Written Answers Nos. 51-65
51. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the date of the final publication of the revised National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45522/21]
View answerThe revised NDP is currently being finalised and it will set out annual expenditure ceilings for the initial 5 years for each Departmental Vote Group, including capital ceilings for 2022. This document is due to be published in the coming weeks, following final Governmental approval.
As part of the Programme for Government the review was brought forward from 2022 in order to assess the resourcing requirements for the most important challenges facing us as a nation including Covid-19, climate action, housing, balanced regional development, healthcare etc.
The first phase commenced in October 2020, which included the public consultation, Review to Renew, as well as further evidence-gathering by way of sectoral submissions for Departments and a series of technical papers.
The results of Phase 1 were published in a report on April 4th 2021 on my Department's website.
The technical and consultative work carried out as part of Phase 1 forms the evidence base to underpin the decisions being taken in Phase 2 of the NDP.
The objective of Phase 2 of the NDP is to set out revised sectoral capital allocations as well as providing a renewed focus on delivery of efficient and cost-effective public infrastructure. The range of indicated sectoral priorities will be identified as part of the final revised NDP.
52. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is engaged in discussions to agree revised principles for a new higher education staffing agreement to update the current employment control framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45523/21]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my previous response to PQ32471/21 on 17 June 2021. Officials from my Department engage on an ongoing basis with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on multiple policy and operational issues, including consideration of principles for a Higher Education Staffing Agreement. The purpose of a Higher Education Staffing Agreement, once finalised, will be to update the existing overarching Employment Control Framework (ECF) approach which has been in place since 2010 and which is still in place in a number of sectors in the public service.
While the operation and management of the existing ECF approach is a matter for DFHERIS, HEA and the individual Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), key issues from my Department’s perspective are to ensure that it appropriately reflects fiscal, expenditure and public service staffing and pay policies. Regarding the overarching principles for a new approach, my Department is seeking to ensure that staffing decisions taken in the higher education sector are affordable and sustainable both from a higher education perspective but also from an Exchequer and wider public service staffing and pensions perspective. My Department is also mindful of the need to ensure that there is appropriate flexibility built in to any revised approach so that HEIs can operate efficiently in making their staffing decisions, having regard to their overall expenditure allocations and other appropriate controls.
53. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of general service vacancies filled by Irish language candidates during 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021 in counties Donegal and Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45525/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent recruiter for appointments to the civil service. All recruitment is demand-led and PAS undertakes competitions on behalf of the civil service to establish panels that may be drawn upon as vacancies arise in Government Departments or Offices.
Irish speaking candidates may apply for general civil service roles by way of specific bilingual competitions or, alternatively, they may apply for non-bilingual competitions and note their expression of interest for Irish-speaking or bilingual posts.
Please see below number of Irish language position requests received by PAS for general grades competitions in these counties, all of which were successfully filled.
|
County |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Sligo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Donegal |
3 |
2 |
0 |
A nationwide Irish language Clerical Officer competition is presently underway for the Civil Service by PAS. I understand that PAS will commence planning for a new Irish language Executive Officer competition during Q3 2021.
54. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the project timeline for the provision of new accommodation at a Garda station (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45662/21]
View answerThe procurement phase for this project is well progressed and this phase will be completed shortly. It is expected that a contract for the works will be placed following receipt of formal approval from An Garda Síochána and successful completion of all procurement processes. Construction should commence shortly thereafter and is expected to take about 20 months to complete.
55. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her Department’s IT infrastructure is monitored for security breaches on a 24/7 basis; the guidance provided from Government on same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45320/21]
View answerThe IT infrastructure for my Department is monitored for security breaches on a 24/7 basis. My Department readily engages with the National Cyber Security Centre, Government agencies and security partners but for reasons of operational and national security it would not be appropriate to disclose details of my Department’s cyber security arrangements.
Any information in relation to cyber security tools and services could assist criminals in identifying potential vulnerabilities in cybersecurity arrangements. Therefore it is not considered appropriate to disclose any such information or make comment which could in any way compromise my Department’s cyber security.
56. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the timeframe for the announcement of the allocation of sports capital funding grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45354/21]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures were published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed accordingly. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6m were announced on the 6th August.
The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. Given the large number of applications received, this work is likely to take a number of months to complete with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year.
57. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the steps taken by her Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within her Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; her plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45376/21]
View answerThe Government has committed, in the Programme for Government, to mandating public sector employees to move to 20% home and remote working. In line with this commitment, the Government is committed to developing models of flexible working for the Civil Service. In that context, it is proposed that remote working will be facilitated on a blended basis, subject to the suitability of roles to be carried out remotely. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised over the coming months which focuses on the longer-term approach to remote working across the Civil Service.
My Department is currently implementing an Interim Blended Working Policy to facilitate transition arrangements to blended working for employees in the Department. This follows the announcement of public health measures to commence a gradual and staggered return to the office from 20 September, 2021. The Department is committed to implementing a policy of blended working that will ensure continued delivery of quality public services to Government, the public and business.
The number of employees in my Department is currently 364. All employees have been provided with the necessary IT support to enable remote working including access to a cloud based video conferencing system procured via open competition on e-Tenders, the Government's electronic tendering platform.
My Department will continue to provide employees with ongoing up-to-date guidance and supports on blended working arrangements.
58. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the steps taken by agencies under the remit of her Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within these agencies who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; if there are plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45393/21]
View answerRegarding the State Agencies under the remit of my Department, this is an operational matter for the respective Agencies.
In that context, I have forwarded your question to the relevant State Agencies and have requested they respond directly to you on the matter within 10 working days from the date of this reply. Please contact my private office if you have not received a reply within the ten working days.
59. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been drawn to the published findings of the Office of the Information Commissioner under a case (details supplied); the actions she has taken to ensure accountability for same particularly in view of section 52 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 which considers the destruction or material alteration of records requested under freedom to constitute an offence; her views on the findings that her Department failed to either realise alterations had taken place or to deal with the freedom of information request appropriately; and the processes that have put in place or that will be put in place to ensure all future freedom of information requests are appropriately dealt with and that no repeat of same occurs. [45712/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware my Department and those bodies under its aegis are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and remains committed to ensuring that all requests received under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 are managed effectively and in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
In accordance with Section 11 of the FOI Act the provisions of the Act apply to records held by a service provider who:
"at the time the request was made, was not an FOI body but was providing a service for an FOI body under a contract for services and contract for services in this definition includes an administrative arrangement between an FOI body and another person"
In the case referred to by the Deputy the majority of records encompassed by the request were held by a third party organisation that was acting in the role of service provider to the Department.
As the Deputy will be aware, it is a feature of the FOI Act that requesters may request a review of the original decision made by the FOI body itself and may also apply to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) for a further review of the decision of the FOI body. I am advised that in this instance, the original decision and subsequent review, which was issued in April 2021, was appealed to the OIC by the requester.
I am further advised that, following its review, the OIC annulled the original decision and directed the Department to carry out a fresh decision making process in respect of the matter. I wish to clarify that in communicating its decision to the Department, the OIC made no reference to Section 52 of the Act.
I can confirm to the Deputy that on foot of the direction of the OIC my Department has undertaken a fresh decision making process in respect of this matter and that a decision in the regard was issued to the requester. This decision encompassed all relevant records including a number of additional records that had been created in the interim and which would not have formed part of the original decision.
My Department is satisfied that the third party organisation concerned fully cooperated with the process at all times and provided all records that fell within the scope of the request, for each decision and that there is no basis for any suggestion that this organisation engaged in any action that would come within the scope of Section 52 of the FOI Act.
60. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the guidelines or regulations that apply to the mulching of mountain land in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45461/21]
View answerI understand that this question is about the cutting or grubbing of vegetation on mountain land.
Some areas of mountain land have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) or Special Protection Areas (SPAs) as part of the Natura 2000 network. Depending on reason for designation of the land, restrictions may have been set on clearing scrub or rough vegetation on that area. In such cases, prior consent under Regulation 30 of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, is required so that an assessment can be carried out before the mulching takes place to ensure it will not adversely affect the integrity of the European site based on its conservation objectives.
Similarly, if the land was designated as a Natural Heritage Areas (NHA), prior consent may be required under Section 19 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 if the mulching was liable to destroy or to significantly alter, damage or interfere with the features for which the NHA was designated.
Finally, birds are protected during their nesting season whether the land is designated or not. It is an offence under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, as amended, to cut, grub, or otherwise destroy (during the period beginning 1 March and ending on 31 August in any year) any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated. There are some limited exemptions to this rule.
61. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department’s IT infrastructure is monitored for security breaches on a 24/7 basis; the guidance provided from Government on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45314/21]
View answerMy Department recognises fully that security of its IT infrastructure is key in ensuring the safety and integrity of its systems, files and data. This is achieved through a combination of staff training, security policies and processes and appropriate technological solutions that include security monitoring. For security reasons, my Department does not comment on specific details of its IT Security apparatus supporting this infrastructure.
Guidance from Government in relation to ICT security is a matter for the National Cyber Security Centre.
62. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps taken by his Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within his Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; his plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45371/21]
View answerMy Department is currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. The vast majority of staff of my Department have worked remotely since the end of March 2020. These staff are continuing to work from home; however, a staggered return to workplaces under ongoing public health restrictions has commenced from 20 September, as provided for in recently updated Government guidance.
In respect of the longer-term, a central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. This framework will ensure a consistency of approach across Government Departments and Offices and will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies tailored to the specific requirements of my Department.
My Department, in line with its ICT strategy, has adopted the Build to Share (BTS) Managed Desktop shared service provided by OGCIO – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. Further, the Met Éireann Division of my Department provided laptops, monitors and accessories for staff to facilitate remote/hybrid working during the pandemic. As a result, staff have access to remote video conferencing and have the capacity to work remotely when required.
63. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps taken by agencies under the remit of his Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within these agencies who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; if there are plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45388/21]
View answerThe requested information is not available in my Department. However, it may be obtained by contacting the dedicated e-mail addresses for members of the Oireachtas in respect of the State bodies under the aegis of my Department, as set out in tabular form below.
|
State Body |
Contact E-mail Address |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum) |
info@nationalwaterforum.ie |
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie |
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
infodocklands@dublincity.ie |
|
Ervia |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Heritage Council |
oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Irish Water |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Land Development Agency |
oireachtas@lda.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
info@noac.ie |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
ntacc@housing.gov.ie |
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
oireachtas@opr.ie |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
Oireachtas@osi.ie |
|
Property Registration Authority |
reps@prai.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Valuation Office |
oireachtas.enquiries@VALOFF.ie |
|
Valuation Tribunal |
info@valuationtribunal.ie |
|
Water Advisory Body |
info@wab.gov.ie |
|
Waterways Ireland |
ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org |
64. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of family homeless hubs and the capacity to accommodate family sizes of two, three, four, five and above persons in each local authority area in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45456/21]
View answer65. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of families that were accommodated in temporary hotel accommodation in each local authority area in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45457/21]
View answer66. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of transitional accommodation units utilised to accommodate homeless family sizes of two, three, four, five and above persons in each local authority area in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45458/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 64 to 66, inclusive, together.
Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the primary role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level.
While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. A Homelessness Consultative Forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services required in each region are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
My Department publishes a detailed monthly report on homelessness, based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The Report outlines details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. The most recently published data is in respect of July 2021. There were 6,003 adults 730 families and 2,129 dependants under the age of 18 years in emergency accommodation during the July count week. The Reports for each month are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/.
These reports include information broken down by accommodation type at regional level. Emergency accommodation provided in a hotel is included within the private emergency accommodation (PEA) category along with other commercially provided emergency accommodation arrangements. Emergency accommodation provided in family hubs is included within the supported temporary accommodation (STA) category.
My Department has been working with the local authorities to deliver family hubs, which provide more appropriate emergency accommodation for families. There are now 35 hubs operational nationally, offering over 766 units of family accommodation. Of these, 26 of these are in Dublin, with 2 in Galway and Kildare and 1 each in Cork, Clare, Meath, Limerick and Louth. Details on sizes of the families accommodated in these units are not included in the reports on homelessness published by my Department.
