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]
Sentiment score: 0.00
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.
Sentiment score: 0.13
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.
Sentiment score: 0.27
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.
Sentiment score: 0.29
Go raibh maith agat. Sometimes you are waiting a few minutes in between questions.
Sentiment score: 0.00
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]
Sentiment score: 0.15
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.
Sentiment score: 0.33
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.
Sentiment score: 0.24
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.
Sentiment score: 0.13