Written Answers Nos. 270-283
270. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the number of non-established civil servants currently employed by the State, by grade. [42396/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the concept of unestablished civil servants refers to individuals serving in civil service Departments and Offices in a capacity in respect of which a superannuation allowance may not be granted under the Superannuation Acts, 1834 to 1954. Taking that into account, membership of the Pension Scheme for Established Civil Servants does not apply. Instead, the Non-Contributory Pension Scheme for Non-Established State Employees (or ‘unestablished’ pension scheme) usually applies to persons employed in a ‘non-established’ capacity in the civil service.
My Department does not hold information about the number of unestablished staff or their grades, this being a matter for each individual Department.
271. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if any reviews or studies have been conducted by his Department into the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the construction of public buildings and buildings providing public, social, educational or health services; if he has requested of the Office of Public Works that such a review take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42435/23]
View answerOPW will respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
272. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he intends to re-establish the civil service accountability board, as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach in a 'Ministers and Secretaries Act Report'; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42505/23]
View answerThe Civil Service Accountability Board was established under the 2014 Civil Service Renewal Plan. It comprised a mix of senior Government ministers, including the then Taoiseach, senior civil servants and a number of external members selected following an expressions of interest process by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).
The Board met four times in total in Q2 and Q3 2015 and Q2 and Q4 2016 to carry out its terms of reference under the 2014 Civil Service Renewal Plan. Work on that Plan was completed with the publication of its fourth progress report which is available on the Gov.ie website and there are no current plans to establish a similar Board.
273. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he intends to re-establish the performance review group, as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach in a 'Ministers and Secretaries Act Report'; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42506/23]
View answerThe Performance Review Group (PRG) was established in 2016 to oversee the Secretary General Performance review process, which was a priority action of the Civil Service Renewal Plan 2014 (Action 12 – Design and implement a robust performance review process for Secretaries General). This ensures the development of a high performance leadership cadre and assure that performance is managed consistently throughout the Civil Service, irrespective of grade.The group has three members comprising of the Secretary General of Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, an external member and the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach. The Secretary General Performance Review is an annual process designed to provide greater clarity on the specific objectives a Secretary General commits to delivering or progressing over a 12-month period. The process provides a formal means of ensuring that there are strong and effective feedback mechanisms in place in relation to individual performance. This clarity benefits the system as a whole, at political and administrative levels, and for the individual Secretaries General. The PRG has been operating in this capacity since 2016.
274. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide, in tabular form, a list of Secretaries General; their relevant Departments; the date they were appointed to their current position and, where applicable, granted a three-year extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42554/23]
View answerThe table below reflects the dates of appointment by Government of Secretaries General in Government Departments.
|
Department |
Name |
Date of appointment as Secretary General |
Extension |
|
Agriculture, Food and the Marine |
Brendan Gleeson |
02-Oct-18 |
n/a |
|
Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth |
Kevin McCarthy |
19-Dec-17 |
Appointed to D/CEDIY from January 2022 until December 2027 |
|
Defence |
Jacqui McCrum |
24-Aug-20 |
n/a |
|
Education |
Bernadette McNally |
20-Feb-22 |
n/a |
|
Enterprise, Trade & Employment |
Declan Hughes |
01-Jun-23 |
n/a |
|
Environment, Climate and Communications |
Oonagh Buckley |
02-Sep-23 |
n/a |
|
Finance |
John Hogan |
08-Jun-21 |
n/a |
|
Foreign Affairs |
Joseph Hackett |
01-Sep-21 |
n/a |
|
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science |
Colm O’Reardon |
09-Sep-23 |
n/a |
|
Health |
Robert Watt |
26-Apr-11 |
Term extended by 3 years in April 2018. Appointed to D/Health in April 2021 for a 5 year term |
|
Housing, Local Government & Heritage |
Graham Doyle |
01-Nov-15 |
Appointed to D/HLGH in July 2020 for 7 year term |
|
Justice |
Oonagh McPhillips |
09-Sep-20 |
n/a |
|
Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform |
David Moloney |
24-Aug-21 |
n/a |
|
Rural and Community Development |
Mary Hurley |
15-Mar-22 |
n/a |
|
Social Protection |
John McKeon |
23-Jul-17 |
n/a |
|
Taoiseach / Secretary General to the Government |
John Callinan |
03-May-22 |
n/a |
|
Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media |
Katherine Licken |
20-Jan-17 |
n/a |
|
Transport |
Ken Spratt |
15-Dec-20 |
n/a |
275. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the percentage of civil servants employed at higher grades (assistant principal or higher); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42555/23]
View answerAs of 31 August 2023, the most recent available data, there are a total of 45,593 full-time equivalents (FTEs) employed in the Civil Service, of which 8,252 FTEs (18.1%) are employed in the grade of Assistant Principal or higher.
276. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for a timeline for the implementation of the Strategic Framework Plan for Dublin Castle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42615/23]
View answerOPW will respond directly to the Deputy.
277. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the full-year cost of ensuring that every public sector worker is paid a minimum of €17 per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42625/23]
View answerIn relation to the civil service, for which my Department holds detailed data, the suggested minimum wage at €17 per hour based on the civil service 35 hour standard net working week equates to an annual salary of approximately €31,047. Detailed data on civil service staff indicates that approximately 15% of staff (FTE) in the civil service are on salary points less than this.
Those currently on an annual salary of less than €31,047 may be receiving remuneration in excess of the suggested living wage through additional premium payments in respect of shift work or atypical working hours.
The current public service agreement is Building Momentum - A New Public Service Agreement 2021-2023. The pay measures in the extended agreement amount to total headline adjustments of 9.5% over the lifetime of the Agreement. The extended Agreement is weighted towards those at lower incomes, with increases of up to 12.5% for the lowest paid public servants. All those earning less than €31,047 per annum would be in receipt of increases in excess of the headline benefits.
It should be noted that the latest detailed data held by my Department relates to August 2023 and as such does not reflect the increases of 1.5% or €750 provided for on 1 October 2023 under Building Momentum. This increase may bring some of these staff above the annual salary of €31,047.
The public service information sought in this request would require detailed data on the position of staff on each salary scale across the public service and details of the standard working hours per week for each individual grade. This data is not held in my Department.
278. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will respond to matters raised (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42762/23]
View answerWe are currently collating the information and will respond directly to the Deputy in this regard.
279. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if his Department has a policy on the use of artificial intelligence; and if any Departmental functions are assisted by language model-based chatbots (details supplied). [42821/23]
View answerOfficials from my Department do not currently use the application in question to conduct official business. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as with all enabling technologies, will be considered on a solution by solution basis. Any such considerations will be discussed and a risk assessment conducted as appropriate. My Department has issued guidance to all staff reminding them of their responsibilities in using any applications or technologies available on the Internet which are not specifically provisioned for use by staff in the Department. More broadly, the Deputy may wish to be aware that my Department is participating in a Working Group on Trustworthy AI in Public Services, which will provide wider guidance to the Public Service on the use of AI in the near future.
280. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the implementation of EU Regulation 2021/57 relating to the carrying or use of lead gunshot on or within 100 metres of wetlands; the primary or secondary legislation in Irish legislation enacting such; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42640/23]
View answerIn 2021 the EU Commission adopted Regulation (EU) No 2021/57 banning the use or carrying of lead in gunshot in or within 100 metres of wetlands. This restriction is part of the EU’s obligations under the Agreement on the conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds by protecting wild birds from lead poisoning through eating lead shot which was discarded in the environment. This Regulation came into force on 15 February 2023 after the transition period of two years and is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Draft regulations to enforce Regulation (EU) No 2021/57 are currently under consideration.
281. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to ensure increased investment in the All-Island Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund in the upcoming Budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42138/23]
View answerThe Government established the Shared Island Fund in Budget 2021, providing ring-fenced resourcing for delivery of the all-island investment commitments and objectives set out in the Programme for Government and the National Development Plan 2021-2030 (NDP).
The Shared Island Fund aims to create a more prosperous, connected and sustainable island. Under the NDP it has a funding envelope of €500 million between 2021 and 2025. The Fund provides significant new, multi-annual capital funding for investment on a strategic basis in collaborative North/South projects that will support the commitments and objectives of the Good Friday Agreement.
My Department in consultation with the Department of the Taoiseach manages draw down from the Shared Island Fund consistent with the capital allocations and commitments set out under the NDP. The total allocations set out for the Shared Island Fund in the NDP are increasing from €100 million in 2023 to €150 million in 2024, allowing for more projects to be supported next year.
Work is continuing in all Departments to develop new Shared Island investment, policy and co-operation projects, to implement Programme for Government objectives and revised NDP priorities on Shared Island. This is overseen by an inter-Departmental Group convened at Assistant Secretary General level and chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach.
282. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the estimated number of claims and their duration under the employer funded sick pay scheme since it was introduced this year; whether he has any estimate of under-claiming of potential eligibility; whether steps are required to promote its full use and if he will indicate the phasing planned for increased periods of cover and the date from which they shall become effective. [42142/23]
View answerThe Sick Leave Act came into effect on 1st of January 2023, providing up to three days of employer-paid sick leave this year.
In order to achieve a balanced approach, increases in the statutory entitlement to sick leave are being introduced gradually over four years. This phased approach gives employers time to adjust and plan for the new responsibility. The second phase of this plan is to increase the number of statutory sick leave days from three to five days per year on 1 January 2024. The next increase is planned for 1 January 2025 when it is intended to provide for up to seven days per year and then to provide for ten days per year on 1 January 2026.
Under Section 13 of the Act, the employer must make a record of statutory sick leave taken by employees and these records must be retained for four years. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) can request to view these records as part of an inspection.
There are no reporting obligations imposed under the Act. Therefore, the Department does not collect statistics on the number of claims for statutory sick leave under the Act and are unable to estimate the number of claims or potential under-claiming. The operation of the Act is kept under review.
A communication campaign is planned to promote the proposed increase from three days to five days prior to 1 January 2024 and it is expected that this will increase overall awareness of the scheme.
283. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42260/23]
View answerOfficials of my Department have informed me that a submission to the public consultation to the Review of the Occupations Lists for employment permits was received by email on 17th August on behalf of the employer mentioned in the details provided. This submission was acknowledged by return email on 21st August 2023.
My Department is actively considering submissions received to the public consultation which was open between June and August this year. Recommendations for approval are expected in November.
An occupation may be considered for inclusion on the Critical Skills Occupations List or removal from the Ineligible Occupations List provided that:
• There are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work;
• Development opportunities for Irish/EEA nationals are not undermined;
• Genuine skills shortage exists and that it is not a recruitment or retention problem;
• The Government’s education, training, employment, and economic development policies are supported;
• The skill shortage exists across the occupation, despite attempts by industry to train and attract Irish/EEA nationals to available jobs.
Employment permit policy is part of the response to addressing skills deficits which exist and are likely to continue into the medium term, but it is not intended over the longer term to act as a substitute for meeting the challenge of upskilling the State’s resident workforce, with an emphasis on the process of lifelong learning, and on maximising the potential of EEA nationals to fill our skills deficits.
