Written Answers Nos. 116-123
116. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to review the secondary school bus routes in view of new regulations regarding school boundaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20731/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraChanges to the School Transport Scheme were announced in Budget 2011 and derive from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme. The main change to the Post Primary scheme means that from the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering a post primary school is being determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest Post-Primary Education Centre having regard, as heretofore, to ethos and language. The planning and organising of school bus routes is an operational matter for Bus Éireann and existing services are reviewed over the summer months. Arising from this review, routes may be altered or extended depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
117. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm plans by his Department to facilitate the expansion of schools (details supplied) in Dublin 24; if he will confirm the schedule to be followed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20789/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the schools referred to by the Deputy are included in the five-year School Building Programme announced in March 2012. The next step is the appointment of a design team and an official from my Department's School Planning and Building Unit will contact the representatives of both Boards of Management shortly with further details in this regard.
118. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that can be taken to allow Irish persons now living and working in Australia to complete their apprenticeships (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20800/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that FÁS can only accept on-the-job assessments from approved companies and will not approve an apprentice to complete on-the-job phases of his/her apprenticeship with a company operating overseas unless the company has a registered office in the Republic of Ireland and has been assessed and approved by FÁS. However, in limited circumstances, apprentices who emigrate after completing all 7 phases of their apprenticeships, but who have not completed 4 years in employment with a FÁS approved employer as required for apprenticeship certification, can submit an application to FAS under the "Recognition of Prior Learning" initiative for recognition of trade related employment overseas.
119. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he intends to provide funding this year for the clearance of the Clare river in Claregalway, Lisheenavalla and Caherlea which was part of the programme agreed after the flooding in 2009; the amount that will be spent this year; the works that will be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20583/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraProvision has been made in the Office of Public Works (OPW) allocation for 2013 for the Clare River flood relief scheme, which includes the areas referred to by the Deputy. The scheme works will include channel widening, road raising and channel maintenance works such as removal of vegetation.
The position in relation to the scheme is that the OPW is currently in the process of addressing observations received in response to the Public Exhibition of the scheme proposals, including the comments of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. When the observations have been satisfactorily addressed the required statutory confirmation of the scheme will be sought from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Subject to receiving confirmation of the scheme, the OPW would hope to be in a position to commence works before the end of the Summer. It is not possible at this stage to estimate the amount that will be spent this year.
120. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason examining the costs and the benefits is not an appropriate tool for considering the cost of reducing the number of staff in the public service compared with the ongoing benefits of cost reductions in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20586/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy has been asking about the appropriateness of cost benefit analysis (CBA) as an evaluation tool for appraising the Government’s policy on public sector reform and headcount reduction. CBA is a technical evaluation tool for appraising the merits of public expenditure projects. It is one of a number of appraisal methods – as outlined and explained further in the Public Spending Code – and its most common application is for evaluating proposed new investments in physical infrastructure projects and proposed new schemes of current expenditure. There are very clear rules and guidelines in this area set out in the Public Spending Code, which obliges all Irish public bodies to treat public funds with care and uphold value-for-money best practices. As the Deputy is aware, the programme of reducing the size of the public service is connected with reducing the cost of Government and reforming public services. It is clearly not a new spending proposal.
I expect that the Deputy’s interest is in assessment of the pros and cons of the Government’s policy on public service reform, including reduced staffing levels. A critical factor informing our policy approach has had to be the imperative of reducing our large deficit and bringing the public finances back onto a sustainable footing. Many of our choices have been difficult, but with public service pay and pensions accounting for over one-third of current Government expenditure, it is clear that this area has to continue to contribute to that effort, and headcount reduction has been a key element of our approach to containing and reducing these costs.
Nonetheless, while working to address the stark realities of the public finances and the unsustainable cost of the public service, the Government’s measured approach to the matter seeks to mitigate the potential disadvantages of reduced staffing levels. To this end, the numbers reduction policy takes account of priority areas, by allowing for replacement of key staff especially in the education sector and in key areas of health; gives sectorial and local management discretion in exactly how staff resources are allocated within an area; provides a framework for redeployment of staff across the public service; and includes introducing new streamlined services such as shared services, which allow functions to be maintained and indeed enhanced with reduced staff levels and at a lower cost.
Reform of the public service is necessary both because we need to reduce costs given our serious fiscal position, and because the quality of public services for the citizen needs to be continually improved and value-for-money for the taxpayer protected. The Government’s reform plan is comprehensive and ambitious. It captures a wide range of reform projects, including: ICT infrastructure projects to support enhanced automation, better online services and shared payroll and HR services; change management projects to support more effective work practices, redeployment, rostering and manpower planning; organisation restructuring, involving mergers of previously separate state bodies and of divisions and work areas within organisations.
These reform projects will allow the public service to function more efficiently and more cost effectively over the medium term. Crucially, they are facilitating the delivery of services while making headcount reduction. Of course, where once-off investment costs arise in these reform areas – such as new ICT platforms for example - there must be full compliance with the Public Spending Code, including where appropriate under the Code the need to carry out a CBA.
121. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when his officials will meet with the Alliance of Retired Public Servants in relation to the decision to legislate for certain changes in respect of public service pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20599/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy officials have written to the Alliance of Retired Public Servants with a view to a meeting in the coming weeks.
As the Deputy will be aware, following public servants non-acceptance of the measures proposed by the Labour Relations Commission, the Government has requested the CEO of the LRC to make contact with the parties to establish whether or not there is a basis for a negotiated agreement to meet budgetary targets. The Government will reflect on the outcome of this process before coming to conclusions on how to secure the required level of savings from public service pay and pensions.
122. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a timeline in relation to the banking and financial management shared services project being led by his Department; if he will outline the objectives and a cost benefit analysis of this shared service project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20603/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraProjects to baseline Finance Management and Banking services administered by the Civil Service commenced in November 2012 and are now nearing completion. Final baseline reports for the two projects have yet to be submitted to the Programme Board who, on the basis of the findings, will make recommendations on whether to proceed to the business case phase.
The baseline reports provide inputs into any future cost-benefit analyses of the potential efficiencies that shared services solutions might provide. A wide range of financial and non-financial information has been gathered on both financial management and banking including on costs, volumes of activities, number of full-time equivalents involved, process methods in use, range of technologies in place and other non-financial elements associated with provision of current services. The information is assessed by reference to some key comparable benchmarks to identify the opportunity for improving cost efficiencies and effectiveness of specific functions.
In the event of decisions to proceed to the next phase in respect of either or both of the financial management and banking projects, the baseline reports would constitute significant inputs to the business cases. They would involve consideration of a number of possible options and assessments of the financial and non-financial values of each of them.
123. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the future expansion of the banking shared service project is it intended to include local authorities, the Health Service Executive and universities in third level institutions in this project and if the will provide a timeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20605/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe baseline report on banking services administered by the Civil Service has yet to be submitted to the Programme Board overseeing the project and thus, the scope remains unchanged from that set out at the start of the project.
The banking processes in scope include Treasury Management, Payment File Processing, Lodgements, Payable Orders, Receipts and Reconciliations.
The bodies in scope include all Government Departments and Offices whose annual budget is the total amount allocated in a Vote in the Annual Estimates of Public Expenditure and who, together with any associated Offices and Agencies, use Central Government Finance and Banking transaction processing systems. Organisations specifically outside the scope of the baseline phase include those in the local government sector, the education sector (other than the Department of Education and Skills) and the health sector (other than the Department of Health and Department of Children and Youth Affairs) along with State agencies who use finance and banking systems that operate independently of the Central Government system. In total there are 48 PSBs in scope for the baseline phase.
