Written Answers Nos. 209-226
209. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Taoiseach the value of expenditure originally allocated in the Estimates to specific programmes or staffing measures that could not be spent as planned within the year for each of the past five years; and whether such underspends were surrendered, carried forward or reallocated to other areas within the Vote. [1826/26]
View answerThe Department of the Taoiseach’s Appropriation Account, which is published on an annual basis by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. See: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation%20accounts/, which provides details of the Department’s Estimate provision and outturn for each year.
The outturn position for 2025 will not be confirmed until the Department's 2025 Appropriation Account has been finalised. However, the Estimate provision for 2025 for the Department's Vote (Vote 2) is available at: assets.gov.ie/static/documents/497c8433/SUPPLEMENTARY_ESTIMATES_2025_SKELETON_BOOK.pdf
Any underspends on Vote 2 in the years in question were surrendered to the Exchequer.
210. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach the progress to date in developing workspace hubs as provided for under the Shared Island Initiative; and when it is expected that such enterprise spaces will be provided in areas such as Cavan and Monaghan. [1853/26]
View answer211. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach the progress to date in providing workspace hubs on a cross-Border basis as provided for under the Shared Island Initiative. [1854/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 211 together.
I am informed that a feasibility assessment on developing SME workspace hubs was undertaken by Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council, in partnership with local authorities in Northern Ireland supported in 2022 through the Shared Island Local Authority development funding scheme administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and this work was completed in November 2024.
Local authorities have subsequently engaged with relevant Departments and Agencies on potential options to progress this work to a further stage of development, and the Shared Island Unit in my Department is continuing to monitor progress in this regard. Consideration of any proposal will be for the relevant line Minister and their Department in the first instance, with reference to sectoral policy and all relevant funding sources and potential for impactful cooperation with Northern Ireland counterparts.
More broadly, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht are continuing to work together to develop the first strategy for the National Hub Network, following consultation with key stakeholders.
Also, the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland is currently open for applications. The scheme includes four streams ranging from delivery of major local enterprise infrastructure such as building enterprise hubs to funding for services delivered to SMEs to drive innovation and enhance their competitiveness.
The Government will continue to work collaboratively with local authorities which have supported and been project partners on many enterprise hubs delivered to date.
212. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Taoiseach the position regarding any product or service purchased from Israel or the Occupied Territories by his Department in 2025, broken down by description and amount paid. [1989/26]
View answerThe Department of the Taoiseach’s financial management system does not record the origin of goods or services purchased. A check of suppliers' addresses on the financial management system has been completed and that check did not identify any products or services purchased from suppliers in Israel or the Occupied Territories in 2025.
213. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether his Department, or any body under its aegis, has funded, or is funding, other than where legal costs were awarded against the employer by a court or tribunal, the legal costs of any current or concluded litigation taken by an employee or former employee against that Department or body, in each of the past five years; if so, to provide details of the number of such cases, the bodies involved, and the total costs incurred in each year. [2029/26]
View answer214. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach the basis on which his Department, or a body under its aegis, may fund the legal costs of an employee or former employee in litigation where that employee is in dispute with, or taking proceedings against, the same body. [2047/26]
View answer215. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether the funding of employee legal costs in disputes against his Department, or a body under its aegis, is standard practice; if not, the circumstances in which such funding may be permitted. [2065/26]
View answer216. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach to outline the guidance, codes, circulars or directions that govern the payment of legal costs by his Department, and bodies under its aegis, in employment-related disputes, including any requirements under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies or Departmental sanction arrangements. [2083/26]
View answer217. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether the funding of employee legal costs in litigation against the employing body could give rise to governance, accountability, or value for money concerns; whether his Department has issued any guidance in this regard. [2101/26]
View answer218. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether his Department has reviewed, or intends to review, the practice of Departments, and bodies under their aegis, funding legal costs in employment disputes involving those same bodies; and if so, the outcome or timeline for such a review. [2119/26]
View answer219. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether arrangements to fund legal costs in employment disputes involving his Department, or bodies under its aegis, require the prior approval of his Department or the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. [2137/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 213 to 219, inclusive, together.
In the period specified, neither the Department of the Taoiseach nor the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) - the only body under the aegis of the Department - funded legal costs of any current or concluded litigation taken by an employee or former employee against the Department or NESDO.
The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation is responsible for the setting of standards and guidance centrally for Departments and Offices and the issue of associated Circulars. That Department also has responsibility for any review and/or update of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.
222. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Taoiseach the status of the work of the Ministerial Council on National Security. [2420/26]
View answerThe Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, set out a number of commitments relating to national security and defence, and work to give effect to these is well underway.
A key commitment in the Programme for Government was the introduction of a new Ministerial Council on National Security. I established the Ministerial Council on National Security last year, which comprises me as Chair, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and for Defence, and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
Since then, the Council’s meetings have received detailed, up to date briefings on the current national security situation and events, including relevant international developments and current cyber threats. The Council also receives detailed reports from the National Security Committee covering the full range of national security-related issues. The National Security Committee is currently finalising a review of national security structures.
The Council continues to review the range of commitments relating to national security and defence set out in the Programme for Government and the delivery of these commitments.
In light of the worsened security situation in Europe and significant changes in the nature of the security challenges we face, it is clear that we must accelerate and increase investment in the State’s security and defence services in the coming period, and we will also need to enhance and develop our international partnerships.
223. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Taoiseach to provide a list of the top ten capital or programme projects delivered by his Department or its agencies over the past three years which were completed on time and within the originally approved budget; the project name, location, delivery timeframe, original approved budget, final outturn cost, and delivery body, for each project. [2437/26]
View answer225. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Taoiseach to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved completion date, actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project. [2473/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 225 together.
Neither the Department of the Taoiseach nor the National Economic and Social Development Office - the only body under the aegis of the Department - incurred any expenditure on capital projects in any of the last three years.
224. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Taoiseach to detail the annual spend on external consultants by his Department and its agencies in each of the past three years; the number of consultancy contracts, the largest individual consultancy engagements by value, and whether internal capacity-building or cost-benefit assessments were undertaken prior to engaging external consultants. [2455/26]
View answerNeither the Department of the Taoiseach nor the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) - the only body under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach - has incurred expenditure on external consultants in the past three years.
226. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the representations the Irish Government made to their British counterparts to ensure the rights of a person (details supplied) are being upheld; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73887/25]
View answer242. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) who is currently detained by the British Government; if so, the representations her Department made in regard to this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74563/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 242 together.
I want to thank the Deputy for raising this question. The provision of consular assistance to Irish citizens is a cornerstone of the work of officials in my Department. Consular assistance is provided in a strictly confidential manner and, as with all cases, my Department does not comment on the details of individual cases. However I can confirm that in this case consular assistance has not been requested by the citizen.
That said, I am keenly aware of the extremely high level of interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the deeply held concerns of the Irish people on this matter. Ireland and the UK maintains regular political engagement on Middle East policy, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ireland welcomed the British Government's decision in September 2025 to formally recognise the State of Palestine and its active engagement in efforts to end the conflict in Gaza.
More broadly, the Government of Ireland remains committed to upholding human rights, including those pertaining to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest, both domestically and internationally. These fundamental rights are enshrined in international human rights instruments to which both Ireland and the United Kingdom are signatories. These are issues that would regularly be discussed as part of overall political dialogue between Ireland and all of its partners, including the UK. Where there are concerns regarding potential breaches of international human rights standards, including those relating to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, or fair trial rights, I would not hesitate to raise these matters through appropriate diplomatic channels with our British counterparts.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to monitor developments in this area, including in respect of any cases involving Irish citizens.
