Written Answers Nos. 96-114
96. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagement he has had with the Department of Social Protection in relation to the issue of pensions for community employment scheme supervisors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20382/21]
View answer97. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagement he has had with the Department of Social Protection in terms of providing a pension scheme for community employment scheme supervisors. [20408/21]
View answer109. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when funding will be released to establish the occupational pension scheme for community employment scheme supervisors as recommended by the Labour Court in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20488/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 97 and 109 together.
The Deputy will be aware that the matter of community employment schemes falls within the policy remit of my colleague the Minister for Social Protection.
I have however a strong appreciation of the role of Community Employment Schemes in communities right across the country and I know this role could not be fulfilled without the leadership of the Scheme Supervisors. In this context I have taken the opportunity to meet with the relevant parties involved in these schemes to hear at first hand their issues of concern.
The particular matter raised by the Deputy is a complex one that raises significant policy, legal and exchequer cost issues. As it relates to the Community Employment scheme, a resolution must be progressed via the Department of Social Protection. The Deputy may be aware that the State is not the employer of the workers concerned. This is a factor which must be borne in mind in the Department of Social Protection’s and the overall State’s approach to this.
As the Deputy will appreciate, we are now facing major challenges in managing the public finances. However, in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Social Protection I have given fresh consideration to all the issues involved. I have in recent days written to Minister Humphreys with a proposed way forward in relation to this complex issue. I understand that the Minister will as a next step undertake further engagement with the relevant stakeholders to make progress.
98. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department is engaging at European level to make social and green clauses more flexible in public procurement. [20404/21]
View answerIn 2017, the European Commission Communication on making Public Procurement work in and for Europe presented a public procurement strategy that sets out the overall policy framework and defined clear priorities to improve procurement in practice and support investment within the EU. The Communication states that strategic public procurement should play a bigger role for central and local governments to respond to societal, environmental, and economic objectives, such as the circular economy.
The European Green Deal was announced by the European Commission in December 2019. It ‘aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use’. It contains a number of actions relevant to public procurement, including the production of a Circular Economy Action Plan, initiatives to screen and benchmark green budgeting practices of the EU and its Member States, a renovation wave for the building sector, and a funding call to support the deployment of public recharging and refuelling points.
As part of the European Green Deal, the EU adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020. The new Action Plan announces initiatives along the entire life cycle of products, targeting their design, promoting circular economy processes, fostering sustainable consumption, and aiming to ensure that the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible. The Action Plan has a particular focus on the sectors that use most resources and where there is greatest potential for circularity e.g. electronics and ICT, batteries and vehicles, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction and buildings, food, and water and nutrients. As part of this Action Plan, the Commission will propose minimum mandatory green public procurement (GPP) criteria and targets in sectoral legislation and phase in compulsory reporting to monitor the uptake of GPP, without creating unjustified administrative burden for public buyers. The Action Plan also refers to the potential of the social economy and plans to simultaneously support the green transition and strengthen social inclusion, notably under the Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Officials in the Office of Government Procurement and in other relevant departments such as the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) have engaged continuously with relevant European Union working groups such as the Commission Government Experts Group on Public Procurement (EXPP) and the GPP Advisory Group in the development of the above initiatives. Officials continue to engage with their European counterparts on further developments regarding the inclusion of green and social clauses in public procurement.
Of particular note, DECC with support from the OGP participated in the GPP4Growth Interreg Europe project for a number of years, which assisted in the development of a Green Public Procurement (GPP) Training Plan which commenced in 2020 and Phase 2 is taking place this year; development of Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement; and revision of the 2014 GPP Guidance, Green Procurement - Guidance for the Public Sector, which is now at final draft stage and due for publication in Q2 2021.
100. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the options being considered for funding of works required to the weir at Ballincollig Regional Park; the engagement that has been had with the local authority to progress these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20492/21]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW), in partnership with Cork City and County Councils, is currently progressing the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme. The Steering Group for the Scheme generally meets on a monthly basis to discuss all aspects of the Scheme. The issue of Ballincollig Weir, which is in the ownership of the City Council since the boundary change between Cork County and Cork City in June, 2019, has been raised during discussions with the Steering Group. The condition of the weir, and the objectives and requirements for any works to it, will be further discussed by all parties before any decisions are taken on what works should be undertaken as part of the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme.
101. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of progress to complete the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18416/21]
View answerThe Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme is being advanced by Clare County Council, with support and funding provided by the Office of Public Works. Ryan Hanley are the engineering consultants and the construction contract is being progressed by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd.
Construction of the works is progressing well at three discrete locations, the embankments at Clareabbey, St Flannans College, and Ballybeg.
The works at the Clareabbey area suffered a delay in 2019 due to unexpectedly poor ground conditions, which necessitated a re-design of the original proposal of an embankment, to a sheetpiled solution along the stretch of riverbank in question. The re-design has been successfully completed and works have re-commenced in this area, with the sheetpiles now in place and capped, thus providing an effective flood defence. The detailed design of the pump-station required at the southern end of the works, near the N85, has been completed, and construction works here have recently begun, with an indicated completion date of mid-June this year. The access track for future maintenance requirements has also been completed.
The works at St Flannans and Ballybeg are substantially complete, with only minor snagging remaining, and I have been informed that the new culvert overflow systems constructed at both Ballybeg and St Flannans operated very successfully during recent heavy rainfall events.
In spite of the delays incurred as a result of the redesign at Clareabbey, the OPW, Ryan Hanley and Ward and Burke have managed to meet the original programme, and the works are due to be substantially completed this summer.
102. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the key performance indicators his Department uses to establish the extent of green public procurement; the level of achievement they show for the most recent year for which data is available; and the improvements compared to three years earlier. [20336/21]
View answerIn 2019, my Department published Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement. The Circular instructs Departments to consider including green criteria in public procurement processes where:
- Clearly defined, quantifiable, verifiable, and measurable criteria have been developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and are relevant to the specific procurement process, and
- The cost can be met within a Department’s existing budget, without impacting on service delivery
Defined, quantifiable, verifiable, and measurable criteria for a number of products and services have been developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and are available in Green Procurement - Guidance for the Public Sector, which can be downloaded from gov.ie. These criteria are being updated by the EPA and new criteria, for a broader range of areas, will be published in Q2 2021.
Circular 20/2019 also requires public bodies to incorporate relevant green procurement measures into their planning and reporting cycles. The following Green Public Procurement reporting requirements apply to all Departments:
a. Each Department and contracting authority should state how it intends to incorporate green considerations in its Corporate Procurement Plan
b. Starting with the 2020 Annual Report, each Department must report annually on progress in relation to Green Public Procurement
c. Queries related to the development of the templates and guidance can be sent to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
As set out above, the Annual Report template with an accompanying guidance note was to be made available in 2020 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was subsequently tasked by DECC to produce a Reporting and Monitoring template for Green Public Procurement. Departments were requested to return their reports for 2020 by the end of March 2021. The EPA is now assessing the returns for 2020.
Compared to three years earlier, considerable progress has been made in the area of green public procurement in Ireland. In March 2019, the Social Considerations Advisory Group was established. This group aims to promote and facilitate the incorporation of social considerations, including environmental considerations, into public procurement projects. It brings together officials from policy departments with public procurement practitioners to share best practice in relevant fields. To update objectives of the group in line with Programme for Government commitments, new Terms of Reference were developed in September 2020, and the group has been renamed as the Strategic Procurement Advisory Group (SPAG). This year, the OGP and DECC jointly established an Environmental subgroup of the SPAG. This subgroup facilitates more detailed, technical, discussion of approaches to incorporate environmental considerations into procurement. Membership includes the EPA and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, as well as representation from procurement bodies. To assist policy makers and practitioners in understanding how public procurement can be used to facilitate the advancement of wider public policy issues, in December 2018 the OGP published an Information Note on Incorporating Social Considerations (including environmental considerations) into Public Procurement. More recently, the OGP also assisted the EPA in developing training in the area of GPP for procurement practitioners. The EPA is funding the provision of this course, which is being run several times through 2021.
104. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the Bantry flood relief scheme; the timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20494/21]
View answerThe Flood Risk Management Plans launched in May 2018 include a recommendation to progress the project-level development and planning for a flood relief scheme for Bantry. A steering group, comprising of representatives from the Office of Public Works and Cork County Council, is in place to progress the Bantry Flood Relief Scheme. The Plans with outline design of possible measures estimated a preliminary Total Project Cost of €6.7m and a scheme to protect some 198 properties. Cork County Council has engaged a contractor to treat some of the invasive species in preparation for a flood relief scheme for the town.
On 11th March 2021 Cork County Council, in partnership with OPW issued the tender documentation for the procurement of Engineering Consultants via www.etenders.gov.ie. Tenders are due for return on 7th June 2021.
Cork County Council has also commenced the preparation of the Consultants Brief documents to carry out the repair and re-construction of the Main Street Culvert which has been a significant element contributing to flooding on Main Street, New Street and north and south of Wolfe Tone Square in recent months. The OPW is liaising with Cork County Council on the integration of these works with the fluvial flood relief scheme for the town.
Once consultants are appointed to progress the Flood Relief Scheme for Bantry, consultation with statutory and non-statutory bodies, as well as the public, will take place at the appropriate stages to ensure that all parties have the opportunity to input into the development of this scheme.
The flood relief scheme will be funded from within the allocated €1 billion for flood risk management over the period of the National Development Plan 2018-2027. Provision for the cost of the Scheme is included in the Office of Public Works' multi annual capital allocation.
In March 2021, an application under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for interim works to mitigate flooding in Bantry which includes installation of non-return valves and provision of mobile pumps was submitted to the OPW by Cork County Council. This application is currently under consideration. In the interim prior to weather events, local Cork County Council staff are implementing interim measures to assist mitigate flooding such as deployment of sandbags at Sands Quay and mobile pumping.
105. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on a uniform pay rate and policy for senior civil servants in Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20332/21]
View answerThe current pay rates for senior civil service grades (Secretary General, Deputy Secretary, and Assistant Secretary) are as set out in Circular 12 of 2020, which is available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/39b2c-circular-12-2020-application-of-1st-of-october-2020-pay-adjustments/
These rates may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.
Regarding Secretaries General, the gradings of these posts were informed by recommendations of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector which concluded that, given the differences in terms of job weight between the various posts of Secretary General, a structure of three salary levels was appropriate.
As regards the terms to apply for recruitment to the post of Secretary General in the Department of Health, I engaged with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, and the Secretary General to the Government. In that context, I took account of a number of factors, including that the post is a highly complex one with a very challenging brief, particularly so in the midst of a global pandemic. There are very significant responsibilities attached to this role including: the ongoing management of the response to the COVID public health emergency; implementing the Government’s ambition for the rollout of Sláintecare; and the management of the greatly increased budget of €22 billion for Health in 2021.
Reflecting these, I consider that a salary of €292,000 is commensurate with the scale of the responsibilities and the unique challenges attached to this role, not least at the current time.
There are no changes to pay rates for other Secretary General posts, and I do not envisage this decision resulting in any change in relation to general pay policy at senior level.
106. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proposals to amend the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 to include additional waterways including the River Erne system in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20104/21]
View answerHistorically, flood risk management focused on the arterial drainage of river catchments to improve agricultural land. Maintenance of Arterial and Drainage District channels, designated under the Arterial Drainage Act 1945, is the responsibility of the OPW and Local Authorities respectively. These include the maintenance by the OPW of the Boyne, Inny and Glyde-and-Dee Arterial Drainage Schemes in County Cavan. Parts of the Erne Catchment are a Drainage District for which the Local Authority is responsible for ongoing maintenance.
In 1995, due to increased urban flooding, the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 was amended to facilitate the OPW’s implementation of localised flood relief schemes to provide flood protection to cities, towns and villages.
The launch of the Flood Risk Management Plans in May 2018, following the largest ever study of flood risk in Ireland, identified that Government investment is feasible to protect 95 percent of properties at assessed risk from significant flooding through flood relief schemes.
The OPW has no plans for catchment-wide arterial drainage schemes. However, to target the management of flood risk outside of cities, towns and villages, in 2009 the OPW introduced the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. In 2020, the OPW approved funding of €75,600 to Cavan County Council for 6 projects at Aghadreenagh, Redhills; Ballyhaise, Cavan Road; Drumliff, Ballyhaise; Knockateery, Cloverhills; Ballyhaise Pitch & Mullinavanague, Redhills.
107. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he plans to review the cost benefit analysis for flood relief works to incorporate turlough flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1430/21]
View answer116. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he plans to include specific provision for turlough flooding in the cost benefit analysis for flood relief works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1429/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 116 together.
I am advised that the OPW has commissioned a scoping report on options and recommendations, within the parameters of the Public Spending Code, for the future economic appraisal of investment in capital flood relief schemes.
This scoping report will help to inform consideration by the OPW of the circumstances in which the traditional economic appraisal of cost benefit analysis, while still desirable may not, as currently calculated, reflect all benefits and may not be applicable in all locations and circumstances for the OPW’s future investment in flood relief schemes.
108. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the funds he expects to be available to Ireland under the European Union Cohesion Package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20397/21]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, I have overall responsibility for EU Cohesion Policy and primary responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which includes European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) Funds – also referred to as INTERREG Funds. The Minister for Education & Skills has primary responsibility for the European Social Fund (ESF+). The Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications has primary responsibility for the Just Transition Fund (JTF). These three funds, along with the Cohesion Fund (from which Ireland no longer benefits) constitute the Cohesion Policy Funds.
Ireland will receive €1,139 million (in 2018 prices) in Cohesion Policy Funds for the 2021 – 2027 programming period, comprising of:
- €351 million for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF);
- €451 million for the European Social Fund + (ESF+);
- €260 million for European Territorial Cooperation (including PEACE PLUS); and
- €77 million under the Just Transition Fund (JTF).
In addition, Ireland will receive €83 million for the current programmes in 2021 under REACT-EU, an EU initiative which follows on from the first EU emergency crisis response to the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, with the goal of building on crisis repair in the context of COVID-19 and prepare a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy.
When matching funding is included the full value of the programmes supported by these allocations amounts to almost €3.5 billion. The EU funding will be spent in areas such as supporting SMEs, reskilling and upskilling our workforce, investing in research and development and emerging technologies, to ensure that Ireland is well placed to take advantage of opportunities arising from a green and digital Europe. Operational Programmes, which plan how this funding will be spent, are already under development. The ERDF planning process involves the three Regional Assemblies, along with IBEC, ICTU and the Social and Voluntary Sector. The Just Transition Fund will be deployed in areas most affected by the cessation of peat extraction. There is an increased EU contribution for PEACE PLUS, which underscores the commitment of the Commission, and our fellow EU Member States, along with the Irish and UK Governments and the NI Executive to peace and economic prosperity in Northern Ireland and in the Border Counties.
This Cohesion Policy Fund package, which will be delivered through Operational Programmes for 2021 – 2027, will deliver real practical benefits for communities throughout Ireland.
110. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will report on the Public Service Innovation Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20402/21]
View answerThe Public Service Innovation Fund (PSIF) which launched as a pilot in May 2019, is a competitive fund managed by the Reform Division in DPER. The Fund was established to support innovative ideas from across public service organisations.
To date 52 projects (2019 & 2020) have been supported by the PSIF totalling €1.5 million. Some projects have digitised or automated processes thereby creating efficiencies in time and money in a variety of sectors such as local government and Education. Other projects have sought to address aspects of major societal and environment issues. The common factor among all funded projects is their potential for impact on the service user or public service organisation in terms of the effectiveness of a process or in the efficiencies created. Full details of every project funded to date can be found on ops2020.gov.ie.
The Public Service Innovation Fund was open for applications this year from 4-24th February.
279 applications were received from all sectors of the Public Service. After a two-stage evaluation process, a portfolio of 21 projects were agreed to be funded this year with individual awards ranging from €25,000 to €55,000, with a total budget of €815,000. Projects are due to be announced shortly once Memorandums of Agreements have been signed with each project organisation.
112. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a representative of his Department was sent to the WRC Conciliation Conference with staff from a union (details supplied) regarding staff claims on 20 April 2021; if he will send a representative to future WRC conferences given that HR has to defer to his Department for any decisions regarding pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20150/21]
View answerI am aware that SIPTU has been engaging with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in relation to the terms and conditions of its members who are political support staff of Oireachtas Members. The staff in question are employed in the Houses of the Oireachtas by individual TDs and Senators.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act, 2003 requires the Commission, in relation to secretarial facilities, to obtain my consent before reaching an agreement with any person in relation to rates of pay, conditions of employment or superannuation.
My officials met officials from the Commission to consider the issues in advance of the conciliation conference on 20th April 2021 at the WRC. In line with general practice in respect of WRC hearings/conciliation conferences where my Department is not the employer, my officials did not attend the WRC conciliation conferences in relation to this matter and it is not expected that they would attend in future. My officials will, however, continue to engage with officials from the Oireachtas as appropriate.
113. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to future proof the economy through social investment spending initiatives with an aim of preventing economic stagnation and growing inequality due to the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17177/21]
View answerSince the beginning of this pandemic, Government has committed significant resources to ensuring that our society is in the best possible place to withstand the impacts of Covid-19. Since March 2020, a provision of over €28 billion has been made available for expenditure measures to support our people, businesses and key public services.
This substantial funding provision across 2020 and 2021 is a result of the exceptional circumstances arising from this pandemic. The focus has been on implementing measures that will support our people and businesses experiencing extreme difficulties and on ensuring that our health service has the resources to respond to the crisis. These supports will help sustain our economy, to ensure that we are as well positioned as possible when it is safe to reopen fully.
Key measures implemented include the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the wage subsidy schemes. In the 12-month period to the end of March this year, €6¾ billion had been paid to recipients of the PUP with total expenditure of €5.2 billion on the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. This represents real cash for workers whose jobs have been impacted by the crisis.
Further to this, over €1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment across 2020 and 2021 to provide assistance to businesses, including through liquidity supports and restart grants.
Looking forward, the Government has committed that there will be no cliff edge at the end of June to the PUP and the EWSS and will seek to ensure that the necessary measures are in place to support the economy, workers and society to recover from the Covid-19 crisis.
In addition, recognising the important role improvements in our State’s infrastructure can play in enhancing economic capacity and promoting balanced regional development, the Programme for Government committed to bringing forward the planned review of the National Development Plan (NDP) from 2022 and to using it to set out an updated NDP for the period out to 2030. My Department recently published the Phase 1 Report - Review of the NDP following a detailed process of engagement. This report, which outlines the various strands of the review process, provides an evidence base to inform capital investment decisions to support economic, social, environmental and cultural development all across the country.
114. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the mechanism to ensure the responsible and most effective spend of the potential €10.8 billion available to Departments and agencies for capital expenditure in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20406/21]
View answerI should first explain that as Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform I am responsible for setting the overall multi-annual capital expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group as set out in the National Development Plan and Project Ireland 2040. My Department is also responsible for maintaining the national frameworks within which Departments operate to ensure appropriate accounting for and value for money in public expenditure such as the Public Spending Code. The Public Spending Code sets the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister.
The Public Spending Code is not static and was updated in 2019 following an extensive consultation process. This update has strengthened the guidance to better align with the realities of project delivery and with a particular focus on improved appraisal, cost estimation and management. In line with the principle of proportionality, the requirements for smaller projects have been streamlined and the requirements for larger projects support a better consideration of options, risks, costs and deliverability.
The updated Public Spending Code brings a renewed focus to:
- Robust options appraisal to support identification of the most efficient and effective option to achieve the identified objective;
- Gaining a more developed view of costs, risks and timeframes before committing to proceed with a project;
- Tighter governance of key decision points during project preparation and delivery;
- Ongoing updating of the business case for a project as it proceeds through design and planning phases; and
- Continued scrutiny of affordability throughout the process.
As part of the ongoing reform of the Public Spending Code and as one of the work streams of the review of the National Development Plan, my Department is developing a strengthened assurance process for major projects with an estimated cost of over €100 million. This will involve an independent peer review of major projects at two key stages in the project life-cycle, specifically when the preferred delivery option is chosen and before approval is given to go to tender. The reviews will be conducted by independent experts in infrastructure delivery.
The reviews will consider key issues including:
- Robustness of planned delivery;
- Accuracy of cost forecasts;
- Consideration of risk; and
- Appropriateness of procurement strategies.
The detail of the process and arrangements for implementation will be delivered by summer 2021 with the review of the National Development Plan.
