I thank the Deputy. The programme for Government states that this Government will undertake a programme of workforce planning to identify the optimal staffing model within the public sector to meet the needs of our changing demographics. In considering the approach to this, I will have regard to the responsibilities of other Ministers in relation to relevant issues such as recruitment in their respective sectors and taking account of the existing policy context. Regarding overall public service staffing, the estimate for public service staff numbers for the end of 2025 is just below 428,000 in full-time equivalent terms. This is the highest ever level of employment in the public service and will represent an increase of almost 22,500 full-time equivalents on the latest reported figures of 405,000 for September 2024. Public service staffing levels are largely managed through a policy of delegated sanction. This was introduced in 2015 to provide offices and Departments with flexibility to manage identified business needs subject to remaining within overall pay ceilings, which are agreed as part of the budget and Estimates process. Delegated sanction allows Departments to fill vacancies through recruitment, promotion or both, in specified, designated grades up to and including principal officer standard. Delegated sanction is subject to the overall pay bill ceiling as set out in the Revised Estimates Volume. Projected staffing numbers and composition should fall within the parameters of the Department’s pay bill. With regard to the public service workforce, I highlight a number of policy developments designed to ensure our public services are well positioned and equipped to meet the current and future needs of our citizens. We launched the Better Public Service 2030 transformation strategy, which sets out our vision for a public sector workforce of the future that is skilled, motivated and reflective of the people we serve. This strategy provides a framework for all public service bodies to identify and implement transformation priorities under the workforce and organisation of the future pillar. Public service bodies are working under this framework to ensure a public service that is more diverse, agile and inclusive and reflects Irish society to better serve the Government and the public, ensure that its staff are skilled for the future and to ensure it is an employer of choice by attracting, retaining, upskilling and developing its staff. I have other items I might go into later.

Sentiment score: 0.28

I can revert to the Deputy on the specific background to the figures and I am happy to do that. On the overall point, as our demographics change and our population grows, we want to make sure - similar to the Deputy's party - we have increased numbers of people working in the public service and that it is in a place where people want to join it and it is an attractive place to work. That is obviously reflected in overall pay policy, which is central to retaining and recruiting staff into our public service, and supporting upskilling and reskilling members of the public service to meet the future needs and objectives we share in the Oireachtas, and the policies we agree. I am happy to provide the background to the specific figures provided to me in the context of the 428,000 full-time equivalents by the end of 2025. I can send the Deputy a note on that specific matter.

Sentiment score: 0.56

I acknowledge the contribution many section 39 workers make in disability, health and social care organisations across our country. As the Deputy will know, there is an industrial relations process in that regard. This is being co-ordinated by the Department of children and disability, which has many section 39 workers under its direct remit. My own Department is engaged with the Department in respect of that. The WRC is the place for that engagement to take place. On blended working, as the Deputy will know, my Department sets the overall policy. Different Departments then manage it in the context of their specific needs. I have responded to him directly in my replies to recent parliamentary questions on that issue and the ongoing work on blended working.

Sentiment score: 0.21

I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 77 together. The programme for Government sets out the clear ambition to prioritise the delivery of transformative, critical and growth-enhancing infrastructure over the next five years by delivering projects as early as possible and within budget. Extra emphasis has been given to my Department through the placing of a real focus on infrastructure and the creation of a dedicated infrastructure division led by a deputy Secretary General. The division will provide greater oversight and support across government in regard to infrastructure delivery to ensure delivery agencies can better deliver the infrastructure needed by our economy and the national development plan. My Department is presently giving full consideration to the skills and resources required to support it to deliver on the specific mandate of the new division. Any additional skills and resources will complement the Department's existing staff in the national investment office, which consists of staff with economic and financial expertise, staff in the construction procurement policy unit, who have expertise in procurement, architecture, engineering and surveying, and staff in the commercial skills academy, who have expertise in engineering and professional development. The requirement for additional analytical, technical, procurement and project management expertise within the division will be scoped out with a view to using this expertise to support all of the national development plan delivery bodies with major infrastructure projects. It is important to note that many of the Department's wider Vote sections also support national development plan delivery through their day-to-day oversight of spending and delivery by sectoral Departments, including the sanctioning of capital spending and providing advice to Government and sectoral departmental policies. Further functions within the Department also deal with issues that impact on this delivery. These include public sector pay policy in the sanctioning of technical posts and salaries required for specific expertise and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, which has oversight of larger digital transformation projects. These officials have other responsibilities in respect of their sectors or wider current spending policies and will therefore support the infrastructure division in its work. As proposed within the programme for Government, the division and its staff will work with Departments and agencies to expedite infrastructure delivery by identifying barriers and progressing reforms to boost delivery and by using the levers at the Department's disposal, including its role in resource allocation, the proposed Cabinet committee on infrastructure and the use of cross-governmental oversight structures.

Sentiment score: 0.32

We are scoping out the overall staffing needs of the division but, to be clear, the overall intention and policy focus in the establishment of this division is not to shallow out or undermine the expertise or delivery systems we have within existing Departments. This is very much to complement and enhance delivery systems, to focus on barriers to delivery and to progress the overall reforms that will be required to drive delivery across different Departments and agencies. That is the overall intention here. This is not about trying to shallow out or undermine good delivery systems. It is about leveraging overall expertise to drive better delivery of infrastructure in our economy. That is why we will use additional analytic and specialist expertise by working with colleagues in the Department of Finance, who will obviously have a view on overall infrastructure delivery in our economy. We will also work with the NDFA and NewERA to enhance delivery. That is why the role of the NTMA and its inputs on overall infrastructure delivery were reflected in the general election campaign. We are trying to establish a greater centralised focus on, and greater oversight of, delivery to underpin the outputs and outcomes. The Deputy is correct; there are a number of examples of projects. In many instances and in certain areas, these are being driven on and are being delivered on budget and on time. In other instances, there are ongoing delays and members of the public are frustrated that they are not seeing the projects set out in the national development plan. We want to accelerate and boost delivery within the infrastructure division. We have overall responsibility for capital spending in the economy. That is why we are scoping out specific staffing needs but it is very much to complement the work of existing Departments, to support them in driving better delivery and identifying barriers and to get feedback from them on those barriers so that we can try to eliminate them and achieve the infrastructure delivery we need.

Sentiment score: 0.19

First, we will review the national development plan to identify a new ambition and focus on overall delivery. What we have set out previously, for example, in regard to the state aid case concerning Apple, is that the strategic priorities of our economy are housing, water, energy and transport infrastructure. The other pillar is health digitalisation. That has been a missed opportunity for too long. It is hugely important in the context of our healthcare infrastructure. The fragmentation and limitation of the digitalisation of our health system have undermined overall productivity and value for money but also the support for patient care and outcomes. We can support healthcare workers and professionals in their day-to-day jobs given the opportunities that presents. They are some of the strategic priorities that we have set out. That will be reflected in the context of the review of the NDP. Complementing the overall capital allocation we aim to try to drive better delivery across the board. As we are establishing a new division, that is what we are currently scoping out from a skills perspective. Separate to that is how we identify some of the areas where there were delays in advancing projects in the past in order to try and accelerate their delivery. We have pretty ambitious commitments to ensure the NDP review is conducted and completed by the summer of this year. Then it is about trying to underpin that in the context of a multi-annual plan. We are driving that on. We have a lot of work ongoing in the context of the Apple escrow and also other funds. We are working with the Department of Finance on that specific strategic infrastructure. If we take the overall housing supply in our economy, we have set new housing targets. The key to unlocking that is energy, water and transport infrastructure in particular. They are key to driving overall housing delivery. Accelerating that will be central to our new national development plan.

Sentiment score: 0.18

The previous Government committed to €165 billion in capital investment through the national development plan, published in 2021. As a percentage of national income, annual capital investment is now among the largest in the EU. In 2025, €15 billion will fund vital infrastructure in areas such as housing, transport, education, enterprise, sport and climate action. An additional €2.25 billion of windfall corporate tax receipts has been allocated from 2024 to 2026 to provide funding for critical infrastructure projects that are at an advanced stage, as well as to the existing climate action fund. Ensuring that projects are properly costed with realistic start and completion dates is vital in achieving value for money from this investment. My Department is responsible for the infrastructure guidelines, which replaced the public spending code for capital appraisal since the end of 2023. These set the value-for-money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks is a key responsibility of every Department, Accounting Officer and Minister. The 2019 update to the public spending code, the introduction of the external assurance process and the major projects advisory group, and the most recent updates were informed by a number of different factors. These included recommendations arising from several reports, including the 2017 IMF report Technical Assistance Report – Public Investment Management Assessment and the PWC independent review of the escalation in costs at the new children’s hospital, a consultation process involving key stakeholders, as well as international evidence. The introduction of the infrastructure guidelines in 2023 focused on reducing the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects which came as part of the Government’s priority action to maximise the delivery of projects. This was implemented through reducing the number of approval stages and streamlining the requirements for major projects, while retaining the international best practice governance and oversight arrangements already in place. This will ensure that vital infrastructure projects will be delivered on time. I will continue in my next contribution.

Sentiment score: 0.27

It is an absolute priority. On the specific items or examples the Deputy has raised, I have met with the chair of the OPW, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, as regards the specific concerns relating to particular projects. In certain instances, members of the public have been extremely concerned, as indeed I think anyone in the political system is, about particular cost overruns. The OPW has been held to account in the Oireachtas. It is important that we have central guidance and oversight to ensure value for money and ensure that there is proper standardisation, that the design protocols are in place and that projects can be delivered at a lower cost and in an effective timeframe. That is why, as part of the appraisal for projects under the infrastructure guidelines, sponsoring agents are asked to critically consider the potential schedule and cost implications of a project, which is further developed as a project progresses through the approval gates and more information becomes available as it moves from a preliminary to a final business case, before the awarding of a contract. It includes both detailed financial and economic appraisal and accounting for all appropriate levels of contingency. That is all set out in the overall infrastructure guidance.

Sentiment score: 0.23

I thank the Deputy and I welcome that. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, and I are happy to work with everyone on a constructive basis on the common objective across our respective responsibilities in the Department. I take very seriously the concerns that have been articulated relating to value for money on particular projects, well-documented ones, many of which were unacceptable in terms of their cost overruns. It is important that there is that anchor of discipline on overall spending when it comes to capital projects in our economy and that there is a focus on delivery at the lowest cost. A lot of that comes down to the design process and, in terms of bigger capital projects, where standardisation is possible and where design protocols are there, ensuring that the appropriate governance is in place to manage particular cost overruns and that there is intervention at a management level if things are escalating from a cost perspective. We have an overall capital envelope that is ambitious to drive better infrastructure delivery in our economy, but value for money has to be at the centre of that. That will be a real focus for me as we establish an infrastructure division in my Department while also ensuring we have better discipline on overall spending and value for money.

Sentiment score: 0.37

The Government has committed to review the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations to consider how the implementation of this approach best delivers public services. My Department will consider the commitments and actions set out in the programme for Government which fall under its remit, including the commitments and actions relating to blended working. The Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations was published by my Department in March 2022. The framework provides broad strategic direction to individual Departments and offices in the Civil Service in developing tailored policies on blended working that are appropriate to their business needs. The framework already provides for reviews, in consultation with stakeholders, on an ongoing basis to adapt to any changes required to meet the needs of business and employees and to incorporate any broader strategies and approaches to new ways of working. Civil Service organisations are encouraged to review their policies regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their business needs. The Civil Service remains committed to ensuring that the public have access to services underpinned by efficient public service delivery. In this context, ongoing reviews of the impact of blended working on organisations, the workforce and the public are essential. The framework recognises that employers require flexibility to decide on the blended working arrangements that best suit their own business and service delivery needs, having regard to the policy or service delivery context in which they operate. In July last year, my Department published the blended working evaluation model with a view to assisting Civil Service organisations in effectively assessing the impact of blended ways of working on the workforce, organisations and the public. The outcome of these evidence-based assessments will help to inform future policy direction to ensure that blended working evolves to best serve those organisations, the workforce and the public.

Sentiment score: 0.40

The blended working policy framework encourages all individual Civil Service organisations to carry out regular reviews of their own blended working policies in consultation with all stakeholders, including employee representative groups at a local level. The current blended working policy framework for the Civil Service organisations recognises as well that employers require flexibility at a local level to decide on the blended working arrangements that best suit their own business and service delivery needs. That is how this has evolved since it was introduced a number of years ago. It is a matter for each Civil Service organisation to assess those needs and to develop tailored blended working policies appropriate, for example, in the context of what the distinction is between in work and remote work. That has been managed very well across the Civil Service and public service since it was introduced and it has been supported by my Department in the context of the blended working evaluation model, which respects that discretion in the context of each Civil Service organisation.

Sentiment score: 0.42

I respectfully disagree because we have a blended working evaluation model and that is providing significant insights and evidence. It was published by my Department in July last year and is designed to assist organisations in effectively assessing the impact of blended working on the ways people work. The model provides for a mechanism for continuous improvement. This enables organisations to gain valuable insights, share learnings and identify areas for enhancement. I have also put on record that the framework encourages individual Civil Service organisations to carry out regular reviews. The business needs of the wider public service are fragmented and different based on the respective roles, remits and responsibilities that particular civil or public servants have. The framework we have respects that, which is why the process of consultation is also reflected in the policy framework we have, which involves engagement of stakeholders, including employee representative groups at a local level. The overall process, as it has evolved since it was introduced during Covid, has been respectful.

Sentiment score: 0.49

It is on a public infrastructure Act.

Sentiment score: 0.00

I thank the Deputy. The Government has committed to €165 billion in capital investment through the national development plan published in 2021. As a percentage of national income, annual capital investment is now among the largest in the EU. In 2025, €15 billion will fund vital infrastructure in areas such as housing, transport, education, enterprise, sport and climate action. An additional €2.25 billion of windfall corporation tax receipts has also been allocated from 2024 to 2026 to provide funding for critical infrastructure projects that are at an advanced stage as well as to the existing climate action fund. The programme for Government acknowledges delays to project delivery result in higher costs and hamper our ability to provide the necessary infrastructure to service a modern society and economy. It also represents a real risk to our competitiveness and to our attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment. Achieving value for money in a timely manner while reducing cost and schedule overruns is a vital part of delivering the NDP. Therefore, the programme for Government commits my Department to reviewing the infrastructure guidelines and creating a public investment Act that would require sponsoring agencies to meet timelines on the development of project appraisals and other evaluations so as to reduce delays in decision-making and embed value for money across all capital projects. My Department is responsible for the infrastructure guidelines, which replaced the public spending code and were published in December 2023, with an effective date of 1 January 2024. These set the value-for-money guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks are a key responsibility of every Department and Minister. The public spending code, which is a guide to evaluating, planning and managing public investment, provided a set of guidelines and a project lifecycle from conception to completion, which gave Departments and public bodies the tools to appraise project proposals in line with international standards.

Sentiment score: 0.26