Wednesday, 20 Sep 2017

Taoiseach's Communications

Questions (74)

Brendan Howlin

Question:

74. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his telephone conversation with President el-Sisi of Egypt regarding a person (details supplied). [39631/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I spoke with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi by telephone on Monday 28 August.

The call was instigated at my request to discuss the case of Irish Citizen, Ibrahim Halawa. I emphasised the importance the Irish Government places on the case and received assurances from the President that he would intervene, if necessary, following the announcement of a verdict to ensure that Ibrahim was returned home as soon as possible.

I wholeheartedly welcome the announcement on Monday that Ibrahim and his three sisters have been acquitted of all charges. I look forward to Ibrahim returning home to his family as soon as possible.

Cabinet Committees

Questions (75, 118)

Micheál Martin

Question:

75. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the number and titles of Cabinet committees; if they will meet regularly; and if he will chair each one. [39665/17]

View answer

Micheál Martin

Question:

118. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the Cabinet committees and the areas they will cover. [39099/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 118 together.

The Government has established the following six Cabinet Committees, which I will chair:

- Cabinet Committee A (Economy)

- Cabinet Committee B (Social Policy and Public Services)

- Cabinet Committee C (European Union including Brexit)

- Cabinet Committee D (Infrastructure)

- Cabinet Committee E (Health), and

- Cabinet Committee F (National Security).

They will meet as appropriate according to their work schedules.

Departmental Staff Data

Questions (76)

Brendan Howlin

Question:

76. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach the number of political staff employed in his Department, including parliamentary assistants, secretarial assistants, special advisers, drivers and other relevant positions; the number of civil or public service staff seconded to work within his Department or constituency offices; the salaries and job titles of each such person; and the duty or role of each, in each of the years 2015 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [36965/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the tables.

Department of the Taoiseach Political Staff 2015-2016

Job Title	Salary Scale
Chief of Staff	Deputy Secretary
Programme Manager	Deputy Secretary
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach (2)	Principal Officer
Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach (5)	Assistant Principal Officer
Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach (1)	Higher Executive Officer
Personal Secretary to the Taoiseach	Executive Officer
Personal Secretary to the Chief of Staff	Executive Officer
Government Press Secretary	Assistant Secretary
Assistant Government Press Secretary	Principal Officer
Deputy Government Press Secretary	Principal Officer
Chief Strategist for the Independent Alliance	Principal Officer
Political Coordinator for the Independent Ministers in Government	Principal Officer
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip	Principal Officer
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip	Principal Officer
Driver (Government Chief Whip)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Government Chief Whip)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Leader of the Seanad)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Leader of the Seanad)	Civilian Driver

Department of the Taoiseach Political Staff as of 18.09.2017

Job Title	Salary Scale
Chief of Staff	Deputy Secretary
Spokesman and Communications Adviser to the Taoiseach	Assistant Secretary
Head of Policy and Programme Implementation	Assistant Secretary
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach	Assistant Secretary (equivalent)
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach (2)	Principal Officer
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach	Assistant Principal Officer
Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach (2)	Higher Executive Officer
Government Press Secretary	Assistant Secretary
Assistant Government Press Secretary	Principal Officer
Deputy Government Press Secretary	Principal Officer
Chief Strategist for the Independent Alliance	Principal Officer
Political Coordinator for the Independent Ministers in Government	Principal Officer
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip	Principal Officer
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip	Principal Officer
Driver (Government Chief Whip)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Government Chief Whip)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Leader of the Seanad)	Civilian Driver
Driver (Leader of the Seanad)	Civilian Driver

Secondees to the Department of the Taoiseach

Salary Scale	Dec-15	Dec-16	to date 2017
Clerical Officer	8	5	4
Executive Officer	1	1	1
Higher Executive Officer	6	7	5
Administrative Officer	5	0	1
Assistant Principal Officer	14	11	6
Principal Officer	4	4	2
Assistant Secretary General	0	0	2
Second Secretary General	1	0	0
Total	39	28	21

Departmental Staff Data

Questions (77, 79, 80)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

77. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the annual percentage of public service staff that were women under the remit of his Department in each of the years 2010 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [39025/17]

View answer

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

79. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the number of women and men, respectively, employed in his Department, in tabular form. [39027/17]

View answer

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

80. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the number of men and women, respectively, in his Department that hold posts (details supplied). [39028/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 77, 79 and 80 together.

The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the tables.

Public Service Staff Under Aegis of Department of the Taoiseach by Gender

Year	Staff	Female	Male	% Female
2010	21	13	8	61.9
2011	21	13	8	61.9
2012	22	14	8	63.6
2013	21	13	8	61.9
2014	19	12	7	63.1
2015	18	11	7	61.1
2016	18	10	8	55.5
to date 2017	20	12	8	60.0

Department of the Taoiseach Staff by Gender (to date 2017)

Post	Total	Female	Male
Secretary General	1		1
Second Secretary General	1		1
Deputy Secretary
Assistant Secretary	6	2	4
Principal Officer	11	6	5
Assistant Principal Officer	34	22	12

Department of the Taoiseach Staff by Gender (to date 2017)


Staff Total	Female	Male
216	131	85

Departmental Agencies Staff Data

Questions (78)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

78. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the annual percentage of non-commercial State-sponsored bodies staff under the remit of his Department that were women in each of the years 2010 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [39026/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) is the relevant body insofar as my Department is concerned.

Year	Total Staff	WTE	No. Women	% Women Staff Based on Total Staff	% Women Staff Based on WTE
2010	21	19.4	13	61.9	67.0
2011	21	19.2	13	61.9	67.7
2012	20	18.2	13	65.0	71.4
2013	19	17.2	12	63.7	69.8
2014	18	16.6	11	61.1	66.2
2015	17	15.7	10	58.8	63.7
2016	17	15.7	10	58.8	63.7
2017	17	15.3	11	64.7	71.9

Questions Nos. 79 and 80 answered with Question No. 77.

Departmental Banking

Questions (81)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

81. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach the cost his Department incurred in each of the past five years due to debit and credit card payment services and banking fees; and the financial institutions to which the payments were made. [39029/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The costs incurred by my Department from 1st January 2012 to the end of August 2017 in relation to charges related to debit and credit card payment services and banking fees are set out below. The majority of the below amounts relates to Government Stamp Duty levy on cards in operation in my Department.

	Bank of Ireland	Ulster Bank Ireland Ltd.
2012	€300
2013	€210
2014	€245
2015	€210	€240
2016		€60
2017		€175

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 113 and 114 together.

I undertook my first official visit to Belfast as Taoiseach on 4 and 5 August last.

I had a number of engagements during my visit, including giving a keynote address in Queens University on the "Future of Relationships North and South". I also hosted a lunch with leading business leaders from Northern Ireland during the visit.

My visit provided a useful opportunity for me to meet with leaders of most of the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss the ongoing political situation there. We discussed the need for all parties to continue to make every effort to get the institutions of the Agreement up and running again as soon as possible and how we can work together to address the challenges facing Northern Ireland.

I also attended the Official Pride Breakfast in Belfast before concluding my visit.

I spoke by phone with Prime Minister May most recently on June 27 when we discussed the ongoing talks process in Northern Ireland and our strong commitment to supporting the peace process as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. We agreed to continue to work together to support the parties in reaching agreement to allow the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive and the need to have all of the institutions under the Agreement up and running to ensure ongoing protection of the peace process. I re-iterated the Irish Government's support for an Irish Language Act, as provided for in the St Andrews Agreement, and the need for balance and respect between the parties. I am due to meet with Prime Minister May again in London next Monday, when I expect we will again talk about the situation in Northern Ireland and, of course, Brexit.

I met with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond during his recent visit to Dublin on 31 August. We spoke about the serious issues arising as the UK negotiates its departure from the European Union. I underlined to the Chancellor the importance of making sufficient progress on the phase one issues currently under discussion, namely citizens’ rights, financial matters, and of course, the unique Irish issues. I made clear the Government’s objective that there should be no new impediments to the all-island economy which has been able to develop over the last two decades and which is a gain of the peace process that benefits communities across the island.

Trade Missions

Questions (83)

Micheál Martin

Question:

83. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent trade mission to Canada; if he will further report on his meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau; and the issues that were discussed. [39031/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I travelled to Canada between 19-23 August.

My visit commenced in Montréal with an official welcoming ceremony and a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister. During our meeting we discussed the provisional implementation of CETA which commences tomorrow, September 21. We discussed the latest developments on Brexit and Ireland's priorities in the negotiations. Prime Minister Trudeau updated me on the latest state of play with regards to the NAFTA negotiations. In the context of a wider conversation on healthcare, I updated the Prime Minister on plans to hold a constitutional referendum on the Eighth Amendment. We also discussed Climate Change and reaffirmed both our countries' commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Following our meeting, Prime Minister Trudeau and I walked together in the Fierté Montréal Pride Parade. I also met with leaders and representatives of the Irish community in Montréal and wider Quebec region, before travelling to Toronto.

In Toronto I had a number of business engagements including a business breakfast event attended by 150 contacts of the joint hosts, Enterprise Ireland, the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Ireland Funds. I attended a Tourism Ireland event with representatives of the travel industry and airlines, and a number of individual meetings with IDA and EI client companies. I also had the opportunity to meet with political and community leaders and members of the Irish diaspora, including representatives of the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre, at an Irish Community Reception.

Also in Toronto, I attended a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Dr. George Robert Grasett Park, which will be a memorial to the medical staff who gave their lives to aid Irish famine victims.

During my visit I also travelled to the US-Canada border where I was briefed on Customs arrangements there. While they employ a range of mechanisms to ensure smooth and efficient customs processing it was clear to me that it was not a satisfactory model for border arrangements on this island after Brexit.

Finally, I also had a number of international media engagements.

Overall, my visit to Canada was extremely positive and an excellent opportunity to further develop the strong links between our two countries.

Abortion Legislation

Questions (84)

Micheál Martin

Question:

84. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his trip to County Donegal; and if a member of the Government Information Service, GIS, or the strategic communications unit travelled with him.. [39032/17]

View answer

Written answers

Taoiseach

I was briefed on the extent of the flood damage on arrival in Carndonagh. I then visited damaged areas and talked to those directly affected. I also spoke to local and national media on actions being taken by Government. I then visited flood damaged areas in Buncrana and received further briefing on the remedial action being undertaken to address the situation.

As is normal practice a press officer accompanied me on the visit.

Strategic Communications Unit

View answer

Michael McGrath

Question:

101. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach further to the establishment of the new strategic communications unit, the number of staff hired to date in 2017; the number of staff he plans to hire in the future; the salaries of the staff hired to date in 2017; if persons in the unit have been transferred from elsewhere in the Civil Service or recruited externally; the cost to date in 2017 of establishing the unit; and the function of the unit. [39062/17]

View answer

Niall Collins

Question:

103. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach if the public servants working in the strategic communications unit have been or are being replaced in their substantive original posts; the amount this will cost; the number working in the unit; the number envisaged to be employed in the unit in totality; and the costs of same. [39064/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 87 to 94, inclusive, 96, 97, 101 and 103 together.

Communications is an essential part of effectiveness of any modern organisation. That is particularly true of Government Departments and public service bodies in all countries, given the impact of their activities on the lives of citizens. That is why communications should be treated as a strategic, whole of government activity which should be conducted to the same level of professionalism as any other activity, such as human resource management or financial management.

Ireland should aspire to meet best international practice, and we are seeking to draw on the experience of other countries in this regard.

The new Strategic Communications Unit aims to help achieve that, over time.

It will be integrated within the Civil Service structures in my Department, with the Director of the unit reporting to the Secretary General of the Department. A high-level working group, chaired by the Secretary General, will be established to ensure successful oversight and delivery of the workplan of the unit.

Further cross-Departmental oversight will be provided by the Civil Service Management Board.

The operating principles for the unit will ensure that it does not engage in any party political work.

The unit will convene briefings and consultations across Government, including with Ministers, and with wider stakeholders, as appropriate. A network of communications professionals from across Government will be developed to share best practice and develop continuing professional development for the communication function.

The unit has commenced work but further organisational change will be required before it is fully operational.

The current staff of the unit is made up of six serving public and civil servants, assigned on secondment or through reallocation of internal resources within the Department of the Taoiseach. It is headed by a Director, on secondment from a state agency, at Assistant Secretary level. The other five staff have been reassigned from within the Department. Further staff will be recruited, including through the assignment of three media and communications assistants who were already in the process of recruitment to fill existing vacancies through an open competition run by the Public Appointments Service.

The former GIS function will be integrated within the new structure, while the Government Press Office will continue to operate as before in dealing with day-to-day media queries, under the direction of the Government Press Secretary.

It is likely that further vacancies will be filled through advertisement for staff on secondment from within the Public Service. As with all other positions, the possibility of open recruitment will be considered if that is considered to be the best method to obtain staff with the required skills. These staffing decisions will be made by the Department’s senior management.

Every effort will be made to avoid duplication with existing functions, both within the Department of the Taoiseach and across the public service. Indeed, one of the principal purposes of this initiative is to reduce duplication and increase whole of government co-ordination.

As well as increasing the effectiveness and quality of communications, this will also lead to greater value for money and reduced expenditure.

As an initial step in establishing the modernisation of communications, my Department conducted some research on existing communications activities, including the range of campaigns, brands and channels of communication used by different agencies, and which have built up over many years, under successive governments. The results of that research will be used by civil service management to help frame the work plan for the new unit.

Of course, most of the existing communication activities are an essential part of the work of state agencies, in areas such as transport, tourism, trade and investment promotion, food, energy and health.

Nevertheless, there are significant opportunities for building the effectiveness of that existing capacity, as well as for rationalisation.

This will ensure that the new approach to strategic communications will be cost-neutral. In fact, it is likely to give rise to a significant increase in value for money and a reduction in overall expenditure, over time.

Departmental Staff Data

Questions (86)

Micheál Martin

Question:

86. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the number of persons employed as policy, special and communications advisers that are not civil servants. [39035/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

One of my advisers is a public servant on secondment to my Department from Trinity College Dublin. All other advisers are (unestablished) civil servants.

Questions Nos. 87 to 94, inclusive, answered with Question No. 85.

Departmental Communications

Questions (95)

Micheál Martin

Question:

95. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the person responsible for his weekly messages on social media; and if these are arranged by party staff rather than those employed in his Department. [39044/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Taoiseach's weekly messages on social media are generally recorded by a member of his political or press staff.

Questions Nos. 96 and 97 answered with Question No. 85.

Community Development Projects

Questions (98)

John Lahart

Question:

98. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach the estimated cost of the works to be undertaken as part of the Dublin north inner city project. [39047/17]

View answer

Written answers

The Taoiseach

Government has committed to implementing the recommendations of Kieran Mulvey's Independent Report on the North East Inner City in full.

As recommended in the report, a number of structures have been put in place to drive forward progress on the actions. These include the Programme Implementation Board comprising statutory, community and business sector led by an Independent chairperson, Michael Stone.

Since its first meeting in June the Board has moved quickly to establish four dedicated sub-groups to focus on the priority areas of crime and drugs; educational, training and employment opportunities; services for families and young people; and physical improvements. The Board is being supported in its work by a Local Programme Office which has been established by Dublin City Council in Sean McDermott Street.

The purpose of each sub-group is to advance the specific actions set out in the Mulvey Report and report monthly to the Programme Implementation Board on progress. This will include developing more detailed measures, where required, to address these actions and recommending/identifying steps to address barriers or issues arising. While this work is ongoing, the Board has agreed a number of proposals across the four priority headings for implementation in 2017 at a cost of €2.5 million. This is in addition to the range of local measures already implemented in 2016 worth about €5 million.