Written Answers Nos. 271-290
271. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department or any bodies and agencies under its aegis use, or have in the past used, software and or products from a company (details supplied); the duration and cost of the contract; and the services they avail of from the company. [35871/26]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not currently use, or has not previously used, software or products from the company specified.
Two bodies under the aegis of my Department have provided the following information in respect of services from the company specified:
|
Public Body |
Duration of contract |
Cost of contract |
Services provided |
|
Office of Public Works |
2022-2024
2025-2028 |
€4,987
€4,725 |
Subscription for updates and technical support |
|
State Laboratory |
2024-2027 |
€1,008 |
Password manager services |
272. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total cost to date on the former customs post at Kilrane, Rosslare Harbour, County Wexford, to include acquisition, construction and any costs associated with this now unused former customs post; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35935/26]
View answerAs part of the State’s Brexit Preparedness Plan, the OPW purchased a site in Kilrane Rosslare Harbour in 2019. Located on the main N25 road with very good vehicular access to Rosslare Port provided a Border Control Post to carry out checks on goods entering the State from the United Kingdom.
The development of these facilities enabled Rosslare Europort to be designated as a point of entry into the European Union for third country goods. There was no available space within the Port as a masterplan development was under consideration that would allow the long term expansion of port facilities in Rosslare.
The site acquisition and construction costs incurred in relation to temporary facilities provided at Rosslare/Kilrane amounted to €14.8 million
The facilities at Kilrane were used by the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Health Service Executive to carry out Customs, Food Safety and SPS (Sanitary/Phytosanitary) checks to safeguard, human health, animal health and plant health in line with EU Regulations. Additionally, a part of the site was temporarily used as a transport park for trucks waiting to board ferries for the UK and the continent under an agreement between the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Transport.
The original intended purpose of the site in Kilrane has now concluded with activity moving to the main port in November 2025, and the temporary parking area for trucks has ceased as per agreement with the Department of Transport. A small portion of the site that was deemed surplus to requirements was disposed to Wexford County Council in 2024.
The main building on the site which was formerly used as the central facility to carry out spot checks on goods has been reallocated to the Revenue Commissioners since late 2025, with the building now supporting wider training needs associated with the Revenue Commissioners’ Customs functions. The spaces formerly used to provide animal welfare facilities are being reallocated to the OPW for use by the National Monuments Services.
The OPW is actively planning for the future use of the other parts of the site. Recently, in co-operation with An Garda Siochána, Revenue and the OPW, the site provided parking for 93 trucks during the incident around access to the Port in April 2026.
273. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department holds any central dataset identifying all non-statutory bodies in receipt of Exchequer funding; and if not, whether he considers this a weakness in central public expenditure oversight. [36326/26]
View answer274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has examined the feasibility of establishing a central register of all non-statutory bodies receiving public funding, including the amount received and the governance framework applicable to each body. [36327/26]
View answer279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has undertaken any cross-Government review of public funding to companies limited by guarantee that are legally independent of Government but substantially funded by the State. [36332/26]
View answer280. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has identified any risk arising from the absence of a single central register linking public funding, governance obligations and audit arrangements for non-statutory bodies. [36333/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 273, 274, 279 and 280 together.
My Department engages with other spending Departments and Offices in respect of the management of expenditure within the agreed overall fiscal parameters. Managing the delivery of public services, within budgetary allocations, is the responsibility of each Accounting Officer, who are required to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to facilitate financial control within budgetary targets as well as value for money.
As the Deputy is aware, under Public Financial Procedures and Circular 13/2014, Accounting Officers are responsible for the stewardship of public funds including grants to non-statutory bodies that operate within their Department's public services sector. It is, of course, a matter for each Department and Office of Government themselves to decide how best to deliver public services from the monies appropriated to them by Dáil Éireann which includes deciding whether to grant non-statutory bodies funds to deliver public services on behalf of their Department. In doing so, it is the responsibility of each Accounting Officer to ensure that there are appropriate oversight arrangements and structures in place to ensure that public funds granted to non-statutory bodies are used for the purposes agreed in each grant’s Service Level Agreement and to ensure that sufficient financial reporting mechanisms, internal controls and audit systems are in place to ensure grants to non-statutory bodies are properly accounted for and provide value for money.
Furthermore, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General audits the correctness of expenditure under the control of each individual Accounting Officer and well as reporting on the economy and efficiency of public expenditure by Government Departments.
Consequently, my Department has no plans to provide funding to develop a separate central register of all non-statutory bodies on the basis firstly that, the CSO already publish a comprehensive register that includes such bodies and secondly, as outlined above that it is the responsibility of each Accounting Officer of a Government Department to ensure that value for money is achieved from grants to these bodies and that these bodies have appropriate governance arrangements for their sector.
275. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has assessed the extent to which Circular 13/2014 is being applied consistently across Departments and Offices in respect of grants to non-statutory bodies. [36328/26]
View answer276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any review has been carried out since 2020 of the adequacy of Service Level Agreements used by Departments and Offices when providing public funding to non-statutory bodies. [36329/26]
View answer277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has issued guidance to Accounting Officers on minimum governance standards for non-statutory bodies receiving majority State funding. [36330/26]
View answer278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has considered requiring all bodies receiving majority public funding to publish annual information on board membership, executive remuneration, audit arrangements, risk registers and compliance with applicable governance codes. [36331/26]
View answer281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he intends to update Circular 13/2014 to reflect current public governance expectations, including transparency, audit, value-for-money and board accountability requirements. [36334/26]
View answer282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has examined international models for central reporting of public funding to non-statutory bodies; and if so, which jurisdictions were reviewed. [36335/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 275, 276, 277, 278, 281 and 282 together.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department engages with other spending Departments and Offices in respect of the management of expenditure within the agreed overall fiscal parameters. The responsibility for delivering public services within allocated budgets rests with each Accounting Officer. Accounting Officers must ensure that appropriate measures are in place to achieve value for money, including in relation to the provision of funding to non-statutory bodies to deliver public services, for example in the healthcare sector.
A key part of my Department’s role is to support the appropriate use of public funds across government bodies by establishing the governance frameworks, or rules, setting out the principles and procedures for how money should be spent. The aim of these rules set out by my Department is to support Accounting Officers in discharging their responsibility to ensure expenditure is managed in line with the Voted allocation and also that services, that are provided by non-statutory bodies are delivered in an effective and efficient manner to support the achievement of value for money.
Consequently, it is the responsibility of each Accounting Officer to ensure that there is full compliance with Circular 13/2014 in granting voted expenditure that has been appropriated to their Department and which, compliance is audited by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General who reports back independently to Dáil Éireann each year and who also has the powers to inspect the accounts, books and records of any organisation that receives the majority of its funding from exchequer sources.
Also, Service Level Agreements are a key control mechanism required under Circular 13/2014 to support the achievement of value for money. Accounting Officers are responsible for ensuring that appropriate Service Level Agreements are in place for their respective sectors of public expenditure. These agreements may include provisions relating to governance and transparency, such as the publication of information on board membership, remuneration, audit arrangements, risk management and compliance with applicable governance codes. The Circular also requires all parties to a grant arrangement with a non-statutory body must ensure appropriate governance arrangements are in place which must include the oversight and administration of funding, control and safeguarding of funds from misuse, misappropriation and fraud, availability of accounting records.
Circular 13/2014 requires a high level of governance. My Department remains committed to providing the best possible guidance to Accounting Officers in the execution of their legal responsibilities in the management of public monies. In doing so, it considers international best practice and its does this by being active members of OECD working parties on public sector financial management as well as examining relevant reports of the Public Accounts Committee and the Comptroller and Auditor General to ensure that the guidelines, including Circular 13/2014 that are issued by Department continue to meet the highest standards to ensure that public monies expended provide value for money.
283. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide a copy of the recent correspondence issued by the Minister for Public Expenditure; National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to his Department referred to in media reports (details supplied); if he will provide details of the percentage reduction(s) in spending in his Department referenced in the correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36411/26]
View answerThe Government agreed a Medium Term Fiscal Structural Plan in December last year. This set out expenditure ceilings for the period to 2030. It provides for significant uplifts in expenditure over the coming years, with gross voted spending to reach €147.3 billion in 2030. Delivery of the Medium Term Fiscal Structural Plan over the medium-term horizon will require enhanced expenditure control, avoidance of in-year decisions with carryover costs for subsequent years and robust oversight mechanisms.
In April, Government agreed that additional funding of €646 million will be provided to the Department of Education and Youth in 2026. It was further agreed that €446 million of this additional funding will be provided by way of a levy from 2027, calculated on the current expenditure REV 2026 allocations of Votes other than the Department of Education and Youth.
As set out in the MTFP the ceiling for 2027 will increase to €125.5 billion. This is an uplift of €7 billion over the 2026 expenditure ceiling. The levy supports adherence to the fixed expenditure ceilings set out in the Plan. It reflects the need to moderate the rate of expenditure growth across other Departments to facilitate Government’s decision to reprioritise and provide additional investment to the Education sector within the agreed overall fiscal framework out to 2030.
The distribution of the levy across Departments has been designed to protect certain areas including:
• Social Protection Vote Group non-pay allocation;
• Department of Health pay allocation;
• Specialist Disability Services subhead in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality;
• Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Group pay;
• Housing, Local Government and Heritage Group non-pay and
• Pension funding across Votes.
The total amount of the levy to apply to the Public Expenditure Vote Group is €10 million or 0.6% of the total current allocation. My Department wrote to Secretaries General of other Departments following the Government decision, informing them of the need to identify efficiencies and reforms and that this would form a key element of the Estimates engagement for Budget 2027. It is a matter for each Department to determine how the levy will be applied across the Vote Group and identify the efficiencies and reforms required to ensure this. My own Department will also be undertaking this process in accordance with the requirements.
284. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an update in respect of the use of a premises (details supplied); if any public body has requested use of it in past five years to date; and the annual cost of its upkeep since it went into non occupancy. [36460/26]
View answerThe OPW will respond directly to the Deputy.
285. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide a breakdown of spending on advertising which was funded or overseen by his Department, and bodies under its aegis, in each of the past five, including a breakdown by medium that is radio, television, social media, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36495/26]
View answerThe table below outlines spending on advertising, including a breakdown by the categories requested, by my Department and the bodies under its aegis for the years specified.
|
Public Body |
Category |
Spend 2021 |
Spend 2022 |
Spend 2023 |
Spend 2024 |
Spend 2025 |
Spend 2026 |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
Total Advertising |
€2,370 |
€13,380 |
€60,096 |
€54,521 |
€27,805 |
€3,837 |
|
|
Radio |
- |
- |
€27,157 |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Social media |
- |
- |
€2,460 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Office of Public Works |
Total Advertising |
- |
€54,007 |
€10,692 |
€31,609 |
€172,068 |
€15,804 |
|
|
Radio |
- |
€47,825 |
€10,176 |
€27,839 |
€158,459 |
€12,653 |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Social media |
- |
€6,181 |
€515 |
€3,769 |
€13,608 |
€3,151 |
|
Public Appointments Service * |
Total Advertising |
€324,255 |
€635,031 |
€538,586 |
€504,439 |
€919,280 |
€207,284 |
|
|
Radio |
- |
€34,311 |
€58,733 |
€102,573 |
€158,444 |
€898 |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Social media |
€27,000 |
€88,600 |
€45,760 |
€23,022 |
€68,223 |
€6,213 |
|
National Shared Services Office |
Total Advertising |
- |
€244 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Radio |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Social media |
-
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Office of the Ombudsman** |
Total Advertising |
€25,520 |
€13,489 |
€33,590 |
€45,964 |
€40,009 |
€9,100 |
|
|
Radio |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Social media |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
Total Advertising |
- |
- |
- |
€3,123 |
€20,239 |
€15,873 |
|
|
Radio |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Television |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€6,642 |
€6,642 |
|
|
Social media |
- |
- |
- |
€3,123 |
€13,597 |
€9,231 |
|
State Laboratory |
Total Advertising |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
*In 2021, PAS had some spending on social media but the exact figure is not available as advertising spend was not recorded by medium type at that time – it is estimated at €27,000.
**Please note the Office of the Ombudsman provides shared services and corporate support to five other statutory bodies below who are located at our Office on Earlsfort Terrace. The figures for advertising also include advertising incurred on any of the below bodies.
The Office of the Information Commissioner
The Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information
The Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner
The Standards in Public Office Commission
The Commission for Public Service Appointments
286. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department or any bodies and agencies under its aegis use, or have in the past used, software and or products from a company (details supplied); the duration and cost of the contract; and the services they avail of from the company. [35864/26]
View answerI have reviewed this matter with my officials and with officials in the Offices under the aegis of my Department and I can confirm that there is no use of software provided by this company within my Department or the Offices under the aegis of my Department nor are there are no contracts in place with this company.
I have asked the Agencies under the aegis of my Department to furnish you with a direct written response which will be submitted to you once available.
287. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline Ireland's position at recent meetings of the EU REACH Committee regarding restrictions on use of lead ammunition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35953/26]
View answerRestrictions made under the REACH Regulation are for the purpose of the protection of human health and the environment from exposure to harmful chemicals. Restrictions can range from outright bans to limits on specific uses. Restriction proposals are presented by the EU Commission based on scientific opinions prepared by the European Chemicals Agency.
Ireland is represented at the REACH Committee meetings for matters within the remit of my Department by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), an agency under the aegis of my Department. Where the policy remit is not within my Department, as in the case of the proposed restriction of lead ammunition for mainly hunting or sports shooting, officials from the lead policy department for that REACH Committee agenda item assist based on their remit and expertise to formulate the Ireland position, as well as attend and vote on behalf of Ireland.
The proposal for a restriction on lead in ammunition is primarily intended to protect wild birds in the environment as well as hunters and their families from the toxic effects of lead pollution from spent ammunition. These matters are not within my Department’s remit. As such, my officials have reached out to relevant bodies, namely the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Justice. It is the responsibility of these bodies to establish the Irish position on this matter.
While my Department has met with stakeholders, the Irish position for this proposal can only be informed by the bodies with responsibility for hunting, firearms and the protection of wildlife. It would also be the responsibility of these bodies to carry out consultations and stakeholder engagement to assess the potential impact of the proposal on Ireland.
Officials in my Department continue to circulate to relevant Departments and Agencies material received for REACH Committee meetings where the agenda includes the draft restriction on lead in ammunition.
To date the drafts of the proposed restriction were discussed at the 2025 February, April, June and December and 2026 February and April confidential REACH Committee meetings. The draft agenda, draft measures to be voted upon and a summary record of the REACH Committee meetings are available to the general public online at C34200 - Comitology Register.
Discussions on this matter are expected to continue at the June 2026 REACH Committee meeting and potentially for some time into the future until a draft proposal that is acceptable to the majority of EU Member States is arrived at. There has been no call for a Member State vote on the matter to date.
288. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his views on the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021; if he will advance this bill or a version of this bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35957/26]
View answerThe purpose of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021 would be to amend and extend certain rights and protections to retired persons and representative associations in the context of industrial relations and trade disputes. Specifically, it proposes amendments to the Trade Union Acts 1871 to 1990, the Industrial Relations Acts 1946 to 2019, and the Pensions Act 1990. The Bill seeks to enhance the representation of retired workers in the administration of certain pension schemes and to address related matters.
Public Consultations were held by my Department on the Bill between March and April 2022. In assessing the Bill, the then Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment undertook pre-Committee Stage detailed scrutiny, including a public session, and noted that the Department conducted extensive public consultations on the proposals arising from this Bill. My Department's position was clearly articulated in a comprehensive briefing submitted to the Committee following its public scrutiny session held on 25 January 2023. In that regard, Government does not support the Private Members’ Bill in its current form. The proposed amendments are considered to fundamentally undermine the core principles of industrial relations, which are inherently based on the relationship between workers and their employers.
While the policy concerns raised by retired workers are acknowledged and understood, a detailed assessment has indicated that the Bill would give rise to significant legal, structural, operational and financial implications which Government cannot support. In particular, the proposals would have far-reaching consequences for the core architecture of the State’s industrial relations framework. In addition, the current legal structure provides adequate protection for retired workers, particularly concerning the potential reduction of benefits within funded defined benefit schemes. The measures outlined in the Bill could, moreover, severely undermine the existing dispute resolution bodies which are provided to retired workers to vindicate their rights including the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.
Recently Government has agreed that a money message not be issued in respect of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021 and that Government oppose the Private Members’ Bill by way of a "reasoned response". This reasoned response has since been shared by my Department with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and to the sponsors of the Bill.
289. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to urgently consider a waiver in respect of planning permission for short-term lets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36087/26]
View answerIn April of last year, I obtained Government approval for the General Scheme of the Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. Once enacted, this Bill will provide a statutory framework for regulating the short-term letting (STL) sector, including the establishment of a national register. Fáilte Ireland will implement and mange this register which will come into effect from December 1 2026, with all operators having a legal obligation to register by 31 December 2026.
The new Housing policy, proposed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D., and also approved by Government on 15 April 2025, proposes to generally preclude new planning permissions for STL in cities and larger towns. Further to this, on 9 February last, the Cabinet Committee on Housing proposed to apply this to towns and cities with populations over 20,000 persons at the latest census.
This agreement provided that, following the introduction of the STL register:
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of 20,000 or less at the last census based on the census town boundaries defined by CSO will have two years to meet planning compliance requirements.
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of more than 20,000 at the last census will need to confirm planning compliance on registration with no further lead-in period if they wish to register with Fáilte Ireland.
• In line with existing established rights, where it can be proven that a residential property has been operated by an STL provider for at least 7 years and no enforcement action has been taken by the planning authority, planning permission for retention may be sought.
• It will still be possible to sub-let an entire principal private residence on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for a change of use is required.
These policies are part of a broader Government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is drafting a National Planning Statement under the Planning and Development Act 2024. This will provide a clear overall policy approach both at national and local authority level to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the country.
Fáilte Ireland estimates that approximately 34,020 STL properties were advertised online in the State in October 2025 based on screen-scraped data from four major booking platforms. Up to 64% were listed as entire houses or apartments. This represents a 26% increase from an estimated 26,960 units in October 2022.
Tourism is a vital part of the Irish economy and I fully recognise concerns about the impact on rural tourism and local economies of reducing STL availability. The approach agreed on 9 February will balance housing supply needs with the need to protect rural and regional tourism and jobs.
290. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide a copy of the recent correspondence issued by the Minister for Public Expenditure; National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to his Department referred to in media reports (details supplied); if he will provide details of the percentage reduction(s) in spending in his Department referenced in the correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36404/26]
View answerOn 23 April, my Department was informed by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) that a levy of €8 million will apply to current expenditure in my Department's Vote group in 2027. This equates to just under 1.3% of the overall current budget of €629 million as published in the 2026 Revised Estimate Volume.
The correspondence further confirmed that it is a matter for my Department to determine how the levy will be applied across its Vote and that each Department must identify efficiencies and reforms to meet this requirement.
Officials in my Department have begun engaging with all Budget Officers to identify efficiency and reform opportunities to inform how the levy may be applied. All areas of current expenditure will be reviewed before a final decision is made.
My Department will continue to work on identifying efficiency and reform proposals over the coming weeks and will submit these to DPER by the 17 July deadline.
