Written Answers Nos. 89-102
89. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the discussions at the informal European Council meeting in May 2019 on protecting citizens and freedoms in addition to immigration. [20562/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI attended an informal meeting of the European Council in Sibiu, Romania on 9 May 2019, Europe Day.
We had an open and constructive discussion about our priorities for the period ahead, in advance of the June European Council, where we will agree our next Strategic Agenda and we agreed the Sibiu Declaration, which outlines ten broad commitments that will guide our future work.
Ireland’s approach to the future of Europe is outlined in our National Statement, which was published on 17 April. This reflects the views expressed during our Citizens’ Dialogue which took place across the country over a six month period.
Our discussions in Sibiu were based on four broad headings: protecting citizens and freedoms; developing our economic base; building a greener, fairer and more inclusive future; and promoting Europe’s interests and values in the world.
90. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach if the Central Statistics Office, CSO, has a formal quality assurance policy and programme to assure the quality of official statistical outputs. [20378/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CSO has a formal Quality Management Framework (QMF) which is aligned with the European Statistical System Quality Assurance Framework (ESS QAF) and with the European Statistics Code of Practice (ESCoP). Information about the QMF is published by the CSO at:
https://www.cso.ie/en/methods/quality/qualitymanagementframework/
Key actions within the QMF include the use of the UN Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) as the standard framework for managing statistical business processes in the CSO; maintenance and continuous updating of documentation and process maps for all surveys and statistical processes; metrics and indicators for each stage of statistical production; metadata based on international standards for each stage of the survey lifecycle; ongoing quality review; and data governance.
Implementation of the QMF was augmented by two dedicated CSO divisions established since 2015. The first is a dedicated Quality Management, Support and Assurance (QMSA) division of the CSO, which comprises 10 staff. In addition, the Methodology division, which comprises seven professional statistical staff, supports survey managers in developing and implementing new techniques and best practice in official statistics.
The CSO produces about 300 statistical releases and reports each year, covering a wide range of topics relating to the economy, society and the environment. Primary responsibility for the quality of statistical processes and products is vested in the managers of each statistical area, i.e. the relevant Statistician, with oversight and support from the Senior Statistician. The CSO publishes a standardised Quality Report with the majority of its statistical products. These reports are available on the CSO website and, for each survey, they contain information on statistical concepts and methods; the collection, processing and quality assurance of the data; relevance, accuracy and reliability; timeliness and punctuality; coherence; comparability; and accessibility and clarity. These reporting criteria are aligned with the ESS QAF and ESCoP and the published Quality Reports are regularly reviewed and updated. The CSO’s Management Board monitors the release calendar and compliance with quality reporting as a standing item on its agenda.
The European Statistical System (ESS) has a significant impact on the work of the CSO. About three quarters of the statistics produced by the CSO are required under EU regulations on specific statistical domains. Each regulation specifies the technical statistical requirements and requires the CSO to provide reports on methods and quality to Eurostat. Eurostat independently scrutinises and validates the data and quality reports transmitted to them.
Macroeconomic statistics are subject to especially stringent scrutiny procedures at EU level, which include the process for verification of the Gross National Income (GNI) contribution to own resources, the Excessive Deficit Procedures (EDP) in relation to Government debt and deficit, and the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure (MIP). These independent and external audit processes have significant compliance and reputational impacts for Ireland. They involve in-depth scrutiny of the macroeconomic statistics and of the CSO surveys used in compiling those statistics. As such, they are a comprehensive rolling review of quality throughout the CSO’s statistical work programme.
The CSO is committed to statistical quality and has aligned its quality management actions with the ESS QAF and the ESCoP. Compliance with the 15 principles in the European Statistics Code of Practice is subject to periodic independent international peer review, co-ordinated by Eurostat. The last ESCoP Peer Review of the CSO and Irish Statistical System was in 2015 and is available at:
https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/aboutus/documents/ESSpeerreviewreportIrelandv7.0.pdf
91. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach if the National Statistics Board received a document outlining concerns with staffing and culture at the CSO in August 2018; and if so, the action taken by the board to investigate or address these concerns. [20379/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn anonymous document entitled “Protecting Trust in all Official Statistics Produced in Ireland” was received by members of the National Statistics Board in early September 2018. This document was considered by the Board at its meeting on 5 September 2018.
The then Chairperson subsequently asked the Director General of the CSO for a response to the matters raised in the document in so far as they relate to trust in, and quality of, official statistics in Ireland. This response, from the CSO Management Board, was considered by Board members who were satisfied that the CSO had fairly and comprehensively addressed the issues raised. The Board also noted that it will continue to be briefed on issues relating to trust in, and quality of, official statistics in Ireland, in line with its terms of reference.
A number of further anonymous documents making similar or related claims about the CSO have been circulated during the course of 2019. The National Statistics Board will continue to consider seriously these and any other issues relating to the quality of official statistics in Ireland. However it retains full confidence and trust in the quality of statistics produced by the CSO.
92. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach the professional qualifications required of those seeking or occupying statistical positions on the management board of the Central Statistics Office, CSO. [20380/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra93. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach the professional statistical qualifications required of statistical managers at Central Statistics Office, CSO, board level; and if he is satisfied that these requirements compare favourably nationally to other organisations such as the ESRI. [20381/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra94. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach the professional qualifications required of those seeking or occupying senior statistical positions at the Central Statistics Office, CSO. [20382/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 92 to 94, inclusive, together.
The grades of Statistician, Senior Statistician, Director, Assistant Director General and Director General fall within the definition of statistical managers within the CSO. Details of the requirements for each post are available below.
Statistician
The Central Statistics Office places a minimum academic requirement commensurate with the demands of the job on new entrants to the Statistician grade, specifically asking for a minimum 2.1 (honours) grade primary degree in a statistical or numerate subject. Appointment to the role of Statistician is by competitive interview and applicants must meet demanding statistical competency requirements. In addition, applicants for the statistician role must demonstrate appropriate ability in respect of a range of further competencies modelled on the civil service competency model for equivalent grades.
Senior Statistician
Senior Statisticians are the Principal Officer-level senior professional officer in charge of a statistical division, either in the CSO or in an external Department, Office or Agency. Appointment to Senior Statistician is by competitive interview and applicants must meet demanding statistical qualifications requirements, while also demonstrating the required standard in the PO-level competencies as set out under the Civil Service competency model.
The last Senior Statistician competition held in 2018 identified an essential educational requirement of:
Minimum Level 8 degree (2H1 or higher) on the National Framework of Qualifications or an equivalent qualification, in a discipline with a significant numerate component such as Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Geographical Information Systems, Data Science/Data Analytics etc.
Empirically, the following illustrates the academic qualifications of current Statisticians and Senior Statisticians serving in the CSO:
|
Grade |
Primary Degree |
Postgraduate (Masters or above) |
|
Senior Statistician |
100% |
89% |
|
Statistician |
100% |
85% |
Management Board
The Management Board comprises Director, Assistant Director General and Director General Grades.
Director
The most recent appointment to the position of Director in the CSO was conducted by the Public Appointments Service. Candidates were assessed in relation to the competencies of leadership, judgement, managing relationships and personal drive. The personal requirements included having a good knowledge and understanding of statistical methodology as it applies to the production of statistics, and having experience and qualifications, ideally a third level/professional qualification in Statistics, Mathematics or Economics.
Director General/Assistant Director General
Competitions for appointment to the positions of Director General and Assistant Director General are conducted by the Public Appointments Service, on behalf of the Top-Level Appointments Committee. In addition to the generic competencies developed by TLAC for posts at ADG and DG level and the key skills, knowledge and expertise required at this level, candidates for statistical Management Board roles are further required to demonstrate a good working knowledge and understanding of the Official Statistical System in Ireland and at European level, and statistical methodology as it applies to the production of Official and European statistics.
Empirically, the following illustrates the academic qualifications of Management Board members:
|
Primary Degree |
Postgraduate (Masters or above) |
|
|
Management Board |
100% |
86% |
The CSO operates a continuous learning and development policy, with a dedicated Statistical Training Framework which provides training interventions to meet 13 statistical skills headings based on the internationally recognised Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) across the Irish Statistical System. In addition, the CSO supports staff to attend European Statistical Training Programme (ESTP) courses, IMF, ECB and other relevant international training courses in Official Statistics to continually update their skills.
The CSO’s skills and competency model for statistical managers is similar to that applied by other comparable organisations, that is, other National Statistical Institutions in the EU and other comparator countries.
Newly appointed staff at all grades are subject to a one-year probationary period, in the course of which their technical aptitude for the role as well as their more general suitability for permanent appointment are assessed.
95. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach the way in which members of the audit committee of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, are chosen for the role; and if expertise in statistics is a prerequisite for membership. [20383/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAudit committees are an integral part of the control environment across central government. The function of audit committees is to provide independent advice to Accounting Officers regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal control systems and procedures of their organisations.
As stipulated in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Audit Committee Guidelines (September 2014), “the Accounting Officer should ensure that the Audit Committee has the capacity to understand the financial, cultural, strategic and political environment in which the organisation operates. The Audit Committee should also be satisfied that at least one of its members has recent and relevant financial experience. Other suggested skills include ICT expertise, and corporate and ICT governance experience.”
The membership of the CSO’s Audit Committee has been appointed by the Director General in compliance with these guidelines, to include external and internal membership covering the range of skills and experience, including statistical, which are needed.
The conditions of membership for the CSO Audit Committee are set out in the Audit Committee Charter and these include:
- The Audit Committee shall comprise of a Chairperson and not less than three and not more than five other members appointed by the Director General.
- At least two members of the Audit Committee shall be external members. One of these members will have appropriate financial expertise.
- The internal members should be from senior management grades of staff (Senior Statistician or Principal Officer level) and representative of different functions within the Office.
At present there are six members of the Audit Committee, three external (including the Chair) and three internal members comprising two Senior Statisticians, who provide the relevant statistical experience, and one Principal Officer.
96. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach when the term of the director general of the Central Statistics Office will come to an end; and his plans in respect of appointing a new director general. [20649/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Director General of the Central Statistics Office is appointed in accordance with the Statistics Act 1993 and the EU Regulation on European Statistics. The Government agreed to extend the Director General’s term of appointment on 26 February 2019 in accordance with section 12 (4) of the Statistics Act 1993, which provides that the Director General shall hold office on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Taoiseach after consultation with the Minister for Finance. This appointment will expire 30 May 2024. The appointment will then be considered in the context of the relevant provisions of the Statistics Act 1993 and the EU Regulation on European Statistics.
97. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach the costs incurred by his Department in respect of advertising in all forms to date in 2019, in tabular form. [21127/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe only advertising expenditure in any form incurred by my Department to date in 2019 relates to a call for submissions from the public on the preparation of a draft Irish language scheme, in an online Irish language newspaper. The total expenditure was €664.20 including VAT.
98. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if tenders for building the multi-role vessel, MRV, have been received (details supplied) in view of the fact that the 2019 budget is now in place; if so, if a tender for the building of same has been accepted; the full expected cost of same when delivered; the delivery date for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20568/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra105. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 47 of 3 October 2018, if tenders for building the multi-role vessel have been received in view of the fact that the 2019 budget is now in place; if so, if a tender for building of the vessel has been accepted; the full cost of the vessel when delivered; the delivery date for the ship which has been agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20726/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 105 together.
The White Paper on Defence provides for the replacement of LÉ Eithne with a Multi Role Vessel (MRV). This project is in the planning stage and accordingly, no public procurement competition tender documentation has issued to the market at this stage. It is intended to hold a public tender competition in due course to cover the supply of this MRV. The design and configuration of the vessel, is being considered as part of the planning process.
The cost of the MRV and production schedule will only be known once the tender competition is concluded. This procurement is, of course, subject to the availability of funding within the overall Defence capital funding envelope. However, I remain very committed as Minister with Responsibility for Defence to continue to work to ensure that the financial resources are made available to the Defence Organisation to ensure that the required equipment and infrastructure projects proceed in a diligent manner so as to enable the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service to carry out their various roles, both at home and overseas.
99. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the steps being taken to ensure that the optimum response is always deployed by the State in circumstances in which communities face the threat posed by emergency situations such as the recent wildfires in west County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20585/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt a National level, as the Minister of State with responsibility for Defence, I chair the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which oversees and ensures the fullest level of coordination and cooperation regarding our national and strategic emergency management. In the event of an emergency at a National level or threats posed by an emerging emergency situation, the Strategic Emergency Management National Structures and Framework, approved by Government in July 2017, outlines the Lead Government Department principle and how this is applied across a "whole of Government" approach to managing such responses. Such responses are normally led by the convening of the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) by the Lead Department concerned. The lead Departmental responsibilities are outlined in the Annex A of this publicly available document regarding the various emergency incident types. A lead Department may, therefore, convene the NECG at short notice to address and coordinate our responses to any National level threats or actual emergencies that may occur.
Separately, since 2006, the Framework for Major Emergency Management has allocated primary responsibility for responding at a local or regional level to specific emergencies, such as those caused by fires, including wildfires. The responses to such emergencies rest with the designated principal response agencies, namely, the relevant Local Authority (including the Fires Services), An Garda Síochána, and the Health Service Executive.
The Defence Forces provide assistance, on an as available basis, to the appropriate Lead Department in the event of any natural disaster or emergency situation in its Aid to the Civil Authority role. The Defence Forces retain a wide range of specialist skills which can be deployed, on request, in such circumstances to any emergencies that may arise.
Specifically, the principal response agency designated to respond to fire emergencies is the Fire Service, under the responsibility of the relevant Local Authority. Mechanisms to request support at a local, regional and national level are well established and may be made by the Chief Fire Officer and the Local Authority under the Major Emergency Management Framework through the National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for such assistance. Such Aid to the Civil Authority requests are actioned immediately within existing arrangements.
In the case of requests during the recent Donegal fires, the Air Corps moved immediately to assemble the necessary personnel and the required pilots and crew with the necessary training on the use of the specialised firefighting equipment (bambi bucket) as well as deployment of other specialist personnel. This took some time as some of the crew assembled from their time off, from a distance, but this was achieved as quickly as possible in the circumstances.
The policy lead in relation to fire related emergencies, particularly those that require a National-level response, rests with the National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and that Department has the lead responsibility for the Major Emergency Management Framework, which is currently under review by the National Steering Group chaired by that Department.
As Chair of the Government Task Force, I am satisfied that the responses provided by the State to such incidents are provided in a coordinated way and that the tried and tested arrangements work well in response to such emergencies. However, we should never be complacent and I regularly request members of the Task Force to review and exercise their plans and to ensure that we review and learn lessons from our responses to specific incidents and emergencies that occur.
100. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the precise time the request for the Air Corps to be deployed to provide support to local fire services tending to the recent wildfires in County Donegal was received; when formal approval for the Air Corps helicopter to be dispatched was granted as per the request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20586/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the primary responsibility in terms of fire fighting lies with the fire service and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
The Air Corps does not have a dedicated resource allocated to aerial fire-fighting. However, following a request from Chief Fire Officer in Donegal through the National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management in the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government early Easter Monday, my Department contacted the Air Corps immediately to ascertain resource availability.
Following this Departmental contact, the Air Corps moved immediately to assemble the necessary personnel. This took some time as some of the pilots and crew assembled from their time off, from a distance, but was achieved as quickly as possible in the circumstances. Formal written approval followed when ability to accede to the request for support was confirmed.
The Defence Forces can provide a significant support role in a major emergency response. However, military assistance and support may not always be available and Defence Force capabilities is dependent on the exigencies of the service and within available resources at the time.
101. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if colour blindness is an automatic disqualifier for application to the Defence Forces; if there have been changes to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20668/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force, including the methodologies used for assessments, are subject to continuous review and modification having regard to the needs of the organisation and the development of best practices.
At present, all applicants must have normal colour vision to join the Defence Forces.
A Defence Forces Colour Vision Working Group was established to review the colour vision requirements for entry to the Defence Forces. The recommendations of this working group are under review.
102. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if funding has been made available for a new electric target range at the Defence Forces Training Centre, the Curragh; if so, when this work will commence; and the estimated time for completion. [20682/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe design and associated tendering documentation for the upgrading of the existing Range 3 in the DFTC at the Curragh Camp is underway and it is intended that the procurement process for same will commence shortly, As the project will be the subject of a procurement process, I am not currently in a position to comment on when the works will commence.
