tionscnaimh Gaeilge, tá an Roinn Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais tar éis 23 cúrsa inmheánach Gaeilge a reáchtáil, idir chúrsaí scríofa agus chúrsaí labhartha, arna gcur in oiriúint do bhaill foirne. Is iad Gaeleagras, Gaelchultúr agus an Foras Riaracháin a reáchtáil na cúrsaí seo, i gcomhthráth le chéile, i roinnt cásanna. Ina theannta sin, tá an Roinn tar éis tacú le baill foirne ar mhian leo cúrsaí Gaeilge a dhéanamh lasmuigh den Roinn, agus le hoifigigh a ghlac páirt i gcúrsa scríofa Gaeilge ar-líne, agus tá sí ag tacú i gcónaí le baill foirne ar mian leo cúrsaí Gaeilge a dhéanamh. Chuaigh oifigeach amháin de chuid na Roinne ar aghaidh chun Céim Mháistreachta sa Ghaeilge a dhéanamh, agus chuaigh oifigeach eile, a bhí tar éis freastal ar roinnt cúrsaí inmheánacha, ar aghaidh chun Céim B.A. sa Ghaeilge a dhéanamh.
Le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge gach bliain, le roinnt blianta anuas, reáchtáil an Roinn imeacht chun úsáid na Gaeilge laistigh den Roinn a chothú, agus bhí freastal fíormhaith ar gach ceann de na himeachtaí sin.
81. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which all sectors have contributed to economic recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20035/16]
View answerI am greatly encouraged by the latest data showing that the economic recovery is now firmly established with growth of 7.8 per cent recorded in 2015, the fastest rate in Europe.
Importantly, the expansion in economic activity, initially led by the exporting sectors, is now more broadly based with growth now increasingly driven by domestic factors. Domestic demand made a strong positive contribution to growth in 2015 with consumer spending increasing by 3.5 per cent and investment, boosted by intellectual property assets, up by 28 per cent. Domestic demand looks set to make a strong contribution once more this year.
Domestic demand is supported by the continuing broad based recovery of the labour market. Employment grew by 2.4 per cent over the year to the first quarter of 2016, equivalent to an increase of almost 47,000 jobs with gains recorded in 12 of the 14 sectors reported by the CSO. The unemployment rate remained unchanged in June at 7.8 per cent, seasonally adjusted, down from 9.4 per cent per cent a year earlier. This is still the lowest rate of unemployment since December 2008.
The volume of retail sales increased by 8.1 per cent year-on-year in May 2016. Core sales (excluding motor trades) were up by 6.5 per cent over the same period. New cars licensed for the first time were up almost 25 per cent to end-May year-on-year. Expansion in the construction sector continued in May with the Purchasing Managers' Index for the sector recording its thirty-third successive month of expansion.
Meanwhile, the external sector remains strong with exports increasing by 13.8 per cent in 2015. While this was mainly driven by the modern sectors, it is important to note that the more traditional, labour intensive, sectors have also shown strong growth. However, recent data indicates there has been a slowdown in merchandise trade with annual growth of 2.2 per cent recorded to end April compared with growth of over 20 per cent in 2015.
As well as monitoring the overall performance of the economy, my Department also monitors individual sectors continuously. Government policy will continue to monitor for, and to guard against, the build-up of sectoral imbalances and to avoid over-dependence on a single sector, as was previously the case with Ireland's construction sector.
While growth remains strong, we need to be cognisant of the impact of the recent UK vote to leave the EU. We know that this decision will have an adverse impact on the growth outlook. Our initial estimate, based on the assessment in the Summer Economic Statement, is that growth in 2017 will be 0.5% lower than previously expected.
The Department of Finance will prepare a full macroeconomic projection in advance of Budget 2017 in October and this will include updated estimates of economic growth and the public finances, taking account of developments up to that time, including the UK decision.
82. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered the Economic and Social Research Institute's HERMES suggestion that a 1% reduction in the United Kingdom gross domestic product arising from its exit from the European Union will reduce Irish gross domestic product by approximately 0.2% over two years; and if he supports the estimates provided by the United Kingdom Treasury and United Kingdom NIESR. [20105/16]
View answerIn advance of the UK referendum, my Department conducted a risk analysis of the possible economic impacts on Ireland from a UK exit, the results of which were published in Box 2 of the Summer Economic Statement. The analysis used the ESRI HERMES macroeconomic model to estimate the impacts on Ireland, based on a range of scenarios for the UK. The HERMES model has been used for over 25 years to carry out medium-term forecasting and scenario analysis of the Irish economy and is routinely utilised by the Department of Finance for policy and risk analysis.
In relation to the figure that a 1 per cent reduction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United Kingdom would reduce Irish GDP by 0.2 per cent over a two year horizon, this represents the impact of a generic permanent fall in UK GDP. This figure should thus be taken as a general rule of thumb, based on historical relationships, for translating the impact of GDP changes in the UK on Ireland.
The estimates produced by HM Treasury and the UK National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) represent a broad range of potential scenarios and suggest a reduction of UK GDP of 2.3 to 6.0 per cent over two years relative to a vote to remain. These numbers are estimates for an outcome of an event which at this point is characterised by a large number of uncertainties. However, based on the historical relationships between the UK and Irish economy, these estimates would imply a fall in Irish GDP, relative to a remain outcome, in the range of 0.5 to 1.2 per cent over two years.
83. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance why Ireland repaid only 81% of its International Monetary Fund loan earlier and the potential saving in repaying the remaining loan earlier than scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19882/16]
View answerIreland received SDR[1] 19.5 billion, circa €22.5 billion, from the IMF Extended Fund Facility as part of the three-year external financial support programme.
The NTMA completed the third early repayment of Ireland's IMF loan facility on the 20 March 2015, bringing the total amount repaid to SDR15.7 billion, or approximately €18.3 billion. The SDR 15.7 billion repayment, 81% of Ireland's original €22.5 billion IMF loan facility, represented the portion of the IMF facility that attracted the more expensive interest margin charge.
To facilitate this early IMF repayment, it was necessary to secure the agreement of the EU lenders (the EFSF and the EFSM) and the bilateral lenders (the UK, Sweden and Denmark) to waive the mandatory proportionate early repayment clauses in their loan agreements with Ireland. A condition of their agreement to waive this clause was that Ireland retains an element of IMF funding in order to maintain the IMF's participation in post-programme monitoring.
It is important to note therefore, that the early repayment of any one lender cannot be treated in isolation from other lenders and market expectations for when programme loans are due to be repaid. Consequently, any proposed early repayment of the remaining IMF funds would similarly require waivers from our lenders not to trigger automatic mandatory proportional early repayments in respect of each of the programme funding partners. The issue of post-programme monitoring would also have to be addressed as this was a condition of the €18.3 billion early repayment.
The balance of IMF loans remains at SDR 3.8 billion, approximately €4.7 billion. If Ireland were permitted to repay the full facility earlier than scheduled, potential savings will depend on timing and prevailing market conditions for replacement debt. A current estimate of the potential savings would be in the order of €100-€125 million. For the reasons outlined above, there are currently no plans to make any further early repayments, but I will keep the matter under review.
[1] IMF loans are denominated in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), an international reserve asset created by the IMF. Its value is currently based on a basket of four key international currencies - the euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling and U.S. dollar.
