When we are talking about investment within Uisce Éireann and we know investment is desperately needed in terms of delivery of housing and so on across the State, we also need to look at the investment we are making in water infrastructure on the offshore islands. On Inis Oirr, for example, there are night-time restrictions every summer. We need to have a plan and we need to invest in the offshore islands when it comes to water. We have previously had, as the Minister will remember, issues with water on Inisbofin as well. We need to have a plan. I accept that these types of plan will not be-----
Sentiment score: 0.05
Apologies. I did not realise.
Sentiment score: 0.00
15. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide an update on his scoping exercise for the overpayment of civil servants and Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39499/25]
Sentiment score: 0.01
My question relates to the scoping exercise the Minister and his Department are undertaking on the overpayment of pensions to civil servants and Ministers. What is the status of that, what has been identified to date and what can he tell us about it?
Sentiment score: 0.00
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 Minister at a committee he said he had no concerns about recouping the money. However, when his Department was in front of the Committee of Public Accounts last week it did not seem to be certain of the timeline. It is my understanding that it was pointed out that some of these people will have 20 years to repay the money, which is a very long time. I am concerned that we will not be able to recoup all this money. This has been a major blunder.
Sentiment score: 0.01
It is deeply concerning for most people that this is where it is. When does the Minister expect to have an outcome? Has he been able to identity exactly how this occurred? I do not mean any one person should be blamed for something like this but there must have been some system failures as well. Has the Minister got to the bottom of that? Does he expect that to come out of the report? When does he expect the report to be in the public domain? The Minister will be acutely aware, as he prepares for the budget, that many people are struggling with the cost of living. When you do your weekly shop, the difference every week on the same bundle of goods is amazing. There is a huge impact. When people see this kind of thing, it frustrates them. Let us be frank about that. It is important this never happens again and that we have clear outcomes from the review.
Sentiment score: 0.01