I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 6 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that I am currently finalising a new digital strategy for the civil and public service. The strategy will address the digitalisation of public services theme in the national digital strategy, which the Government intends to publish later this month. The strategy acknowledges the contribution of digitalisation to transform public services and builds on progress made to date under previous strategies. It also recognises the potential of di…

I thank Deputy Nash. Earlier, he referred to the fact that we have 3 million MyGovID accounts. Much of this was driven by people not being able to go into Government offices that were closed down because of the pandemic or wanting to do things online to keep a degree of separation. We have a very broad electronic ID. We have a form of authentication that has a very wide uptake compared with similar forms in the average European country. What we do not have is the breadth of Government services available. The number…

Deputy Nash has referred to the need to avoid having to type in one's information again and again. That is referred to as the once only principle. It is a common principle across Europe that people should have the convenience of being able to store their information. That requires joined-up government and the data sharing Act which has been put in place. Large sections of that Act were very recently commenced. These include the appointment of the data sharing board. We cannot just push the data out to everybody wit…

As ever, it is an honour to be here. The Appropriation Bill 2021 is an essential element of financial housekeeping that must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the end of this year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, the Appropriation Bill is necessary to authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2021 on the basis of the Estimates that have been voted on by the Dáil during the year. Section 1 and Schedule 1 set out the amounts to be appropriated for supply servi…

I thank Senator McDowell for making the ingenious connection between the historic function of the Appropriation Acts in a monarchic parliament, the importance of being able to hold the Executive to account, the functions of the Appropriation Acts in that regard, and how this relates to Covid-19 oversight in our current age. During the interregnum, we had a vacuum of committees and oversight facilities. Something ad hoc was constructed in a hurry. It was much better than nothing. It meant that there was a place. A s…

We are all looking forward to Senator McDowell's guerrilla action. If he wants to bring forward specific proposals on how our systems of oversight can be changed, or if he wants to ask questions about it, I would be happy to indulge him. Senator Kyne brought up the issue of councillors’ pay. When he mentioned that last year, he asked when the Moorhead report was going to be implemented. It has now been implemented. Senator Buttimer said he is not entirely happy with the pay situation for county councillors. I think…

-----to the gratuities system. Would Senator Buttimer like to contact me and tell me in what way he is unhappy with the gratuity payments?

I would be happy to talk to him about that. Senator Kyne referenced constitutional changes that may be needed. It is a constitutional imperative to pass the Appropriation Bill today. We ran into a constitutional challenge and there was a sense of impending constitutional crisis. Senator McDowell even went to the High Court to establish whether the Seanad was properly constituted and so on. We had other problems. For example, we in the Dáil could not vote remotely and had to move to the convention centre, which hing…

I should not have to ask. My grandfather was the station master in Cloughjordan and many of my supporters probably live there. There is a large expenditure programme for that line. I will find out what progress there has been. The Senator mentioned that it was a four-year project and how he would like it to happen over a shorter period.

I thank Senator Buttimer for welcoming the Cork-Dublin line improvements. It is one of the premier rail lines in the country and it is important that it receive investment. It is something that will make people switch out of cars. The Senator is right that a considerable amount of money is being spent. While this debate is a formality in some ways, given that the Opposition will not be challenging the Bill, it has to be done. It is a constitutional imperative. Otherwise, we will not be able to spend money. There ar…

I am not a Minister of State at the Department of Finance. I am at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. However, I am in the same corridor as the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and if Senator Buttimer sends me the specifics of proposals to support the hospitality sector, I would be very happy to give them to the Minister. Senator McDowell is absolutely right in his comments about Limerick. Dividing societies is a bad idea. It is a hazard of zoning. It is important in planning that we do not create ghettos or…

I meant it.

On behalf of the Minister for Justice I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Deputy Ó Ríordáin will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. The allocation of Garda resources is made in light of identified operational demand and as such, the Minister for Justice has no direct role in the allocation of Garda resources. However, I am advised that the Dublin metropolitan region…

I thank the Deputy. I understand his frustration. I am informed a new Garda building and refurbishment programme 2022 to 2027 is being developed by Garda Síochána estates in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, OPW, and officials from the Department of Justice. I further understand An Garda Síochána has had an exploratory discussion with Dublin City Council on the development of a new Garda station to service the greater Belmayne, Clongriffin, Coolock and Darndale areas of the north Dublin metropolitan regi…

The national broadband plan is one of the most ambitious rural broadband plans in the world. I have spoken to Ministers from throughout Europe and nobody is trying to connect every rural home, business and farm to fibre broadband. I expect that by the end of this month, between 50,000 and 60,000 homes in the intervention area will be able to order or preorder fibre broadband to their house for delivery. There is fibre broadband construction for 121,000 homes at the moment, and in the past 12 months, ComReg's figure…

I am here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who has a cold and cannot be here and sends his apologies. The Government is acutely aware of the impact the recent increases in energy prices are having on households. This is a global phenomenon and expert commentators, including the International Energy Agency, IEA, have attributed this to a range of demand and supply factors that have contributed to a tightening of the European gas market supplies and the upward trend in wholesale gas prices we have witnes…

I welcome the Deputy's offer to co-operate with the Government to bring this in as soon as possible. That absolutely makes sense. I also welcome Deputy McDonald's comments today that she welcomes this initiative and that it will bring some relief. In terms of when this can be done, we cannot legislate before January but we will bring this in as soon as possible. With the co-operation of the Opposition I think we can bring it in very quickly. The target is to get it done in the first quarter. Of course, there are tw…

As for the options that are considered for dealing with energy poverty, a lot of work went into this before the budget. These were the discussions and calculations that took place to try to find who in the population needs the payment most, the best way to target it and the most efficient way to get that money out there. There was a range of things that went beyond the traditional measures such as increasing the fuel allowance by a number of euro. There was also an attempt to target people through the living alone …

The Government's policy statement on security of electricity supply sets out that the development of gas-fired generation is a national priority and should be permitted and supported in order to ensure security of electricity supply and support the growth of renewable electricity generation. The policy statement supports the need to deliver about 2 GW of new gas-fired generation which is set out in the National Development Plan 2021-2030 and the Climate Action Plan 2021. The need for this level of new gas-fired gen…

I thank the Deputy. The use of fossil fuels in Ireland is being reduced. We are now moving towards a target of having 80% of our electricity generated through renewable sources by 2030. That necessarily means a reduction in our fossil fuel use. Although we have more gas plants being built - I am sure the Deputy understands this point - an extra 2 GW of gas plant capacity does not mean we are burning gas in the plants all the time. It means we have the capacity in an emergency to bring up enough gas to continue to s…