In response to the Deputy's earlier contribution, I meant to acknowledge the support he has given to the temporary wage subsidy scheme and to the pandemic unemployment payment. We are in the situation with this Estimate where four fifths of our spending has already been reached. We need to ensure that this Estimate is passed for the very people the Deputy talks about, namely, nurses and public servants who are on different levels of pay, and to ensure we can pay salaries and pensions next week or shortly after that…

Do I have time to respond to the Fianna Fáil Deputies?

Much of what Deputy Flaherty referred to is covered in the national development plan under a number of different agencies, including Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Irish Water and the councils. With regard to Deputy Crowe's comments, I do not have responsibility for water in the sewerage system. This is under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I have attended the meetings organised by Deputy Carey and I also referred to Deputy Quinlivan in the Sinn Féin …

On Cloonlara and the area around Springfield in particular, Clare County Council applied under Part 10 for planning permission on 20 July. I lend my support to the council's application for that scheme. The OPW is committed to it. I am a neighbour down the road in County Limerick. We in the mid-west know the connection between Cloonlara and Limerick. We have sympathy for the people in this area because there is much history with the Shannon scheme. What happened over several occasions was terrible. The current cost…

I have already initiated discussions within the Department. I am a former Minister of State with responsibility for sport and in that Department we were trying to develop a national greenways strategy. I have asked the commissioners and chairman of the OPW to consider this matter. Some of our old embankments are incapable of carrying walkways, but some of the newer ones that we are rolling out present an opportunity for them to do more than just hold back water. I have asked the commissioners to begin a process tha…

I thank the Deputy. Instead of specific numbers that I would ordinarily be asked to respond on, she is asking more of a policy question in the particular context of what is happening at the moment. I do not disagree with what she has said. In recent years, we have seen different types of displacement in our economy, including in terms of what the future of jobs will look like. For example, there has been a climate change displacement in recent years, with the Government, society and communities realising that thing…

An application to the OPW was submitted by Tipperary County Council under the remedial works element of the 2017 voluntary homeowners relocation scheme. A letter approving the required funding to Tipperary County Council for proposed works to protect two properties at Borrisoleigh road issued from the Commissioners of Public Works on 13 July last.

I understand Deputy Cahill's concerns regarding this matter. It was on that basis that the allocation was made by the OPW to Tipperary County Council of €244,950. It is a matter for the council to make sure that the money is spent in the appropriate fashion. I agree with Deputy Cahill that the families at the centre of this have suffered a lot. I hope and expect that the CEO of Tipperary County Council would make whatever arrangements are necessary for the spending of that money as soon as possible, and for the all…

I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for his kind wishes. In my previous role in the Department, the Deputy routinely asked similar questions to the one he has asked today. I look forward to working with him. I am advised that local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address. In this case, it would be the Cavan and Monaghan county councils. All local authorities may carry out flood mitigation works, using either their own resources, or by applying for funding un…

I do not disagree with most of what the Deputy said. I am sure he will appreciate that I cannot make commitments on the floor of the Dáil with regard to the spending of OPW money. From my time as a county councillor, as a backbencher and as a Minister of State in two Departments up to now, I am aware that the engagement between local authorities and the OPW at a local level is crucial in advancing cases, including such cases as those referred to by the Deputy, as well as others. The Deputy referred to a particular …

I agree with Deputy Brendan Smith. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, also appreciates the Deputy's sentiments. The more money he provides the OPW, the more I will be able to spend.

I know this is an area in which the Deputy has much interest and has raised in both the House and the Committee of Public Accounts. The State’s office accommodation portfolio is large and geographically dispersed. It currently comprises 543 buildings of various sizes totalling an estimated 888,000 sq. m of accommodation of which 61%, 542,000 sq. m is in owned buildings with the balance of 39%, 346,000 sq. m leased. Up to 52% of office accommodation is in Dublin with 48% spread throughout the rest of the country. In…

I have given the Deputy no date. However, I will prioritise this during my tenure in the Department. I have only entered the Department in the past ten days. From my previous time on the Committee of Public Accounts, I know this issue constantly arose, particular concerning the balance between rent and purchase or build. It is worth noting that on rent alone, the OPW rental bill has dropped considerably. Annual rental costs in 2019 were approximately €97 million for 350,000 sq. m. In 2010, rental costs stood at €12…

I do not disagree with the Deputy. As I stated earlier in my reply, the decisions on whether we lease or build must have regard to several different factors. I referred to two of them, namely the operational requirements of the Departments and agencies. Many of them will come to the table with different and peculiar demands in a short period which we might not be able to fulfil. Availability of capital over a short period is another factor. When one stacks up the business case, one must decide whether it is proport…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together. I thank Deputy Durkan. I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, who has had to leave for a Cabinet sub-committee meeting. He asked me to take these questions on his behalf. Managing expenditure within allocations is the responsibility of every Department and its Minister. Significant additional expenditure has been allocated to a number of Departments over the past number of months. While we find ourselves in an unprecedented situation due t…

It is not possible at the moment to do what Deputy Durkan asks for a variety of reasons that will be outlined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, as part of the July stimulus initiative. The Department of Finance data for this quarter and forecasts for the remainder of the year and spending will be as accurate as is possible. While we have seen a significant reduction in regard to those claiming one or other of the supports put in place for the pandemic, which is very welcome,…

There is a twofold element in that regard. The public spending code is one of the mechanisms the Government will have at its disposal in relation to the amount of moneys being spent. The ongoing monitoring within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform of the individual Votes from this House to each of the Departments gives it an indication as to outturn not only annually but across the year as well. On the Deputy's question of Government being able to foresee anything of the nature of the pandemic it is ho…

I thank Deputy Griffin for his good wishes. I know that this is an issue he feels strongly about because he raised it with me in the immediate aftermath of my appointment. As the Deputy is aware, the OPW announced earlier this year that the Sceilg Mhichíl visitor site would not open at the scheduled date of 16 May because of Covid 19 concerns. In the context of the significant restrictions in place throughout the country at the time, the decision was not wholly unexpected. While it was greeted with general regret, …

I thank Deputy Griffin. I have asked the Chairman of the Office of Public Works to review its decision in regard to this site. We are taking the matter very seriously. It is hoped that the review process will be completed before the end of July, which is only a couple of days away. It is worth pointing out that the Skelligs is unique in terms of its UNESCO status and in terms of access, which is through collaboration between the Office of Public Works and the local boatmen who have to be consulted. There are a rang…

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. A number of sites have closed and Sceilg Mhichíl is not the only one. Sites in Galway, Wexford, Laois, Clare, Dublin, Wicklow, Meath, Tipperary and Kildare are also closed. They are closed on the basis of health and safety, which is important to point out to the House. We have to be conscious of the potential of the virus to spread because we cannot maintain social distancing. The Deputy referred to insurance. Insurance is an element for the boatmen but our concern has to be …