Written Answers Nos. 299-313
299. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if trees growing in the middle of a river at the back of a residential property could be removed by the OPW (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65653/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra300. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the complete breakdown of costs involved in the works completed by the Office of Public Works on the Garda station situated in An Rinn, Contae Phort Láirge, in each of the past ten years. [65655/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra301. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an update on an OPW minor works application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65724/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra302. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to set out the policy in relation to the re-appointment of persons holding senior posts in State agencies beyond an initial five-year contract; if such a policy applies only to those at chief executive or head of agency level; if he will outline what other posts, or grades, groups and categories this policy applies to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65762/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIndividuals in leadership roles such as Chief Executive Officers and other analogous heads of State agencies are typically appointed for a fixed length of time as specified in the primary legislation underpinning the agency, usually five-year fixed term contracts. In particular circumstances this initial contract may be extended for a single and final extension of five years, for a maximum term of ten years. Any such extension would require the approval of the relevant line Minister under whose aegis the State agency operates with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
Relevant Government policy and practice, as set out in The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, is that a maximum term of ten years should apply to fixed term posts in State bodies. This policy is applicable to senior leadership roles within State agencies. Given differences in structures and grades operating within State agencies, it is not possible to specify particular grades or posts across all such bodies. However, it is the case that fixed term contracts for CEOs of Commercial State Bodies (CSBs) and non-Commercial State Bodies (NCSBs) have been a long-standing policy and practice of Government.
The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies reflects Government policy in terms of tenure. It is Government policy that the interests of good governance and administration are not best served by having the same individuals in place for an indefinite period.
303. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the costs involved in replacing signage in his Department due to errors on the signs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65764/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing 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 has since replaced the signage at no additional cost.
304. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to set out a list of unpublished reports carried out by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, either directly in his Department or by other Departments, which have been sent to his Department, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65765/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraPolicy analysis is a core component of the public expenditure management and value for money frameworks. Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service (IGEES) plays a key role in supporting all departments and offices in delivering on their value for money responsibilities through undertaking regular analysis of expenditure trends and policies. Alongside this, individual line Departments also maintain responsibility for conducting detailed policy analysis within their own sectors, contributing sector-specific insights and evidence to the wider policy making process. Reports are published on individual Departmental websites and where applicable can also be accessed through the IGEES website.
Since 2024 approximately 63 papers have been published by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, staff across Government. During 2025, policy analysis and expenditure evaluations on a broad range of topics, including disability services, social housing, migration and labour market trends, statutory sick leave, well-being, education, transport, and youth participation. This analytical research has continued to play a key role in supporting evidence-based policymaking across the government.
In addition, my department continually seeks to ensure evidence and analysis is at the centre of policy making including through the budgetary process. This is communicated through our range of publications including the annual Expenditure Report, the recently published Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the Public Service Performance Report, as well our expenditure and policy evaluation papers across a range of topics.
In preparation for Budget 2026, my department undertook several pieces of analysis to support resource allocation:
• The Public Service Performance Report, published in June, detailed how Departments performed against targets set in the Revised Estimates process. This supports assessment of progress ahead of the budgetary process.
• The National Development Plan Review, published in July, sets out investment plans to address the infrastructure deficit in the best way to safeguard our economy, drive growth and opportunity, protect jobs, increase competitiveness and ensure prosperity for our people and communities. This review was underpinned by analysis of drivers of infrastructure needs.
• The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework was published in September. This is a multiyear public expenditure planning exercise and supports assessment of the resource implications of future policy decisions over the period 2025 to 2030.
This work complements engagement with Departments in the Estimates process and the analysis underpinning these discussions, such as, for example, the Forecasting Live Register Claimants and Expenditure 2026 paper, published by my department on budget day, which examines labour market trends and forecasts Live Register related expenditure for 2026. Other recent publications from my department also include:
Review of Social Housing Delivery and Spend• ;
Managing IPAS Expenditure Pressures: Demand-Side Drivers and Policy Responses• ;
School Meals Programme: An Analytical Review of Expenditure, Participation and Governance• , and:
“Specialist Disability Services in Ireland: An Overview of Expenditure Trends, Activity Outputs and Budget Governance 2018–2023• .
These along with all of my Department’s published policy analysis and strategies are available on the department’s website.
305. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of persons that have visited the Daniel O'Connell house during the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65959/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra306. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of former secretary general’s, retired civil servants, directors of service, retired city/county managers or those of a similar grade in his Department that have subsequently served on State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66006/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not collect information on the appointment of retired staff to State Boards. Details of the membership of State Boards are available on the stateboards.ie website.
More generally, as the Deputy may be aware, in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements to increase openness and transparency in the selection of appointees to State Boards. Under these arrangements, expressions of interest were to be sought where a vacancy arose on a Board of a State Body, with vacancies advertised on the relevant Department’s website or by the independent Public Appointments Service (PAS). To support the new approach, the aforementioned stateboards.ie website was established to offer a single dedicated point of contact for Government Departments to assist in the selection procedures for members of State Boards.
Building on this initiative, the Government in 2014 published Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards setting out requirements which apply to all State Board appointments. The Guidelines detail the process which should be followed, and the Guidelines also provide for specific exceptions where it is open for Ministers to appoint Board members other than strictly in accordance with the process. Some State Boards derive their power and authority directly from its establishing legislation, which may also detail how the board of the agency is to be composed and, in these circumstances, the Minister must comply with the establishing legislation in any board appointments.
307. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Question No. 421 of 12 November 2025, if he will clarify the definition of 'exceptional circumstances' which permits the termination of a formal mobility offer after it has been accepted by a civil servant; if a civil servant's previous use of a statutory right of appeal based on European law is deemed an 'exceptional circumstance'; if he will detail the specific formal appeals mechanism or rights of remedy that are available to a civil servant in a case where an accepted offer is terminated for reasons other than an attendance-related unsuitability determination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66019/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) is responsible for setting overarching mobility policy in the Civil Service and the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) are the administrators of the scheme. Local Human Resources units are considered the lead administrators of the scheme where an offer is under consideration or has been made. As per the Civil Service Mobility Scheme, a formal offer of mobility can be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances as determined by the local HR unit and such are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Appeals
There is no appeals process in cases of non-compliance with the terms and conditions for the Mobility scheme. A case can be raised with the NSSO if the cancellation is due to a technical glitch or where an applicant cancels their application by accident and makes contact upon receipt of the cancellation notification. Under the terms of the mobility scheme, an applicant only has a right to lodge an appeal to the relevant HR unit if the applicant is deemed unsuitable on the grounds of attendance. Information pertaining to such cases is retained by local HR units and not collected centrally.
308. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the amount his Department and any body under his aegis have spent on the services of a company (details supplied), by year and organisation in the years 2020 to 1 November 2025, in tabular form. [66084/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra309. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the amount his Department and any body under his aegis have spent on the services of a company (details supplied), by year and organisation in the years 2020 to 1 November 2025, in tabular form. [66102/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 308 and 309 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that neither my Department nor any of the bodies under its aegis had any spending related to the companies in question during the period specified.
310. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the details of any planned schedule of works for Garda stations in County Offaly, in 2026; the stations in the county for which works are planned; the nature and scope of those works; the anticipated timelines for commencement and completion in each case; and the estimated cost of each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66259/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra311. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will direct the National Standards Authority of Ireland to provide the number of companies that have applied for modern methods of construction agreement certifications; the country of origin of those companies who have applied; the status of each application; the average time it takes from the point of application to approval; the number of certifications that have been granted; the identity of companies who have applied and have been approved; the companies country of origin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65188/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease see attached table which provides the information sought relating to the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s (NSAI) Agrément certification process including how to access additional information regarding the identity of company applicants which is publicly available on the NSAI's website.
NSAI’s website also contains further information on relevant companies at:
www.nsai.ie/certification/agrement-certification/search-agrements-certificates/
[Select drop-down menu by ‘Building Systems’ for a list of 20 certified systems]
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Number of companies that have applied for Modern Method of Construction Agrément Certifications |
75 Offsite Manufacturing companies, to date. See country of origin and % breakdown by region below. |
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Country of origin of those companies who have applied; the status of each application |
Companies have applied from: Ireland, Northern Ireland, UK, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia, USA (via an Irish legal entity), China (via UK and Irish legal entities), Lithuania (via Irish legal entities), and Finland.Many of the above are either at: §Stage 2 – Application Assessment i.e. Gap Analysis, Contract Scoping or Contract Award (2 months) § Stage 3 – Technical Assessment Specification (TAS) & Factory Production Control (FPC) Audit (6-18 months) § Stage 4 – Draft Agrément Certificate (1 month) § Stage 5 – Final Review process (1 month) For information, Stage 1 (less than 1 month), Stage 6 (1 month), and Stage 7 (less than 1 month). Further information relating to the process stages is available on NSAI’s websitewww.nsai.ie/images/uploads/certification-agrement/D-IAB-002_Rev_2_NSAI_Agrement_Information_Pack.pdf |
|
Average time it takes from the point of application to approval |
It takes between 6-21 months for approval to be finalised. The length of time is dependent on the complexity of the proposed Building System. |
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Number of certifications that have been granted |
4 new Certificates published in 2024. 4 Revision Certificates published in 2025 (to date). 12 new ‘Draft’ Certificates pending for publication in Q1, 2026 (awaiting outstanding Client inputs or supporting documentation to update the draft certificate). |
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Companies’ country of origin |
As above, with the following % Breakdown by region for the Offsite Manufacturing country of origin: §20% from Overseas and/or Mainland Europe (15 companies) §8% from the United Kingdom (6 companies) §9% from Northern Ireland (7 companies) §63% from Republic of Ireland (47 companies) |
312. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to create financial supports for artisanal instrument makers to recognise their contribution to the arts. [65279/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are located in 31 local authorities and provide a suite of supports designed to assist small businesses to reduce their costs and become more productive and competitive. The LEOs offer Feasibility Grants and Business Expansion Grants for small businesses, including crafts and manufacturing. These can help with prototyping, equipment purchase, and market development.
Enterprise Ireland (EI) primarily funds businesses in manufacturing and internationally traded services, so instrument makers who export or plan to export could potentially qualify for EI funding.
In 2025, Enterprise Ireland implemented a series of robust measures to support the SME sector, focusing on financial aid, innovation, and digital transformation. Enterprise Ireland is continuing to offer grants and loans tailored to the needs of SMEs, ensuring they have access to the financial resources required to sustain and grow their businesses.
Enterprise Ireland, in conjunction with the local enterprise offices, is also expanding the eligibility criteria for the Trading Online Voucher, now available to companies in all sectors with up to 50 employees and doubling the grant to €5,000. This initiative is designed to encourage SMEs to embrace digital sales channels, enhancing their competitiveness in the global market. Moreover, the Digital for Business Consultancy Scheme will be extended to include all sectors with up to 50 employees, providing expert advice and support to help SMEs navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
313. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of WTE staff, by job title and gender, working at Enterprise Ireland offices in Shanghai and Lumpur as of 17 November 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65398/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnterprise Ireland have confirmed that they currently have 6 staff in their Shanghai Office and 1 staff member in their Kuala Lumpur Office, details of which are as follows:
|
Location |
Job Title |
Gender |
|
Shanghai |
Regional Director |
Female |
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Shanghai |
Overseas Manager |
Male |
|
Shanghai |
Senior Market Adviser |
Female |
|
Shanghai |
Assistant Market Adviser |
Female |
|
Shanghai |
International Graduate |
Male |
|
Shanghai |
International Graduate |
Female |
|
Kuala Lumpur |
Senior Market Adviser |
Female
|
