Mairéad Farrell
Ceist:1. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an update on general budgetary expenditure measures. [39486/25]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Public Expenditure Policy
Is dócha gurb é seo an uair dheireanach a bheimid ag suí roimh an samhradh. An cheist is mó atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair ná céard go díreach a bheidh ag tarlú leis an gcáinaisnéis. I ask the Minister for an update on general budgetary expenditure measures. There had been an expectation that the summer economic statement was due to be released this week, but it now looks like it will be next week.
I thank Deputy Farrell. Some €106.4 billion in gross voted funding is being provided in 2025 to deliver on Government priorities and commitments. This significant level of investment reflects the priorities of budget 2025 and this Government’s commitment to deliver continued improvements in our infrastructure and enhance our existing public services to build a stronger future. End of June expenditure figures were published earlier this month in the Fiscal Monitor. Total gross voted expenditure for the first half of the year amounted to €50.9 billion. While spending is slightly higher than expected for the first half of the year with an overspend of €0.3 billion or 0.7% compared to profiles, the overall position is broadly in line with the amount profiled by Departments to be spent by the end of June. The majority of Vote groups remain in line with profile at an overall level.
Compared with this time last year, spending is €3.8 billion or 8.2% higher than the end of June 2024 position. This level of spending demonstrates sustained high level of investment in the delivery of public services and infrastructure.
Year-on-year capital spending levels have increased substantially, with capital spending of €5.8 billion, up 22.5% or €1.1 billion. There are substantial increases in key capital spending Departments such as the Department of housing, where spending is up 36% year on year, health, which is up €200 million, or 92%, and transport, which is up 20% over June 2024. Current spending of €45.1 billion has increased by €2.8 billion or 6.5% year on year. This reflects spending on budget priorities in areas such as increased social protection weekly rates, teaching posts and health sector investment. Investment in 2025 builds on the additional funding provided over recent years, which is delivering record levels of capital investment and public services to a growing and changing population. It is continuing the delivery of vital infrastructure needed to support our future economic and social progress.
I thank the Minister for that initial overview. It will not surprise him that I raise this, but one of the big things is the capital spend on infrastructure. Storm Éowyn put into sharp focus the creaking infrastructure we have across the west of Ireland, in particular. That is obviously an area I would like to see huge progress in. I am aware the Minister knows the west of Ireland quite well. I know he cannot give me specific figures on what exactly will be spent on budget day. However, will he identify some general capital projects that will get additional funding? It is fair to say we need to see identifiable progress in the likes of the basic crucial infrastructure that needs to be invested in, in the west of Ireland.
The overall process on the national development plan is continuing. We have approximately €20 billion to allocate across critical areas in our economy. We know with the Department of housing that continued investment in public infrastructure for housing is central to this process. We have set out the priority areas of housing, energy, transport and water infrastructure in particular. That will give Ministers across many areas additional head room to invest in infrastructure across our economy. We are continuing that process this week, so I cannot give an individual breakdown of what that will mean. It is just to say this will allow a lot of Ministers to increase the overall spend vis-à-vis the baseline allocations they were given in the previous national development plan process. We will be able to set out further clarity on that next week.
I look forward to seeing how that unfolds. It is incredibly important. It is interesting that on both the budgetary oversight and finance committees we have been dealing with the issue of tariffs. One of the big things is how we can protect ourselves. What may or may not happen nobody can predict. One of the longer term things is the investment in capital infrastructure, so we can build housing and our own economic structures. It is about being targeted and putting in place the kind of infrastructure that will help support indigenous companies as well. If there is a big focus on capital infrastructure, and there is a mind to address some of those issues, we need to put all of our focus on that. I also ask that the Minister mentions the issue of procurement, which I have mentioned before, to make sure we get the best value for the local economy and for local people out of the investment we make.
I share that objective. That is why giving that additional scope to Ministers across their respective policy areas to invest in critical infrastructure is essential as part of the national development plan. We are at a point of significant economic uncertainty and this Government is clearly setting out that we want to seriously increase our overall investment in critical infrastructure, which will provide the growth, prosperity and jobs for the future. We know that housing, energy, water and transport in particular are areas requiring that additional investment. There are other areas that require the additionality to provide for critical services and social infrastructure across communities in Ireland. That is also part of the wider process in terms of the national development plan. We share those objectives, particularly when we have the wider uncertainty. We need to provide for that growth and opportunity for the future. We will be able to set out further detail next week.
Question No. 2 taken with Written Answers.
Deputy Paul Murphy is not here, so it is Deputy Farrell's lucky day. She has two in a row. You are up again.
Go raibh maith agat. Sometimes you are waiting a few minutes in between questions.
Protected Disclosures
Mairéad Farrell
Ceist:3. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department’s submission to the EU review of the protected disclosures regime will refer to the views of whistleblowers from the Farrelly commission and Children's Health Ireland (children’s hip surgeries) about the reprisals they faced. [39487/25]
The Minister might be aware that I have a particular interest in the issue of protected disclosures and protecting whistleblowers. I worked well with the previous Minister, Michael McGrath, in regard to the EU directive. I put forward my own legislation on this. There is obviously now going to be the review of that. There is the EU review of the protected disclosures regime, and I am interested in an update on that.
I thank the Deputy for this question. On 3 July 2024 the European Commission presented a report on the transposition of the EU whistleblower directive 2019/1937. This report stated that a review of the directive, which is referred to in Article 27(3), would be finalised no later than 2026. This review or evaluation will assess the functioning of the directive and consider the need for additional measures, including amendments, with a view to extending its scope to further EU acts or areas. Ireland will have an opportunity to input into this review and raise any concerns or emerging issues with the European Commission, through participation by officials in my Department in meetings of the Commission's whistleblowers expert group.
I would also make the Deputy aware that a statutory review of the Protected Disclosures Act is due to commence and as part of this review a public consultation will be carried out. We would encourage different stakeholders and whistleblowers to participate in this consultation. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 was amended in 2022 and these amendments sought to address a number of issues that were raised during the 2018 statutory review of the 2014 Act. The upcoming statutory review will provide a valuable insight into the operation of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act and the views and experiences of all stakeholders and whistleblowers will be welcome as part of this.
When the Government was transposing the EU directive on protected disclosures, I was clear at the time and I voiced significant concerns. I felt it was perhaps deliberately going to weaken the transposition. I said I felt the setting up of the protected disclosures office was a retrograde step and that it removed a protected disclosure as a political issue. Previously, an Opposition TD could deliver a protected disclosure to the relevant Minister and then seek to know what progress had been made. Now, the Minister will simply say that has been handed to the protected disclosures office and it has nothing to do with them any more. We have had very serious cases recently, which were well publicised and extensively dealt with in this House. Those were the whistleblowers in the Grace and CHI cases. We need to make sure we are protecting these people. People come forward because they passionately believe something has gone wrong, and the people have been wronged. We need to protect them. Far too often in this State they are just not protected.
Everybody should be protected, particularly when they raise wrongdoing with public bodies. I think we all share that objective across the House. We have two areas of legislation between 2014 and 2022, some of which was the transposition of EU legislation and also policy direction in an Irish context. We have different points now in the context of the European review, which is happening, and the wider review that will happen in the Irish context, on which we would welcome inputs from across the House and from whistleblowers. We have brought through reforms.
As a Department, we are funding the supports through Transparency International Ireland, to support whistleblowers making any claims. Exchequer funding has been given this year to Transparency International Ireland as part of legal advice to be provided to those who want to make a protected disclosure. I welcome that the European Commission has an ongoing review of this, so we will listen to the wider public feedback on the particular domestic regimes that exist in different member states. That will allow any required reforms out of that to occur.
I share the broader objectives relating to ensuring that we have a protected disclosure regime which supports and protects whistleblowers. That is my policy interest in this area.
One thing I absolutely encourage and urge the Minister to do is listen to the voices of whistleblowers. That is essential. We have had an issue for far too long whereby whistleblowers highlight wrongdoing and feel that they are persecuted after doing so. Unfortunately, from listening to the real-life experiences of whistleblowers, I do not think the position in that regard has changed. We need to do everything we can to protect these people because when it comes to revealing wrongdoing in the State, more often than not, the relevant information actually comes from whistleblowers. I will not name any of them because there are far too many to mention, but the thing that is common to all of them is how their efforts to reveal wrongdoing were treated. They say people circled the wagons, tried to protect the reputation of the organisations involved and frustrate the whistleblowers' efforts, and, if needs be, questioned their motives, character and so on.
We had incredible witnesses before the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach in the previous Dáil who told us about their lived experiences as whistleblowers. I hope very much that their words will be reflected in the Department's engagement with the EU as part of this review.
Obviously, the European Commission presented a report in July of last year. The review will be launched this year and finalised next year. That wider evaluation will be essential in order to monitor the transposition of the directive into law in Ireland and in other member states. It will provide an opportunity for a wider input regarding the reforms that may be required as part of the broader EU transposition. From a domestic perspective, we will have a statutory review of the operation of the Protected Disclosures Act. This is due to happen in parallel with the EU review over the coming years. In the context of domestic, international and European legislation, it is important that we have the review. We must also look at the ongoing supports that are available to whistleblowers. That will be essential in the period ahead.
As Deputy Heneghan is not here to take Question No. 4, we will move to Deputy Kerrane.