Written Answers Nos. 437-452
437. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of travel and subsistence incurred by the public service and Civil Service for each of the years from 2011 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20751/16]
View answer438. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of travel and subsistence incurred by office holders for each of the years from 2011 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20752/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together.
My Department does not collect information on overall figures for travel and subsistence in the Civil and Public Service. However, if the Deputy wishes to consult the response given to PQ 26628/15, this sets out the most recent estimated figures on this matter.
However in the case of my own Department, the following table sets out travel and subsistence expenditure for the years in question:
|
Year |
Travel and Subsistence Expenditure |
|
2011 |
€ 92,298.32 |
|
2012 |
€ 223,975.92 |
|
2013 |
€ 315,189.90* |
|
2014 |
€ 201,435.63 |
|
2015 |
€ 205,366.81 |
*Includes one-off additional costs associated with Ireland's holding of the EU Presidency.
Furthermore, the increase in travel and subsistence claims for the Department over this period is correlated to the increase in the number of staff within the Department since its foundation in 2011. This includes the establishment of both the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) and the Office of Government Procurement.
With regards to office holders, my Department does not collect information on expenditure figures for office holder travel and subsistence. The position in respect of Minister Brendan Howlin, Minister of State Brian Hayes and subsequently Minister of State Simon Harris is set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Travel and Subsistence Expenditure |
|
2011 |
€ 8,414.25 |
|
2012 |
€ 13,238.17 |
|
2013 |
€ 18,770.91 |
|
2014 |
€ 16,878.91 |
|
2015 |
€ 13,799.93 |
439. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of agency and-or locum staff hired by his Department for each of the years from 2011 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20753/16]
View answerIn response to the Deputy's question no costs have been incurred by my department for agency or locum staff since 2011.
440. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount which has been spent by the State on public private partnerships for each of the years from 2007 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20754/16]
View answerOwnership of individual PPP projects remains with the Sponsoring Authority who retain responsibility for all financial data. DPERs role in relation to PPPs is to facilitate the PPP process centrally by developing the general policy framework (including, where necessary, the legal framework) within which PPPs operate and by providing central guidance to Departments and other State Authorities in that context. A full suite of guidance has been published to facilitate the PPP process and is available on the Central PPP Unit's website at www.ppp.gov.ie. The guidance dovetails with the Public Spending Code.
As agreed with the Deputy's office updated data regarding PPP costs is currently being collated from departments and will be provided in the coming weeks.
441. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of State contracts awarded under public procurement in costs bands (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20755/16]
View answerPublic procurement is an integral part of the Government's overall Public Service Reform agenda. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) was established by Government to lead on the Public Procurement Reform Programme by bringing improved capability to procurement, delivery of substantial savings on goods and services expenditure, and the provision of better data to Government on procurement across the public service.
The OGP established a dedicated Business Intelligence team in late 2013 and has gathered considerable expenditure data from large public service bodies. The Public Service Spend and Tendering Analysis 2013 Report published last year was an important first step in improving accurate analysis of, and transparency in, public procurement expenditure. The key findings of the 2013 Report were that some 93% of public procurement expenditure remains within the State and that the majority of procurement expenditure is directly with SMEs. The OGP intends to produce this Analysis Report annually, and data volumes, data quality and depth of analysis will improve each time.
However, the specific information sought by the Deputy is not readily available as contracts, including those awarded under Framework Agreements put in place by the OGP, are awarded directly by individual public sector bodies and not centrally by the OGP.
442. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of applications made by Mayo County Council (details supplied) under the minor flood relief scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20769/16]
View answerI am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that applications under the Office of Public Works' (OPW) Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme have been received from Mayo County Council for projects at Ballina and Foxford Co. Mayo. The applications are currently being assessed and a reply will issue to Mayo County Council in due course. The assessment of the applications will have regard to the fact that both Ballina and Foxford are Areas for Further Assessment under the West Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Project under which flooding problems in the towns are being comprehensively considered.
443. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to list each State asset disposed of for each of the past five years and the value obtained for each disposal. [20800/16]
View answerIn the context of the State Asset Disposal Programme agreed by Government in 2012 and implemented by my Department, four State assets were disposed of over the past 5 years, as follows:
- In November 2013, ESB completed the disposal of the first of two overseas assets - its 50% shareholding in Marchwood Power in the UK. The Exchequer received a dividend of €152.855 million in January 2014 arising from that transaction.
- In April 2014, ESB completed the second overseas asset disposal - its 50% shareholding in Bizkaia Energia in Spain, which produced a dividend for the Exchequer of €44.175 million.
- The sale of Bord Gais Energy completed on 30th June 2014 on the basis of a gross enterprise value of up to €1.1 billion, including a small element of contingent consideration. The actual purchase price paid to Ervia on completion of the sale was around €940 million, after certain adjustments to the gross enterprise value were taken into account including project finance debt related to the renewables business that transferred with the sale. A further small amount in relation to the contingent consideration still remains payable, depending on the future performance of the business and the achievement of certain milestones.
- The Government's 25.1% shareholding in Aer Lingus was acquired by IAG in 2015 for €335.273 million.
In addition to these asset disposals, over €400 million was also received from the sale of the National Lottery licence in 2014.
444. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has set up its electronic data exchange system, known as e-cohesion, and, if not, the reason. [20876/16]
View answer445. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has implemented a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements; and if this has not been done the amount of funding Ireland has either lost or been unable to drawdown each year because of this, in tabular form. [20877/16]
View answer446. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has implemented a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements; and if not, why not. [20878/16]
View answer447. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated conclusion date for the implementation of a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements. [20879/16]
View answer448. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the name of the company which won the tender for the contract to develop and implement the national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements. [20880/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 444 to 448, inclusive, together.
My Department, in conjunction with relevant Departments and agencies, is in the process of establishing an eCohesion system to meet the regulatory requirements for the European Structural & Investment (ESI) Funds for 2014-2020. The system relates to three of the funds covered by the ESI Funds: the European Regional Development Fund, which is under the aegis of my Department and funding for which is delivered through two regional operational programmes managed by the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly; the European Social Fund, which is the responsibility of the Department of Education & Skills; and the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund, which is under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. The system will also be used to claim funds under the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD), which is under the remit of the Department of Social Protection.
On 4 March 2016 tenders were invited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for the provision of the ICT system. There were insufficient compliant tenders received in response to the RFT such as to amount to effective and genuine competition. The tender competition was discontinued on the 18 of May 2016. My Department has carried out consultations with the market, the European Commission and other Member States and with assistance from relevant Departments and agencies, is reviewing our requirements with a view to carrying out a new procurement process in early course. The conclusion date for this project will depend on the proposals received from tenderers but is expected to be in 2017.
As far as the European Regional Development Fund, for which my Department has overall responsibility, is concerned, no funding has been lost or not drawn down because of this.
449. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he received a business case for the re-appointment of the chief executive officer of an organisation (details supplied); if the re-appointment is in line with public appointment guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20901/16]
View answerA business case was submitted to my Department by the Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) that was strongly supported by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for the granting of a further 5 year contract to the current Chief Executive of HRI based on existing terms and conditions. I sanctioned the contract based on the strength of the business case presented and in line with current guidelines on the appointment of CEO's for commercial state bodies. The case made indicated that the extension was required because of the substantial importance of the role played by the CEO HRI in the thoroughbred horse industry, the expertise, experience and qualifications brought by the current CEO to the post and the continuity the appointment would provide for the implementation of the strategic plan for the development of this important industry.
450. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he will unwind the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21043/16]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question Ref: 19754/16 of 6 July 2016.
451. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the European Union contribution factored into the capital plan and the amount of this funding which relates to cross-Border initiates such as INTERREG or Peace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21058/16]
View answerBuilding on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2020 includes commitments to investing in infrastructure to support North South cooperation to help unlock the full potential of the island economy. These commitments are consistent with those set out in A Fresh Start: The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan.
As regards EU funding, the Deputy will be aware that the Irish Government was successful in securing agreement for €150 million of EU funding towards a new cross-border PEACE Programme for the period 2014-2020. The focus of the PEACE IV programme is on social inclusion and combatting poverty, with investment proposed in a number of areas, including shared education, children and young people, shared spaces and services, and building positive relations at a local level. The total value of the programme is €269 million, of which €229 is provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The new INTERREG Programme for the period 2014-2020 has a total value of €283, including €240 of ERDF funding. The INTERREG Programme has four priority areas for investment, namely research and innovation, the environment, sustainable transport, and health.
As provided for in A Fresh Start, a group of senior officials from the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government is meeting regularly to maintain a strategic overview of economic and infrastructure investment. In that context they are considering opportunities for sourcing further investment for all-island infrastructure projects for mutual benefit, including through PPPs, EU funding and other non-Exchequer sources.
452. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans for pay restoration for members of An Garda Síochána and if he is in ongoing talks with representatives from An Garda Síochána regarding pay restoration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21108/16]
View answerOfficials of my Department in association with their colleagues in the Department of Justice and Equality have had discussions with representatives of the Garda Síochána in the last number of weeks aimed at facilitating their engagement with the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA). While progress has been made in these discussions with the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors in terms of addressing issues of mutual concern this has not unfortunately been the case in respect of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) who formally withdrew from these discussions. As of now the GRA remain outside the LRA. The members of the GRA have exercised their democratic mandate and this right to do so is respected. However the decision not to become party to the LRA has consequences for the members of the GRA.
In particular, with effect from 1 July 2016, the members of the GRA are subject to an increment freeze under the relevant Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest legislation. No-one wishes to impose an incremental freeze on members of An Garda Síochána or indeed on any public servant but it is the law. We must also be fair to the vast bulk of public servants who have accepted the LRA and are co-operating with its terms.
This group includes the Associations representing Superintendents and Chief Superintendents in An the Garda Síochána. The other Garda representative body, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) have decided to re-ballot their members with a recommendation to accept the LRA. The AGSI members will not be subject to any increment freeze while that ballot is in progress.
In the context of discussions with AGSI aimed at addressing their concerns it is important to note that it was possible to find a basis to advance the relevant issues pertinent to the parties concerned. A similar prospect should be realisable with the GRA but this will require them to engage in discussions on matters of mutual concern with the official side through the normal channels.
