I point to the work streams we have under way in this space, because it can seem quite abstract when we talk about it in respect of what it means in practice. For me, it means transposing the EU whistleblowing directive and strengthening the protected disclosure legislation. The Deputy is aware that I will shortly be bringing forward legislation in that regard. We have commenced a review of the ethics legislation and that is a significant body of work. We still have outstanding recommendations from tribunals of inq…

I acknowledge the work that the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach has been doing on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed protected disclosures (amendment) Bill because, as the Deputy is aware, we are obliged to transpose that EU directive by the end of this year. I look forward to receiving the committee's report. It was a comprehensive scrutiny process and I anticipate that we will be getting that report shortly. We are now at an advanced stage of the drafting of the …

I thank the Deputy. The European Union’s €800 billion NextGenerationEU recovery instrument, along with its €1.2 trillion seven-year budget, is central to the Union’s response to the global pandemic. The aim of NextGenerationEU is to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the pandemic and to prepare for a post-Covid Europe that is greener, more digital, more resilient and fit to face the future. The recovery and resilience facility is the largest component of NextGenerationEU, making m…

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his strong support for the Cork area commuter rail programme, which he has been advocating to the Government for some time. It is a very exciting programme. Its total cost is €185 million over the five-year period from 2021 to 2026. It involves significant enhancement and development of the rail network over approximately 62 km from Mallow through Cork to Cobh and on to Midleton. The main construction contract will be signed next year, as well as the contract on the electric train…

We are expected to receive €915 million in grants in 2021 and 2022, with a further set to be allocated in 2023 under the recovery and resilience facility. Since this is EU funding, there is a significant amount of compliance required and we have to ensure we act in a manner that is consistent with the regulations. The instrument is performance based. Ireland will make its first payment claim to the Commission in the second half of 2022 and in each subsequent year until 2026. Over the course of the programme period,…

I thank the Deputy for his question and his ongoing interest in the Brexit issue. The full implications of the UK's departure from the EU remain to be seen but they will be significant. We need to remember that the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not replicate the status quo . Seamless trade no longer exists. This is why the Government has been working to prepare for Brexit for several years. Our total Brexit-related expenditure since the UK referendum on EU membership is now over €1 billion. The Brexit …

I acknowledge and welcome the Deputy's comments on this. When it comes to the selection of individual projects, it is a matter for the line Minister and line Department but, as part of the NDP, we have agreed to multi-annual capital ceilings. For example, the Department of Transport now knows what it will have by way of a capital budget for each year until 2025. Indeed, it has its total envelope to 2030 confirmed as part of the NDP. It will amount to €35 billion over the period. I will be working with the Minister …

I thank the Deputy. He has made some important points. The deployment of the Brexit adjustment reserve will be so important for our country. We are getting the lion's share among member states because we are undoubtedly the country that is most impacted by Brexit. What we have to do is match those resources with the sectors that require additional support to counter the adverse consequences associated with Brexit. We have defined those areas already. Some of them are very much consistent with what the Deputy has st…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. At the outset, it should be noted that my Department, in carrying out its role in co-ordinating the NDP review, does not consider the merit of individual projects or sectoral policy strategies, as this is primarily a matter for individual Departments and agencies. With that point noted, I would be glad to give the Deputy an overview of the NSO 6, which is the delivery of high-quality international connectivity. As an island, continued investment in our port and airport conn…

I thank the Deputy. I fully agree with his sentiment on the importance of Shannon Airport to the mid-west region. I acknowledge his continued support for, and his regular advocacy in respect of, the continued development of Shannon Airport. As the Deputy is aware, on budget day we announced a €126 million aviation funding package, of which €90 million will be made available in a very short period to time to the State airports, namely, Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports. The same methodology was used in respect of th…

I thank the Deputy. It is ultimately about services and routes for us, as an island nation, as we continue to grapple with Covid and as we seek to rebuild our international connectivity. It will be very important that we continue to provide extensive support to our airports. This is why we have made an intervention of the magnitude we have in the context of the budget for 2022. As the Deputy knows, some of this funding can be made available immediately. We recognise this is a significant challenge. The Deputy touch…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 110 together. My role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has involved setting the allocations for capital expenditure across a number of Departments relevant to this national strategic outcome. National strategic outcome No. 3 seeks to strengthen rural economies and communities. This applies in terms of the traditional pillars of the rural economy as well as those emerging from such developments as improved transport connectivity, national broadband delivery, clima…

I thank Deputy Crowe. I join with him in acknowledging the good work of Councillor Murphy and others in Kilkee. I agree with his point that one of the fallouts from Covid has been that it has opened up opportunities for rural towns and villages throughout Ireland because remote working is here to stay to some extent. We will see a blended form of working in future. This means more people spending more time in their local communities. This will enrich these communities and allow people to spend more of their money l…

I thank the Deputy. It is important to underline the point that the national development plan is not a comprehensive list of every project that will happen over the coming ten years. It is fundamentally a high-level document that sets out the overall strategic priorities for the Government and the financial framework available to support capital investment over the period. The fact an individual project is not explicitly referenced does not preclude it from being progressed or from being fully delivered over the co…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. My Department's role in public private partnerships is to maintain and develop the general policy framework, including, where necessary, the legal framework within which PPPs operate. It also provides central guidance to other Departments and State authorities in that context. My Department has no direct involvement in the procurement or delivery of individual PPP projects. Therefore, the delivery of the technological higher education sector projects, through the use of PP…

I thank the Deputy. It is important to say that the PPP method should only be used where value for money can be demonstrated. It is one option in terms of the possible financing of a range of projects. There are currently 11 higher education projects in the pipeline for delivery by way of PPP. They are split into two bundles. The Deputy probably has all the details, but I am happy to provide them separately to her if necessary. It is important to make the point that if one is comparing the cost of a PPP with the Ex…

I want to assure the Deputy that the appraisal process is rigorous. It is worth putting the figures in context. The annual cost of the unitary payment charges in respect of operational PPPs was approximately €320 million in 2020, at a time when the State's public capital investment programme was in the order of €10 billion. The contracted capital value of all PPPs in operation or under construction is over €5 billion. We have now committed to a public capital investment programme out to 2030 of €165 billion. I agre…

INTRODUCTION Each and every one of us can probably remember where we were when the realisation began to dawn that the global pandemic was not like anything we had experienced in living memory. Overnight, the things we took for granted, the things we value the most, were taken from us. Our instinct and need to interact with each other was the very thing that put us most at risk. For the past year and a half, we have walked a long road together. We did not know what we would encounter along the way. There have been m…

I thank the Deputy for her question. The position in respect of Covid-19 absences in the public service has not changed since her previous question on the matter, which was answered in January. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided that special leave with pay would be used for self-isolation or a diagnosis of Covid-19 for public service employees in order to assist with the prevention of the onward spread of Covid in the workplace. The arrangements relating to special leave with pay are reviewed and…

That sounds like a very difficult case. My thoughts are with that lady. It might be helpful for me to put on the record the arrangements for special leave with pay in the context of Covid. Where an employee had been in the work premises outside of home during the 14 days prior to contracting Covid, special leave with pay may be paid, including for long Covid where necessary and for as long as needed. Where an employee has not been in the workplace in the 14 days prior to contracting Covid, special leave with pay ma…