Written Answers Nos. 81-90
81. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of staff allocated to the national office for equity of access to higher education during each of the past eight years and their rates of pay. [20776/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following table shows level of staffing and rates of pay allocated to the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education for the past eight years. The staff allocated for the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education also worked on the Higher Education Authority Skills programmes from 2011.
|
Year |
Grade |
Number |
Salary Band at 1st December |
Salary Scale date |
|
2013 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 2 |
€79,402 - €97,194 €65,000 - €76,224 €51,581 - €54,329 €30,516- €47,975 |
1/07/2013 1/07/2013 1/10/2010 1/10/2010 |
|
2012 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 2 |
€84,133 - €103,473 €65,185 - €80,679 €51,581 - €54,329 €30,516 – € 47,975 |
1/10/2010 |
|
2011 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 2 |
€84,133 - €103,473 €65,185 - €80,679 €46,081 - €58,294 €30,516 - €47,975 |
1/10/2010 |
|
2010 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 3 |
€84,133 - €103,473 €65,185 - €80,679 €46,081 - €58,294 €30,516 - €47,975 |
1/10/2010 |
|
2009 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 3 |
€90,703 - €112,193 €69,659 - €86,865 €49,007 - €62,210 €32,179 - €51,054 |
1/09/2008 |
|
2008 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 3 |
€90,703 - €112,193 €69,659 - €86,865 €49,007 - €62,210 €32,179 - €51,054 |
1/09/2008 |
|
2007 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 3 |
€86,332 - €106,785 €66,302 - €82,679 €46,646 - €59,213 €30,628 - €48,594 |
1/06/2007 |
|
2006 |
PO APO SEO EO |
1 2 1 3 |
€84,639- €104,691 €65,002- €81,058 €45,731- €55,147 €30,027- €47,641 |
1/12/2006 |
82. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be granted teaching panel rights to take up a job opportunity in County Kerry where they reside; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20804/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The teacher referred to by the Deputy is a permanent teacher who is currently not surplus to the school in which she is employed. She does not therefore come within the redeployment arrangements.
83. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the provision of a car park in respect of a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20822/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is not in receipt of any application or proposal from the school in question but the school authorities can contact my Department should they wish to discuss the matter further. I also wish to advise the Deputy that any application received will be considered in the context of competing demands on my Departments capital budget, the main priority of which is the provision of essential additional classroom accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements.
84. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the top 30 premises that the State is renting or leasing; the amount in rents paid for each of these premises per annum; the persons to whom these rents are paid, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20681/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following table schedules the top 30 leases held by the Commissioners of Public Works. The table shows the agreed rent per annum and the Landlord. The Commissioners are not in a position to supply details on leasing arrangements that may have been entered into by other Government Departments or Agencies on behalf of the State.
|
LOCATION |
PROPERTY |
ANNUAL RENT |
LANDLORD |
|
DUBLIN 01 |
Abbey Street Upper 26 - 30 Floors 2/3 |
€1,206,096.51 |
ULYSSES PROPERTIES LIMITED |
|
DUBLIN 01 |
Abbey Street Upper 26 - 30 Floors 4/5 |
€994,569.76 |
ULYSSES PROPERTIES LIMITED |
|
DUBLIN 01 |
Irish Life Centre |
€900,000.00 |
IRISH LIFE ASSURANCE |
|
DUBLIN 01 |
Parnell Sq 13-15 |
€1,830,000.00 |
ALSTEAD SECURITIES |
|
DUBLIN 01 |
Parnell Sq 16 |
€1,493,644.72 |
ALSTEAD SECURITIES |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Adelaide Rd 65A |
€1,680,000.00 |
IRISH LIFE ASSURANCE |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Adelaide Road 29-31 |
€2,970,000.00 |
IBRC ASS. CO. |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Bishop's Square Floor 1 |
€1,243,814.00 |
VIOLET YARROW REAL ESTATE LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Bishop's Square Floor 2 |
€1,268,944.00 |
VIOLET YARROW REAL ESTATE LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Bishop's Square Ground Floor |
€930,508.00 |
VIOLET YARROW REAL ESTATE LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Earlsfort Terrace Earlsfort Centre Block C |
€1,210,000.00 |
CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Earlsfort Terrace St Stephen's Green House |
€1,024,229.00 |
IRISH LIFE ASSURANCE - IBI PROPERTY NOMINEE NEW IRELAND ASSURANCE COMPANY PLC |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Harcourt Road 4-5 |
€1,260,000.00 |
HALFPIPE LIMITED |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Harcourt Sq Block 1 |
€1,300,000.00 |
PECAN PROPERTIES LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Harcourt Sq Block 2 |
€1,832,500.00 |
ALVERGOLD LIMITED |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Harcourt Sq Block 3 |
€1,278,800.00 |
PECAN PROPERTIES LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Harcourt Street 75-78 |
€1,010,000.00 |
HAZELDALE LIMITED |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Leeson Street Lower Ossory House |
€900,000.00 |
AVIVA LIFE & PENSIONS IRELAND |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Mespil Road 43-49 |
€1,637,756.00 |
DAVY TRANSPORT |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Molesworth Bldg Setanta Cntre |
€1,145,000.00 |
BANK OF IRELAND TRUST SERVICES - IRISH PROPERTY UNIT TRUST |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Mount Street Lower 85 - 93 |
€1,743,000.00 |
GREEN REIT MOUNT STREET LTD |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Pearse St 212-213 |
€1,120,000.00 |
THE PROVOST FELLOWS & SCHOLAR OF TRINITY COLLEGE |
|
DUBLIN 02 |
Castleview, George's Street |
€1,827,522.00 |
SILVERWOOD DEVELOPMENTS LTD |
|
DUBLIN 04 |
Shelbourne Rd 21 |
€1,018,000.00 |
J FRANK & MYLES & JASON O'MALLEY T/A SHELBOURNE HOUSE PARTNERSHIP |
|
DUBLIN 07 |
Navan Road, Ashtowngate |
€1,550,000.00 |
FRIENDS FIRST LIFE ASSURANCE CO LTD |
|
DUBLIN 07 |
Nth King St 90 Georges Court |
€1,353,509.00 |
DANNINGER (RECEIVERSHIP) C/O DAVID CARSON, DELOITTE & TOUCHE |
|
DUBLIN 07 |
Smithfield |
€1,207,670.00 |
LINDERS OF SMITHFIELD LTD |
|
DUBLIN 24 |
Airton Road, Tallaght |
€1,051,020.41 |
TABMAZ PARTNERSHIP TOM KAVANAGH (RECEIVER) |
|
GALWAY |
Galway, Fairgreen |
€1,214,221.40 |
J HUGHES & T BROWNE T/A BALLYBRIT P/SHIP |
|
SWORDS |
Swords, Balheary Road |
€1,000,000.00 |
GERARD GANNON |
85. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that contractors are tendering for public jobs below cost; if he is concerned that this is leading to some businesses failing; his plans to tackle this practice to protect employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20729/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is widely acknowledged that the construction industry has seen the greatest decline in activity and with it the highest rise in unemployment of all sectors in the economy. The collapse in construction output from the high and unsustainable levels of around €34bn in 2006 to around €8.8bn in 2013 has been accompanied by intense competition resulting in a reduction of tender prices across the construction sector. The procurement of public contracts should be conducted in an open, objective and transparent manner and the principles of all EU and national public procurement rules should be adhered to.
The management of the tendering process for a public contract is a matter for each contracting authority. It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to ensure that tenderers comply with all the requirements of the process. A tender which might be regarded as abnormally low or below cost may not be rejected without investigation and consideration of the relevant elements that gave rise to a particularly low bid. Such elements might include an innovative technical solution or exceptionally favourable conditions available to the tenderer. The tenderer must be given the opportunity to explain the basis of the tender. Under Article 55 of 2004/18/EC, the EU Directive governing public procurement, contracting authorities are obliged to consider the constituent elements of a tender before it may reject a tender on the basis that it is abnormally low. Having carried out an investigation on the constituent elements of the tender, should it consider the tender to be abnormally low, the contracting authority may reject the tender but is not obliged to.
In relation to the awarding of specific contracts these are matters for the relevant contracting authorities concerned.
86. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on whether the targeted savings under the Haddington Road agreement were achieved in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20671/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Public Service Exchequer Pay Bill has been reduced by 22%, from €17.5 billion gross in 2009 to an estimated €13.6 billion net by the end of 2014. In 2013, the net reduction was €210 million. This reduction was enabled, in part, by the implementation of various measures under the Haddington Road Agreement which helped to ensure that spending remained in line with profile and resulted in Ireland delivering on our fiscal target for 2013.
I am satisfied that approximately €300 million in savings, arising from the implementation of various measures under the Agreement, was incorporated into the estimates for 2013, comprising of approximately €250 million in Exchequer pay savings and a further €46 million in savings arising from pensions and a number of other non-Exchequer sources (e.g. Local Authorities, Central Bank etc).
While the savings allocated under the Agreement in 2013 helped to bring the Public Service Pay Bill to a more sustainable level, it also allowed the scope to recruit additional staff to frontline services, particularly in the Education Sector and the Health Sector. This is a reform dividend that will help sustain the Public Service Reform agenda by re-investing some of the efficiency savings we are delivering into improved services.
In addition, it is worth noting that a further €465 million in savings arising from the implementation of measures under the Agreement was incorporated into the budgetary arithmetic for 2014, bringing the total amount of savings allocated under the Agreement to €762 million, or over 75% of the targeted savings under the Agreement. The focus is now on the comprehensive delivery of the Agreement and that task falls to Public Service Management and each Department's Accounting Officer who are responsible for the delivery the required level of savings to ensure that their respective pay bill targets are met.
87. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of allowances in the public sector that have been restricted or discontinued since 2012; the resulting savings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20672/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra88. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the current status of his review of public sector allowances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20673/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 88 together.
Departments were notified in September 2012 of details of the Government Decision in relation to the outcome of the Review of Public Service Allowances and Premium Pay. Approval for payment of an allowance to a new beneficiary pending the outcome of the review was withdrawn from 31st January 2012 and was not restored in the case where the review found that there is no business case for its payment to new beneficiaries.
Following the review, sectoral management were instructed to engage immediately with staff interests with a view to securing their early agreement to the elimination of those Departmental allowances payable to current beneficiaries where no business case exists to pay those allowances to new beneficiaries, with a list identified for consideration among the allowances they should prioritise for early elimination. In addition, Departments have been asked to identify other allowances, including legacy allowances, for elimination from current beneficiaries. Departments are now directly engaging with staff representatives on the allowances specific to their areas.
Labour Court Recommendation 20448 has implications for the implementation of the Government decision. In particular, the Court recommended that the parties should enter into central negotiations with a view to reaching a generally applicable agreement on measures by which loss arising from the elimination of pensionable allowances can be ameliorated. My Department is currently working on proposals to put to the staff side.
The Haddington Road Agreement provides that there will be full co-operation with the Allowances review, taking account of the recommendations contained in Labour Court Recommendation 20448, and the outcome of the review will therefore be advanced in each sector during the lifetime of the Agreement. The Agreement also provides for changes to certain allowances in the sectors. The Haddington Road Oversight Group is keeping the matter under general review.
In cases where no agreement can be reached, the time-bound mechanism for dispute resolution through existing industrial relations systems, the Labour Court or Conciliation and Arbitration Schemes, or through the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement), is available. Because many allowances have been discontinued for new appointees to posts, the precise figures on the numbers of allowances discontinued will depend on rates of staff turnover across the public service, however the estimated savings arising have been built into the pay allocations for 2014.
89. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total receipts in 2012 and 2013 from fees charged in respect of freedom of information requests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20675/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra90. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total number of freedom of information requests made to Government agencies in 2013; the number that resulted in information being provided to the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20676/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together.
Statistical information in relation to Freedom of Information requests are collated and published annually by the Office of the Information Commissioner. The tables containing details of these requests are contained in the Annual Report of the Office of the Information Commissioner which can be viewed at www.oic.gov.ie. The Annual Reports indicate that total net receipts in relation to Freedom of Information requests were €99,022.44 in respect of 2012 and €95,193.98 in respect of 2013.
Analysis of the manner by which public bodies responded to Freedom of Information requests in 2013 is set out in Table 5 of Chapter 4 of the 2013 Annual Report. For the Deputy's information a copy of the relevant table follows. It is not possible to break out separate details for requests made to Government agencies from the data.
Table 5: Analysis of FOI requests dealt with by public service sector.
|
- |
% Granted |
% Part granted |
% Refused |
% Transferred |
% withdrawn or handled outside FOI |
% Total |
|
Civil Service Departments and agencies under their aegis |
48% |
29% |
14% |
1% |
8% |
100% |
|
Local Authorities |
52% |
29% |
14% |
1% |
4% |
100% |
|
HSE |
75% |
14% |
7% |
1% |
3% |
100% |
|
Voluntary Hospitals, Mental Health Services Regulators and Related Agencies |
76% |
4% |
7% |
2% |
11% |
100% |
|
Third Level Institutions |
52% |
33% |
6% |
0% |
9% |
100% |
|
Other Bodies |
49% |
32% |
4% |
0% |
15% |
100% |
