Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health her current plans to improve access for children to Covid-19 vaccines.

Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to address the gaps in the assisted human reproduction legislative framework that continue to affect LGBTQ+ families, including the lack of recognition for international surrogacy arrangements, the exclusion of some same-sex…

Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health her currents plans to address issues regarding parents who are transgender not being recognised as the parents of their children.

Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health her current plans to ensure that DEXA scans for women over 50 are fully publicly funded.

Emer Currie

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health to provide a surgery date for a person (details supplied).

Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health when a discretionary medical card for a person (details supplied) will be processed.

Ruth Coppinger

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth her current plans to upgrade school buildings to improve indoor air quality to reduce airborne illnesses such as Covid-19 and influenza.

Jack Chambers

The pay adjustments arising from the Medical Scientist Grades Assessment were implemented following a 2023 Labour Court recommendation, which provides for their application no later than 1 January 2024 and subsequently formed part of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026. The…

Jack Chambers

In general, contracting authorities are not required to publish information concerning contract amendments, cost increases or project delays. However, where a public contract is modified in circumstances covered by Article 72 of Directive 2014/24/EU Modification of contracts…

Jack Chambers

This data is available in the eTenders Open Data (https://data.gov.ie/dataset/contract-notices-published-on-etenders) available on data.gov.ie published quarterly. As requested, here is the percentage of competitions which were awarded based on receiving one bid in comparison to…

Jack Chambers

There is no general requirement under public procurement law or national procurement policy that an automatic review process would be triggered where only one compliant tender is received in a procurement competition above a specified value. The eTenders system does not display…

Jack Chambers

The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) does not analyse supplier concentration, repeat contract awards or market dominance in public procurement. However, I would refer the Deputy to the data available as Open Data…

Jack Chambers

As a division of my Department, the Policy, Service Delivery, eProcurement, Data, Analytics and Systems Division (OGP) is responsible for national public procurement policy, eProcurement, the national eTendering platform, service delivery, and data. The OGP engages on an ongoing…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244 and 245 together. The Change Maker Funding Programme is part of the PEACEPLUS programme 2021-27 which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). €40m of funding is currently ringfenced under the…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 224, 230, 231, 232 and 233 together. There is currently no central database maintained by my Department or by the Office of Government Procurement that records all post-award contract amendments, cumulative increases in contract values arising…

Jack Chambers

There are no statutory thresholds that automatically trigger a review by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) on the basis of procurement cost overruns or project delays.

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 222, 234 and 235 together. There is currently no single State body with responsibility for monitoring public procurement activity across all contracting authorities on a real-time or continuous basis. It is the responsibility of Individual…

Jack Chambers

There is no centralised system operated by my Department or by the Office of Government Procurement that monitors lobbying activity in relation to the design of procurement competitions, the development of specifications, or pre-tender market engagement across the public sector…

Jack Chambers

My Department does not maintain a central record of external consultants involved in the design of procurement competitions who may subsequently have a commercial relationship with firms that are awarded contracts arising from those competitions. Individual Accounting Officers…

Jack Chambers

Section 2A of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which was substantively amended in 2022, provides for a statutory review as follows: The Minister shall - (a) not later than the end of the period of 5 years beginning on the passing of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act…

Jack Chambers

As the Deputy will be aware, the processes and procedures for receiving and following-up on a protected disclosure are set out in Sections 6 - 10 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended). Section 6A(1)(a), in respect of internal reporting channels, states that: "(a)…

Jack Chambers

For the purpose of clarity, I will refer directly to the legislation in answering the Deputy's question. Section 6(3) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) requires employers with 50 or more employees to establish, maintain and operate internal reporting channels and…

Emer Currie

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the post-primary common application process can be extended to Dublin 15.

Paul Donnelly

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the anomaly that prevented schools (details supplied) as DEIS Band I Urban schools each being able to appoint a dedicated HSCL is still applicable; if so, what is the anomaly, given that no such restrictions apply…

Emer Currie

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a school project (details supplied).

Jack Chambers

In Budget 2027, and as set out in the Budget Publication "The Use of Carbon Tax Funds", a total of €1,114 million from carbon tax revenue is being allocated to programmes which support climate measures and ensure the most vulnerable are protected from unintended impacts of the…

Jack Chambers

The Government is fully committed to providing financial certainty for infrastructure projects needed to transform our housing, energy, water, transport, and health infrastructure over the next 10 years to ensure we meet the needs of our growing population. The Review of the…

Jack Chambers

As part of the NDP Review 2025, Government set out annual sectoral allocations for 2026 to 2030, and overall Government capital expenditure ceilings to 2035. This leads to a total public capital investment of €275.4 billion over the period to 2035. This comprises €202.4 billion…

Jack Chambers

The table below sets out the number of public service employees, in full time equivalent terms, by sector since 2021. The figures for 2026 are the latest available and reflect the position at end-June. This data, which was notified to my Department by the relevant organisations…

Jack Chambers

The strategic goal to digitalise public services carries with it a risk of excluding people from participating fully with these services, if their individual needs and preferences are not factored in to the design of these digital-first, but not digital-only, services. Work to…

Jack Chambers

On 27 June 2023, the Minister for Public Expenditure National Development Plan Delivery and Reform published the final review of the Report of the Independent Review Panel on Senior Public Service Recruitment and Pay Processes. The Panel made a range of findings and 38…

Jack Chambers

My 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 to ensure that vital infrastructure projects will be delivered on time and in a manner…

Jack Chambers

As Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring expenditure at Departmental level. The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 73 together. My Department is taking a proactive and coordinated approach to enabling the responsible and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across the Public Service, both to improve service delivery and to maintain public…

Jack Chambers

The €1.1 billion PEACEPLUS programme (201-2027) supports peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland in sectors such as health, education, transport, and socio-economic regeneration. It is an important European Union Cohesion Policy programme…

Jack Chambers

As part of the budgetary process each year, my Department sets overall expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group. These are laid out at Vote level in the Budget Day Expenditure Report published in October with further detail provided in the Revised Estimates for Public…

Jack Chambers

Procuring for our Future: National Public Procurement Strategy 2026-2030 represents a transformational milestone for public procurement in Ireland and a significant step towards delivering meaningful reform across the procurement system. For the first time, it sets out a shared…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 55, 64 and 82 together. I have always been, and remain, committed to meaningful engagement with public service unions and staff associations in relation to a successor Public Service Pay Agreement. I am very pleased that, following intensive…

Jack Chambers

As Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 69 and 70 together. The National Development Plan (NDP) Review, published in July 2025, outlined capital expenditure ceilings for the period 2026-2030. Government has prioritised increased investment levels in water, energy, transport and…

Jack Chambers

As part of their workforce planning and recruitment activities, civil and public service organisations are expected to identify current and future skills requirements and put in place appropriate measures to address gaps. This includes recruitment, learning and development…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 58 together. The Programme for Government established a clear priority for the National Development Plan Review: to maximise investment in the strategic infrastructure required to support Ireland’s future development. This includes the…

Jack Chambers

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to review the public procurement process to make it more transparent and to ensure greater participation from SMEs. As part of this review, my Department engaged extensively with the broad spectrum of Irish enterprise through a…

Jack Chambers

My Department is responsible for the Infrastructure Guidelines, which replaced the Public Spending Code for capital appraisal since end 2023. These set the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects to ensure…

Jack Chambers

Investment in infrastructure and infrastructure delivery are key priorities for Government. As highlighted in the Programme for Government, delivery of essential infrastructure is a key driver in ensuring our economy’s competitiveness and resilience, and is also a means of…

Jack Chambers

My Department is taking a proactive, coordinated approach to enabling the responsible and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across the Public Service, both to improve service delivery and to maintain public trust. Our objective is to ensure that public servants…

Jack Chambers

The Digital Public Services Plan 2030 sets out a roadmap for the delivery of seamless, inclusive and user-centred digital public services. Implementation of the Plan is underpinned by a significant programme of work across Government to realise the benefits of digital…

Jack Chambers

The Programme for Government established a clear priority for the National Development Plan Review: to maximise investment in the strategic infrastructure required to support Ireland’s future development. This includes the energy, water and transport networks that underpin…

Jack Chambers

My Department is responsible for the Infrastructure Guidelines, which set the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects to ensure that vital infrastructure projects will be delivered on time and in a manner…

Jack Chambers

Securing value for money is an ongoing priority for my Department. Policy analysis is a core component of the public expenditure management and value for money frameworks. A wide range of policy and expenditure analysis is undertaken and published by Government Departments…

Jack Chambers

The achievement of value for money in public expenditure is a Government priority, supported by a strong agenda for reform and efficiency. Public expenditure must be managed to maximise value for money for the taxpayer and support the delivery of Government priorities within the…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 40 together. Budget 2026 set out a total expenditure ceiling of €117.8 billion. This ceiling was increased from €117.8 billion to €118.5 billion as set out in the Annual Progress Report 2026. This increase of €0.7 billion reflects two…

Jack Chambers

All provisions of the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026 have been commenced and are now in operation. The Critical Infrastructure Act provides a framework that allows the Government to designate projects and programmes as critical infrastructure. Once a project is designated…

Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 19, 53 and 71 together. Public expenditure must be managed to maximise value for money for the taxpayer and support the delivery of Government priorities within the voted allocations. Achieving value for money in public expenditure is a key…

Roderic O'Gorman

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue this afternoon. I am raising the case of Ahmed Abuhassan, a 22-year-old student from Gaza who has been accepted onto UCD's bachelor of science in computer science programme with a full scholarship but has been unable to…

Paul Donnelly

We stand at a critical crossroads for paediatric healthcare in Ireland. For years, families have looked to Children's Health Ireland and the Department of Health, trusting that their children would receive safe, timely and compassionate care. Instead, as Sinn Féin spokesperson…

Roderic O'Gorman

“Cancer can be cured with herbs". "Cancer is actually a yeast". "High fevers in young children are a good thing". This is some of the health “information” that was given to participants in the "A Journey of Healing" seminar that was held in Ireland last week and is discussed in…

Emer Currie

I thank the Minister of State for re-establishing that group and for meeting me about it earlier this year and for acting on his commitments. The Liffey Valley is an unrivalled green corridor in Dublin. It is an ecological and biodiversity treasure. As the Minister of State said…

Jack Chambers

I thank Deputy Moynihan for the question. My Department is supporting the responsible and effective adoption of AI across the public service to enhance service delivery while safeguarding public trust. The guidelines provide public service bodies with a practical framework for…

Jack Chambers

I thank the Deputy and the other Deputies who have submitted questions. I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 12, 16 and 18 together. As the Deputy knows, a group was appointed by the Government on Friday to undertake a focused and intensive exercise with the parties aimed at…

Jack Chambers

I thank Deputy Farrell for the question. The Government remains fully committed to collective bargaining as the established mechanism for addressing pay and related matters in the public service. This approach has provided an effective basis for engagement over many years and has…

Jack Chambers

In line with the Better Public Services transformation strategy 2030, the Department recognises that access to specialist expertise is essential to a high-performing civil and public service, particularly as we respond to increasingly complex challenges in areas such as policy…

Jack Chambers

Budget 2027 builds on the sustained investment provided by the Government over recent years to support household living standards. It focuses on providing a package of permanent tax and expenditure measures, including broad-based and targeted changes. This will deliver sustained…

Jack Chambers

I thank Deputy Nash. Public expenditure must be managed to maximise value for money for the taxpayer and support the delivery of Government priorities within the voted allocations. Achieving value for money in public expenditure is a key Government priority. Over the past two…

Jack Chambers

I thank Deputy Farrell. I will set out the number of salary proposals approved by the relevant Ministers to which I have consented. I have consented to 23 proposals following the approval of the relevant Minister. There were 11 proposals from the Minister for Transport, in…