Written Answers Nos. 237-250
237. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9552/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the Deputy’s question regarding the delays experienced by retired members of Technological Universities in receiving pension increases under the Building Momentum Agreement.
The National Shared Services Office (NSSO) operate the pension payroll on behalf of the Technological Universities.
The NSSO is working closely with the various institutions to process these pension increases as quickly as possible.
When the outstanding increase payments for these pensioners have been notified, the NSSO will endeavour to deliver the pay increases as soon as possible to their customers
In relation to the person (details supplied), pension increases were notified to the NSSO by the relevant institution and increases will be applied by the end of Quarter 1, 2023.
238. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will confirm which portion of the Natural History Museum is closing for renovations; the length of time it will be closed for; if the exhibits will be moved to another building for public viewing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9558/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D. announced her approval to proceed to the design phase of the Natural History Museum redevelopment project on 4th January 2023.
During this phase of the project the OPW will be working with the National Museum of Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to develop the Detailed Project Brief and Procurement Strategy as per Public Spending Code guidelines.
This will comprise of a number of steps including the confirmation of scope, confirmation of underpinning assumptions, an assessment of risks and the development of a Risk Management Strategy and the clear articulation of all design requirements and restrictions.
The NMI are responsible for the operations of the Natural History Museum and, as such, the planning for closures of the museum and decant of the collection.
All of this will feed into the development of a detailed delivery programme and project execution planning. Until that stage it would be premature to comment on phasing or duration of any elements of what will be a complex but exciting project that will see the museum continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
239. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will investigate the reason flood risk is being excluded from insurance policies for households in an area (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the extensive flood mitigation works which were carried out in this area, the significant Government funding which was allocated for these remedial works, the standard of the works which were carried out and the positive impact of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9619/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme provides funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies, costing up to €0.75 million each, to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas.
Under this scheme, the OPW has provided funding to Mayo County Council for the construction of embankments in the Carraholly area to protect individual properties from coastal flooding.
The Department of Finance has overall responsibility for policy matters in relation to insurance and has provided the following information for inclusion in the response to this PQ:
"It should be noted that the provision of insurance cover and the price at which it is offered is a commercial matter for insurance companies providing the service and is based on an assessment of the risks that such companies are willing to accept. Under the EU Solvency II Directive, neither the Minister for Finance, nor the Central Bank of Ireland can compel insurers to provide such cover.
The Government continues to engage on all aspects of insurance reform, including flood insurance. These matters are a priority for this Government and efforts continue to be made to encourage a responsive approach from the insurance industry in regard to this issue."
240. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on plans to paint Shannon Garda Station. [9625/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works can confirm that a routine inspection early last year at Shannon Garda Station raised concerns in respect to cracking observed in the external façade of the building. The OPW appointed external consultants to investigate the cause of this cracking and the consultant’s report confirmed the presence of pyrite in the external leaf of the building.
Further in-depth testing is currently underway to determine the extent of pyrite present. The OPW will assess the remediation options available, when the results of these additional investigations are complete.
Based on the professional advice to date, the building is safe to occupy. The situation is being closely monitored with regular inspections scheduled.
Works at Shannon Garda Station will be limited to necessary routine maintenance, with the proposed painting of the external façade on hold until further notice.
243. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the recent discussions he has had with the Ballymackeogh and Kilmastulla Drainage Committee and the local authority regarding flooding (details supplied) in County Tipperary; the measures that will be implemented to address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9842/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy is being compiled by the Office of Public Works that will provide an answer to the Deputy regarding the matter.
244. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide a schedule of social media influencers and online personalities, television and or radio personalities engaged by his Department and bodies under his aegis in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; if he will include the fees expended, name of personality and campaign they were engaged on; and if he will also provide the key performance indicators in respect of their engagement [9904/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy for my Department, which includes the Office of Government Procurement, and the bodies under its aegis is set out in the tables below. The Deputy will note that the names of the individuals who provided the services in question have not been included as this would constitute the provision of their personal information in the context of the General Data Protection Regulations.
The Deputy may also wish to note that, in addition to the information below, my Department has a contract with Carr Communications who are responsible for curating a series of webinars on the area of Health and Well-being, to support the Civil Service Health and Well-being Framework, enabling staff to positively manage and nurture their own mental and physical health. The webinars are hosted on WebEx, recorded and made available on the OneLearning Learning Management System for a specified period of time. Carr Communications source and provide all of the speakers for these event. Webinars are sponsored by individual Civil Service Bodies on a rota basis, who are invoiced directly by Carr Communications.
Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
|
Year |
Profession of individual providing the service |
Purpose |
Fee |
KPI indicators |
|
2023 (to date) |
Radio / TV Personality |
Host of the Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards |
€3,690 |
Presenting the Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards ceremony |
|
2022 |
Broadcaster/ Mental Health advocate |
Speaker for Men’s Health Awareness Month |
€500 |
Part of the Department’s Health & Well-being programme for its staff |
|
2021 |
Athlete |
Speaker for Mental Health Talk |
€984 |
Part of the Department’s Health & Well-being programme for its staff |
Office of Government Procurement (OGP)
|
Year |
Profession of individual providing the service |
Purpose |
Fee |
KPI indicators |
|
2022 |
Print and Broadcast Journalist |
Master of Ceremony for the first day of the OGP Client Conference event in Dublin Castle |
€2,460 |
Acting as Master of Ceremony at the OGP Client Conference |
Bodies under the aegis
Office of Public Works (OPW)
|
Year |
Profession of individual providing the service |
Purpose |
Fee |
KPI Indicators |
|
2021 |
Broadcaster / TV personality |
OPW Biodiversity Strategy – Voice over for video for OPW Staff and for use on Social Media |
€800 |
Approximately 2,000 staff and 70,000 OPW Social Media followers |
|
2022 |
Mother, blogger and photographer |
Promotion of free public education events for Biodiversity Week at Kilkenny Castle |
€1,620 |
Reach - 125,152 Impressions - 185,898 Engagements - 136,000 |
|
Mother, blogger |
Phoenix Park family-friendly biodiversity wildlife activities programme and trees |
€1,500 |
Reach - 148,723 Impressions - 148,723 Engagements - 123,000 |
|
|
Mother, blogger |
Promotion of Biodiversity and Honey Festival |
€1,500 |
Reach - 148,723 Impressions - 148,723 Engagements - 123,000 |
|
|
Artist |
Promotion of Casino Marino limited reopening period and promote the exhibition #ForTheLoveOfTheMaster |
€1,230 |
Reach - 24,240 Impressions - 55,574 Engagements - 18,246 |
|
|
Author |
Castletown House – planting trees/pesticides and wildflower meadows |
€1,200 |
Reach - 168,425 Impressions - 168,425 Engagements - 115 |
Public Appointments Service (PAS)
|
Year |
Profession of individual providing the service |
Purpose |
Fee |
KPI Indicators |
|
2022 |
Secondary school teacher and social media influencer |
Public Jobs Schools Resource Initiative - Write, produce and share a video with audience to promote the publicjobs.ie schools competition to secondary school teachers, guidance counsellors and students |
€4,428 |
364,000 views |
|
TV presenter |
Public Jobs Schools Resource Initiative - MC the awards event for The Pitch competition for secondary school students on location in studio |
€3,075 |
Presented a bilingual (Irish and English) live stream involving 8 finalist schools and judging panel |
|
|
TV presenter |
Public Jobs Schools Resource Initiative - Write and produce 3 videos to promote the publicjobs.ie schools initiative showcasing lesson plan resources for teachers and students as well as guide videos on how to enter The Pitch - The Publicjobs.ie Schools Advertising Challenge |
€2,460 |
724,000 views |
|
|
2021 |
Secondary school teacher and social media influencer |
Public Jobs Schools Resource Initiative - Write, produce and share a video with audience to promote the publicjobs.ie schools initiative teaching resources to secondary school teachers and guidance counsellors |
€4,822 |
916,000 views |
245. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will seek responses on queries (details supplied) with respect to an issue which has come to light in respect of the cutting of trees at the Lynns, Annagassan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10037/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works (OPW) arterial drainage maintenance programme comprises 11,500km of river channel and approximately 800km of embankments. This provides drainage for 260,000 hectares of agricultural lands, as well as a level of protection from flooding to infrastructure, including in excess of 21,000 properties, 2,400 kilometres of roads and 77 towns and villages.
The OPW’s operational staff will generally contact a landowner prior to accessing their land. The maintenance work carried out on embankment E5 is included in the 2023 East Region Maintenance programme. The catchment was assessed by the OPW Environment Section, and Inland Fisheries Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service were notified about the 2023 programme.
An error occurred in this case, as it was thought that the area in question belonged to a different landowner. Following communication from the landowner, all work stopped and cut branches and trees were left in place. A member of the OPW staff contacted and apologised to the landowner concerned.
246. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the Office of Public Works has completed its review of the graduate architect scheme; his plans to ensure that all graduates on the scheme are paid the same, as opposed to currently, where the graduates seconded to the Departments of Education and Housing are paid more than the graduates seconded to the OPW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10054/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraA review of the Graduate Architect Scheme is currently in progress and is expected to be completed shortly. The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland pay graduate architects directly and set the pay scale for their graduates. The OPW reimburse the RIAI for this service. Pay increases for graduate architects are not a matter for individual Departments or Offices to negotiate as consistency across Civil Service Departments and relativities with wider pay scales are essential.
247. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the awards made both with and without a tender process to management consultancy firms (details supplied) by his Department and aegis bodies for each of the years 2018 to 2022 inclusive, in tabular form and classed by firm; the purpose and a brief description of the awards; the value of the awards and the total amounts paid; the timeline or timeframe of the contracts; and the desired or completed output. [10118/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra248. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the awards made both with and without a tender process to an organisation (details supplied) by his Department and aegis bodies for each of the years 2018 to 2022 inclusive, in tabular form; the purpose and a brief description of the awards; the value of the awards and the total amounts paid; the timeline or timeframe of the contracts; and the desired or completed output. [10136/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 248 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that a deferred reply will be issued to her in respect of these two Parliamentary Questions, in line with Standing Order 51(1)(b).
249. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he has ensured, or will ensure, that a person (details supplied) will receive appropriate pension payment increase entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10160/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, I have overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes.
However, operational matters regarding an individual's pension are initially a matter for the Minister of the parent Department for the body concerned, in this case the Minister for Justice. As a matter of course, this Department does not hold detailed information on individual public service pensioners.
To provide clarity in relation to the most recent pay deals and the pension increases applicable, please note that members of public service pension schemes other than the Single Pension Scheme 2013 are entitled to have pay increases applied to their pension where the pensionable rate of remuneration is less than or equal to the current salary scale of the grade.
The pay increases for 2022, and the first scheduled increase of 2023, are as follows:
- From the 2nd of February 2022, a 3% increase.
- From the 1st of October 2022, a 1% increase or €500, whichever is greater when applied to the payscale.
- From the 1st of February 2022, the equivalent of a 1% increase was provided via a sectoral bargaining fund. The use of this fund varies across sectors and may not always result in an increase for current or retired staff.
- From the 1st of March 2023, a 2% increase.
These increases may be fully or partially applicable based on the progress of FEMPI restoration for the relevant individual. The applicability of each increase should be checked by the pension administrator, who will confirm which increases should apply.
If a public service body are experiencing difficulty in applying the relevant circulars, or calculating the pension increases that apply, then this Department remains available to provide advice as needed.
250. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the Garda stations within the Meath Garda division that were refurbished by the OPW where the costs were in excess of €5,000 in the years of 2022 and to date in 2023; the nature of these works that were carried out; and if each capital works project is completed or still ongoing. [10183/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public works can confirm that refurbishment works, with costs in excess of €5,000, were carried out to Garda Stations in Meath Garda division in 2022 and to-date in 2023. The Garda Stations along with the nature and status of the works is outlined in the table below.
|
Meath Division Garda Stations |
Description of works where the costs were in excess of €5,000 |
Completed / Ongoing |
|
Kells GS |
Roof Remedial Works and Exterior Painting |
Completed |
|
Navan GS |
The construction of a new 2 storey extension to include 4 new cells, prisoner processing facilities with ancillary rooms and a new office accommodation above on the first floor. The provision of new pedestrian access and vehicle access control. |
Completed with Handover scheduled to take place on March 2nd 2023. |
|
Navan GS |
Repairs to Roof of existing building at Navan GS |
Completed |
|
Trim |
Conversion of locker room into an office |
Completed |
|
Ashbourne |
Installation of CCTV System Installation of access control system |
Completed Completed |
|
Duleek |
Upgrade of heating system & Main electrical distribution board |
Completed |
