Written Answers Nos. 82-101
82. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance if help and advice can be provided in relation to a facility (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47076/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra85. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Finance if the EWSS scheme will continue for childcare services until 31 December 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46903/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra86. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Finance his plans to review the employment wage subsidy scheme for the childcare and early years sector on 30 September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46907/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 85 and 86 together.
Section 28B of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provides for the operation of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), which is an economy-wide enterprise support for eligible businesses in respect of eligible employees. It provides a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers based on the numbers of paid and eligible employees on the employer’s payroll and charges a reduced rate of employer PRSI of 0.5% on wages paid which are eligible for the subsidy payment.
While the criteria for eligibility for business in general is based on a reduction in turnover, as a result of the pandemic and having regard to the importance of maintaining the provision of childcare facilities so as to enable parents to continue in, or to take up, positions of employment, the legislation provided that childcare businesses in possession of tax clearance and registered in accordance with Section 58C of the Childcare Act 1991 are eligible for the EWSS.
The objective of the scheme is to support all employment and maintain the link between the employer and employee insofar as is possible. The EWSS has been a key component of the Government’s response to the continued Covid-19 crisis to support viable firms and encourage employment in the midst of these very challenging times. To date, payments of over €4.844 billion and PRSI credit of over €769 million have been granted to 51,400 employers in respect of 660,400 workers.
I have been clear that there will be no cliff-edge to the EWSS and, as the Deputy will be aware from announcements made in June, it has been decided that the scheme is now to be extended until the end of December 2021. For Q3 2021, the Government decided on 1 June to broadly maintain the status quo for EWSS, including the enhanced rates of support, with a modification to widen eligibility, and maintaining the reduced rate of Employers’ PRSI of 0.5%.
Further, as announced yesterday, the Government has agreed that there will be no change to the EWSS for the month of October 2021, which means that the scheme will continue to operate in its current form as per the arrangements for Q3 2021. Issues around the configuration of the scheme beyond October are currently being considered and full details will be announced on Budget Day, 12 October 2021
The Government remains fully committed to supporting businesses and employers insofar as is possible at this time.
83. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Finance the reason persons cannot pay the local property tax in post offices (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47187/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraRevenue is currently contacting 1.4 million residential property owners to advise them of their statutory requirements in respect of the next Local Property Tax (LPT) ‘valuation period’ (2022 to 2025). This includes determining the value of their properties at 1 November 2021, submitting their LPT Return by 7 November 2021 and confirming a payment option for 2022. This submitting of a return is distinct from making payment of the liability.
In selecting a payment option, single property owners - both those who filed by paper and online - can choose to pay their LPT liability, in full or on a phased basis over the year, through approved third-party service providers (An Post, Omnivend and Payzone). This arrangement, which is included under ‘payment options’ on both the paper and online versions of the LPT Return, clearly references the three approved providers and is available to more than 1.2 million (87%) of the 1.4 million property owners listed on the LPT Register.
The arrangements are slightly different for approximately 180,000 (13%) owners of more than one residential property in that they are required to meet their LPT filing and payment obligations electronically, in accordance with Section 44 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 (as amended). As such, use of the third-party service providers is not an option for them. However, they can still avail of a wide variety of payment options, which are set out on the Revenue website.
84. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the possibilities for redress on claims under the Insurance Compensation Fund of Ireland for persons who were insured by a company (details supplied) which was regulated by the Central Bank and has since entered administration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46878/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrometheus Insurance Company Ltd (‘Prometheus’), formally known as Tradewise Insurance, is domiciled in Gibraltar and regulated by the Financial Services Commission there. It operated in Ireland under the EU freedom to provide services provisions.
On 31 December 2019, Prometheus, ceased writing new business and went into run-off. On 27 January 2021 the Supreme Court of Gibraltar appointed Mr. Frederick White of Grant Thornton Ltd as Administrator of Prometheus. Efforts are currently underway to establish whether, legally, the Administrator can access the Insurance Compensation Fund to compensate Irish customers who have claims that the company cannot meet.
In this regard, the State Claims Agency has had ongoing contact with the Administrator on the matter. The initial documentation required to perform the legal assessment has been received by the State Claims Agency and is at present under review by it. However, I understand that it may take some time before a final legal determination on the accessibility of the Insurance Compensation Fund for policyholders of Prometheus can be made.
My officials continue to monitor this situation and will continue to engagement with the Central Bank of Ireland and the State Claims Agency on this matter.
87. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Finance the total spend on external contractors, consultancy services and other outsourcing in 2018 and 2019. [46926/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am taking the Deputy's use of the wording 'total spend on external contractors, consultancy services and other outsourcing' to refer to my Department's annual consultancy expenditure which includes payments in respect of consultancy services, professional fees, and legal advice.
I can advise the Deputy that the amounts my Department incurred in respect of such services in 2018 and 2019 are outlined in the following table.
|
Year |
Amount in € |
|
2018 |
1,969,036 |
|
2019 |
1,287,478 |
88. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Finance the status of the forthcoming Pan-European Personal Pension Regulation; the supports that are being given to companies seeking to develop PEPPs from Ireland (details supplied); the discussions that have taken place on appointing the national competent authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46973/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe European Commission proposal for a Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP) was adopted by Council in 2019. Separately, the Level II Regulatory Technical Standards were approved by Council and published in March 2021. Accordingly, the Regulation will enter into application in Quarter 1 2022.
My Department had domestic responsibility for negotiating this file and has engaged with key domestic stakeholders such as the Department of Social Protection, the Pensions Authority, the Central Bank of Ireland and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners as part of the negotiation process.
Work is ongoing within my Department on the necessary transposition work with a view to completing the work within the time-frame. The first PEPP products may be expected to come to the market in 2022. Providers and distributors will follow the normal approval process through the relevant national authorities to ensure they and their products comply with the necessary requirements.
The objective of the PEPP is to lay the foundations for a safer, more cost-efficient and transparent market in affordable and voluntary personal pension savings that can be managed on a pan-European scale. It is envisaged that the PEPP framework will constitute a complementary voluntary scheme alongside national regimes.
It is far too early to say what the impact of the PEPP will have on the pensions market but the PEPP may introduce greater competition in the pension market if European providers offer the PEPP to Irish savers on a cross-border basis. This in turn should help lead to better retirement outcomes for pension savers.
89. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered introducing income tax relief for owner-occupiers of homes affected by pyrite and fire defects as well as VAT rebates for social landlords affected by these issues and the resulting costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46986/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has established an Independent Working Group to examine the issue of defective housing. Officials from my Department participate in this Working Group. The objectives of the group are to identify the scope of relevant significant defects in housing, to evaluate the scale of housing affected, to propose a means of prioritising defects, to evaluate the cost of remediation, to recommend appropriate mechanisms for resolving defects and, to consider financing options in line with the Programme for Government commitment to identifying options for those impacted by defects to access low-cost, long-term finance.
Separately, my Department's Tax Expenditure Guidelines are clear that a tax-based intervention should only be considered where it would be more efficient than a direct expenditure measure.
In the circumstances, consideration of an intervention along the lines mentioned by the Deputy would seem to be premature at this point.
90. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding a flood relief scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47655/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra91. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will ascertain from the Office of Public Works the up-to-date position with a scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46850/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) submitted the Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme documentation to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for Statutory Confirmation under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995 on 28th September 2020.
As part of this statutory process, stakeholders were afforded a formal opportunity to provide comments on the environmental element of the proposed works. Following this consultation, independent consultants appointed by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), carried out a review of the scheme documentation. Following this review, supplementary information was requested by DPER in May 2021 and provided by the OPW in July 2021. The scheme is currently awaiting confirmation from the Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform.
The Department Of Public Expenditure and Reform has advised that it has received final technical reports from their environmental consultants on the proposed flood relief scheme, following clarifications they sought from the OPW on further information recently provided in relation to the proposed works.
The Department is now finalising its review and a decision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether or not to make an order confirming the scheme under the Arterial Drainage Acts is now imminent and will be communicated to the OPW shortly.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform wrote to the OPW on the 27th September 2021 with a further update indicating the specific conditions under which Ministerial Consent to progress the scheme might be granted under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. The OPW's Project Team is currently reviewing this information and will respond to DPER as soon as possible.
Further information will be provided on the project website, which is available at www.floodinfo.ie/frs/en/crossmolina/home/
92. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total spend on external contractors, consultancy services and other outsourcing in 2018 and 2019. [46932/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that details of the consultancy services, professional fees and legal advice spend by my Department is regularly updated and published on gov.ie. Details of this spend since the Department’s establishment in 2011 up to the end of April 2021 can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/8b97d6-consultancy-costs/. In addition, the relevant information regarding my Department's spend on external contractors, as set out in the Guidelines for the Engagement of Consultants and Other External Support by the Civil Service, is set out in the following table.
|
Role of Contractor |
2018 Spend |
2019 Spend |
|
ICT Support* |
€5,589,750 |
€6,093,525 |
|
Facilities Management |
€308,745 |
€306,330 |
*The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, as part of the Build to Share initiative, provides a wide range of common services to Departments, Agencies and Public Service Bodies which includes the use of a range of external contractors to support the development and delivery of these services.
93. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding a project (details supplied); the actions being taken in relation to this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47002/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Commissioners of Public Works (OPW) are actively engaged with Mayo County Council in relation to the transfer of the site identified for the new Coast Guard Station in Westport to the OPW.
Legal contracts for the transfer of the site have been agreed and are ready for execution subject to vacant possession. Full Planning Permission has been granted and the project tender and design documents have been prepared for the new Coast Guard Station. When the site is formally transferred, the project will progress to tender stage followed by the appointment of contractor to commence construction.
94. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Mairéad Farrell den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán cén dul chun cinn atá déanta maidir le plean chun Baile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta a fhorbairt do bhaile an Chlocháin agus do bhaile an Róba; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [46918/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFaoi réir alt 9(2) d' Acht na Gaeltachta is gá fógra a dhéanamh ag tabhairt le fios go bhfuil sé ar intinn an baile i gceist a ainmniú mar Bhaile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta ach plean teanga sásúil a bheith ullmhaithe agus ceadaithe faoin bpróiseas
Uair amháin go ndéantar na fógraí sa dá chás seo, beidh tréimhse míosa ag eagraíochtaí cáilithe chun iarratas a dhéanamh chun a bheith roghnaithe le plean a ullmhú agus a fheidhmiú don dá bhaile faoi seach.
Cuirfear ciste ar fiú suas le €20,000 ar fáil do na heagraíochtaí a roghnaítear chun cabhrú le hullmhú na bpleananna. Ach pleananna an dá bhaile a bheith faofa faoin bpróiseas cuirfear ciste bliantúil ar fiú €80,000 ar fáil thar thréimhse seacht mbliana chun cúram a dhéanamh d'fheidhmiú na bpleananna.
Tá céimeanna idir lámha ag an Roinn faoi láthair chun go ndéanfar na fógraí seo gan mhoill - rud a chuirfidh ar chumas Foras na Gaeilge na chéad chéimeanna eile a ghlacadh agus tabhairt faoi ceanneagraíochtaí a roghnú don chúram.
95. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the total spend on external contractors, consultancy services and other outsourcing in 2018 and 2019. [46936/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, my Department assumed its current configuration in June 2020 following the General Election. Details of expenditure for the period incurred by the Department in its previous configuration is available in the published Appropriation Accounts in respect of Vote 34 for 2018 and 2019 (Vote 34) which are available at www.audit.gov.ie/en/find-report/publications/appropriation%20accounts/.
For the Deputy's information, I am advised that my Department does not currently, and has not in previous years, engaged in outsourcing to external contractors in respect of its core activities. Details of expenditure on Consultancy Services is detailed in the appropriation accounts under the Administrative Budget (vii) Consultancy Services and Value for Money and Policy Reviews. The Deputy may wish to note that there was no such expenditure recorded for the periods specified.
As has been previously advised to the House, my Department commissions experts from time to time to provide technical reports or advice on specific issues. This work is not classified as consultancy services and is not funded from my Department's Administrative Budget. All contracts with a value of over €20k, including those entered into during the period in question, are published on the Departments website, at www.gov.ie/en/collection/b0034-purchase-orders/.
I trust that the above is of assistance to the Deputy.
96. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to require local housing authorities to update social housing heating systems from solid fuel heating to oil heating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47050/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 2007 it has been a requirement that all new dwellings, including local authority owned social homes, have renewable energy systems installed, with a requirement for all new dwellings to achieve Nearly Zero Energy building performance being introduced in 2019. In 2020 the Programme for Government included a commitment to retrofit approximately 500,000 homes by 2030 to a B2/cost optimal BER standard. It is expected that approximately 36,500 of those homes will be owned by the local authority sector.
In response to the Programme for Government commitment my Department launched a newly revised ten year Energy Efficiency Programme in 2021 for local authority owned housing. This new programme set a BER performance requirement of “B2” or cost optimal level. The upscaling of the works included in the programme sees a substantial overall increase in funding made available for insulation, windows and doors, with a significant increase for the upgrading of the heating system, specifically for the installation of a Heat Pump and associated works. The installation of gas/oil boilers are no longer supported under the energy efficiency programme funded by my Department.
97. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made by the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group established to examine issues related to the use of peat moss in the horticulture sector. [46902/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI established the working group referred to by the Deputy, under independent chairman Dr. Munoo Prasad, to examine important issues which had been identified during the Review of the use of Peat in the Horticultural Industry.
The working group is comprised of representatives of the relevant Government Departments, State Bodies and Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations and sectors within the horticultural industry.
Dr Prasad has held 11 meetings of the working group to date, and has had a number of presentations, from, for example, the Chair of the UK Growing Media Association, an Associate Professor at the School of Agriculture and Food Science in UCD, Teagasc and from growing media producers and horticultural industry growers.
The Chair of the Working Group has indicated to me in recent days that he will submit his Final Report to me before the end of October. This report is expected to identify possible alternatives to peat and to outline the research required to produce commercially effective alternatives for the Horticulture sector.
98. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total spend on external contractors, consultancy services and other outsourcing in 2018 and 2019. [46930/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
|
Total Spend on External Contractors – including other Outsourcing (€) |
Total Spend on Consultancy Services (€) |
|
|
2019 |
9,604,425 |
1,479,542 |
|
2018 |
7,001,232 |
1,495,581 |
99. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 605 to 608, inclusive, of 27 July 2021, in particular with regard to the stated cost of the contract for his Department's national urban gull survey, and, regarding the €75,250, excluding VAT, the way the survey was funded. [46944/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra100. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 609 of 27 July 2021, if he will provide a date for publication of the survey results with regard to his Department’s national urban seagull survey conducted earlier in 2021. [46945/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together.
Following the standard public procurement process, my Department issued a contract to an experienced and expert company to lead on the Irish survey work. The network of my Department’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conservation rangers has also undertaken a significant amount of the survey work which has helped keep the overall costs of this work down. The cost of the contract is €75,250 (excluding VAT). This is funded from the Department's vote.
A report of the survey results is currently at draft stage. It is not possible to give a precise publication date at this point.
101. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether urban seagull colonies are having serious negative impacts on communities such that proportionate measures are urgently required to mitigate such impacts in the interests of public health and safety (details supplied); if so, the proportionate measures he plans to take; and the date he will announce such measures. [46946/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy officials are in the process of assessing the recommendations of the first interim report of the Consultative Committee, which undertook a review of the issues relating to the impact of gulls in urban areas.
This assessment will inform the resourcing and other implications (including legal) required to implement the recommendations, where appropriate. This work is ongoing.
