Latest news with #JackChambers
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Patrick O'Donovan admonished for bringing ‘substantial' issues to Cabinet without telling colleagues
Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan was admonished by Department of Public Expenditure officials for bringing 'substantial expenditure' issues such as the failed Arts Council IT project to Cabinet without sharing details with colleagues in advance. A senior official in Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers's department complained that, under Government procedures, such important policy issues should be flagged and seen 'well before' these are considered by Ministers. Marianne Cassidy, an assistant secretary at the department, said this was the second time Mr O'Donovan brought a major item to Cabinet 'under the arm', meaning it was not shared in advance with other colleagues. The abandoned project, which led to more than €5.3 million being written off by the State , first came to light in February when Mr O'Donovan brought a memo on the matter to Cabinet. He was only weeks into his new role as a senior minister, and it soon emerged that his predecessor, Catherine Martin , was aware of the matter since summer last year. READ MORE The Department of Public Expenditure became aware of Mr O'Donovan's intention to bring the issue to Cabinet five days before this occurred. On Friday, February 7th, Ms Cassidy wrote to the Department of Culture to say her team understood Mr O'Donovan's memo 'will bring serious issues to the attention of Government'. She said the Department of Public Expenditure still had not seen the memo or been made aware of its detail, despite it appearing that these issues had been under consideration by the Department of Culture 'for a while'. 'As a result, it will not be possible to consider them and advise our Minister in relation to them,' said the letter, released under Freedom of Information laws. The letter noted Mr O'Donovan's proposal to spend €10 million bringing an NFL American football game to Croke Park in September had also gone to Cabinet that same week 'under the arm'. It said this practice 'makes it very difficult for this department, and indeed for Government generally, to thoroughly and properly consider issues and their implications, particularly regarding substantial expenditure implications and serious governance issues'. 'This Department should be allowed time, in compliance with government procedures, to properly scrutinise important policy issues ... well before they are table [sic] for consideration by Government,' it said. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer at the Department of Public Expenditure had been liaising with the Arts Council throughout the project. At one point, this office had raised concerns that a key person involved in the project seemed to have 'little to no relevant expertise in this particular area'. In a statement, Mr O'Donovan's department said in the case of the NFL and the Arts Council issues 'there were time pressures involved which required the issues to be brought to Government at short notice'. Codec, the international IT company, has confirmed to The Irish Times it is one of four contractors now facing legal action initiated by the Arts Council over the botched project , which led to €6.75 million being spent on a new grant processing system that never materialised. The firm has strongly rejected an Arts Council briefing paper, shared under Freedom of Information laws, that alleged Codec did 'substandard' work on the project and was 'difficult' to engage with. Codec, one of the main contractors, has defended its work on the project. It said it 'fully delivered' on the scope and deliverables and built a system that was 'high quality, fully functioning according to spec'. 'Codec denies that it has any liability to the Arts Council for any alleged losses which the Arts Council claims it may have suffered,' the company said. It said it has received a notice of intent from the Arts Council to commence arbitration and has confirmed its intention to participate. 'Despite several requests, the Arts Council has been unwilling to provide Codec with the report prepared by an auditor examining the project on its behalf,' it also said. An Arts Council spokeswoman said it has 'commenced proceedings against two companies and we are in pre-action stage with two further companies'.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Planning objections have become a legal industry, official claims
The legal profession has turned planning objections into an 'industry' as people 'run down to the Four Courts' to block new projects, a member of the Government's infrastructure taskforce has said. Sean O'Driscoll, chairman of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), said that in a democratic society, 'common good must always prevail over individual rights'. 'A very small number of people make a lot of noise, run down to the Four Courts to get a judicial review. And [they] are supported by the legal system, who are prepared to take their cases on a 'no fault with no fee' basis,' Mr O'Driscoll said. 'I think that that is wrong.' READ MORE Mr O'Driscoll is one of 12 people appointed to a new infrastructure taskforce attempting to unblock barriers to important economic projects. Announced in May by Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers , it forms part of a Government strategy to speed up delivery of schemes such as housing . Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne show, Mr O'Driscoll said the bar for getting a judicial review against planning decisions was too low. Such judicial reviews give the public the opportunity to challenge planning decisions. 'Judicial reviews were put in place for a very good reason, but they were not put in place for what they are now being used for,' he said. Mr O'Driscoll also warned that Ireland would not be able to continue to attract international investment if it did not invest in data centres . 'You cannot attract companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google into Ireland and say to them, we'd like some of your jobs, but we're not going to provide you with data centres. We can provide them with data centres if we invest in our infrastructure,' he said. He dismissed a target of generating 5GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, which had been backed by the Green Party . 'It is a myth, it won't happen, it isn't happening,' he said. 'A lot of those investors have left town, and they've decided Ireland is too difficult a place to do business in from a planning perspective.'
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'Ireland needs radical action to end its infrastructure crisis'
The Government must accept that there is a 'national crisis in Irish infrastructure', according to a member of a taskforce charged with improving Ireland's project delivery. ESRI chairman Sean O'Driscoll warned of 'catastrophic consequences' facing Ireland's water, energy, and transport networks if 'radical and brave decisions are not taken to ensure projects get completed quicker'. He claimed public servants are more 'scared' of the public accounts committee than of the economy declining. He said: That has resulted in paralysis and risk aversion in the system. The bold decisions that are required aren't being taken, they're being avoided and they have been for 10 years. Mr O'Driscoll was one of 12 people appointed in May to an 'accelerating infrastructure' taskforce, chaired by public expenditure minister Jack Chambers. CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB In an interview with the Irish Examiner, he calls for 'urgent, impactful, radical and immediate actions' including: Addressing judicial reviews and planning delays. He said the bar for judicial reviews is 'far too low' and the Government must go further than its newly-published Planning Act to tackle crises in energy and water; Extend Part 8 planning permissions enjoyed by local councils, which allows them to develop on land independently of An Bord Pleanála to ensure critical infrastructure projects get built; Tell the EU that Ireland has an 'infrastructure emergency' to overcome regulation red tape; Secure multi-year funding for utilities and major projects and urge co-operation between local authorities and utility providers. The infrastructure taskforce was launched in May and is in the middle of a public consultation. It is expected to issue up to 50 recommendations to the Government within months to help speed up delivery. Uisce Éireann chief executive Niall Gleeson warned last month that Dublin is facing serious water supply and wastewater capacity challenges. The stark warning, coupled with fears of power outages in recent years, are evidence of the potentially 'catastrophic' effect of failing to get Ireland's infrastructure improved, Mr O'Driscoll warned. He pointed to a gas pipeline connecting Cork and Dublin being built more than 40 years ago, compared with the time taken to get a planned 170km pipeline to bring water from the River Shannon to Dublin approved, as an example of the need to overhaul decision-making in the sector. Dublin will have a water crisis within five years for the houses it has planned. Are we saying we can't build a water system for the capital city of the country today? We need radical thinking. 'Why wouldn't you [extend Part 8 planning laws] for large infrastructure projects of national significance? Extend that to private land. If the Shannon water project isn't an emergency, I don't know what is.' 'Infrastructure paralysis' He said public expenditure minister Jack Chambers recently said infrastructure delivery is in 'paralysis'. 'In medical terms, that means an emergency. "The art of politics is compromise. Politicians like to avoid taking tough decisions. But if we're going to crack infrastructure, hard decisions are going to have to be taken, and this will have to be treated as a national emergency. We admit it is one and then we treat it as such.' On whether the EU could frustrate Irish attempts to overhaul planning, the former Glen Dimplex chairman pointed to Germany's attempts to substitute LNG imports and other infrastructure to reduce its dependence on Russian-imported gas as an example of EU hurdles being overcome in emergency times. He said: There is no point hiding behind Europe. I hear people saying 'there's an EU directive' and 'we can't do this'... I don't buy that anymore. "We all have an onus to say not all regulation is good and we need to say 'we have an emergency' to Brussels.' Asked about Ireland's climate change targets, he insisted that development should be compatible with those targets, pointing to vast improvements required in the building of renewable energy projects. Taoiseach Micheál Martin should become centrally involved in the task force's work, Mr O'Driscoll added, as former Taoiseach Enda Kenny had in the successful 2012 action plan for jobs, after the financial crash. He said the warning signs are there, and that the utilitiies are all talking about it: 'The government of the day don't want to hear public bodies saying this, but they need to hear it. When the lights go out, or the water isn't available, they'll say: 'Why didn't anyone shout about this?''
Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Coalition intends to splash the cash, sort the housing shortage... and save face
The Government's attempt to reform the rental market through the expansion of Rent Pressure Zones may have dominated news coverage this week, but it is just one of several big-ticket items that the Coalition is hoping will show it is finally getting to grips with the unprecedented housing shortage. Coalition leaders will also hope the large tranches of cash they intend to throw at the problem will calm unrest within their own party ranks and chart the beginning of an escape out of the ongoing housing quagmire. The current National Development Plan is under review, with a report due next month. The review will assess all public capital investment through to 2035, including reallocating funding, reassessing existing plans, and updating costings. Housing Development: Pic: Getty Images Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers – recently appointed to head the new Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, consisting of experts from agencies including the ESB, Uisce Éireann and Transport Infrastructure Ireland – will play a key role in the Government's attempt to convince voters that there is a definite plan of action that can deliver on meeting housing targets and completing major State projects. There is money in the coffers, boosted in no small part by the €13bn Apple tax windfall and also by another €3bn from the sale of bank shares. But this investment will be quickly consumed by the cost of expanding the national grid and putting in place the water and energy infrastructure needed to facilitate delivery of large-scale housing commitments. By next month, Mr Chambers's task force will report on the blockages that must be removed in order finally to deliver housing targets and speed up the delivery of infrastructure. Jack Chambers. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos But it remains to be seen if this Government can succeed where so many of its predecessors failed when it comes to delivering large-scale projects on time and within budget. And as several Cabinet ministers and senior Government sources have warned this weekend, time is swiftly running out to convince an increasingly disenchanted electorate that this Coalition can make good on the big promises that it made to get back in power just over six months ago.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Dáil spending watchdog to examine civil service and ministerial pension errors
The Dáil's public spending watchdog is to examine errors in pension payments for civil servants and ministers. It has agreed to issue an invitation to the national office at the centre of the controversy to be quizzed by TDs. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) wants representatives of the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) to face questions on the matter as early as next month. On Tuesday, it was revealed that a pool of 13,000 retired civil servants who were on work-sharing arrangements are to have their pension deductions checked for underpayments. Current Government ministers may also either owe or be owed money running into the thousands as a result of incorrect pension deductions, while former ministers are believed to be impacted as well. READ MORE There is also an issue in relation to the pensions of 30 retired senior civil servants. One of them could owe as much as €280,000 as a result of NSSO errors. Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has announced an external audit of NSSO systems and processes and a broad external review of its capacity and structures. Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, a member of the PAC, said there is 'really significant worry' over the issues that have arisen. At a committee meeting on Thursday, he proposed that representatives of the NSSO be brought in alongside the Department of Public Expenditure (DPER), which already is due to appear at the PAC on July 10th. Mr Farrelly told The Irish Times the committee has questions about how far back the issues go and which civil service grades are affected. PAC chairman, Sinn Féin TD John Brady, said the invitation is to be issued to the NSSO 'given the emergence of serious issues' there. Separately, the PAC also agreed to invite the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) as well as the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to appear before them next month to be asked about oversight of private nursing homes. This follows on from an RTÉ Investigates programme last week that showed undercover footage at two private nursing homes . Distressing scenes included older people allegedly being manhandled as well as residents being ignored when they pled for help to go to the toilet. Mr Brady said the PAC 'has serious concerns' in the wake of the programme. The PAC agreed to invite Hiqa – which inspects nursing homes – to appear before it following requests for this to happen from Labour Party TD Eoghan Kenny and Fine Gael's James Geoghegan.
