Written Answers Nos. 93-97
93. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his key priorities in relation to the forthcoming capital review; the projects submitted for priority inclusion in the review; the status of negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2294/18]
View answerMy Department is in ongoing engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in regard to the National Development Plan. Following the review of the existing Capital Plan, which was carried out during 2017, I was pleased to announce as part of Budget 2018 that an additional €157 million had been allocated for capital expenditure in the Justice Sector in the period 2018 to 2021. This will give rise to a total capital investment of circa €820 million in the Justice area over the next four years in relation to the Garda, Courts, Prisons and other key strategic areas such as Forensic Science Ireland. This funding will enable the completion of projects such as the new Forensic Science Laboratory, the development by the OPW of a new building to replace the current Garda DMR Headquarters in Harcourt Square and significant levels of investment in Garda ICT, Garda transport fleet and continued Garda station refurbishment. It is expected that the National Development Plan will reflect the requirement for continuing capital investment in the Justice Sector in period after 2021 given that an efficient and effective criminal justice system is vital to the realisation of the strategic outcomes of the Ireland 2040 Plan.
94. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if there have been bullying or sexual harassment claims lodged within his Department in each year since 2011; if so, the number of either complaints on an annual basis, in tabular form; if these complaints have been investigated; the outcome of each investigation; and the policies in place within his department to combat bullying and sexual harassment. [2320/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has an anti-bullying policy in place entitled Dignity at Work, an Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment Policy for the Irish Civil Service to combat bullying and sexual harassment.
The total number of claims lodged are as follows:
|
Year |
Number of claims |
Number of claims investigated |
Outcome of investigation |
|
2011 |
2 |
2 |
Both claims not upheld |
|
2012 |
2 |
2 |
One claim upheld, one not upheld |
|
2013 |
Nil |
|
|
|
2014 |
Nil |
|
|
|
2015 |
1 |
1 |
Claim upheld |
|
2016 |
Nil |
|
|
|
2017 |
1 |
1 |
Claim upheld |
95. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her key priorities in relation to the forthcoming capital review; the projects submitted for priority inclusion in the review; the status of negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2283/18]
View answer“Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021” was published in September 2015 by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on behalf of Government at that time.
This capital plan set out that an indicative amount of €3.01 billion in capital investments would be made through the Department’s Vote primarily through the enterprise agencies covering the period 2016 – 2021 inclusive.
The funding supports the jobs, enterprise development and innovation agendas and is, in the main, in the form of multi-annual capital grant supports to agency client companies and research and development investments made through Ireland’s higher education institutions.
A large portion of the enterprise agency grant supports are multi-annual in nature and typically span a three to seven year period across many thousands of client companies and associated projects. In additional a significant portion of the funding provided is through competitive calls on an annual or bi-annual basis.
The mid-term capital review process was completed in Spring of 2017. My Department highlighted four main priority areas in our submission to the review;
- Delivering on the Government’s Regionalisation Agenda;
- Transformational supports for indigenous enterprise to respond to Brexit challenges;
- Immediate ramping up of R&D investment in support of Government’s science strategy “Innovation 2020”;
- “Access to Finance” contingency funding packages over 2 years needed to support firms most at threat in the face of Brexit.
The four priority areas are primarily underpinned by the capital programmes of the enterprise agencies spanning across Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Inter-Trade Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. Other strategically important funding of relevance to the mid-term capital review included the Brexit Loan Scheme, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, Ireland’s membership of various international research organisations, a successor to Cycle 5 of the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions, the Interreg programme, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and funding to the Tyndall National Institute. Some of these funded areas also involve significant private industry investment to grant awards as well as the utilisation of enterprise agency own resource income as part of enterprise development.
The mid-term capital review is now feeding in to the Government’s proposed "National Development Plan" (NDP) which is to cover the period 2018 to 2027. The NDP is an ongoing process being co-ordinated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The NDP will underpin the strategic outcomes which are to be set out in the forthcoming “National Planning Framework - Ireland 2040" (NPF), which is being overseen by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
Over recent months my Department has been actively engaged in discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the NDP to highlight the centrality of enterprise and innovation supports to Ireland’s future economic development and to ensure sustainable employment growth.
My Department has emphasised the need to ensure sufficient multi-annual capital allocations are in place to support future economic development and job creation, particularly in a regional context and in light of the significant challenges posed by BREXIT and the evolving global foreign direct investment landscape.
Discussions are ongoing and it is anticipated that the NPF and NDP will be completed in the weeks ahead during the first quarter of 2018.
96. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if there have been bullying or sexual harassment claims lodged within her Department in each year since 2011; if so, the number of either complaints on an annual basis, in tabular form; if these complaints have been investigated; the outcome of each investigation; and the policies in place within her department to combat bullying and sexual harassment. [2309/18]
View answerDuring the period in question, one complaint was lodged in 2017 under Dignity at Work – the Civil Service anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy. The complaint is the subject of an ongoing process and therefore it is not possible to state the outcome. Notwithstanding this, given the low number of complaints lodged during the period it would not be appropriate to disclose any outcome for risk of identifying the parties involved.
Dignity at Work is the Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment policy for the Irish Civil Service, was launched in 2015 and replaces Positive Working Environment which had been in place since September 2005. The policy has been circulated to all staff in my Department and has also been disseminated through the Department’s Intranet as well as by a recent article in the Department’s staff magazine. It aims to promote respect, dignity, safety and equality in the workplace.
The policy provides information on the steps which individuals may take if they believe that they have been bullied, harassed, or sexually harassed. It outlines the recommended procedures which should be followed by all parties to complaints regarding bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment.
My Department is committed to upholding the key aims of the policy and to providing a work environment free from any form of bullying, harassment or sexual harassment. All staff are expected to treat colleagues with respect and dignity at all times. Behaviour linked to bullying, harassment or sexual harassment is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any complaints or issues raised in this area are treated seriously, fairly and in strict confidence. Informal resolution and the use of mediation are strongly encouraged and explored before proceeding to formal investigation.
97. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Health the status of the measures being taken by the HSE to address the issues at a service (details supplied) in particular the unit in a location identified by recent HIQA reports to ensure that all service users have appropriate care and protection and that all families are informed and satisfied with the changes proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2138/18]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to service issues, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
