Results 461-480 of 1,080,692 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Johnny Guirke OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Verona Murphy)

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: People are quite worried about this. We are seeing reports that one civil servant was apparently overpaid by €280,000. The 19 former and existing senior civil servants received overpayments worth €1.4 million. I hope measures are being put in place to make sure this does not happen again. The fact that it happened in the first place is shocking. When I raised it with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Services (17 Jul 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I echo what others have said here. In Ennis and Clarecastle in County Clare, even though the sewage treatment system is modern and new, it is already close to capacity. If we want to reach these housing targets, the first thing that needs to be done is to upgrade all of that network underground. The public will not see it and we might not get great praise or thanks for it, but it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Services (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank Deputy Farrell for raising the issue of offshore islands, Deputy Burke for raising the issue of wastewater treatment plants during the noughties and Deputy Crowe for raising the issue of underlying infrastructure. My first role as part of this is to ensure that commercial State bodies, like Uisce Éireann, are appropriately funded over the medium term. That is something we will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Capital Expenditure Programme

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Edward Timmins: 12. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there is long-term financial planning for capital infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40182/25]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Edward Timmins: I have met people working for State bodies involved in asset procurement for long-term infrastructure projects. One of the points they constantly raise is the lack of long-term financial planning and commitments on projects that take a long time to deliver, for example, ten years. They say that more certainty is needed and this would help improve the efficiency of delivering the projects...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The national development plan is the State's medium- to long-term plan for public capital investment. The current national development plan to 2030 provided for public capital investment of €165 billion over the period 2021 to 2030. Government is currently prioritising an early review of this plan, to be published this month, which will set out five-year departmental capital ceilings...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Edward Timmins: I want to emphasise how spending on infrastructure is an investment, in that it gives a return. For example, I recently attended the opening of the new wastewater treatment plant in Arklow, County Wicklow, which cost €140 million and came in on budget. Much of that €140 million comes back to the State immediately through taxes. This plant has a capacity of 24,000 population...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Deputy is right. That was an excellent project delivered by Uisce Éireann. His original question connects back to the previous question that was asked. We understand the challenge Uisce Éireann has had each year in knowing its funding position the following year and the effect that has on contractors and their delivery pipelines. We are cognisant of that in the work we are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Edward Timmins: Regarding delivery, a new infrastructure division group has recently been established. For the current national development plan, a delivery board was set up in 2018. The national development plan envisages five or four - it is not clear - additional outside experts being added. It only meets every two to three months, which seems way too seldom. I wonder how successful it has been....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, for all the work done on flood relief programmes. The problem I have with them is the time it takes from start to finish. One, the Glanmire flood relief project, is being done in my constituency at the moment. It is nearing completion and was very well managed by the OPW. I am concerned about the one in Blackpool, which started in 2013 and, 12...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Kevin Moran: The Deputy has raised this in the committee and here in the House. As I said to him, a judicial review held up that whole scheme. We got consent and were ready to go, and then came the judicial review. Once it comes through the planning process, we will be on the ground. As I explained to the Deputy, I am working extremely hard to try to do this. He can play a part by going to talk to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Peter Cleere: We will go to Question No.-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I might just come in also. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, just dealt with one part. Part of the work we are doing is to try to accelerate and improve the project life cycle. Be they full schemes or road projects, they are taking far too long. The Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, is deployed across Government Departments, assessing and evaluating some of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

John Lahart: I thank the Minister of State. Deputy Moran was not in position when I got the last reply, which was this time last year. It repeated exactly what he has said, namely, a weather window would be required to carry out the works and the works would be carried out in 2025, which is this year. The reason I have asked the question is that the weather window has well and truly been with us for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

Kevin Moran: To be honest, I cannot say. However, I visited the castle a number of weeks ago and saw at first hand exactly the damage caused. I will take back with me that the Deputy got a response that it would be done in 2025 and revert to him in writing. I will pursue it because I fell in love with the castle when I went there. It is a fabulous facility.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

John Lahart: I appreciate that. I would like an explanation as to why I was told last year it would be done in 2025 with the exact same reason in relation to the seasonality of the work. It is imperative. The local authority took a decision recently in relation to the land that it controlled, which is in the curtilage of the castle. That was positive news about the development of the outbuildings...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

Kevin Moran: In defence of why it did not happen in 2025, and as I said in my report, it is due to weather. The type of material we use to do with the castle is all down to weather. If we do not get the weather, we cannot do it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

John Lahart: We had the weather.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Office of Public Works (17 Jul 2025)

Kevin Moran: I am not trying to cover for why it was not done but I know it is seasonal.