Written Answers Nos. 149-168
149. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the issue of pension provision for community employee supervisors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2389/19]
View answerI would refer the Deputy to my response to PQ 49206/18 of 27 November 2018.
150. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 160 of 25 September 2018, the reason a person (details supplied) has not received the third stage of the part unwinding of the public service pension reduction, PSPR, as part of pension restoration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2394/19]
View answerI have been informed by the National Shared Services Office that the third instalment due to the person in question in respect of the part-unwinding of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015, was to have been paid on 1 January, 2018.
However, due to an administrative error this payment was delayed. The person in question has been contacted by the NSSO and has been advised that the third instalment will be paid to him (including any arrears due) on 24 January 2019. The National Shared Services Office has apologised to the person in question for this delay and any upset it may have caused.
151. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works will be requested to cut back ivy at a location (details supplied) in Dublin 7; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2439/19]
View answerThe Commissioners of Public Works confirm that the ivy was pruned in December 2018 as part of the winter works programme for Grangegorman Military Cemetery and that the gardening team monitor the ivy growth there on an ongoing basis.
152. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position with regard to the established need of An Garda Síochána for additional space at Tubbercurry Garda station, County Sligo (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2467/19]
View answerOfficials of the Office of Public Works (OPW) have been in regular contact with the Receiver of this property. The representative of the Receiver has advised that the property in question is currently not for sale.
Both the Receiver and Estate Agent involved know of OPW's interest in the property and have advised that they will contact the OPW if and when the property is placed on the market.
153. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if funding for equipment (details supplied) has been approved by the chief operations officer of the digital Government oversight unit; and when this equipment will be available for use. [2476/19]
View answerThe Digital Government Oversight Unit (DGOU), in the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, considers requests for approval of ICT-related expenditure by hospitals following an assessment of proposals by the HSE and the Department of Health. The Unit has not recently received a request for approval of expenditure on ViewPoint foetal assessment equipment and has no outstanding requests in this area.
A request for approval of ViewPoint software-related expenditure for hospitals in County Louth was agreed at a meeting of the HSE, the Department of Health and DGOU in early December. It was indicated at the meeting that it would not be necessary to purchase additional ICT storage or server capacity to support the operation of ViewPoint in those hospitals.
The timing for deploying and bringing equipment into use is a matter for the HSE in consultation with the relevant hospitals.
154. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the funding made available to capital development projects supported by PEACE programmes since the inception of the PEACE programme in 1995, in tabular form; and the location of these capital projects. [2532/19]
View answerThe PEACE and INTERREG Programmes are managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement.
The current PEACE Programme, PEACE IV (2014-2020), has allocated €53.7 million capital funding to date under its Shared Spaces theme. The funding relates to larger individual capital build projects under Action 3.1 and smaller capital builds under Action 3.2, which is incorporated into each local authority's PEACE Local Action Plan.
The PEACE III Programme (2007-2013) allocated €104.7 million under Theme 2.1 Creating Shared Public Spaces.
The PEACE II Programme (2000-2006) did not have a specific capital build programme theme and there is no breakdown available for capital funding provided under the PEACE I Programme (1995-1999).
The breakdown for PEACE IV Action 3.1, PEACE IV Action 3.2 and PEACE III Theme 2.1 are as follows:
|
PEACE IV Action 3.1 Shared Spaces |
||
|
Project Title |
County |
Total Project Value |
|
Waterside Shared Village |
Derry |
€ 8,057,292.72 |
|
Ballycastle Shared Services Project |
Antrim |
€ 3,140,539.48 |
|
Connecting Pomeroy Project |
Tyrone |
€ 5,984,923.32 |
|
Newforge Community Development Trust Project |
Antrim |
€ 5,792,108.38 |
|
Monaghan Peace Campus |
Monaghan |
€ 9,541,081.47 |
|
Total PEACE IV Action 3.1 |
€ 32,515,945.37 |
|
PEACE IV Action 3.2 Local Authority Peace Action Plans Shared Spaces |
Total Infrastructure and Works |
|
Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council |
€ 2,641,880.02 |
|
Ards & North Down Borough Council |
€ 1,212,046.44 |
|
Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council |
€ 1,810,705.28 |
|
Belfast City Council |
€ 6,006,805.47 |
|
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council |
€ 1,054,268.34 |
|
Cavan County Council |
€ 760,026.00 |
|
Derry City & Strabane District Council |
€ 753,206.98 |
|
Donegal County Council |
€ 1,689,906.00 |
|
Fermanagh & Omagh District Council |
€ 778,800.00 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
€ 434,305.00 |
|
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council |
€ 503,459.98 |
|
Louth County Council |
€ 689,000.00 |
|
Mid & East Antrim Borough Council |
*No capital build element. This part of the Action Plan focuses on the shared services aspect of the Shared Spaces and Services theme. |
|
Mid Ulster District Council |
€ 849,600.00 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
€ 988,212.00 |
|
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council |
€ 790,216.50 |
|
Sligo County Council |
€ 268,598.00 |
|
Total PEACE IV Action 3.2 |
€ 21,231,036.01 |
|
PEACE IV Theme 2.1 Creating Shared Public Spaces |
|||
|
Project Title |
Organisation |
Value Awarded |
County |
|
Skatepark |
Belfast City Council |
€ 462,792.00 |
Antrim |
|
The Skainos Project |
Skainos Ltd |
€ 7,350,997.20 |
Antrim |
|
Castlesanderson - All Ireland Scouting/Jamboree Centre |
Cavan County Council |
€ 3,675,345.00 |
Cavan |
|
OASIS - Omagh Accessible Shared Inclusive Space |
Omagh District Council |
€ 4,900,080.00 |
Tyrone |
|
River Foyle Foot and Cycle Bridge |
Ilex URC Ltd |
€ 16,688,412.00 |
Derry |
|
Restoration of the SS Nomadic |
Department for Social Development |
€ 2,789,736.00 |
Antrim |
|
Clones Erne East Sports Partnership Project |
Monaghan County Council |
€ 8,506,687.00 |
Monaghan |
|
Pettigo / Tullyhommon - The Termon Project |
Donegal County Council |
€ 8,123,841.00 |
Donegal |
|
The Glen Community Complex (Bacon Factory) Redevelopment |
Apex Housing Association |
€ 4,379,049.60 |
Antrim |
|
Small Wonders Childcare II |
Shankill Womens Centre |
€ 840,888.00 |
Antrim |
|
Sharing Our Space |
Groundwork Northern Ireland |
€ 2,930,199.60 |
Antrim |
|
Orange Interpretive and Educational Resource |
Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland |
€ 4,142,152.76 |
Antrim |
|
Shared Process and Community Engagment (SPACE) |
Craigavon Borough Council |
€ 6,314,511.60 |
Armagh |
|
Heroes of the Great Siege Shared History & Visitor Centre |
Derry City Council |
€ 2,935,938.00 |
Derry |
|
City Centre Garden of Reflection |
Inner City Trust |
€ 2,555,973.60 |
Derry |
|
The Girdwood Community Hub |
Belfast City Council |
€ 10,556,698.80 |
Antrim |
|
Peace & Reconciliation through - Education, Activity, Regional and Local Sharing - The EARLS |
Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council |
€ 8,486,296.80 |
Tyrone |
|
Voices from the Valley Park |
Newtownabbey Borough Council |
€ 5,127,290.40 |
Antrim |
|
Girdwood Infrastructure Project and the development of a 3G playing pitch |
Department of Social Development |
€ 3,918,204.00 |
Antrim |
|
Total PEACE IV Theme 2.1 |
|
€ 104,685,093.36 |
|
155. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the funding made available to projects supported by all PEACE programmes since the inception of the PEACE programme in 1995, by county and year in tabular form. [2533/19]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the PEACE and INTERREG Programmes have made a real and visible contribution towards supporting peace and reconciliation and promoting economic and social cohesion in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland for more that two decades. The programme are managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement.
The table sets out the funding made available to projects by year under the PEACE II, III and IV programmes. A breakdown by year is not available for the 1995-1999 PEACE I programme which predated SEUPB's establishment. The data is not available by county as the majority of projects are programme or service based and would typically have activity and beneficiaries on a regional basis.
* Note re funding amounts:
Where both currencies are provided, they represent equivalent amounts and not separate amounts of funding. PEACE I funding amounts are only available in sterling and PEACE IV funding amounts are only available in euro.
|
|
Year |
Amount Awarded STG* |
Amount Awarded EUR* |
|
PEACE I |
1995-2000 |
445,977,234.67 |
|
|
PEACE II |
2000 |
191,209.17 |
296,374.22 |
|
|
2001 |
1,765,817.80 |
2,737,017.59 |
|
|
2002 |
126,310,581.03 |
195,781,400.60 |
|
|
2003 |
268,367,126.67 |
415,969,046.34 |
|
|
2004 |
103,105,624.97 |
159,813,718.70 |
|
|
2005 |
13,258,789.80 |
20,118,037.59 |
|
|
2006 |
101,483,507.91 |
147,584,788.31 |
|
|
2007 |
17,901,917.39 |
26,141,597.81 |
|
|
2008 |
3,595,598.97 |
5,247,063.66 |
|
|
Unknown |
9,987,865.06 |
15,481,190.85 |
|
Total PEACE II |
645,968,038.77 |
989,170,235.68 |
|
|
Peace III |
2008 |
47,563,938.39 |
57,076,726.07 |
|
|
2009 |
73,890,837.15 |
88,669,004.58 |
|
|
2010 |
18,116,263.05 |
21,739,515.66 |
|
|
2011 |
52,712,797.57 |
63,255,357.08 |
|
|
2012 |
42,218,203.79 |
50,661,844.54 |
|
|
2013 |
14,397,230.60 |
17,276,676.72 |
|
|
2014 |
11,344,656.00 |
13,613,587.20 |
|
|
2015 |
3,265,170.00 |
3,918,204.00 |
|
Total PEACE III |
263,509,096.55 |
316,210,915.86 |
|
|
Peace IV |
2017 |
|
79,837,187.86 |
|
|
2018 |
116,555,331.20 |
|
|
|
2019 |
|
180,536.67 |
158. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a risk assessment on the safety of the public was conducted prior to the operation of the recent deer cull in the Phoenix Park overseen by the OPW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2612/19]
View answerThe Commissioners of Public Works confirm that a detailed and comprehensive Risk Assessment was carried out prior to the deer cull which took place on the 9th January 2019. The risk assessment was carried out by Phoenix Park management and covered all aspects pertaining to the cull including public safety.
159. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the precautions undertaken by his Department and the OPW to safeguard the public and to alert the public that firearms would be used as part of the recent deer cull in the Phoenix Park overseen by the OPW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2613/19]
View answerOPW has a comprehensive operating procedure for the deer cull which includes the preparation of a detailed Risk Assessment in advance and the completion and implementation of a detailed safety plan designed to safeguard the public, Park users, staff and operatives involved in the cull itself.
As is standard practise, and in line with the safety plan for the cull, signage notifying the public of the cull and detailing the public exclusion zone was erected on the day before the cull.
All institutions in the Park were informed of the cull and of the public exclusion zones by letter.
Only two competent individuals who are fully trained and qualified in the use of firearms are permitted to take part in the cull. The OPW complies with the Fire Arms Regulations 2009.
160. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if An Garda Síochána was informed in advance of the operation of the recent deer cull in the Phoenix Park overseen by the OPW and that firearms would be discharged as part of the operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2614/19]
View answerThe Commissioners of Public Works confirm that, as part of the Standard Operating Procedures for the recent deer cull, An Garda Síochána at Cabra Garda Station was notified in advance and was aware that firearms would be discharged as part of this operation.
161. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the considerations given to animal welfare in relation to the recent deer cull in the Phoenix Park overseen by the OPW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2615/19]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has a Deer Policy for the Phoenix Park which has been endorsed by both the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the School of Biology & Environmental Science at University College Dublin. This policy addresses all aspects of deer welfare and management of the deer herd in line with international best practice. The Phoenix Park team has long-standing experience in managing the herd of wild fallow deer at the Park.
Together with the School of Biology & Environmental Science at U.C.D., OPW has explored the various culling methods appropriate to a wild herd. Based on this research, the methodology of the cull, as undertaken on January 9th, is considered the most appropriate and humane approach.
162. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to rely on his powers to direct the Office of Public Works in circumstances in which planning permission is needed to provide the necessary facilities for a Border control post at Rosslare Europort. [2678/19]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has been mandated to secure the property required at Rosslare Europort and to undertake the necessary work to ensure that the additional infrastructure required as a consequence of the UK leaving the EU becomes operational in a timely manner. Planning requirements will be adhered to.
163. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will publish the airline costs for his Department for 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2697/19]
View answerThe amount spent on airline costs by my Department in 2018 was €91,400.38. Of this amount, €16,228.37 was recouped in respect of EU Council meetings and other recoupable meetings.
164. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will publish the cost of newspapers in his Department in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2714/19]
View answerIn answer to the Deputy's question, the amount spent on the purchase of newspapers in my Department in 2018 was €15,369.96.
Staff in my Department are strongly encouraged to use online subscriptions to the relevant media outlets in order to reduce costs.
165. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of visitors who availed of guided tours of Trim Castle, County Meath in each of the years 2015 to 2018, in tabular form. [2902/19]
View answerThe table sets out the number of visitors.
|
|
Total Visitors to Trim Castle |
Visitors who availed of a guided tour |
|
2015 |
86,972 |
33,771 |
|
2016 |
101,127 |
36,319 |
|
2017 |
104,354 |
37,169 |
|
2018* |
106,877 |
37,856 |
*2018 figures are provisional and subject to change
166. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the stage at which the proposed Buncrana and Luddan, County Donegal, flood scheme is; the proposed capital works involved; and when it is likely to be delivered. [3011/19]
View answer167. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Buncrana and Luddan, County Donegal, flood scheme can be split into separate schemes (details supplied). [3012/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 166 and 167 together.
In May 2018 I launched 29 Flood Risk Management Plans for all the main river basins identifying a total of 118 flood relief projects to protect the main flood risk areas throughout the country. These Plans and projects are a key part of the overall flood risk management strategy set out in the National Development Plan 2017 - 2028 involving total investment of almost €1 billion over the ten year time frame of that Plan. As it is not possible to implement all of the 118 projects at the one time, a total of 50 projects were prioritised for the initial tranche of investment and delivery based on the level of risk and number of properties to be protected.
15 flood relief projects have been identified for County Donegal as part of the 118 projects in total included in the Flood Risk Management Plans. Following consultation and discussions between the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Donegal County Council, six of the Donegal projects have been identified to be progressed in a first phase of implementation and the OPW and the Council will be working closely over the coming year to progress these projects. Plans are currently being put together to appoint consultants over the coming months for each of the projects to be advanced in the first phase.
The proposed project at Buncrana and Luddan, Co. Donegal was assessed as a single project within the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) process and it is not currently proposed to progress separate elements of the proposed project as the progression of a piecemeal design on any project can result in the overall effectiveness of that project being compromised.
The proposed project at Buncrana and Luddan, Co. Donegal, at an estimated cost of €3.3m, consists of a series of sea walls, flood embankments and flood walls, which will provide flood protection to approximately 32 properties when completed. While the proposed project is not in the first phase of projects to be progressed, OPW and Donegal County Council will work closely to ensure that it will be commenced in the coming years and within the 10 year timeframe for the programme of investment.
168. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the date the review of the public expenditure guidelines commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3063/19]
View answerThe Investment Projects and Programmes Office (IPPO) was established within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2018. This was on foot of the recommendations contained in the Public Investment Management Assessment (PIMA) Report and a commitment set out in the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027. The IPPO is redesigning the requirements in relation to the different stages involved in the process of selection, appraisal, approval and delivery of capital investment projects. This work commenced in Quarter 4 2018 and will be completed in Quarter 1 2019. It is intended that the updated capital appraisal guidance will be included in a revised Public Spending Code during the course of 2019.
More generally, the Public Spending Code is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that it takes account of the changing environment, and to ensure best value for public funds.
