Tuesday, 18 Oct 2022

Written Answers Nos. 149-158

Departmental Programmes

Questions (149)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

149. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office based in his Department. [49905/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

A Policing Service for our Future is the Government’s Plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

As recommended in the Commission’s report, implementation of the Plan is being overseen by a dedicated Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach.

The Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office monitors progress on A Policing Service for our Future , and supports the work of the Implementation Group on Policing Reform, which has an independent Chair, Helen Ryan. The Office also keeps the High-Level Steering Board on Policing Reform, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, apprised of progress being made. In addition, progress is reported to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, which I chair.

A Policing Service for our Future has been broken down in to four stages of implementation, namely:

1. The Building Blocks Phase;

2. The Launching Phase ;

3. The Scaling Phase; and

4. The Consolidation Phase.

The first three phases of A Policing Service for our Future have been completed and much has been achieved. For example:

- The roll-out of a new Operating Model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide is underway;

- The recruitment of nearly 1800 garda staff which has supported the reassignment of many gardai to frontline policing duties;

- Roll-out of over 5000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardai to perform their duties without returning to stations;

- An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a Human Rights Unit and re-established the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee;

- Local Community Safety Partnership Pilots have been established in three locations around the country, in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford City and County and Longford County;

- T he development by An Garda Síochána of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Statement, and Action Plan 2020-2021; and

- launch of a three-year Garda Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will see the introduction of additional health and wellbeing supports.

There has also been progress on legislative reform. The Government has approved the drafting of:

- the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation;

- the Garda Síochána (Digital Recordings) Bill, which concerns the use of recording devices (including body worn cameras); and

- the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill which brings together and modernises police powers of search, arrest and detention.

The Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Area) Act 2022, which will facilitate the roll out of the new operating model, was brought into law earlier this year.

The future focus of the Programme for the final or Consolidation Phase will be on several key organisational and corporate enablers to assist in achieving a sustainable transformation of policing.

This includes areas such as IT, HR and finance, which are key enablers across the entire reform programme, as well the necessary legislation, Operating Model, Community Safety and Non-Core Duties.

Citizens' Assembly

Questions (150, 158)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

150. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach the expected timelines for the citizens’ assemblies committed to in the Programme for Government. [51664/22]

Mick Barry

Question:

158. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens’ assemblies committed to in the Programme for Government. [51689/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 158 together.

The Programme for Government commits to establishing four Citizens’ Assemblies, on the topics of Biodiversity Loss, the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin, Drug Use and the Future of Education.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and the Dublin Local Government Citizens’ Assembly were formally established in February 2022, began meeting in April and are on schedule to complete their work and submit their reports by the end of this year, in line with the timelines set out by the Oireachtas.

The Government is committed to establishing the next Citizens’ Assemblies, on Drug Use and the Future of Education, at the earliest opportunity following the completion of the assemblies currently underway.

The timelines and terms of reference for the next assemblies will ultimately be a matter for the Oireachtas to agree on. It is anticipated that the Government will consider the matter early in the New Year, following which motions will be put before Dáil and Seanad Éireann for debate setting out timelines and Terms of Reference for the new assemblies.

Judicial Reviews

Questions (151)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

151. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach the number of judicial reviews taken against his Department in the past ten years to date in 2022, in tabular form; the body and or person that initiated judicial review proceedings; the number of judicial reviews that remain open and or active; and the totality of costs incurred by his Department as a result of judicial reviews over that time period. [50767/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

My Department has identified the below four cases where leave was granted for a judicial review and where the Taoiseach is named as a respondent during the period in question, two have concluded and two remain active.

Record Number	Parties	Status	Costs
2020 No. 547 JR	Ryanair DAC v an Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General	Concluded	Costs were awarded against the applicant.
2018 No 942 JR	Right to Know CLG v An Taoiseach and Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, Ireland and the Attorney General	ongoing	*
2018 No 855 JR	Right to Know CLG v An Taoiseach and Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, Ireland and the Attorney General	ongoing	*
2016 No 697	Right to Know CLG v An Taoiseach and Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment	Concluded	€114,372 in legal costs were paid to the applicant by the Department.

*Costs to be determined when the outcome of the case is known.

In addition to the above, the Department is also aware of one other judicial review proceeding where the Taoiseach is named as a respondent and which is currently with the courts, Murphy & Ors v an Taoiseach, Minister for Health, Minister for Finance, Ireland and the Attorney General, 2021 No 727 JR.

For completeness, the Department has sought confirmation from the Office of the Chief State Solicitor that there have been no judicial reviews taken in that period and will forward any additional information where it arises to the Deputy in due course.

Departmental Data

Questions (152)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

152. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach the average wage and the median wage in Ireland in each of the years 2012 to 2021 and to date in 2022. [51118/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Jack Chambers)

The exact information the Deputy requested is not available.

Statistics on average wages are compiled from the quarterly Earnings, Hours and Employment Costs Survey (EHECS) and from the Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS).

The EHECS collects aggregate quarterly data from enterprises with three or more employees in the NACE Rev 2 Industrial Sectors B–S inclusive. Annual estimates are also derived from the quarterly data. The EHECS is the official source of short-term earnings and labour costs estimates in the State. The quarterly EHECS earnings and labour estimates are published in the Earnings and Labour Costs release (ELC). The most recent final figures available are for Q1 2022. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

The EAADS is the official source of structural earnings statistics and is based primarily on the Revenue Commissioner’s employee tax data which provides details of gross annual earnings and number of weeks worked in the year for all employments. The most recent estimates available are for the year 2020. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

The data presented in Table 1 and Table 2 below is mean earnings as it is not possible to calculate median earnings from the EHECS as data is collected at enterprise level and not at employee level. Estimates in relation to mean and median weekly earnings below (Table 3) are taken from the EAADS. Data in relation to hourly earnings is not available from the EAADS.

Table 1 below shows the Mean Hourly Earnings & Mean Annual Earnings for the period 2011-2021 inclusive.

Table 2 below shows the Mean Hourly Earnings for the period Q1-Q2 2022* (Preliminary Estimate).

Table 3 below shows the Median Weekly Earnings & Mean Weekly Earnings for the period 2011-2020 inclusive.

Table 1 - Mean Hourly and Mean Annual Earnings - 2011 to 2021
	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€
Mean Hourly Earnings	21.93	21.98	21.92	21.85	21.89	22.06	22.43	23.07	23.88	25.01	26.09
Mean Annual Earnings	35,826	36,065	35,951	36,037	36,457	36,933	37,637	38,871	40,283	42,364	44,356
Source: Earnings and Labour Costs (ELC), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.
Note: Economic Sectors Nace Rev. 2 B-S, see ELC background notes for further details.

Table 2 - Mean Hourly Earnings - Q1 2022 - Q2 2022*
	Q1 2022	Q2 2022
	€	€
Mean Hourly Earnings	27.42	26.78
Source: Earnings and Labour Costs (ELC), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.
* Preliminary Estimate

Note: Economic Sectors Nace Rev. 2 B-S, see ELC background notes for further details.

Table 3 - Median and Mean Weekly Earnings - 2011 to 2020
	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€	€
Median Weekly Earnings	534.84	527.06	530.00	530.21	533.90	543.04	556.61	573.35	598.36	629.46
Mean Weekly Earnings	667.76	664.21	662.65	662.76	671.73	682.23	699.57	722.47	753.58	801.41
Source: Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: Economic Sectors Nace Rev. 2 B-S, see ELC background notes for further details.

Cybersecurity Policy

Questions (153)

John Lahart

Question:

153. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach the total spend by his Department and the agencies under his remit on cybersecurity measures since 2019 to date in 2022 [51181/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

My Department implements a security-by-design and defence-in-depth approach to cyber security. The same approach applies to the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department. ICT services and support for NESC are delivered by the ICT Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.

For operational and security reasons, we are advised by the National Cyber Security Centre not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise security. In common with other Government Departments, my Department has in place comprehensive arrangements to support ICT security and receives regular advice on these matters from the relevant authorities. The range of cybersecurity measures and associated costs span the full spectrum of ICT services including ICT system design and maintenance, device management, user awareness, training and appropriate external expertise.

Cybersecurity Policy

Questions (154)

John Lahart

Question:

154. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach the proportion of his Department’s IT data that is stored in the cloud; the proportion of the data held by all agencies and subsidiaries of his Department in the cloud; if this represents an improvement; if so, the development that has been made towards cloud storage since 2019 to date [51205/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Department of the Taoiseach continues to leverage technologies available from cloud service providers in line with the stated advice of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and has increased the amount of services provided via the cloud since 2019. In some instances the cloud service may be provided by another Government Department or Agency and in some instances the cloud service may be provided by a commercial entity. The same approach applies to the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department. Neither this Department nor NESDO currently provide digital services directly to the public and therefore are less reliant on cloud storage.

Departmental Staff

Questions (155)

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

155. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Taoiseach the names of all special advisors working in his Department; the Minister and Junior Minister who each advisor is associated with and their respective salaries, in tabular form. [51264/22]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The details of all Special Advisers formally appointed by Government, including associated Minister and sanctioned pay rate, are published by the Department of Public Expenditure on gov.ie at the following link www.gov.ie/en/publication/9ad159-special-advisers-pay/ .

This list includes all the current advisers employed by this Department in respect of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Office of the Green Party Leader and the Government Chief Whip.

Departmental Data

Questions (156, 157)

Claire Kerrane

Question:

156. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Taoiseach the number of persons in full-time employment who were on less than 60% of the median wage in Ireland in each of the years 2012 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [51030/22]

Claire Kerrane

Question:

157. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Taoiseach the number of persons in full-time employment who were on less than 66% of the median wage in Ireland in each of the years 2012 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [51031/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Jack Chambers)

I propose to take the following questions together 156 and 157.

The exact information the Deputy requested is not available.

The official source of structural earnings statistics is the CSO’s Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS). The EAADS is based primarily on the Revenue Commissioner’s employee tax data which provides details of gross annual earnings and number of weeks worked in the year for all employments. The most recent estimates available are for the year 2020. The annual earnings data presented from the EAADS is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

Table 1 below shows the Proportion of Employments for the period 2011-2020 inclusive earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Annual Earnings.

Table 2 below shows the Proportion of Employments for the period 2011-2020 inclusive earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Weekly Earnings.

Table 1 - Proportion of employments earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Annual Earnings

-	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Less than 60% of Median	23	23	23	23	23	22	21	21	21	18
Less than 66% of Median	27	27	27	27	27	26	25	25	25	23

Source: Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: Annual earnings data is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year.

Table 2 - Proportion of employments earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Weekly Earnings

-	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Less than 60% of Median	25	25	25	25	25	24	24	24	24	22
Less than 66% of Median	29	29	30	29	29	28	28	28	28	26

Source: Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: Annual earnings data is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year.

Question No. 158 answered with Question No. 150.