I thank the Deputy. I know and understand some of what is being said around Letterkenny and surgical capacity for the north-west region. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has been engaging with the Deputy and other representatives of the north west in the context of the surgical demand that is there. She is engaging in that process in good faith. Over the coming period, we will set out the future plans around surgical capacity for the north west, where there is significant demand. She is listening t…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, noting that the Government on the 24th June, 2025, nominated Brian Doherty for appointment by the President as An Leas-Ombudsman Póilíneachta, recommends, pursuant to section 171(3)(b) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 that Brian Doherty be appointed by the President as An Leas-Ombudsman Póilíneachta.

I move: That, notwithstanding Standing Order 222 of the Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann relative to Public Business or the Resolutions of the Dáil of 1st April, 2025 and 21st May, 2025, the following Revised Estimates and Second Further Revised Estimate for Public Services for the year ending 31st December, 2025, be presented to the Dáil and circulated to members on 17th June, 2025, being a date later than that prescribed for the presentation of Estimates: Vote 11 — Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Servic…

Deputy Neville is correct. We need to see a specific focus on basic, strategic infrastructure in the review of the national development plan. That is why the Government has set out prioritisation around transport, energy, water and housing in particular. I am familiar with Leixlip as it borders my constituency. Clearly the area has grown significantly, with infrastructure that was built some time ago. These are the types of broader infrastructure projects which are needed to manage the increase in population we hav…

I launched the new accelerating infrastructure task force on Friday 16 May. At the task force's first meeting, the terms of reference were agreed and there was a discussion of the work plan of the Department's newly established infrastructure division over the coming months. Primarily, the role of the task force is to provide its members' expertise and guidance to assist my Department's work programme of identifying and addressing barriers to the delivery of infrastructure in order to accelerate the development of …

The construction sector group has a distinct and separate mandate. It continues to do excellent work. We have identified, and the Deputy will have seen this in her broad engagement with people in south Conamara or, indeed, with stakeholders across the economy, that there are many barriers impeding delivery. The task force’s central mandate is to have a short period to identify these barriers, develop significant reforms to cut through some of the processes involved and the barriers to delivery and ensure that we ov…

I do not disagree with much of what the Deputy said. There are often too many reports which contain endless recommendations. We have tried to change our approach to how this process is working. It is how we can identify high-impact reforms that are implementable and timebound that will make an objective difference. That has been the central mandate of the task force. That is why there will be a report by the summer. The outworking of it, and the core remit of the task force, is to oversee, with me chairing it, the …

The programme for Government significantly expanded my Department’s work on infrastructure and included the establishment of a new infrastructure division. The division's specific responsibilities and deliverables are being progressed as part of the Department's forthcoming statement of strategy, which will go to Government in advance of the summer. To be of assistance to the Deputy, the key Government commitments that the infrastructure division will be responsible for delivering in the short term are: an early re…

I make the point that it is all too slow and that is the basis of the reform process happening in parallel with the work of the review of the national development plan. That is why additionality by itself will not move the dial and why the report on the barriers to infrastructure delivery will be finalised in July. That will work in parallel with the updated review of the national development plan, whether they are published on the same day or not is something we have to sequence. However, the plan is to have both …

There are countless projects in the national development plan that are caught in endless delays. This is not about the work I am doing at the centre of Government. It is not about one particular project or pet project that the Deputy or anyone else might have. It is about how we change the life cycle of projects universally, so we accelerate for priorities set out in the national development plan. We are taking the international experience as a key evidence base for how we bring about the reforms that need to be st…

My Department works to serve the country, its people and the Government by delivering well-managed and well-targeted public spending, delivered through modernised, effective and accountable public services. The process around outsourcing set out in the public service pay agreement states that where outsourcing is being considered in respect of an existing service, both official and staff sides will consult on the development of a service plan which evaluates and compares the in-house service and the outsourcing opt…

All public bodies are obliged to treat public funds with care and to ensure the best value for money is obtained wherever public money is spent or invested. It is the responsibility of the relevant Department to ensure procedures are in place for compliance with all required procedures within the Department or office or the bodies under its aegis. It is a matter for each Accounting Officer with the associated agencies to ensure compliance with the Public Spending Code, public financial procedures and relevant circu…

Some of the examples the Deputy references are shocking. Where there is maltreatment or misuse of public funds, it should be reported to the Accounting Officer, Department and line Minister involved. There are often service-level agreements that underpin the money put forward for the service to be provided. If it is not being provided or the public good is being undermined or not followed through in the context of the service-level agreement, that should be reported and there should be full accountability through t…

I thank the Deputy. As she is aware, a broad range of factors influence staff recruitment and retention. As a result of Ireland's significant economic growth, unemployment is low and labour market conditions remain tight. Labour and skills shortages are presenting recruitment and retention challenges for employers across the labour market, including the civil and public service, as the Deputy mentioned. Despite this, staff numbers in the public sector have continued to grow significantly. Between 2015 and quarter 1…

I will follow up in the next round.

As I was going to say before I had to conclude, there is a local bargaining provision that allows management and unions to negotiate changes to pay and terms and conditions up to a maximum of 3% of pay costs for the relevant grade. The first instalment under this provision, equivalent to 1% of pay costs, is due to be implemented from 1 September 2025 and negotiations are commencing at local level across the public service. This agreement, like its predecessor, is weighted towards lower paid public servants. Over th…

Many public servants working here are involved in the bargaining process, which the trade unions were centrally involved in for the current public pay agreement. That collective pay agreement has brought industrial peace to our country relative to many other countries in Europe and elsewhere. It is important for that collaboration to continue. The emphasis of the current public sector agreement is on lower paid workers, including teachers, nurses and others as they exit college. There are significant other supports…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 84, 132 and 136 together. I thank the Deputy and the other Deputies who have also raised this matter. As Deputy O'Callaghan will be aware, we are committed in the programme for Government to updating the ethics in public office legislation. This follows a wide-ranging review of the legislative framework for ethics in public life that my Department undertook during the term of the previous Government, the report and findings of which were published in February 2023. The report's reco…

I thank both of the Deputies. I am in the Department a number of months and my commitment is to bring forward a general scheme but I want to make sure that, as I am advancing that, I examine the long history to this which has been referenced. The history has been too long. Deputy Connolly referenced 2009 and Deputy O'Callaghan referenced other time points. I want to bring forward a general scheme that can be examined by Members to try to strengthen the framework that is there. I am committed to doing that but I hav…

Deputy Connolly listed a broad range of policy areas which have to be considered in the context of a scheme which will be brought forward-----