Written Answers Nos. 899-920
899. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he is aware of the issues surrounding a new sign; if a new replacement sign will be supplied (details supplied); the way in which he will ensure that future signage issues of this nature do not continue to recur. [74532/25]
View answerFollowing the change of the name of my Department upon formation of the Government, a procurement process was undertaken to replace the Department’s signage at the Government Buildings complex. After the new signage had been installed, it was noted that one word had been misspelled. The external supplier of the signage confirmed that it made this error when producing it and subsequently replaced the signage at no additional cost. The same supplier has recently remedied an issue with the impact that the weather was having on part of the signage. Again, there was no additional cost associated with this. Finally, the current design of the signage is as intended and there is no requirement to replace it.
900. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the payroll cost of his Department and of each organisation or agency under its remit individually, in 2015 to 2025, by year, in tabular form. [74632/25]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the link below.
901. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if it has been brought to his attention that the EU whistleblower protection directive mandates that member states provide free, comprehensive legal aid and support for whistleblowers, and yet Ireland remains uncompliant with this directive; the steps the Government is taking or will be taking to ensure whisteblowers are provided with immediate and free legal aid. [74700/25]
View answerIreland has fully transposed Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law ('the Whistleblower Protection Directive'). This Directive sets minimum standards for the protection of whistleblowers across the EU.
Building on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, inter alia, broadened the scope of workers who can report wrongdoing beyond employees, imposed new requirements on employers as regards the operation of formal whistleblowing channels, and provided for the establishment of the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner.
Both the Act and the Directive set out support measures that should be provided to workers in relation to making a protected disclosure. Included in these measures is the provision of free and independent information and advice and, if necessary, legal advice. This support is available through Transparency International Ireland’s (TII) Speak Up Helpline and Legal Advice Centre, which is supported by grant funding from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
Exchequer grant funding for TII in 2025 amounted to €368,500 which is the same amount as was provided in 2024. TII recently surpassed an estimated €2 million provided in free legal advice through its Speak Up Helpline and Transparency Legal Advice Centre.
Ireland is, in fact, one of the few countries in the EU that is meeting the voluntary standard set out in Article 20 of the Directive to provide access to free psychological support (again through the Speak Up Helpline).
The EU Commission carries out a compliance check on the transposition of all EU Directives by all Member States. This compliance check involves two methods of assessment:
• An assessment of the completeness of the transposition i.e. if all the requirements contained in the Directive has been transposed,
• An assessment of conformity of the transposition with the Directive i.e. if all measures transposed are correct.
The assessment of the completeness of the transposition was completed in 2021 and the conformity assessment is currently being finalised. The EU Commission has notified Member States of its intention to contact each Member State to discuss and clarify any shortcomings that have been identified during the assessment of conformity.
For the Deputy's information, no communication has been received by Ireland to date from the EU Commission regarding any shortcomings that may have been identified during the conformity assessment.
902. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reason carbon tax revenue, which was hypothecated for environmental and climate action purposes, was allocated to the Department of Social Protection; if he will provide a full breakdown of how any unspent carbon tax funds returned to his Department were subsequently reallocated annually since 2019; the breakdown of how carbon tax revenues have been allocated since 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74817/25]
View answerPer the Finance Act 2020, the carbon tax is on a legislated schedule of annual increases from a rate of €20 per tonne of CO2 in 2020 to €100 per tonne in 2030. The rate for 2026 is €71 per tonne.
Since Budget 2020, Government policy has been to allocate carbon tax revenue arising from the increases to fund measures to protect the most vulnerable, ensure a just transition, and support climate action. The 2025 Programme for Government commits to maintaining the schedule of annual increases in the carbon tax to 2030, and to continue to use carbon tax revenues to fund social welfare measures, agri-environmental schemes and retrofitting.
The ESRI's 2020 Carbon Taxes, Poverty and Compensation Report, published in 2020, demonstrates that increases in the carbon tax rate would be regressive in the absence of measures to compensate the impact on low-income households. To ensure that the increases in the carbon tax are progressive, carbon tax revenue has been allocated to the Department of Social Protection annually since Budget 2020 for targeted social protection interventions. Analysis carried out annually using the ESRI’s SWITCH model to simulate the impact of the carbon tax increase and the compensatory welfare package estimates has consistently shown the lower income deciles are better off as a result of the social protection measures funded by the increased carbon tax.
Over the 2020 – 2026 period, more than €4.2 billion in carbon tax revenue was allocated to climate action measures, to sustainable farming, and to ensure the most vulnerable are protected from unintended impacts of the tax increase. The table below provides a breakdown of carbon tax allocations over the 2020 – 2026 period:
|
Programme |
Department |
2020 €m |
2021 €m |
2022 €m |
2023 €m |
2024 €m |
2025 €m |
2026 €m |
|
Retrofitting & Community Energy Efficiency |
DCEE |
13 |
113 |
202 |
291 |
380 |
469 |
558 |
|
ODA - Green Climate Fund |
DCEE |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Just Transition Fund |
DCEE |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and green agriculture pilots |
DAFM |
3 |
23 |
3 |
81 |
113 |
143 |
173 |
|
Sustainable Transport Measures |
D/Transport |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
|
Peatlands Rehabilitation |
DHLGH |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Once-off Pilot Housing Regeneration Programme |
DHLGH |
20 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Targeted Social Protection Interventions |
DSP |
21 |
69 |
174 |
218 |
262 |
306 |
350 |
|
Total |
|
90 |
238 |
412 |
623 |
788 |
951 |
1,114 |
My Department issues an annual publication on Budget Day titled The Use of Carbon Tax Funds, which contains further detail on these allocations. All previous versions of this report are available on my Department’s website.
In relation to unspent carbon tax allocations, as is standard procedure with all monies voted by the Oireachtas, any of the carbon tax funding that is not spent by Departments during the year and not carried over via formal arrangements for deferred surrender of unspent capital is liable for surrender back to the Exchequer via the Central Fund at the year-end, and the specific allocation is no longer applied.
The role of certifying the financial statements of each public body, in which detail on annual over- and under-spends is reported, is held by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General’s examination of the 2023 Accounts of Government Departments and Offices, published in September 2024, found that 19% of the carbon tax allocations over the 2020-2023 period was surrendered to the Exchequer in this manner.
While any underspends are ultimately the responsibility of the Accounting Officer of the relevant Vote, these should be viewed in the context of environmental factors such as the public health restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the supply chain impacts of the war in Ukraine during the years examined.
903. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the breakdown of the allocated money that will be taken from the infrastructure, climate and nature fund to support the development of the MetroLink; if money will be taken directly from climate initiatives as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74844/25]
View answerThe Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024 established the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICN Fund).
The purpose of ICN Fund is to support the economy in times of exceptional need and to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy through the funding of designated environmental projects. A total of €2 billion will be invested in the Fund each year from 2024 to 2030 building up to an overall fund of €14 billion.
The Fund will support expenditure by the State:
• In any year from 2026, where there has been, or is likely to be in the subsequent year, a significant deterioration in the economic or fiscal position of the State. 25% of the ICN Fund can be used in the given year for this purpose; and
• In the years 2026 to 2030, on designated environmental projects to address climate change issues and nature and water quality degradation. 22.5% of the Fund may be drawn down to support designated environmental projects in any given year from 2026 to 2030, up to a cumulative maximum of €3.15 billion.
Designated environmental projects will be those that contribute, either directly or indirectly, or are likely to contribute to:
• the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,
• an improvement in water quality,
• an improvement in nature and biodiversity objectives.
More detailed criteria are outlined in Section 20 of the Act.
As outlined in the Programme for Government 2025, the review of the National Development Plan encompassed all public capital investment, including funding available from the ICN Fund. As part of this review, €3.15 billion was allocated from the ICN Fund to support low-carbon transportation, climate mitigation, renewable energy development and improvements in water quality, all of which will ultimately support improved climate and environmental outcomes.
The NDP Review confirmed the following indicative allocations to Departments:
• €2 billion for the Department of Transport to support low-carbon transportation, such as MetroLink;
• €500 million for the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to fund projects and programmes that will support climate mitigation and renewable energy development; and
• €650 million for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for projects and programmes that will support improvements in water quality.
The specific projects and programmes to be funded from within these allocations are a matter for the relevant Ministers who must prioritise and designate eligible projects to fund from within their allocations, having regard to their sectoral priorities and the purpose of the funding from the ICN Fund.
This formal designation process commenced in end-2025, and informed a new Appendix included in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which outlined the allocations from the ICN Fund for this year. As noted in REV 2026, the Department of Transport have not designated any projects that would draw down in 2026. They intend to draw down in later years.
Funding for designated environmental projects will be confirmed in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) in each year between 2026 and 2030.
904. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of data breaches recorded by his Department in 2025; and the number that were reported to the Data Protection Commissioner. [74901/25]
View answerMy Department recognises the need to treat all personal data in an appropriate and lawful manner and is committed to complying with its obligations in this regard to the highest standard. The procedures for dealing with a suspected personal data breach are outlined in my Department’s Data Protection Breach Notification Policy. Each potential data breach is notified to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) in the Department who then assesses the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons. If such a risk is found to exist, the breach is notified to the Data Protection Commission.
In 2025, there were fifteen breaches reported to the DPO. Fourteen of these were assessed as being unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These breaches were recorded on the Department’s Internal Breach Register but not reported to the Data Protection Commission. One of these breaches was assessed as requiring to be reported to the Data Protection Commission, as per the obligation under article 33 of the GDPR.
905. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the significant practical challenges which exist with regard to the reinterment of a person (details supplied) in Glasnevin Cemetery where space is available; the steps that have been taken to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74971/25]
View answerThe account that Joseph Brady’s head was separated from his body after his execution originates from Frederick Moir Bussy’s 1910 book, Irish Conspiracies – Recollections of John Mallon (the Great Irish Detective) and Other Reminiscences. In the book, Bussy recounts witnessing Inspector John Mallon leaving Kilmainham Gaol following Brady’s execution carrying a parcel wrapped in a cloth. Several years later, Mallon is said to have told Bussy that the parcel he carried had contained Brady’s head.
In relation to Kilmainham Gaol, my responsibilities to it arise under the National Monuments Act 1930 as a national monument and relate to its maintenance and presentation to the public. The Office of Public Works (OPW) does not have statutory authority under the National Monuments Acts to initiate a reinternment or to act unilaterally in such a matter.
As previously outlined to stakeholders through Parliamentary Questions and other representations, a proposal of this nature is extremely sensitive and involves a range of complex legal, historical, ethical and political considerations. While the general area where burials are believed to have taken place within Kilmainham is broadly understood, no definitive records exist indicating the exact location or identity of individual remains. I must emphases that, owing to these complexities, the OPW is not engaged in any process to consider reinterment proposals.
906. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Question No. 337 of 18 December 2025, to report on the work of the accelerating infrastructure taskforce; the membership of the taskforce; the number of times they have met; the date on which these engagements took place and what was discussed; when he anticipates the "possible proposals for change within the infrastructure project delivery system" will be "made clear" and published; to confirm what is clear at this stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74996/25]
View answerThe Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce was established in May 2025 following Government agreement on 15 April 2025. It is a non-statutory Taskforce established to support my Department in its increased infrastructure functions, including overseeing the Department’s programme of reform to unblock barriers and accelerate infrastructure delivery.
The Taskforce has played a key role in advising on the recent Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, by discussing the key barriers impeding progress, and how these can be overcome to unlock infrastructure delivery.
I have chaired eight formal meetings of the Taskforce to date. Membership of the Taskforce, the dates, minutes and presentations from these meetings are publicly available on Gov.ie at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-public-expenditure-infrastructure-public-service-reform-and-digitalisation/collections/accelerating-infrastructure-taskforce-meetings/
Every action and sub-action in the Report and Action Plan has a clearly defined date and responsible body attached.
Implementation of some of these actions have already begun. For example, I chaired the first meeting of the Joint Utilities and Transport Clearing House which took place on December 18th.
The templates outlining each Department's and responsible body's actions and timelines have been circulated to the respective Departments and bodies, as they were set out in the Action Plan. Departments have begun to respond with their high-level implementation approaches for the actions to accelerate infrastructure.
The Taskforce will monitor the implementation of all measures outlined in the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan and will continue to meet on a monthly basis.
907. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total fiscal savings to the Exchequer from not repeating the once-off supports provided in Budget 2025, including electricity credits, lump-sum payments and double-week bonuses; and how these savings were factored into Budget 2026 allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75007/25]
View answerBudget 2025 set out a Temporary Expenditure Cost of Living Package of almost €2 billion. This comprised a number of supports for households and businesses which are set out in Table 4 on page 37 of the Expenditure Report 2025. These supports were to help maintain standards of living for households in the context of elevated prices. The Budget 2025 once-off support package was made up of temporary measures provided throughout Winter 2024/2025, with funding provided in 2024. These measures did not form part of the expenditure base for 2025 and so did not form part of the Budget 2026 arithmetic.
All households have benefited directly from the nearly €10 billion of temporary Cost of Living interventions made by Government since 2022. These interventions have been progressive, benefitting lower-income groups more, relative to their income. In addition to these temporary supports Government also bolstered permanent government supports, including through increasing weekly social protection payment rates for pensioners, jobseekers and other eligible households.
908. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if Budget 2026 was equality-proofed and disability-proofed, and to publish the assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75008/25]
View answerWhen developing proposals for submission to my Department as part of the Estimates process, responsibility for proofing policy proposals is a matter for the relevant Department. This is in keeping with the Cabinet Handbook's requirement that significant policy proposals indicate the impact of the proposal for gender equality, persons experiencing or at risk of poverty or social exclusion, people with disabilities and rural communities as well as North-South, East-West Relations, employment, industry costs and cost to Exchequer. These considerations of impacts can be informed by Poverty Impact Assessments and Social Impact Assessments. More broadly, the National Economic Dialogue provides a deliberative pre-budget forum for open and inclusive exchange on the competing economic and social priorities facing the government. Over the last few years, there has been a focus on poverty and income inequality, disability, housing need and how public policy might be able to provide opportunities for those whose abilities to progress and change their lives have been hindered by factors such as poverty and deprivation.
On Budget Day, the Expenditure Report includes distributional analyses of key expenditure decisions. The IGEES Unit within my Department in collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Finance utilise the SWITCH model to assess the distributional impact of expenditure measures. It should also be noted that on Budget Day the Department of Finance publishes Beyond GDP - Quality of Life Assessment and this includes distributional impact assessments of the core social welfare, direct and indirect tax, national minimum wage and PRSI changes on equivalised household disposable income by income decile, household type, poverty and income inequality, work status, gender and disability status. Following the publication of the Budget, the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach prepare Breaking the Cycle, a post-budget report that describes the main new or increased spending allocations to reduce child poverty and improve child well-being in the most recent Budget. In addition, the newly established Disability Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach prepares the report Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability, outlining new or enhanced disability related measures introduced in Budget 2026.
The publication of equality information is part of the annual cycle of publishing performance information in the Revised Estimates for Public Services (REV) (in December) and the Public Service Performance Report (PSPR) (in early summer). The REV sets out details of the allocations within each Department and Office and describes how public resources will be utilised to provide public services and the impact of public policies on people’s lives. The PSPR is a retrospective document that provides an annual review of the delivery of public services against commitments set by the various Departments and Offices in the REV for the preceding year. Both of these documents include performance information in terms of the public services provided (outputs), their impact on people’s lives (outcomes) and equality indicators.
My Department has recently published a working paper, "Equality and Public Policy: Utilising an equality perspective to inform the budgetary process" that examines how an equality perspective is used to inform the whole-of-year budgetary process in Ireland and sets out an approach that is intended to enhance the performance information element of equality budgeting.
909. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of projects that were delayed in 2023 and 2024 due to the change of document from the Public Spending Code to the Infrastructure Guidelines, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75080/25]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the Infrastructure Guidelines. These set the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks, including the Infrastructure Guidelines, is a key responsibility of every Department, Accounting Officer and Minister.
In March 2023, the then Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, secured government approval for a package of significant actions aimed at enhancing project delivery for the NDP. The actions include significant changes to reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects.
Under the reforms, the Public Spending Code, which set out the approvals process for new projects, was removed and replaced by a set of Infrastructure Guidelines. The number of approval stages prior to implementation of projects from five to three and the level of cost at which a new proposal is considered a major project was also raised from €100 million to €200 million. These reforms and other changes to the approval process for major projects were actioned immediately in March 2023, through circular 06/2023. The updated Infrastructure Guidelines were then published in December 2023, with an effective date of 1 January 2024.
There are no projects funded by DPER that were delayed due to these changes.
910. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the safeguards which are in place to ensure the operational independence of the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner, the Commissioner for Environmental Information and the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, given that these statutory roles are held by the same officeholder and supported by the same organisational structure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75090/25]
View answer911. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the assessment his Department has made of potential conflicts of interest arising in cases where a member of the public may first engage with the Ombudsman regarding a complaint against a public body, and subsequently require an FOI appeal to the Information Commissioner relating to the same matter, given that both functions are exercised by the same individual; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75091/25]
View answer912. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether separate staff, decision-making structures or internal firewalls exist within the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure functional separation between the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner roles; the way in which these safeguards are monitored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75092/25]
View answer913. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has conducted any review comparing Ireland’s consolidation of the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner roles with international best practice; and whether consideration has been given to separating these functions to enhance public confidence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75093/25]
View answer914. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the steps which are being taken to ensure that the public can have full confidence in the independence and impartiality of statutory oversight bodies housed within the Office of the Ombudsman, particularly in circumstances where the same office holder adjudicates multiple aspects of a dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75094/25]
View answer915. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the governance or risk assessments which have been undertaken regarding the concentration of multiple statutory oversight functions within a single office; whether his Department has evaluated if this structure remains appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75095/25]
View answer916. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the way the independence of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner is safeguarded when the role is held by the same individual who also serves as Ombudsman and Information Commissioner; if any review has been undertaken to assess whether this structure may deter potential whistleblowers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75097/25]
View answer917. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation his Department's plans to review the statutory model under which the Ombudsman simultaneously holds the roles of Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner, with a view to determining whether structural separation would strengthen transparency and public trust; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75098/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 910 to 917, inclusive, together.
The Office to which the Deputy refers comprises six different statutory bodies; namely, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information, the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, the Commission for Public Service Appointments, and the Standards in Public Office Commission. These bodies have distinct legal personalities and exercise their statutory functions independently of each other, while being administratively amalgamated.
In accordance with legislation, the bodies share a single officeholder: the Ombudsman. Under Section 2 of the Ombudsman Act 1980, the Ombudsman is appointed by the President, upon resolution passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas recommending the appointment of that person. By virtue of holding the office of Ombudsman, the Ombudsman also holds the office of Protected Disclosures Commissioner (Section 10A of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014) and is a member of the Standards in Public Office Commission (Section 21 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995) and the Commission for Public Service Appointments (Section 12 of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004).
The same person who holds office as the Ombudsman has been appointed as Information Commissioner in accordance with Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and, by virtue of holding that office, also holds the office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (Article 12 of the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007). While the legislation does not require that the same person be appointed to these particular offices, it nonetheless envisages that this may be the case and, in practice, the same person has held both offices since their establishment.
The conferral of each of these functions onto the same person results in the officeholder being particularly well-placed to perform each of the functions. In the case, for example, of the most recently created office, the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, it is clear that the Oireachtas was aware of all of the other offices held by the Ombudsman and deliberately conferred this office onto the Ombudsman in that context. The High Court recently acknowledged the experience and expertise of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner in the context of the range of functions held by the same officeholder.
It has been the policy of Government that the bodies share a corporate framework under the rubric of the Office of the Ombudsman. The Office is funded on the basis of a direct Exchequer Vote (Vote 19), rather than other sources such as grants in aid. The Office is not, therefore, reliant on a Department or a Minister for funding. This model supports the independence of the individual bodies from Ministers and Government, with internal controls in place to support the functional independence of the individual bodies from each other.
In accordance with the model of providing funding through a single direct Vote, the bodies have a single Accounting Officer who is responsible for the governance of the Office. The Accounting Officer is supported by a Management Advisory Committee, including the Principal Officer in charge of each statutory body. The Management Advisory Committee supports the Accounting Officer in managing the Office’s staff and shared resources, while simultaneously protecting and preserving the statutory independence in the exercise of the functions of each of the constituent parts.
In order to function operationally, the statutory bodies share a common ‘corporate spine’ which includes HR, Communications, Procurement and ICT staff and systems. This provides expertise and specialist support in a range of technical areas, which might not be available to the smaller independent offices working alone. This approach gives the individual bodies functional independence in their core work, while allowing them to realise the benefits and economies of scale of shared systems.
To preserve the functional independence of each statutory office within this model, the Office ensures that all the casework, decision-making and personal data collected through each element of its functions is kept separate and is accessed only by staff working in that area. In carrying out their work, staff embrace the traditional obligations of privacy and integrity in the performance of official duties, while at the same time protecting and preserving the statutory independence and functions of each of the constituent offices in which they work.
In addition, the Ombudsman recuses himself from any decision where his prior involvement in the exercise of another statutory function would give rise to a reasonable apprehension of perceived bias. For example, where the Information Commissioner determines an appeal against an FOI decision of the Standards in Public Office Commission, the Ombudsman has no involvement in such an appeal and a decision is made by the Principal Officer using delegated powers. There are adequate delegated powers in place in each office to enable this to occur.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
918. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the salary scale that applies to the Secretary General in his Department and to the head of each agency for which he or she is responsible; whether this scale has changed in the past two years or whether there are proposals to change this scale in the coming period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75201/25]
View answerThe grade for the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation is Secretary General – Level I. The salary for Secretary General Level I since 01 August 2025 is as follows: €278,121 (PPC) and €264,214 (non-PPC). No adjustments to the existing salary are planned outside of those provided by the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026.
The table below shows the agencies under the aegis of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and the salary scale for the heads of each agency. No adjustments to the existing salaries for heads of agencies are planned outside of those provided by the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026.
|
Agency |
Head of Agency (Grade) |
Salary Scale (w.e.f. 01 August 2025 - Personal Pension Contribution (PPC)) |
|
Public Appointments Service |
Assistant Secretary General |
€168,138 – €192,339 |
|
State Laboratory |
State Chemist |
€141,079 - €159,693 |
|
National Shared Services Office (NSSO) |
Deputy Secretary General |
€217,087 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
Secretary General Level III |
€247,985 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery (ORNL) |
Principal Officer Higher |
€114,104 - €140,713 |
|
Office of Public Works (OPW) |
Secretary General Level III |
€247,985 |
*As of 01 January 2026, the OGP and OGCIO have been subsumed into DPER Vote 11.
919. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the amount expended on advertising and promotion in his Department, and within each agency for which he is responsible, for 2022 to 2024, by year and budgeted for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75219/25]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department and the bodies under its aegis is set out in the tables below.
2022
|
Public body |
Amount spent on advertising and promotion |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
€13,380 |
|
Office of Public Works |
€910,643 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
€0 |
|
State Laboratory |
€0 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
€15,383 |
|
Public Appointments Service |
€882,747 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
€300 |
2023
|
Public body |
Amount spent on advertising and promotion |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
€60,096 |
|
Office of Public Works |
€635,968 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
€0 |
|
State Laboratory |
€0 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
€33,590 |
|
Public Appointments Service |
€988,747 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
€0 |
2024
|
Public body |
Amount spent on advertising and promotion |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
€54,521 |
|
Office of Public Works |
€626,670 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
€3,123 |
|
State Laboratory |
€0 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
€45,964 |
|
Public Appointments Service |
€944,103 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
€2,822 |
2025
|
Public body |
Amount spent on advertising and promotion |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
€27,845 |
|
Office of Public Works |
€676,854 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
€22,822 |
|
State Laboratory |
€0 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
€40,010 |
|
Public Appointments Service |
€1,464,850 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
€0 |
2026
|
Public body |
Amount budgeted for advertising and promotion |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
€20,000 |
|
OPW |
€650,000 approx. |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
€28,822 |
|
State Laboratory |
€0 |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
€45,000 |
|
Public Appointments Service |
€1,600,000 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
€0 |
920. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of press, media or communications staff currently employed in his Department and within each agency for which he is responsible; the cost of these staff for 2025 and the expected cost for 2026; whether there are proposals to increase the number of such staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75237/25]
View answerMy Department's Communications Unit incorporates several functions including the Press Office, communications related to EU Cohesion Funds, the Office of Government Procurement, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and strategic communications related to the Department's key policy priorities including infrastructure, expenditure policy and public service transformation.
The Unit delivers management and coordination of all media engagements undertaken by and on behalf of the Minister and officials (particularly press releases and statements), ongoing formulation and implementation of the Department’s internal and external communications strategies and frameworks, coordination of EU Cohesion funding communications and management of the Department’s website, intranet and social media presence.
It is intended to deliver the communication function for the Department with a headcount of 13 this year and there are no proposals to increase beyond this (the current headcount in the Unit is 14). The cost of the Unit was €954,892 in 2025 and it is estimated that it will be €905,669 in 2026.
I am advised that the position in respect of the bodies under the aegis of the Department is as set out in the tables below.
2025
|
Public Body |
No. of press, media, or communications staff |
Cost of staff for 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
Office of Public Works |
13 |
€691,783 |
|
Publicjobs |
6 |
€294,428 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
5 |
€310,006 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
0.5 |
Redacted for data protection reasons at request of ORNL |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
2 |
€162,372 |
|
State Laboratory |
0.05 (5% of 1 person’s time) |
€3,386 |
2026
|
Public body |
No. of press, media, or communications staff |
Expected cost of staff for 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
Office of Public Works |
13* |
€759,297 |
|
Publicjobs |
7 |
€339,614 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
5 |
€326,772 |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
0.5 |
Redacted for data protection reasons at request of ORNL |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
2 |
€178,865 (estimate) |
|
State Laboratory |
0.12 (6% of 2 people’s time) |
€7,834 |
*Headcount includes one vacancy which will be filled in 2026. No other resource increases are envisaged.
