Written Answers Nos. 99-123
99. Deputy John Curran asked the Taoiseach if the bodies and agencies under the remit of his Department plan to make services or payments dependent on the mandatory use and production of the public services card; and if so, the services and payments which will now be dependent on the mandatory use of the public services card. [39059/17]
View answerNeither my Department nor the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), have any plans to make services or payments dependent on the use and production of the public services card.
100. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Taoiseach the expenditure savings that are earmarked for his Department for 2018 that are not accounted for in the mid-year expenditure report or are not included in the fiscal space calculations for 2018. [39060/17]
View answerMy Department is currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on its 2018 Estimate provision. Any expenditure savings will be identified as part of that process and announced by the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform at Budget-time.
102. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach the likely publication date of Irish Life Tables 17 by the Central Statistics Office. [39063/17]
View answerThe Central Statistics Office intends to publish Irish Life Tables No. 17 (2015-2017) in 2019, three years after the 2016 census. The corresponding Irish Life Tables No. 16 (2010-2012) were published in 2015, four years after the 2011 census. Irish Life Tables are calculated based on population data from the census, and three years mortality data centred on the census year. Thus, Irish Life Tables No. 17 will be based on population data from the 2016 census, and mortality data from the years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
104. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the re-organisation of his Department and its role in the State's response to Brexit. [39065/17]
View answerThe Department of the Taoiseach has an amalgamated International, EU and Northern Ireland Division headed by a Second Secretary General, who also acts as the Irish Sherpa for EU business, including Brexit issues.
The work of this Division includes supporting the Cabinet Committee which deals with EU Affairs and Brexit. In particular, this Cabinet Committee will assist the Government in its ongoing consideration of Brexit issues including input to the negotiation process, both on the issues that are of unique or particular concern to Ireland, and more generally. The Division also supports me in my EU and International role, including as a Member of the European Council.
Staff in other divisions also contribute to the work on Brexit. For example the Economic Policy Division advises me on economic policy aimed at supporting sustainable economic growth, with a particular focus on jobs and competitiveness including possible economic impacts of Brexit.
105. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach the number of vacancies in his Department for Brexit-related roles; and the expected date for these roles to be filled. [39074/17]
View answer106. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the Brexit unit; the cost to date; and the anticipated cost. [39079/17]
View answer107. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach the number of staff deployed full-time in his Department in respect of Brexit; and if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit. [39080/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 105 to 107, inclusive, together.
My Department is keen to ensure that Brexit is treated as a cross-cutting issue and one of the new Cabinet Committees which I have established will deal specifically with EU issues and the Brexit negotiations.
Within my Department, the International, EU and Northern Ireland Division handles issues relating to the European Union and British-Irish and Northern Ireland Affairs, including providing support to the new Cabinet Committee.
I have, separately, appointed Simon Coveney as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, with special responsibility for Brexit.
This International, EU and Northern Ireland Division in my Department is headed by a Second Secretary General. The staff resources vary from time to time but currently amount to approximately 25 full-time equivalent posts across the full range of policy areas.
The Economic Division of my Department leads in respect of the domestic policy impacts of Brexit, in the context of overall economic policy coordination.
There is no dedicated budget for Brexit in my Department. Any such expenditure incurred by my Department is covered by the Department's overall administrative budget.
108. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach the level of construction inflation that has been experienced by his Department in the 18 months to September 2017 in respect of construction projects; the way in which he monitors construction inflation; and the mechanisms his Department employs to establish this. [39081/17]
View answerAll building and maintenance projects relating to the property occupied by my Department are managed by the Office of Public Works. My Department has not been involved in any construction projects during the period mentioned.
109. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach the number of times the Brexit committee within his Department has met since 14 June 2017; and the dates of those meetings. [39082/17]
View answerThe Government decided on 5 July 2017 to establish Cabinet Committee C, to cover issues relating to the European Union, including Brexit.
Cabinet Committee C has met once, on Monday 11 September.
110. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach the annual Exchequer funding provided to the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of the past ten years and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [38446/17]
View answerI am informed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that the following tables outline the details requested by the Deputy.
|
YEAR |
GROSS ESTIMATE €000 |
APPROPRIATIONS-IN-AID €000 |
NET ESTIMATE €000 |
|
2017 |
41,588 |
912 |
40,676 |
|
YEAR |
GROSS EXPENDITURE €000 |
APPROPRIATIONS-IN-AID €000 |
NET EXPENDITURE €000 |
|
2007 |
34,468 |
135 |
34,333 |
|
2008 |
44,362 |
117 |
44,245 |
|
2009 |
45,687 |
901 |
44,786 |
|
2010 |
42,384 |
1031 |
41,353 |
|
2011 |
37,820 |
1043 |
36,777 |
|
2012 |
39,890 |
1043 |
38,847 |
|
2013 |
37,145 |
996 |
36,149 |
|
2014 |
37,675 |
973 |
36,702 |
|
2015 |
38,622 |
953 |
37,669 |
|
2016 |
39,451 |
825 |
38,626 |
111. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the cost of the Commission of Investigation into Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. [38527/17]
View answer116. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the status of the IBRC inquiry. [39097/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 116 together.
The IBRC Commission was established on 16 June 2015 under the Commission of Investigation (Irish Bank Resolution Corporation) Order 2015. Mr. Justice Brian Cregan, a judge of the High Court, is the Commission's sole member. The timeframe for the final report on the first module of its work, in relation to the Siteserv transaction, is the end of December 2017.
The Commission spent €2,389,983 million up to 7 September 2017. The Commission also indicated in its Interim Report dated 15 April 2016 that significant third party costs had been incurred which are likely to arise for payment in due course.
The Dail was informed in July 2016, when the Commission's terms of reference were revised, that the Commission had provided a provisional estimated final cost of in excess of €10 million.
112. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if the fact that the Government would not be bringing forward proposals on a border on the island of Ireland was mentioned when he met Prime Minister May in June 2017 or when he spoke to her in subsequent phone calls. [39091/17]
View answerAs I have already reported to the House, in my June meeting with Prime Minister May, we reaffirmed our two Governments’ commitment to maintaining the Common Travel Area and associated reciprocal rights, to protecting the Peace Process and, in particular, to keeping the border invisible.
But we also recognise that this will be extremely challenging and, in the words of the EU negotiation guidelines, will require “flexible and imaginative” solutions. This Government will certainly play its part in working constructively with all our partners – in Northern Ireland, in Britain and across the EU – to find solutions that are in the best interests of everyone on these islands.
In August, the UK Government published position papers on Future Customs Arrangements and Northern Ireland and Ireland as part of the Brexit negotiation process. The Government has welcomed these publications as providing some clarity from the British Government on its approach to the negotiations, and as reflecting the emphasis on the priority areas identified by the Government, including the Common Travel Area, the Good Friday Agreement, North/South cooperation and avoiding a hard border.
The Government has also underlined that protecting the Peace Process is crucial and must not become a bargaining chip in the negotiations and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has made clear that far greater clarity will be required from the UK on the critical issue of avoiding any return to a hard border while respecting the integrity of the Single Market and the Customs Union.
As stated in the European Commission Task Force's paper on Guiding Principles for Ireland / Northern Ireland the onus to propose solutions which overcome the challenges created on the island of Ireland by the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and its decision to leave the customs union and the internal market remains on the United Kingdom.
115. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he commenced formal meetings with the church leaders under the structured dialogue process. [39095/17]
View answerOn 31 August last, I held a formal meeting under the structured dialogue process with representatives of the Catholic Church, led by Archbishop Eamon Martin. I was accompanied at the meeting by the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and by the Ministers for Education and Skills, Health, Transport, Tourism and Sport and Employment Affairs and Social Protection. A wide ranging discussion took place on a range of important national and international issues.
This was the first in a series of meetings that I will be holding with dialogue partners.
117. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he has made changes to sections of his Department since assuming office. [39098/17]
View answerSince assuming the office of Taoiseach, I have appointed four Ministers of State to portfolios in my Department:
Joe McHugh, TD, is Government Chief Whip;
Helen McEntee, TD, has responsibility for European Affairs;
Paul Kehoe, TD, has responsibility for Defence; and
Pat Breen, TD, has responsibility for Data Protection.
In addition, I have made changes to the Cabinet Committee structure which supports the work of Government. The Cabinet Committees I will chair are as follows:
- 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).
I have also established a Strategic Communications Unit in my Department. The purpose of the Unit is twofold:
- to create a coherent, citizen-oriented, cross-government strategic communications capability to inform the public of their entitlements, of what Government is doing, and of how their money is being spent; and
- to deliver effective vertical and horizontal flows of information, analysis and assessment to enhance the capacity of all Government assets to operate collectively, coherently, strategically and with focus.
All staff from the Government Information Service have been reassigned to this Unit. Appropriate resources will be allocated to successfully operate the Unit which will be cost neutral to the exchequer; with staff and funds to be allocated from within existing resources.
119. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his telephone conversation with President el-Sisi of Egypt in August 2017. [39105/17]
View answerI 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.
120. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach further to his announcement in Toronto regarding doubling Ireland's global footprint by 2025, the way in which this will be achieved; and if finances will be made available for same. [39106/17]
View answerWhile in Canada recently I announced a plan to double Ireland’s global footprint by 2025.
It is clear that there is a new self-confidence in Ireland, as an island at the centre of the world and that national self-confidence requires that we always be ambitious, visible and active in promoting the interests of our nation on the international stage.
I expect that this initiative will involve new and augmented diplomatic missions, as well as an increased presence of our investment, tourism, cultural and food agencies overseas.
I have asked relevant Ministers, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, to contribute to development of a plan to achieve this. This will include consideration of the resource implications, including identifying where efficiencies can be achieved through innovative approaches and potential savings elsewhere.
Expanding our global presence will help to drive efforts to diversify and grow trade, including in the context of Brexit; enhance our ability to attract investment to Ireland; as well as help us to strengthen links with our diaspora; and to advance our values, interests, reputation and impact internationally.
121. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the reason the Quarter 2 2017 figures for the Quarterly National Household Survey have been rescheduled. [38309/17]
View answerThe CSO's Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is currently the official source of estimates of Labour Market statistics in the State.
The rescheduling of the publication of the Q2 2017 QNHS results from August 22nd to September 22nd 2017 arose due to the phased implementation of a major redevelopment of the CSO's household surveys. The primary aim of the Household Survey Development (HSD) project is to expand the range of social statistics to meet new needs for information on households and persons. The implementation of the HSD will see the compilation of Labour Market statistics from a new Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Q3 2017. This survey will replace the existing QNHS and will see the introduction of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), a redesigned questionnaire and enhancements to the survey methodology.
In order to produce comparable Labour Market estimates it was necessary to conduct a full parallel run of the new LFS and the existing QNHS during the first two quarters of 2017 and this dual processing led to the delay in publishing data for the QNHS for Q2 2017. It is envisaged that the Q3 2017 estimates will be published by the end of January 2018 with Q4 2017 results following in February 2018. This will see the CSO's Labour Market estimates returning to existing timeliness targets.
122. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Taoiseach the expenditure in 2016 and in 2017 on the Moriarty tribunal; and if he will report on the areas of expenditure and the amount, for example of legal fees and so on. [37521/17]
View answerExpenditure in 2016 was €1,085,971 and up to end August in 2017 was €5,939,462.
The breakdown is as follows:
|
Category |
2016 |
2017 to end August 2017 |
|
Legal Team |
€379,285 |
€272,495 |
|
Administration |
€201,205 |
€162,607 |
|
Reimbursements to State Claims Agency iro third party claims |
€181,057 |
€5,493,524 |
|
Other costs |
€324,424 |
€10,836 |
123. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the average enterprise start-up rate in each EU country as measured by new companies started as a percentage of total companies in a given year; and if he will provide the EU 28 average rate in tabular form. [38300/17]
View answerEuropean Business Demography statistics measure the population of active enterprises in each Member State and include figures on the number of enterprise births (startups). An enterprise birth is deemed to occur the first year it shows activity (i.e. it generates turnover, employs staff or makes investments). The birth year may or may not be the same as the year of registration. The latest breakdown of the number of enterprise births available from Eurostat is for the year 2015. The figures relate to enterprises in the private business economy, i.e private sector businesses in the Industry, Construction, and Services sectors (NACE Rev 2 codes B to N, excluding code 64.20 “Activities of Holding Companies”) as classified by the CSO.
The following table contains the enterprise birth figures and birth rate by country for the years 2014 and 2015
Table 1 - Number of Enterprise Births and Birth rate in the Private Business Economy by EU country, 2014 and 2015
|
2014 |
2015 |
|||||
|
No. of Enterprises |
No. of Births |
% Birth Rate |
No. of Enterprises |
No. of Births |
% Birth Rate |
|
|
EU (28 countries) |
26,307,386 |
2,586,423 |
9.83 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Belgium |
634,384 |
39,070 |
6.16 |
642,130 |
41,102 |
6.40 |
|
Bulgaria |
332,800 |
39,333 |
11.82 |
339,175 |
40,358 |
11.90 |
|
Czech Rep. |
1,022,045 |
93,360 |
9.13 |
1,026,355 |
85,645 |
8.34 |
|
Denmark |
217,960 |
24,283 |
11.14 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Germany |
2,818,836 |
202,984 |
7.20 |
2,795,899 |
198,135 |
7.09 |
|
Estonia |
80,473 |
8,631 |
10.73 |
82,769 |
8,512 |
10.28 |
|
Ireland |
238,249 |
16,257 |
6.82 |
248,843 |
18,100 |
7.27 |
|
Greece |
: |
: |
: |
: |
: |
: |
|
Spain |
2,943,908 |
287,611 |
9.77 |
2,970,947 |
274,172 |
9.23 |
|
France |
3,414,614 |
339,075 |
9.93 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Croatia |
146,766 |
11,411 |
7.77 |
146,129 |
12,185 |
8.34 |
|
Italy |
3,846,659 |
274,489 |
7.14 |
3,819,956 |
279,132 |
7.31 |
|
Cyprus |
49,121 |
3,375 |
6.87 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Latvia |
100,979 |
15,194 |
15.05 |
110,310 |
19,003 |
17.23 |
|
Lithuania |
177,752 |
43,543 |
24.50 |
185,954 |
34,490 |
18.55 |
|
Luxembourg |
31,246 |
3,134 |
10.03 |
31,906 |
2,989 |
9.37 |
|
Hungary |
522,058 |
52,101 |
9.98 |
531,121 |
56,799 |
10.69 |
|
Malta |
31,841 |
3,599 |
11.30 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Netherlands |
1,075,534 |
108,786 |
10.11 |
1,112,691 |
107,946 |
9.70 |
|
Austria |
419,779 |
29,480 |
7.02 |
413,929 |
28,311 |
6.84 |
|
Poland |
2,025,270 |
253,061 |
12.50 |
2,059,967 |
249,815 |
12.13 |
|
Portugal |
793,457 |
117,168 |
14.77 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Romania |
696,142 |
70,912 |
10.19 |
695,108 |
79,496 |
11.44 |
|
Slovenia |
137,438 |
15,158 |
11.03 |
141,118 |
15,154 |
10.74 |
|
Slovakia |
438,067 |
86,672 |
19.79 |
446,471 |
53,899 |
12.07 |
|
Finland |
293,808 |
23,002 |
7.83 |
: |
: |
: |
|
Sweden |
727,258 |
52,606 |
7.23 |
740,182 |
53,185 |
7.19 |
|
UK |
2,218,955 |
316,540 |
14.27 |
: |
: |
: |
: Indicates that the data is not available.
