Description
When we formed this Government in March 2011, our core promise to the Irish people was to fix our economic problems and to get Ireland working again.
Programme for Government:
Annual Report 2013
Year 2: Rebuilding
Programme for Government:
Annual Report 2013
Government for National Recovery 2011-2016
March 2013
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 3
Foreword 4
Economy 6
Reform 19
Fairness 26
Progress 42
Commitments Under Review 50
Appendix 1: Government Legislation Enacted since March 2012 51
Appendix 2: Rationalisation of State Bodies 53
CONTENTS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 4
FOREWORD
Year 2: Rebuilding
When we formed this Government in March 2011, our core promise to the Irish people was to ?x our economic
problems and to get Ireland working again. Since then, the Government has been working with the people to
implement our agreed plan for economic recovery. That plan is working.
The hard work and sacri?ces endured by many are making a real difference. Ireland is rebuilding its reputation,
restoring con?dence and laying the foundation for a better future. This second annual report sets out the
progress made right across Government in the past year. It shows a Government hard at work, reforming,
legislating and delivering on its commitments.
After two years in government, there is real evidence of the rebuilding that has taken place.
Restoring Financial Stability and Con?dence
Building on the ?rst renegotiation of the bail-out agreement, we have further reduced our borrowing costs
through liquidating the former Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide banks and getting rid of the promissory notes.
Other banks have been restructured and recapitalised, with new boards and management teams. The
bank guarantee has been ended, further stakes in the banks have been sold, deposits are ?owing back and
dependence on emergency central bank funding is greatly reduced.
The correction of the public ?nances is on track, with 90% of the ?scal consolidation complete and borrowing
on track to fall to below the 3% of GDP target by 2015.
This hard work to rebuild our international reputation for responsible ?nancial management has paid off, with
long-term Government bond yields now at less than 4%. Ireland’s successful preparations and start to the
Presidency of the EU will further enhance our standing.
Helping People Back to Work
But our key priority has been getting people back to work because there are still far too many people without
jobs. We successfully implemented 92% of the 270 actions in the 2012 Jobs Plan designed to make it easier to
protect and create jobs and secured the €2.25 billion stimulus in job-rich public infrastructure projects. We led
18 successful trade missions in 2012 worth €200 million in new export sales.
We put in place almost 30,000 new education and training places for jobseekers and launched Intreo, the new
one-stop-shop employment and support service. We kept our promise not to increase taxes on work and
income.
Protecting the Most Vulnerable and Ensuring Fairness
We have continued to maintain primary weekly social welfare rates and protect those families worst affected by
the economic collapse. We introduced €2.5 million to fund a new Area Based Approach to Child Poverty.
We enacted new personal insolvency legislation to help distressed borrowers reach a settlement with
their lenders while staying in the family home. We transferred 5,000 households to the long term rental
accommodation scheme.
€1 billion was spent by NAMA towards completing un?nished properties, and the number of un?nished housing
developments is now down 37% since 2010.
We’ve ensured a fair contribution from everyone to the national effort, particularly by increasing taxes on
capital and wealth and by eliminating tax loopholes traditionally used by the better off.
Reforming Our Politics
We have been overhauling the political system to make it more effective and ef?cient, and to make sure
politicians share in the sacri?ces being made by the entire country.
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 5
We have increased the number of Dáil working days by 30%. We have cut politicians pay and expenses and further
reduced the cost of Ministerial transport and use of the Government jet.
Constitutional reform continued with the passing of the Children’s Referendum, strengthening our children’s rights
and the work of the new Constitutional Convention. Public Sector reform is advancing with streamlined services
and bodies, more shared services, enhanced skills and greater ef?ciencies while delivering better services.
We are radically reforming the local government system to make it more ef?cient and effective, cutting the number
of councillors by over a third.
Protecting Key Services
Despite the necessary budget cuts, we are protecting education, health and other key services by cutting costs,
eliminating waste and recruiting new teachers and vital mental health and primary care staff. We secured
signi?cant new agreements with hospital consultants and the pharmaceutical industry to reduce costs and
enhance health services.
We have set out a road map of 48 key actions to reform hospital and primary care to ensure a future sustainable
and equitable health service. The Special Delivery Unit has continued its work with hospitals and further reduced
hospital trolley and waiting times during 2012.
We opened the new 34 bed Cystic Fibrosis Unit in St Vincent’s Hospital and we chose the St James Hospital
campus as the site for the new National Children’s Hospital.
Programme Priorities and Milestones for Next Year
In the year ahead, we will continue the work of rebuilding the country, driving implementation of our policies to
deliver real change to impact people’s lives:
• accelerating the work-out of the mortgage crisis to ensure that most families are offered sustainable solutions
by next year;
• growing the economy to generate jobs, implementation of the 2013 Action Plan on Jobs, enacting legislation for
NewERA and Strategic Investment Fund and ?nancing new projects in key strategic sectors;
• making sure economic recovery does not bypass jobless households – an enhanced Pathways to Work strategy
to ensure new jobs go to people on the live register;
• delivering further political and constitutional reforms with an Autumn referendum on the abolition of the
Seanad, continuing the work of the Constitutional Convention and transforming Freedom of Information
provisions;
• exiting the IMF-EU programme, while sticking to a path of reducing borrowing and debt to sustainable levels;
• protecting front-line services through further productivity and reforms of public services;
• delivering signi?cant new policy change to enhance people’s lives, including a health and wellbeing strategy,
primary care reforms, modernising the education system and enhanced child and family services.
We present this as a record of progress made, acknowledging that there is still plenty to be achieved over the
remaining three years of this Government’s term. We will continue to press on towards the goal of reclaiming
Ireland’s future for its people with hard work and determination.
Enda Kenny T.D.
Taoiseach
Eamon Gilmore T.D.
Tánaiste
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 6
ECONOMY
Key Highlights
Banking and Fiscal Policy
• Bank debt deal reducing State borrowing by €20
billion over 10 years
• Ending of the Bank Guarantee Scheme
• Closed down IBRC (formerly Anglo Irish Bank
and Irish Nationwide)
• Sale of Irish Life
• Successfully reducing Ireland’s large de?cit to
put our national ?nances on a sound footing
• The Irish State and Irish banks have returned
to the long term bond markets for the ?rst time
since September 2010
• The people passed the Stability Referendum,
helping to restore con?dence by guaranteeing
Ireland’s access to the backstop of the European
Stability Mechanism
• Deposits returning to Irish banks and reduced
reliance on emergency ECB funding
• Disposals of some of the State’s holdings in
banks
• New bank resolution fund established in case of
future ?nancial instability
• Restructuring of Credit Union sector
Creating Jobs and Tackling
Unemployment
• Private sector employment increasing again with
an annual increase in employment recorded for
the ?rst time since 2008
• The economy continued its return to growth with
an increase of 1.4% in GDP in 2011, with further
growth forecast in 2012 and 2013
• 2012 was the most successful year of job creation
for IDA and Enterprise Ireland since 2006
• Maintaining our transparent and consistent
corporate tax rate
• Launched the Action Plan for Jobs 2013 while
delivering 92% of the 270 actions in the 2012
Jobs Plan
• Progression outcomes for our national internship
programmes, JobBridge, best in Europe
• Almost 30,000 new education and training places
provided for jobseekers
• Roll out of Intreo – the new one-stop-shop
employment and support service
• €60.5 million in funding to 85 pioneering projects
developing new commercial opportunities
• Launch of Agenda 2020 plan to maximise the job-
creation potential of SFI research
• Signi?cant investment in new world-class
Research Centres
• Extension of short-stay visa waiver programme
to 17 countries
• Roll out of multi-year entry visa regime for
business travellers extended
• Major tourism events supported worth €110
million to the Irish economy
• International education worth €1 billion to
Ireland – new agreement signed with Brazil
Growing Businesses
• Introduction in Budget 2013 of a 10 Point Tax
Reform Plan that will make a real difference to
SMEs
• New measures to provide €900 million in
additional ?nancing for SMEs
• New venture capital investment schemes for
medium and start-up companies
• 18 successful trade missions in 2012 worth €200
million
• Signed a new memorandum of understanding
with China leading to signi?cant new commercial
relationships
• Cost of red tape reduced by 19% worth up to
€289 million annually
• Rent easement by NAMA on commercial
properties worth €13.5 million to businesses
• New scheme to provide credit to small
businesses of €150 million
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 7
• Historic overhaul of Irish bankruptcy law
• Corporate tax exemption for new start-up
companies will be available for companies that
commence trading in 2013 and 2014
Key Infrastructure
• €2.25 billion stimulus package providing
investment in job-rich public infrastructure
projects
• €850 million roads programme restored as part
of the stimulus package
• New Broadband Plan to provide high-speed
broadband to every home and business
• Creation of a €70 million Energy Ef?ciency Fund
• Investment of €200 million in Ireland’s water
services investment programme
• East-West Interconnector linking the power grids
of Ireland and Britain
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 8
Implementation
Banking and Re-Negotiation of the
IMF/EU Programme of Support
Enhancing the Sustainability of the Public Finances
A deal on the promissory note, achieved in February
2013, will reduce Ireland’s borrowing needs by €20
billion over the coming decade. The ?rst payment
of principal under the new deal will not now be
made until 2038, with the last payment to be made
in 2053. In addition, the sale of Irish Life and the
State’s holding of Contingent Capital Notes in Bank
of Ireland will lower the Exchequer Borrowing
Requirement by approximately €2.4 billion in 2013.
Structural Reforms to Accelerate Growth and Debt
Sustainability
A number of structural reforms were advanced in
2012, including:
• Further bank deleveraging, in line with the
Financial Measures Programme 2011
• Personal insolvency reform to facilitate the
resolution of unsustainable personal debt
• Publication of legislation to make it easier for
viable SMEs to restructure their debts
• Measures to make it easier for businesses to
access credit
• Further reform of the budgetary framework to
enable better planning
• Fiscal Stability Treaty legislation setting out new
budgetary and debt rules
• Reform of workplace relations structures and
sectoral wage-setting mechanisms
• A new integrated employment and support
service to enhance labour market activation
services and reduce the risk of long-term
unemployment
• Accelerated reduction in public sector numbers
• Progress towards the introduction of a new
Housing Assistance Payment to create a more
sustainable system and reduce barriers to
employment
• Broadening the tax base through a new local
property tax to fund local services
Bank Recapitalisation
Recapitalisation of the banks was deferred until
after the completion of the stress tests carried out
in the 2011 Prudential Capital Assessment Review
(PCAR). Of the €24 billion in capital identi?ed as
being required following the 2011 PCAR process,
the State has provided €17.8 billion with the
balance being sourced through burden sharing
with subordinated bondholders, private investment,
asset disposals and internal capital generation.
This has helped to provide a secure ?nancial system
for deposits and ensure the ?ow of credit to Irish
consumers and businesses.
Reducing Banks’ Reliance on the Irish and
European Central Banks
Banks operating in Ireland continue to reduce their
level of borrowing from the ECB. During January
2013, the funding drawn via the ECB re?nancing
operations declined by €0.9 billion to €70.1
billion – its lowest level since September 2008.
Since November 2012, AIB, Bank of Ireland and
Permanent TSB have all returned to international
debt markets, raising €2.6 billion in new funding.
Following a Government decision, the Bank
Guarantee Scheme will end for all new liabilities
from midnight on the 28th March 2013, marking a
signi?cant step in the normalisation of our banking
system. The ending of the scheme and the gradual
removal of this liability from the taxpayer will also
help to sustain Ireland’s re-entry to international
markets.
Ensuring Credit for SMEs
The pillar banks met their commitment to make
€3.5 billion of credit available to SMEs in 2012 and
have committed to making a further €4 billion of
credit available in 2013.
The Credit Review Of?ce has overturned more than
50 per cent of the lending decisions appealed to
it since 2010 – unlocking over €10 million in extra
credit for SMEs.
The National Pensions Reserve Fund is to invest
in a suite of three new long-term funds, which will
provide equity, credit and investment for Irish SMEs:
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 9
• The SME Equity Fund, of €300 million, will focus
on healthy businesses seeking to grow
• The SME Turnaround Fund, of €100 million, will
focus on underperforming businesses, which are
at or close to the point of insolvency but with the
potential for restructuring
• The SME Credit Fund, of €450 million, will
focus on performing larger SMEs and mid-size
corporates
A Microenterprise Loan Fund has been established
to facilitate over €90 million in additional lending to
start-ups, sole-traders and micro-enterprises.
A Special Resolution Regime and Bank Levy
The Central Bank and Credit Institutions
(Resolution) Act 2011 provided for an effective
and ef?cient Special Resolution Regime for credit
institutions, to minimise taxpayers’ exposure to
future ?nancial sector dif?culties. A Resolution
Fund of €250 million, to be funded by a levy on credit
institutions, was established in 2012 to provide a
source of funding for the resolution of ?nancial
instability in credit institutions.
Disposing of the Public Stake in the Banks
The State has successfully disposed of its entire €1
billion holding of Contingent Capital Notes in Bank
of Ireland, resulting in a payment to the State of
€1.056 billion, including interest and pro?t.
Making NAMA More Transparent
NAMA established a new Strategy and
Communications Division in 2012 to further support
its engagement with public representatives,
business, the media and members of the public. The
new Freedom of Information provisions progressing
in 2013 will ensure that NAMA is subject to FOI
requests for the ?rst time.
Credit Unions
A Credit Union Restructuring Board was established
on an administrative basis in 2012 to oversee and
facilitate the restructuring of the credit union
sector. The Credit Union and CoOperation with
Overseas Regulators Act 2012 placed the Board on
a statutory footing and provides for stabilisation,
strengthened governance and a regulatory
framework for credit unions.
Jobs Programme
Building on the success of the 2011 Jobs Initiative,
the Government launched the Action Plan for Jobs
in 2012 as the ?rst instalment in an ambitious
multi-year process, aimed at increasing the
number of people at work in Ireland by 100,000.
Implementation of the plan has been highly focused,
with 92 per cent of the 270 measures successfully
delivered, supporting growth in trade and exports,
improving access to ?nance, investing in research,
enhancing cost-competitiveness, and exploiting
sectoral opportunities.
While unemployment remains high, there are signs
of progress in the labour market. For example in
2012, IDA Ireland companies created the highest
number of new jobs in a decade with 6,570 net
new jobs recorded, whilst Enterprise Ireland client
companies had their best performance since 2006
with the creation of more than 3,000 net new jobs.
February saw the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs
2013, which contains 333 actions to be implemented
throughout the year, and will build on progress
made in 2012 to continue improving supports for
job-creating businesses and removing barriers to
employment-creation across the economy.
Labour Market Policy
In 2012, the Government launched its policy
statement on labour market activation, entitled
Pathways to Work. This sets out a new approach
to how the State engages with and supports the
unemployed to get back to work, which links the
payment of entitlements to individual engagement in
activation programmes.
This will focus on regular interaction, greater
targeting, incentivising employers and clients and
reforming the systems.
Work Activation Initiatives
By the end of 2012, 13,232 individuals had
commenced JobBridge placements. The
independent evaluation of the scheme last year
found it to be a highly successful activation measure,
with 52 per cent of interns progressing into paid
employment.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 10
This is one of the best progression outcomes for
work placement programmes anywhere in Europe.
By the end of 2012, 7,305 people had either
completed or were currently on Tús work
placements, keeping people work-ready especially
those out of work long term.
Budget 2013 provided €11 million in funding for an
additional 10,000 places across a range of activation
programmes.
Additional Education and Training Places
The target of providing 30,000 additional education
and training places is almost complete, with the
following provided so far:
• 5,800 places on the FAS Speci?c Skills Training
programme
• 5,000 places on the 2011 Springboard
programme
• 4,121 places on the Back to Education Initiative
• 1,000 Post Leaving Certi?cate places
• 6,500 Labour Market Education and Training
Fund places
• 6,000 places on the 2012 Springboard
programme
A total of €48 million has been provided in the
National Training Fund for labour activation
measures and targeted skills training in 2013.
A New National Employment and Entitlements
Service
Intreo, the new integrated employment and support
service, was launched in October 2012. Intreo is
a new one-stop shop service integrating a range
of claim, activation, employment and control
services with a single decisions process to reduce
bureaucracy and speed up decisions and claim
processing and ensure early access to employment
services. Phased roll out of the service has
commenced to ensure its nationwide availability by
2014.
The legislation to enable the establishment of
SOLAS, the new body which will be responsible for
integrating, developing and modernising the further
education and training sector, has been published.
Increasing Exports
The value of goods exports in 2012 increased by 1
per cent to €92 billion, which is the highest ?gure
since 2002. Latest available ?gures show that
services exports for the ?rst nine months of 2012
increased by over 11 per cent, meaning that the
annual overall increase in exports for 2012 is likely
to be signi?cant.
Creating a Home to Export Programme
Enterprise Ireland has established a new
Potential Exporters Division to reorient companies
with growth potential from the domestic to
the international marketplace. A new pilot
programme to increase collaboration between Irish
companies and multinationals has been launched
and development has also commenced on an
international mentor-adviser programme. Budget
2013 extended the Foreign Earnings Deduction
scheme, to support exporting companies in putting
‘boots on the ground’ in eight additional countries.
Improving Trade Relations with Emerging
Economies
Eighteen trade missions took place in 2012,
promoting Ireland as a key trade and investment
destination in established and emerging markets
such as the United States, Canada, South
Africa, China, Russia and Brazil. Contracts and
commitments with potential value of over €200
million were signed during these missions. Two
successful Joint Economic Commissions were also
held towards the end of 2012, further enhancing our
trade and economic links with both China and South
Korea.
The new €2 million Africa Agri-Food Development
Fund was established on a pilot basis in 2012 to
develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food
Sector and African countries.
Developing Scholarship Schemes with Emerging
Markets
The new Ireland Scholarship scheme is aimed at
attracting foreign teachers of English to Ireland
to refresh their language skills, targeting key
international markets. Twelve scholarships were
awarded in 2012 and further expansion of the
scheme in 2013 will see it extended to Russia and
China.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 11
Government of Ireland International Scholarships
are awarded to high calibre students to study in
Ireland for a period of one year. The successful
scholars undertake to become Education in Ireland
Ambassadors and use social media to promote the
Irish brand in their home countries. Twenty-two
scholarships were awarded in 2012, primarily to
students from India and China. Further expansion of
the scheme in 2013 will see it extended to Brazil.
Innovation and Commercialisation
Trading and Investing in the Smart Economy
Good progress was made in 2012 in implementing
the recommendations outlined in the Trading and
Investing in the Smart Economy Report:
• 110 members of the Global Irish Network signed
up to the Global Irish Contacts Programme,
which connects the Diaspora with companies
seeking to expand internationally
• The Succeed in Ireland initiative, launched in
March 2012, aims to create 5,000 jobs within ?ve
years by incentivising the Diaspora to work for
Ireland in ?nding mobile foreign investments.
485 potential investments have been submitted
to date
Supporting our Indigenous Digital Game Industry
An industry-led Clustering Development Team has
been established to drive implementation of the
Forfás Games Strategy. Particular attention is being
given to the training and educational needs of the
companies operating in the games sector.
Enterprise Ireland has published a guide on R&D tax
credits, in follow up to a series of R&D workshops
held with the games industry in 2012.
The fourth Internet Growth Acceleration Programme
was launched in October 2012, with 36 participating
companies. This is an intensive management
development programme for high potential internet/
games companies, aimed at equipping them with
the practical tools needed to formulate international
growth plans and scale their businesses.
eGovernment
The new eGovernment Strategy, launched in April
2012, contains 45 actions to transform how citizens
and businesses engage with the State, to reduce
the costs of public service delivery and ensure that
Ireland bene?ts from the opportunities offered by
new and existing ICT technologies. A new website,
e.gov.ie, facilitates public bodies to report progress
and allow the public to see how the strategy is being
implemented.
A Data Sharing Clearing House has been established
to advance data sharing across the public service,
to reduce the number of times that citizens
and businesses are asked to supply the same
information.
Making Ireland a Leader in Cloud Computing
The new Cloud Computing Strategy for the Public
Service, published in July 2012, sets out a range of
timetabled initiatives to maximise the potential of
cloud computing to reform delivery of ICT services
and deliver ef?ciencies. One of the aims for 2013
is the implementation of the necessary networking
infrastructure to support a Public Service
Community Cloud.
The Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and
Commerce (IC4) was launched in November 2012 to
accelerate the development and adoption of cloud
technology in Ireland, and develop and showcase
Ireland’s capabilities and create jobs in the ICT
sector.
Promoting Technology Research and Innovation
The Research Prioritisation Action Group has
developed a new National Science, Technology
and Innovation Policy 2013-2017. The Group has
also adopted Action Plans for the fourteen priority
areas recommended in the 2011 National Research
Prioritisation Report, in order to realign competitive
public research funding around priority areas over
the next ?ve years.
In November 2012, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
launched its new strategy Agenda 2020 – Excellence
with Impact, an eight-year plan to maintain and
attract top-tier scientists in Ireland and maximise
the economic and societal development returns
from SFI supported research. Legislation, published
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 12
in 2012, will enable SFI to support research on an
all-Island and pan-European basis, allowing SFI
funded teams leverage additional levels of non-
exchequer funding into Ireland.
In January 2013, under its Investigators Programme,
SFI made awards of €60.8 million in total to fund
eighty-?ve pioneering projects, which will directly
support 250 research jobs. The projects being funded
have links to thirty-six commercial companies thus
far, with signi?cant potential for job creation.
Enterprise Ireland has launched a €22 million
Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative 2013-
2016 for universities and Institutes of Technology,
to boost interaction between industry and higher
education institutes. The initiative is expected to
produce 150 new companies by 2016.
The DCU Innovation Campus, a new national centre
for innovation in the clean-tech sector, was of?cially
opened in January 2013. The new campus will be a
location of choice for high-growth clean-tech start-
ups, SMEs and larger companies and is expected to
drive signi?cant green economy growth, supporting
200 jobs over the initial eighteen months and 500 in
the ?rst ?ve years.
Though a combined State/industry investment of
€300 million, announced in February 2013, seven
new world-class Research Centres are to be
developed in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin.
These centres will support more than 800 scientists
in attracting dynamic new partnerships with
industry, to develop and commercialise cutting-edge
research and new technologies.
Dublin City of Science 2012 was enormously
successful, with over 600,000 people taking part in
science events across the country. Over 160 events
and activities involving some of the world’s leading
scientists attracted visitors and journalists from over
70 countries. Building on this success, a Festival of
Curiosity will be held annually in Dublin, beginning in
July 2013.
Establishing a Network of Technology Research
Centres
Technology Research Centres are collaborative
entities established and led by industry; focused on
research with a direct impact on industry. Twelve
new centres have been established, creating 223 new
jobs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Kildare.
These Centres will interact with 220 companies in
2013, supporting the commercialisation of research
ideas, spin-out companies and further job-creation.
Preparation is underway for a further ?ve centres in
the areas of health, data analytics, dairy technology,
medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
Making R&D Tax Credits More Accessible to SMES
The Finance Bill 2013 will amend the ‘Key Employee’
provision of the R&D tax credit regime by reducing -
from 75% to 50% - the proportion of time that such
an employee must spend solely on R&D activities, in
order to qualify for the credit.
Supporting SMEs
Reforming Public Procurement
Central procurement is undergoing radical reform,
with plans for the establishment of a new National
Procurement Of?ce, led by the recently appointed
Chief Procurement Of?cer. The integration of
procurement policy, strategy and operations into one
Of?ce will ensure substantially reduced costs (over
€250 million per annum) and better value for money,
as well as fostering increased SME participation in
tendering for public contracts.
Reforming Bankruptcy Legislation
The new Personal Insolvency Act 2012 has
comprehensively reformed Irish bankruptcy law,
with the introduction of automatic discharge from
bankruptcy, subject to certain conditions, after 3
years instead of 12 years.
Reforming the Joint Labour Committee Structure
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012
radically overhauled the statutory wage setting
mechanisms making them fairer and more
responsive to changing economic circumstances
and labour market conditions. As provided for in the
Act, the Labour Court is carrying out a review of the
existing Joint Labour Committees, to be concluded
in April. The Labour Relations Commission has
commenced consultations with stakeholders on
standardising Sunday work and overtime rates
through nationally agreed Codes of Practice.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 13
Reducing Commercial Rents
As reported last year, legislative intervention in the
area of upward-only rent reviews has unfortunately
proved unfeasible. However, NAMA proactively
works to facilitate rent easement in cases where
it has acquired the loan on a commercial property,
where a tenant demonstrates that the rent payable
under a lease is in excess of current market levels
and that the viability of a business is threatened as
a consequence. By the end of 2012, the Agency had
granted 212 applications for rent abatement, with an
aggregate annual value of €13.5 million.
Reducing Compliance Costs for Microenterprise
As reported last year, analysis suggests that the
‘Single Business Tax’ as previously proposed in the
Programme for Government could not be delivered
in the form described. As an alternative to this, a
Tax Reform Plan was announced as part of Budget
2013, to cut the cost of tax compliance for small and
medium enterprises and make starting a business
less daunting. The plan includes an extension of
the three year corporation tax relief for start-up
companies and a number of measures to encourage
innovation, help cash ?ow and improve access to
funding.
Reducing Government Imposed Red Tape on
Business
Efforts across Government reduced the
administrative burden on businesses during
2012 by 19 per cent, which represents an annual
potential saving of over €289 million for business.
A new website, launched in June 2012, (www.
businessregulation.ie) provides a single source of
information for businesses on how to comply with
regulatory requirements imposed across over thirty
Government bodies.
The Companies Bill consolidates the existing 16
Companies Acts into one and will reduce red tape and
make company law obligations easier to understand.
As a result, 12,500 start-ups in Ireland every year will
save a total of more than €6 million in professional
fees associated with establishing a company. The Bill,
which is the largest substantive piece of legislation in
the history of the State, has been published and will
proceed through the Oireachtas during 2013.
Enabling SMEs to Restructure Their Debts
The Companies Bill also contains provisions that
will enable SMEs to apply directly to the Circuit
Court to have an examiner appointed, which will
make it cheaper and easier for viable businesses to
restructure their debts.
Protecting Small Building Contractors
The Construction Contracts Bill, which will be
enacted this year, will provide greater protection for
small sub-contractors by:
• Establishing certainty around the timing and
amounts of payments
• Providing an effective means of enforcement in
respect of late, non or partial payments
• Providing for a right to refer payment disputes to
adjudication
• Prohibiting the use of “pay when paid” provisions
in construction contracts
Financial Services and Credit
to Business
Implementing a Credit Guarantee Scheme
The Credit Guarantee Scheme became operational
in October 2012 and is expected to facilitate
total additional lending of €450 million to small
businesses, over the next three years. The scheme
is expected to bene?t 5600 businesses and create
4000 jobs. The Scheme is targeted at businesses
with growth and job creation potential, which are
struggling to access credit due to insuf?cient
collateral, or because they operate in sectors with
which banks are unfamiliar. Twelve credit guarantees
have been approved to-date, amounting to total credit
facilities of over €1.4 million being provided to SMEs.
Establishing a Microenterprise Loan Fund
The Microenterprise Loan Fund, which commenced
in October 2012, will facilitate over €90 million in
additional lending to start-ups, sole-traders and
microenterprises that have been refused access to
credit by the banks. The scheme will provide loans of
up to €25,000 to viable businesses and is expected to
help 5,500 microenterprises to create 7,700 jobs over
the next ten years, with 24 loans already provided
to-date.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 14
Venture Capital
Innovation Fund Ireland is an initiative to attract
leading international venture capital fund managers
to Ireland. The ?rst call for expressions of interest
led to a number of signi?cant investments, including
€28.7 million in 2012, in So?nnova Ventures – an
international healthcare venture capital fund with
an Irish of?ce in Dublin. This investment will help
ensure that Irish based high-tech companies in key
sectors have access to funding. A second call for
expressions of interest was launched in 2012, through
which the Government will invest more than €60
million in funds that establish a presence in Ireland.
The Development Capital Scheme was launched in
April 2012 and has now been extended to provide a
total of €225 million in funding to mid-sized, high-
growth, indigenous companies with signi?cant
prospects for jobs and export growth. This Scheme
will support companies that would not generally fall
within the focus of seed or venture capital funds.
In June 2012, the National Pensions Reserve Fund
(NPRF) announced a collaborative relationship
with Silicon Valley Bank, aimed at supporting the
technology innovation sector in Ireland. The bank
expects to lend US$100 million to fast-growing Irish
technology, life science, cleantech, private equity and
venture capital businesses over ?ve years.
To further develop the domestic venture capital
system, €175 million in funding was provided in
Budget 2013 for the Seed and Venture Capital Scheme
2013-2018. This will target leveraging a further €525
million from the private sector, for investment in high
potential start-up and scaling companies.
Supporting Cooperatives
The Registrar of Friendly Societies has reduced a
range of fees imposed on co-operatives by between
33 and 80 per cent, bringing them broadly into line
with fees charged to companies.
The Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident
Societies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will ease the
regulatory burden on cooperative societies and make
it easier to run a cooperative as an alternative form of
enterprise organisation.
Sectoral Strategies
Growing the Agri-Food Sector
Securing Common Agriculture Policy Reform
The overall funding envelope for the Common
Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the shares for individual
Member States were determined by the Multiannual
Financial Framework 2014-2020 negotiations, which
came to a successful conclusion in February 2013.
The agreed budget guaranteed funding of over €1.5
billion per year for Ireland from the CAP, which
will amount to over €11 billion over the seven year
period. Ireland’s Direct Payment ceiling will be over
€1.2 billion per year, with a very small reduction to
accommodate new member states.
Further Expansion and Innovation in our Dairy
and Meat Sectors
A Trade Mission to China in April 2012 resulted in
market access for Irish agri-food, animal feed and
seafood products, and new business for the equine
sector. A number of agreements were reached in
2012 enabling further export of Irish meat products
to Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and South
Africa. The combined value of meat and livestock
exports in 2012 increased by 4 per cent to reach a
total of almost €3 billion.
Signi?cant collaborative and innovative ventures
advanced in the domestic market in 2012, including:
• Kerry Foods to invest €100 million in a new
?agship Research and Innovation Centre in Naas,
with 900 jobs
• Glanbia to invest €21 million in its Ballyragget
plant, to capitalise on the growing Sports Nutrition
Market
• Marketplace International, Ireland’s largest food
and drinks buyer forum, achieved sales contracts
of over €27 million in 2012 – an increase of €16
million on 2011
• Over 4,800 livestock farmers participated in the
new Beef Technology Adoption Programme
• A technology adoption programme in the sheep
sector has been launched, with a budget of €3
million
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 15
Promoting Land Mobility
A widening of the de?nition of registered farm
partnerships was announced as part of Budget 2013,
so that more farmers can bene?t from the 50 per
cent rate of stock relief. A relief from capital gains
tax arising on disposals of farm land up to 2015 for
farm restructuring purposes was also announced.
Developing New Food Businesses
Last year, thirty entrepreneurs had their business
idea taken forward through a year-long programme
and eleven of the most feasible and scalable
projects have now been selected for the ?nal stage
and are developing their tested business plans, in
preparation for their market launch in 2013.
A Single Brand for Irish Agri-Food
Development of a single brand strategy is focused
on Ireland building a reputation as a world leader in
high-quality food production. In June 2012, a Bord
Bia led Sustainability Programme, Origin Green,
was launched to industry. It is the world’s ?rst
nationwide sustainability standard, with participants
committing to progressively reduce their energy
inputs, minimise their carbon footprint and decrease
their overall impact on the environment. Origin
Green has attracted a high level of industry support
with 175 food and drink companies registering their
interest to-date.
Irish Seafood Strategy
The strategy for Irish seafood, as set out in Food
Harvest 2020, aims to capitalise on the strong and
growing demand for seafood products to increase
revenue from €700 million to €1 billion by 2020.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has been assisting the
Irish processing sector to expand into new markets
and this assistance is yielding dividends, with
seafood exports continuing to show strong growth in
2012, increasing by 18 per cent to €493 million.
BIM’s Seafood Development Centre is the State’s
?rst centre focused on new product development
and improved presentations of our seafood products.
Last year, 330 innovative start-up seafood and food
processing companies used the Centre and new
product sales developed there are in the order of
€10 million per annum and growing. In the last 12
months, Bord Bia welcomed around 30 international
seafood buyers into Ireland from a range of markets
including China, Japan, Russia, Austria, the US,
Switzerland and Germany.
Improving Our Tourism Product
During 2012, the ongoing Tourism Ireland
Global Greening campaign attracted high-pro?le
participants such as Niagara Falls, the Leaning
Tower of Pisa, the London Eye, the Princes’ Palace in
Monaco, Burj al Arab in Dubai and the Sydney Opera
House and helped to generate positive publicity for
Ireland worth in excess of €5 million in advertising
value.
New Arrangements for Visitor Visas
The Irish Short-Stay Visa Waiver Programme,
established in 2011, has been extended for a further
period of four years and the number of countries
covered has been increased to seventeen. Visits
from countries covered by the programme increased
by 21 per cent in the twelve months following its
introduction.
During the London 2012 Olympics, the Olympic
accreditation document issued to competitors,
coaches, of?cials and media representatives was
accepted in lieu of an Irish visa for those wishing
to visit Ireland. Over 30 countries sent teams or
athletes to Ireland for pre-Olympic training in 2012.
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is
continuing roll out of a multi-entry visa regime for
business travellers, which allows for the granting of
multi-entry visas of up to three-years duration.
This was implemented in the Gulf region in 2011,
in Russia and China in 2012, and it is proposed to
extend the regime to India in 2013.
To contribute to the success of The Gathering,
people attending approved Gathering events will
be able to make visa applications free of charge,
processed on a priority basis.
Recovering Market-Share in Britain
The Tourism Recovery Taskforce published a new
strategy in 2012 for how the island of Ireland
can attract more visitors from Great Britain. The
recommendations of the report are re?ected in the
2013 Business Plans of the Tourism Agencies.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 16
Improving the e-Capability of our Tourism Product
In January 2013 Tourism Ireland launched
www.Ireland.com, the new international website
for tourism to the island of Ireland, available in a
number of different languages.
Free Wi-Fi has been installed in 17 Tourist
Information Of?ces to date. Free Wi-Fi has also been
introduced on Irish Rail’s Dart and commuter rail
services, Irish Rail Intercity services, the main Bus
Éireann commuter routes and selected Dublin Bus
vehicles. Roll out to the Luas, and to the remainder
of the Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus ?eets, will take
place in 2013.
Prioritising Event Tourism
Major events supported in 2012 included the Volvo
Ocean Race in Galway, the Tall Ships Race in Dublin
port and the Notre Dame -v- Navy match in Dublin.
Economic impact studies indicate that the Volvo
Ocean Race and Tall Ships Race generated a direct
bene?t to the Irish economy of €22.3 million, while
Notre Dame -v- Navy match saw 35,000 fans ?ying
into Ireland with an average estimated spend per
visitor of around €2,500.
Signi?cant preparations took place during 2012
for the Gathering Ireland 2013 which, with over
3,000 festivals and events planned, is the biggest
tourism initiative ever staged in Ireland. €5 million
was invested in 2012 and a budget of €7 million is
being provided this year, with the aim of attracting
an additional 325,000 overseas visitors to villages,
towns and cities throughout the country.
International Education
Attracting More International Students
The international campaign Education in Ireland
has been rolled out in a number of key markets,
including the USA, China and Russia. A range of
other initiatives is being undertaken to promote
Ireland to international students, including social
media marketing and a pilot Student Ambassador
programme. English language student numbers
have increased by 16 per cent since 2010.
In 2012, Minister-led education missions visited
China, India, Vietnam and Malaysia. The education
sector was also represented on the President-led
mission to Brazil, where a major education and
research agreement was signed. This will see up
to 5,500 fully funded scholarship students come to
Ireland to study over the next four years.
Creating Green Jobs
Delivering our Green Potential, the Government’s
Policy Statement on Growth and Employment in the
Green Economy published in November 2012, sets
out a range of actions to deliver growth and up to
10,000 jobs, including:
• Connect a minimum of 200MW of new renewable
generation to the grid each year
• Work with indigenous companies to identify and
develop export opportunities for green goods and
services
• Prioritise research and development in areas
including Sustainable Food, Marine Renewable
Energy and Smart Grids/Cities
Energy Ef?ciency
Published in February 2013, Ireland’s second
National Energy Ef?ciency Action Plan commits to a
national energy saving target of 20 per cent by 2020.
The public sector will lead by example, with a 33 per
cent reduction in energy use targeted for 2020.
€35m was provided in Budget 2013 for a new Energy
Ef?ciency Fund, which aims to leverage a further
€35 million from the private sector, to provide
project lending for energy ef?ciency works in the
public and commercial sectors. Investments by
the Fund have the potential to create and sustain
signi?cant employment across a broad range of
construction-related sectors.
Establishing Ireland as a Renewable
Manufacturing Hub
The Strategy for Renewable Energy 2012-2020 was
launched in 2012 and outlines strategic goals and
speci?c actions to maximise the economic potential
of renewable energy. These include: increasing
the use of on and offshore wind, developing a
sustainable bio-energy sector, fostering research
and development, growing sustainable transport
and building up robust and ef?cient smart energy
networks.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 17
Positioning Ireland as a Leading Player in the
Global Carbon Market
The GIFSC (Green International Financial Services
Centre) initiative is working to capitalise on the
?nancing needs of the future green economy, both
domestic and international. Recent developments
include:
• New tax changes introduced mean that Ireland
is one of the ?rst governments in the world to
recognise forest carbon credits in tax legislation
• A new internationally accredited Graduate
Certi?cate and MSC in Sustainable Energy
Finance, hosted by Dublin City University
• The ‘Greening the IFSC’ initiative launched in 2012
• Development of a clear brand presence,
highlighting Ireland’s unique proposition in this
sector
Investment Strategy
The Strategic Investment Fund
Work is underway to prepare legislation to refocus
the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF)
on investment in Ireland, under the Strategic
Investment Fund initiative. A key principle of the fund
is that investment will be solely on a commercial
basis, with the Fund seeking matching investment
from third-party investors. In parallel, the NPRF
continues to work on assembling and developing
a pipeline of additional commercial opportunities
for the Strategic Investment Fund. Commitments
made by the NPRF to date include up to €500 million
of ?nancing to SMEs and €125 million innovation
funding to companies.
NewERA
NewERA
NewERA has been established on a non-statutory
basis within the NTMA and has made valuable
contributions in several areas including:
• The establishment of the new €70 million Energy
Ef?ciency Fund
• The establishment of Irish Water and the
domestic water metering programme
• Plans for the export of renewable energy between
Ireland and Britain
• The State assets disposal programme
A New Water Network
The Implementation Strategy for Water Sector
Reform, published in October 2012, details a
strategy to improve the quality of water services,
increase cost ef?ciency and conserve our national
resource. The strategy includes speci?c actions
and timelines for the transformation of the water
sector over the period to 2017, and is particularly
focused on the issues to be addressed to transfer
statutory responsibility for water services from local
authorities to Irish Water with effect from January
2014.
Irish Water is in the process of being established
as an independent state-owned company within
the Bord Gáis Group and legislation is progressing
through the Oireachtas to enable this on an interim
basis. The installation of water meters will be
progressively rolled-out throughout the country,
beginning later this year, creating approximately
1,600 jobs with local contractors.
The European Investment Bank has provided a €200
million loan to support immediate improvements in
Ireland’s Water Services Investment Programme, by
?nancing 23 projects to provide new water mains,
water and wastewater treatment facilities and
reservoirs, as well as measures to improve water
conservation.
Next Generation Broadband
The National Broadband Plan, published in August
2012, sets out a programme to provide high-speed
broadband to every home and business in the
State over the lifetime of the Government, through
a combination of policy support for commercial
sector investment and direct market intervention
where the market cannot deliver. In an important
milestone towards delivery of this commitment, the
Government recently launched a tender for experts
to assist in the design, planning and procurement
of the State-led investment. The commercial sector
is already making investments of approximately
€1 billion, which will deliver broadband speeds of
30Mbps to 150Mbps to homes and businesses.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 18
A 21st Century Smart Grid
The East-West Interconnector, which links the
power grids of Ireland and Britain, became
operational in 2012 and represents a signi?cant step
towards the development of an energy export sector
between Ireland to Britain.
As part of EirGrid’s Grid 25 Programme, public
consultations were carried out in 2012 on the Grid
Link and Grid West projects. These projects will
see the construction of a high-voltage power-line
linking Leinster and Munster and the delivery of 21st
century energy infrastructure to the West of Ireland.
The Smart Grid Innovation Hub is a new partnership
between EirGrid and the National Digital Research
Centre, launched in October 2012. It enables
entrepreneurs and businesses to access expertise
in energy systems and gives them the opportunity
to demonstrate their ideas on a live system. Two
such proposals from Glen Dimplex and SSE/General
Electric are now moving into demonstration phase.
State Assets
In July 2012, the Government announced plans for
an additional €2.25 billion investment in job-rich
public infrastructure projects. Funding will come
from the proceeds of the sale of State assets, with
further contributions from the National Pensions
Reserve Fund, public-private partnerships and the
European Investment Bank. Key projects include:
• Up to twenty new Primary Care Centres
• New and replacement school buildings
• DIT’s Grangegorman Campus
• A new State Pathology Laboratory
• €850m for upgrading the national motorway and
primary route network
Progress has been made on the Government
plans for State asset disposals, with a number
of transactions expected to be launched in the
coming months. On Bord Gáis Energy, advisors are
now in place and a pre-marketing campaign has
commenced in advance of the formal transaction
launch.
ESB is continuing to prepare for a series of assets
to be brought to the market on a phased basis
commencing shortly. Work on preparing for the
proposed sale of harvesting rights to Coillte forests
is also proceeding.
Fiscal Policy
Based on the end-December 2012 Exchequer
Returns, the General Government De?cit for 2012 is
expected to be below 8 per cent of GDP – well within
the 8.6 per cent of GDP target set under the EU/IMF
Programme.
A Minimum Effective Tax-Rate for Very High
Earners
The Revenue Commissioners’ report on the
effectiveness of restrictions introduced for very high
earners, published in 2012, shows that the objective
of ensuring an effective rate of tax of approximately
30 per cent has been achieved.
The Local Property Tax
Government accepted most of the recommendations
made in the Report of the Expert Group to introduce
an equitable property tax based on market value,
rather than a site value tax. The Finance (Local
Property Tax) Act was enacted in December 2012
and the Local Property Tax will commence with
effect from the 1st of July 2013 and will be collected
by the Revenue Commissioners.
The money raised will be used to fund local
services, with at least 65 per cent of local property
tax revenues ring-fenced for use in the areas it is
collected in. From 2015, local authorities will have
the power to vary the rates by 15 per cent above or
below the central national rates to better match
their funding needs. There will be a number of
payment and deferral options and exemptions to
help those who have dif?culties in meeting the
payment.
Maintaining Employer’s PRSI
The standard rate of employer’s PRSI has been
maintained at 10.75%.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 19
Key Highlights
Constitutional
• Children’s Referendum approved strengthening
children’s rights
• Convention underway considering a range of
constitutional reforms
• Fiscal Stability Treaty approved to aid Ireland’s
economic recovery
• Referendum on the abolition of the Seanad on
track for Autumn 2013
Political
• New laws restricting corporate and political
donations
• 2,921 obsolete laws repealed
• Use of Government jet reduced by 50%
• 57 pieces of legislation enacted in the past twelve
months
• New Oireachtas public petitions system in
operation
• Legislation enacted to increase women’s
participation in politics
Public Sector
• 21 State bodies fully rationalised and remainder
on track for 2013
• LRC proposals published following conclusion of
negotiations on Public Service Agreement
• Economic and evaluation skills enhanced across
Government Departments
• Increased mobility and private sector recruitment
of senior Civil Servants
• Establishment of PeoplePoint – new Civil Service
HR Shared Service Centre
• More ambitious target to reduce public service
numbers
• Public service delivering increased productivity
despite reduced resources
• 111,800 new Public Services Cards issued to date
• New eGovernment and Cloud Computing
strategies launched
• Reform of central procurement to produce
savings of €250 million per annum
Local Government
• New Action Plan published to completely reform
and empower local government
• Introduction of a new Local Property Tax to fund
local services
• New local government enterprise and jobs
strategy, incorporating new Local Enterprise
Of?ces in local authorities
• Fixyourstreet.ie extended nationwide
Transparency and Accountability
• Launch of Ireland Stat with detailed information
on spending and use of Government resources
• 140 extra public bodies added to Ombudsman’s
remit
• Legislation advanced to restore Freedom of
Information and extend it to all public bodies
• On track to deliver legislation to protect
whistleblowers, regulate lobbying, and provide
for Oireachtas inquiries
• Independent Irish Fiscal Advisory Council now on
a statutory basis
• Increased level of performance information in the
2012 Revised Estimates
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 20
Implementation
The Context for Reform
A Referendum to Abolish the Seanad
Preparations are underway for a referendum on the
abolition of the Seanad to be held in Autumn 2013.
Government has approved drafting of a Referendum
Bill, which will be published in the next Session.
A Referendum on Children’s Rights
The Children’s Referendum was held on the 10th
of November 2012. The Thirty-First Amendment of
the Constitution was approved by a majority of the
people, to insert an explicit statement on children’s
rights into the Constitution for the ?rst time. It
addresses a number of areas of children’s rights
including intervention to protect their safety and
welfare, adoption and giving children a say in court
proceedings related to their custody or welfare.
Establishing a Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was established in
July 2012, comprising sixty-six citizens and thirty-
three politicians under the chairmanship of Mr. Tom
Arnold. The Convention has held two full meetings
to date and has voted in favour of:
• Lowering the voting age, with a recommendation
that it be reduced to 16
• Altering the “Women in Home” clause in the
Constitution
• More Government action to increase participation
of women in public and political life
• Measures to introduce gender-inclusive
language into the Constitution
The Convention has rejected proposals to reduce the
presidential term of of?ce from seven years to ?ve,
and to align it with local and European elections.
The Convention will meet a further six times during
the remainder of 2013 to consider and report on the
broad range of subjects set out in the Programme
for Government. The Government has committed
to respond publicly to any recommendations made
by the Convention within four months of the reports
being laid before the Oireachtas.
Political Reform
Reducing the Number of TDs
The Report of the Constituency Commission
recommended reducing the number of TDs to
158 and the number of constituencies to 40. The
legislation to give effect to these reductions has
been published and will proceed through the
Oireachtas during 2013.
Political Pensions
Ministerial pensions have not been paid to sitting
members of the Houses of the Oireachtas since
February 2011. Pensions are no longer paid to
Members newly elected to the Oireachtas since 2004
until they reach 65.
Oireachtas Inquiries
The Government has approved the drafting
of legislation to provide for the Oireachtas to
undertake inquiries within the existing constitutional
framework, under ?ve principal categories:
• Recording and reporting evidence
• Investigations relating to the legislative functions
of the Houses
• Inquiries relating to the removal of certain of?ce
holders
• Inquiries in relation to the conduct of Members of
the Houses
• Inquiries to hold the current Government to
account
Re?ecting the serious concerns signalled during
the course of the Oireachtas Inquiries referendum
campaign in 2011, these legislative proposals
provide extensive safeguards to protect the
constitutional rights of witnesses, to con?rm
unfettered access to the Courts, to guarantee fair
procedures and to ensure the risk of any perception
of bias in an inquiry committee is minimised.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 21
Overhauling Politics and
Government
Extending Freedom of Information and the Remit of
the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman Amendment Act 2012 now
extends the remit of the Of?ce of the Ombudsman
to include 140 additional public bodies. Drafting is
at an advanced stage on a Bill to restore Freedom
of Information provisions and extend it to all public
bodies.
Limiting Corporate and Political Donations
The Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Act
2012 provided for the establishment of a register
of corporate donors, signi?cant restrictions on the
amount that can be donated to political parties
and candidates without public disclosure, and
an obligation on all registered political parties
to prepare and publish annually a statement of
accounts and an auditor’s report.
More Equal Representation in Politics
The Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Act
2012 now provides that the public funding of political
parties will be reduced by half unless at least 30
per cent of the party’s candidates are women and
at least 30 per cent are men at the next General
Election.
The Statute Law Revision Project
The Statute Law Revision Act 2012 repealed 2,921
obsolete pieces of legislation enacted between 1751
and 1922, in the latest phase of the most extensive
statute law revision project ever undertaken.
A Statute Law Expert Advisory Group has been
appointed to assist in the next phase of the project of
legislative simpli?cation, which will focus on post-
1922 Statutes.
Showing Leadership
Reducing the Cost of Ministerial Transport
Following a review of ministerial transport in 2012,
Ministers and Ministers of State who use their
own cars on of?cial business, have taken a 10 per
cent reduction in the total mileage claimed, to take
account of personal travel incurred.
The Government Jet
Stringent implementation of the Code of Practice
governing the use of Ministerial Air Transport
System has led to a reduction in use of almost 50
per cent in 2011-2012, compared to 2009-2010.
Dáil Reform
Following on from the signi?cant ?rst phase of Dáil
reforms introduced in 2011, work on a second set of
reforms is at an advanced stage. The Dáil Reform
sub-committee has met on three occasions to
discuss a second phase of Dáil Reform proposals to
be introduced in Spring 2013.
Oireachtas Committee Reforms
Following a review of the new Oireachtas Committee
system, established to address a number of
commitments, further reforms were introduced in
June 2012 including:
• Dissolving and reorganising a number of
administrative Committees to prioritise
resources towards those dealing with
Government Departments
• The establishment of a Committee with a sole
focus on Jobs
• The establishment of a dedicated Committee
on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, given its
increased workload
Increasing Dáil Sitting Days
Increased activity of the Dáil continued in 2012,
with 123 sitting days, including Monday and Friday
sittings. The Dáil Summer recesses have been
shortened by up to six weeks, Christmas recess
shortened by three weeks, and the Dáil now sits
through St. Patrick’s week. The past twelve months
have been busy for the processing of legislation
in Dáil, with ?fty-seven new Bills enacted, a list of
which is available at Appendix 1.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 22
A Dáil Petitions System
Members of the public can now put their concerns
about matters of public policy directly to the Joint
Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight
and Petitions via an online and postal petitions
system.
The Committee will examine submissions received
and produce a report setting out its conclusions and
making recommendations, with a view to ?nding
ways to improve the delivery of public services.
The Committee has held nine public sessions and
received over 60 petitions to date, indicating a
substantial level of public interest in utilising the
new system.
The Committee is also the formal channel of
consultation between the Oireachtas and the
Ombudsman, who has appeared before the
Committee on a number of occasions to discuss the
recently enacted Ombudsman Amendment Bill and
to present special and annual reports produced by
her of?ce.
Protecting Con?dentiality of Information Provided
to Public Representatives
Government has approved the drafting of the
Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and
Procedures) Bill, which will provide for protection for
con?dential communication from members of the
public who wish to draw wrongdoing to the attention
of Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas without
having their identities disclosed.
More Effective Financial Scrutiny
Establishing an Independent Irish Fiscal Advisory
Council
The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 provided a
statutory basis for the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council,
ensuring its independence. The Council published
two Fiscal Assessment Reports in 2012, which
it submitted to Government, and appeared twice
before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance,
Public Expenditure and Reform to discuss its
?ndings.
Public Sector Accounting
The annual Appropriation Accounts, prepared by
the Comptroller and Auditor General, now include
a balance sheet giving information on the ?nancial
position of each Government Department and public
sector body at year-end.
Publishing Government Purchase Orders over
€20,000
All Government Departments along with many
State Agencies have begun publishing details of all
Purchase Orders over €20,000. It is expected that all
other State Agencies will follow suit during 2013.
Setting out Strategic Priorities
Strategy Statements outlining the key strategic
priorities for the period to 2014 were published
by all Government Departments and State Bodies
in 2012. These set out the respective high level
objectives and policy goals with a strong emphasis
on delivery and measuring performance.
Performance Budgeting
The performance budgeting framework was
rolled out for almost all Votes in the 2012 Revised
Estimates for Public Services. An unprecedented
volume of performance information was included
and this information helped to inform the
subsequent Select Committees’ Estimate debates.
New Leadership and Skills in the Department of
Finance
The Department of Finance has been restructured
under new leadership into four policy divisions
supported by two specialist of?ces underpinning the
?nancial, legal, risk and compliance requirements.
The new expanded Economics Division is resourced
by expert economists in both the macro-economic
and micro-economic ?eld with experience drawn
from the private sector, international ?nancial
institutions and the public service. The Department
has also recruited 44 graduate-level staff trained
to Masters Level or higher in economics and
other relevant disciplines such as tax, ?nance and
accountancy.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 23
The National Parliament and the
European Union
The Fiscal Stability Treaty Referendum
A referendum on ratifying the Fiscal Stability
Treaty was held on 31st May 2012. The Thirtieth
Amendment of the Constitution was approved by
the people and ensures that Ireland will be eligible
for funding from the European Stability Mechanism,
should that ever be required in the future. The
rati?cation of the Treaty also means that Ireland and
other Eurozone countries will put in place new rules
aimed at ensuring more responsible budgeting.
Europe Week
A week-long series of events was held in May
2012 to mark Europe Day including a number of
Oireachtas debates addressing key areas such as
Ireland’s EU Presidency, EU legislative proposals,
and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Communicating Europe to the Irish People
In 2012, the Government’s Communicating Europe
Initiative supported 23 projects across Ireland, which
aimed to deepen public awareness of the role that
the European Union plays in our daily lives.
2013 has been designated European Year of Citizens
and this was launched in Dublin in January by the
Taoiseach, Tánaiste and President Barroso. A series
of Citizens’ Dialogues are taking place around the
country to stimulate public debate about our rights
as EU citizens and about our membership of the
European Union.
Following the successful pilot phase of the Blue Star
programme last year, the 2012-2013 programme is
underway involving over 90 schools in 21 counties.
Reforming Local Government
Reforming Local Government
Putting People First, the Action Programme for
Effective Local Government published in October
2012, is a comprehensive plan for the most
fundamental reforms to the local government
system in over one hundred years. The scope and
function of local government will be widened with
an increased role in economic, social and cultural
development and enterprise support, better
alignment with the local development sector, and
devolution of speci?c functions from central to local
level.
Local government structures will be strengthened
and streamlined at county, sub-county and regional
levels, delivering estimated savings of up to €420
million through measures that include reducing the
number of local authorities from 114 to 31 and the
number of Town, County and City Council seats from
1,627 to not more than 950.
To-date, ef?ciency savings of around €195 million
have been realised through the implementation
of recommendations of the Local Government
Ef?ciency Review Group.
Empowering Local Government
Local government funding, accountability and
governance are to be strengthened through the
introduction of a new Local Property Tax, which will
provide the cornerstone of a stable and equitable
funding base for local government. At least 65 per
cent of property tax revenues will be ring-fenced for
use in the areas in which it is collected and, from
2015, local authorities will have the power to vary
the rates by 15 per cent above or below the central
national rates to better match their funding needs.
A new system of oversight will be introduced,
involving the establishment of a National Oversight
and Audit Commission and the strengthening of
aspects of the local government audit system.
Local Enterprise Of?ces
The new local government enterprise and jobs
strategy, launched in September 2012, outlines
plans for local authorities to take on an enhanced
role in economic development and enterprise
support, with a new dedicated Director of Services
for Economic and Community Development in
key areas and a new dedicated Strategic Policy
Committee for Economic Development in each local
authority.
The new strategy will also see the dissolution of the
existing County and City Enterprise Boards and the
creation of new Local Enterprise Of?ces (LEOs) in
each Local Authority area, to provide a ‘one-stop-
shop’ support service for the micro-enterprise and
small business sector.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 24
Enterprise Ireland has established a new
Microenterprise and Small Business Division to
spearhead the delivery of this enhanced support
model to entrepreneurs and small businesses in
2013, and legislation is being drafted to give effect to
the reforms.
Public Sector Reform
Transparency and Accountability
Ireland Stat is a new whole-of-Government
performance measurement website for citizens,
which was launched in October 2012. It presents
accessible information for government programmes
on activity, costs, achievements and international
comparison.
The Government’s new online Databank provides
open access to a comprehensive range of
information about how public money is spent in
Ireland. Information is available from 1994 to the
present day, across all Government Departments
and a range of State bodies.
Reducing the Number of Public Sector Employees
The Government has adopted the more ambitious
target of reducing Public service numbers to 282,500
by the end 2014, rather than 2015. Public service
numbers were reduced to 292,000 during 2012.
A targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme has been
approved to assist organisational restructuring in
the health, education and agricultural sectors.
Following intensive negotiations between public
service unions and Government representatives,
the Labour Relations Commission has prepared
proposals aimed at further reducing the cost of the
public service pay bill. The proposals will now be
put to ballot by members of public service unions.
A Strategic Centre
Transforming the Department of the Taoiseach
Since 2011 the Department of the Taoiseach has
undergone signi?cant restructuring to refocus its
work in line with the Programme for Government.
Targeted secondment and recruitment of staff in
2012 has greatly added to the Department’s policy
capacity deployed to support the formulation and
implementation of Government policy, in particular
through the Economic Management Council and
Cabinet Committee structure. The number of staff
in the Department has reduced from 211 to 199 and
will reduce further at the end of the EU Presidency.
New Skills and Rigour in Policy-Making
A dedicated Irish Government Economic and
Evaluation Service (IGEES) has been established to
expand and enhance the economic and evaluative
capacity of the civil service. The ?rst phase of
specialist recruitment to the service is complete
and IGEES economists are now actively deployed
on policy analysis and development in a number of
Government Departments.
The Public Service Evaluation Network was
established in 2012, comprising civil servants
and experts from universities and other research
organisations. It provides a forum for those
engaged in policy analysis to share experiences
and expertise, facilitating the ?ow of information
between the public service and external experts.
Open Government
Restoring and Extending Freedom of Information
Drafting is at an advanced stage on a Bill to restore
Freedom of Information provisions, removing the
substantive restrictions introduced in 2003 and
extending it to all public bodies including NTMA,
NAMA, An Garda Síochána and the Central Bank of
Ireland. The General Scheme of the Bill has been
submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance
and Public Expenditure and Reform for examination,
and the recommendations of the Committee will
further inform and guide the drafting of the Bill.
Progress continues on development of legislation
required to protect whistleblowers and regulate
lobbying.
Top Level Appointments in the Civil Service
The reforms introduced in 2011 ensure that
candidates for senior Civil Service posts come from
a broad mix of public and private sector and are
selected in an independent manner on the basis
of merit. This has led to a signi?cant increase
from 4 per cent to 18 per cent of appointments to
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 25
senior positions from the private sector. Mobility
at senior levels within the Civil Service is also
increasing, with a 40 per cent reduction since 2010
in senior appointments made from within the same
Department.
As part of the newly established Senior Public
Service, a protocol on mobility at Deputy and
Assistant Secretary levels has been drawn up to
promote the ?lling of new senior posts by candidates
at the same grade. This is being piloted at present,
with almost a third of Assistant Secretary level posts
?lled under the protocol in 2012.
Waste
Establishing Shared Services
PeoplePoint, the new Civil Service Human Resource
Shared Service Centre, will reduce duplication in
HR across the civil service and is expected to yield
savings of €12.5 million per annum, as well as
bringing about improved ef?ciency, consistency and
service delivery. A Pensions Shared Service will also
be integrated with the HR Shared Service. The ?rst
transitions to the new Shared Services centre are
expected at the end of March 2013, involving seven
major Government Departments and bodies.
Considerable progress has also been made on
the consolidation of ICT across the Public Service,
including the implementation of a shared, high-
speed Government network, and greater use of
shared data centres.
Reducing the Number of State Bodies
Signi?cant progress has been made on the 48
rationalisation measures identi?ed in the Public
Service Reform Plan, which affect over 100 different
bodies. The majority of these measures are fully
completed or at a legislative stage and further
detail is provided at Appendix 2. 46 critical reviews
of further potential rationalisation measures also
took place in 2012 – 24 of which recommended
proceeding with the proposed measures.
Departments are expected to fully implement these
new measures by the end of 2013.
External Service Delivery
Work has commenced to identify and analyse non-
core activities that may be suitable for external
service delivery and detailed bene?ts-driven plans
have been developed by the major sectors of
Health, Justice and Local Government. A number
of contracts deemed suitable have commenced
tendering phase, including the new property tax call
centre, which will create 400 jobs, and HSE payroll
services.
“Choice and Voice” for Service Users
Fixyourstreet.ie
Following the successful pilot of ?xyourstreet.
ie last year, the website has now been extended
nationwide. The service enables people to easily
report issues such as graf?ti, road defects and
illegal dumping to their local Council. Currently all
reports submitted are responded to by an of?cial
from the relevant Council within an average of 1.8
days, with over 60 per cent responded to in less than
one day. To-date, ?xyourstreet.ie has taken over
7,700 reports across six categories: Roads and Path
Defects (30%), Litter and Illegal Dumping (27%),
Street Lighting (18%), Tree and Grass Maintenance
(13%), Graf?ti (7%), and Leaks and Drainage (5%).
Empowering the Civil Service
Mobility in the Public Sector
A two-year pilot scheme has been launched for
the exchange of staff between the civil service and
the private sector, to enhance communication and
cooperation.
Single Point of Contact for Government Services
The central government portal at www.gov.ie
now provides access to approximately 400 online
informational and transactional public services.
The new Public Services Card will facilitate easier
access to Government services and will eventually
be used by a range of public bodies to identify
individuals at points of service. Over 111,800 new
Public Services Cards have been issued to-date.
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Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 26
Key Highlights
Health Services
• Future Health Roadmap published, setting out
reforms towards Universal Health Insurance
• Publication of policy proposals on Money Follows
the Patient
• New risk equalisation scheme commenced in
2013
• Further progress by Special Delivery Unit in
reducing trolley times and waiting lists
• Publication of legislation to abolish the Health
Service Executive
• New deal reduces cost of medicines bill by €400
million over 3 years
• New agreement with hospital consultants to
enhance health services
• New National Carers’ Strategy published
Mental Health and Disability
• €35 million ring-fenced to develop community
mental health services
• 246 new mental health posts ?lled with further
recruitment progressing
• Increase in budget for the National Of?ce for
Suicide Prevention
• Implementation Framework published for the
reform of Disability Services
• Disability forum established in 2012 to enhance
stakeholder consultation
Infrastructure
• Opening of the new 34 bed Cystic Fibrosis Unit in
St Vincent’s Hospital
• St. James’ Hospital site chosen for the new
National Children’s Hospital
• 100Mb broadband rolled out to 200 post-primary
schools with greatest need
• 23,000 permanent school places delivered in
2012 including 53 large school builds
• Construction underway of a new National
Children’s Detention Facility
Debt Distress, Housing and Social
Solidarity
• New Cabinet Committee driving progress on
mortgage arrears
• Extensive new insolvency legislation enacted
• Establishment of new insolvency service and
information and advisory services
• New register of residential property purchases
• Number of un?nished housing developments
down 37% since 2010
• €1 billion spent by NAMA towards completing
un?nished properties
• New tax incentive scheme to help revitalise
urban areas
• New policy statement on homelessness launched
• 5,000 households transferred to long term rental
accommodation scheme
• €2.5 million to fund a new Area Based Approach
to Child Poverty
• New powers granted to Social Welfare inspectors
to tackle fraud
Education
• Major overhaul of teacher training being
implemented
• New development and evaluation plans for
schools started in 2012
• School patronage surveys completed in 43 areas
• New Junior Cycle reforms launched in 2012
• All public third-level institutions now subject to
scrutiny by Ombudsman
• New changes help deliver 35% increase in
students sitting higher level maths in 2012
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Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 27
• Time spent on literacy and numeracy skills
increased in 2012 in all primary schools
• New comprehensive Action Plan on Bullying
Justice
• No more 16 year olds sent to St. Patrick’s
Institution
• New supervised community service programme
started
• Strategic review of penal policy commenced
• 25,000 citizenship applications decided in 2012
• 35 citizenship ceremonies held
• New initiatives releasing Gardaí to frontline
policing duties
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 28
Implementation
Health Service Reform
Health Service Reform and Universal Health
Insurance
The publication in November 2012 of Future Health: A
Strategic Framework for Reform of the Health Service
2012-2015 sets out the major healthcare reforms that
will be introduced by 2015, as key building block for
the launch of Universal Health Insurance in 2016.
It sets out 48 detailed actions to be implemented,
with speci?c timelines over the next 3 years, to be
overseen by a new Programme Management Of?ce
in the Department of Health.
The Government is committed to reforming our
model of delivering healthcare so that more care is
delivered in the community, and by reforming how
we pay for healthcare through Universal Health
Insurance, we can reduce the cost of achieving
the best health outcomes for our citizens, and end
the unfair, unequal and inef?cient two-tier health
system.
The ?rst phase of actions to be delivered in 2013
includes governance changes, the establishment
of Hospital Groups, reforms of the private health
insurance market, establishment of a Health
and Wellbeing Framework, development of a
Money Follows the Patient funding model and the
publication of a White Paper on Universal Health
Insurance.
Risk Equalisation in the Insurance Market
Newly enacted legislation underpins a permanent
Risk Equalisation Scheme, which commenced from
1 January 2013 and has been approved by the EU.
The scheme protects our system of community
rating, whereby older and sicker people can buy
health insurance for the same price as younger and
healthier customers.
The Special Delivery Unit
During 2012, implementation of programmes by
the Special Delivery Unit resulted in signi?cant
improvement in hospital access targets. By
December 2012 there were:
• 20,352 fewer patients waiting on trolleys – a
reduction of 23.6 per cent since 2011
• 3,620 fewer adults waiting more than 9 months
for inpatient and day case surgery – a reduction of
98 per cent since 2011
• 1,670 fewer children waiting over 20 weeks for
inpatient and day case surgery, from 1,759 in
December 2011 – a reduction of 95 per cent since
2011
• 4,554 fewer patients waiting over 13 weeks for a
routine endoscopy procedure – a reduction of 99
per cent since 2011
Primary Care
An allocation of €20 million has been made in the
HSE National Service Plan 2013, to enable the
recruitment of over 250 new primary care staff. It
is intended that additional Public Health Nurses,
Registered General Nurses, Occupational Therapists,
Physiotherapists, and Speech and Language
Therapists will be in place during 2013.
Extending Free GP Care to People with Long-Term
Illnesses
The Health (Amendment) Bill, to provide for the
extension of free GP care to persons with prescribed
long-term illnesses, is at an advanced stage and will
be enacted in 2013.
Recruiting Psychologists and Counsellors to
Community Mental Health Teams
By the end of February 2013, 246 posts to strengthen
Community Mental Health Teams had been ?lled,
out of 414 approved, with most of the remainder
expected to be ?lled by the end of March 2013.
Budget 2013 announced a further €35 million for the
continued development of mental health services,
including the recruitment of over 470 additional staff.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 29
Universal Hospital Care
A White Paper on Financing Universal Health
Insurance
The Universal Health Insurance (UHI)
Implementation Group met on six occasions in 2012
and has provided advice in relation to policy work
on ‘Money Follows the Patient’, Hospital Groups
and overall design of the UHI model. Preparations
are underway for a White Paper on Universal
Health Insurance, which will set out details of
the UHI model in addition to the estimated costs
and ?nancing mechanisms associated with the
introduction of UHI. A preliminary document on
UHI was published in February 2013, setting out
progress on work to-date and the major tasks and
projects that stand to be addressed throughout 2013
and beyond.
Hospitals
Hospital Groups
A key stepping-stone towards UHI is the integration
of hospitals into groups on an administrative basis
in preparation for the development of independent
not-for-pro?t hospital trusts. A Strategic Board was
established in 2012 to report on recommendations
on the composition of Hospital Groups, governance
arrangements, current management frameworks
and linkages to academic institutions. Following a
comprehensive consultation process, the Report
on the Establishment of Hospital Groups will be
published shortly.
Money Follows the Patient
Policy proposals on ‘Money Follows the Patient’
were published in February 2013, with the objectives
of moving to a fair and equitable system of
resource allocation and increasing ef?ciency and
transparency. A process of stakeholder consultation
is being undertaken, followed by the implementation
of Money Follows the Patient shadow-funding during
2013, in advance of phased implementation of the
new arrangements from 2014.
A National Licensing System for Hospitals
Standards for Safer Better Healthcare were formally
launched in June 2012 and provide a national
framework for good governance, patient safety and
quality of care. These national standards apply to
all healthcare services (excluding mental health)
provided or funded by the HSE. The standards, which
are monitored by HIQA, are the precursor to a new
licensing system to be introduced for all hospitals in
2015.
Care of Older People and
Community Care
A new Model of Care for Specialist Geriatric
Services was launched in December 2012, aimed at
signi?cantly improving the way in which older people
are cared for in hospital. The new model includes
the establishment of Specialist Geriatric Teams
within hospitals, dedicated in-patient specialist
geriatric wards, and in-patient rehabilitation
facilities.
Care of Older People
The Government commitment to supporting older
people to remain in their homes and communities
continued in 2012 with over €400 million allocated
for community based services for older people.
This includes €192 million spent on Home Help and
€134 million spent on Home Care packages. Around
100,000 older people receive some form of HSE
community based supports each year, including over
10 million home help hours, home care packages,
meals-on-wheels, and day or respite supports.
Measures introduced in 2012 to improve the safety
and quality of home support services for older
people include HSE National Guidelines for the
Standardised Implementation of the Home Care
Package Scheme and a Procurement Framework
for Home Care Services with quality and screening
requirements relating to staff training, infection
control and supervision levels.
Extending Fair Deal
A review of the Fair Deal system of ?nancing nursing
home care was initiated in 2012 informed by a
public consultation process, and is expected to be
completed in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 30
Cost Control
A Reduced Drugs Bill
A new three-year agreement on drug prices
between the pharmaceutical industry and the State
was reached in October 2012, reducing the cost of
existing medicines by €400 million over three years.
As well as providing reduced prices for consumers,
it facilitates greater access to new cutting-edge
drugs for certain conditions.
Legislation has been published, which will require
pharmacists to offer patients cheaper, generic
alternatives to branded drugs.
The HSE has established a Medicines Management
Programme to develop a series of measures aimed
at GPs and Consultants, to promote more cost
effective prescribing practices.
Hospital Consultants
From October 2012, new consultants will begin on
an entry level pay rate 30 per cent lower that the
rate previously paid to new entrant consultants.
Agreement has been reached with hospital
consultants on new work practices and ?exibilities,
which will allow for greater provision of consultant
services through 24/7 rostering and enable hospitals
to treat more patients more quickly.
Medical Procurement
The HSE has delivered €124 million in savings to
date through the operation of a single national
procurement model.
Health Administration
Abolishing of the Health Service Executive
The HSE Governance Bill, published in July 2012,
paves the way for major changes in the design of
the health service, including the abolition of the
Board of the HSE and the establishment of a new
governance structure, including a new national
directorate designed to make the HSE more directly
accountable to the Minister for Health.
Capital Developments in Health
Priority Capital Spending
Close to €2 billion will be invested from the
Exchequer in the period 2012-2016, to support
three high priority national projects: the National
Children’s Hospital, the replacement of the Central
Mental Hospital and the National Project for
Radiation Oncology.
The Government’s stimulus package, announced in
July 2012, included an additional €115 million for
the construction of twenty primary care centres,
to be delivered by public private partnership. The
awarding of tenders will be completed by the end of
March 2013.
Cystic Fibrosis Care
The new 34 bed cystic ?brosis unit in St. Vincent’s
Hospital opened in August 2012, providing a
designated in-patient and day-care unit for cystic
?brosis patients, with modern isolation facilities.
Following negotiations with the pharmaceutical
industry Kalydeco, a new innovative medicine for
the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, has been made
available to patients in Ireland at a reduced cost to
the Exchequer.
The National Children’s Hospital
Following the selection of the St James’s Hospital
Campus in Dublin as the site of the new National
Children’s Hospital, new governance arrangements
are being put in place to advance the next phase
of the project. The National Paediatric Hospital
Development Board will be restructured to enable
it to focus solely on building the new hospital, with
construction to commence in 2015. A Children’s
Hospital Group, chaired by Dr. Jim Browne,
President of NUI Galway, will concurrently plan for
the transfer of services to the new hospital on its
completion in 2018.
FAIRNESS
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Mental Health
Community Mental Health Services
By the end of February 2013, 246 posts to strengthen
Community Mental Health Teams had been ?lled,
out of 414 approved, with most of the remainder
expected to be ?lled by the end of March 2013.
Budget 2013 announced a further €35 million for the
continued development of mental health services,
including the recruitment of over 470 additional
staff.
Improving GP Mental Health Training
A number of new initiatives have been advanced in
the area of GP mental health training:
• The Irish College of General Practitioners and
the National Of?ce for Suicide Prevention have
developed a skills-based training programme
in suicide prevention for general practitioners,
practice staff and primary care teams
• A specially commissioned Team Based
Approaches to Mental Health in Primary Care
course for primary care staff commenced in 2012
at Dublin City University, and has since been
extended to Sligo
Implementing Reach Out: The National Suicide
Prevention Strategy
The budget for the National Of?ce for Suicide
Prevention (NOSP) increased from €4.1 million in
2011 to €8.1 million in 2013. Developments in the
implementation of the National Suicide Prevention
Strategy during 2012 included:
• Publication of Suicide Prevention in the Community
– a practical tool with good practice guidelines to
support community groups to address suicide
• Publication of National Quality Standards for
the Provision of Suicide Bereavement Services
– to ensure consistency and quality of suicide
bereavement support services nationwide
• New guidelines on mental health and suicide
prevention for post-primary schools were
distributed to all schools across the country
• A suicide prevention training programme for Irish
Prison Service staff was rolled out to all prisons
in 2012
Closing Unsuitable Psychiatric Institutions in
Favour of Community-Based Care
By the end of 2012, a total of ?fteen unsuitable
psychiatric hospitals had either closed completely or
closed to new admissions.
The Implementation Framework for the Housing
Strategy for People with a Disability, published in
2012, puts in place a mechanism to support the
transitioning of people from institutional care to
more independent living. This will commence in
2013, with the aim of transitioning 4,877 people over
the next seven years.
Ending the Practice of Placing Children in Adult
Psychiatric Wards
An increase in bed capacity in child and adolescent
inpatient facilities has meant that the number of
children and adolescents admitted to adult units
decreased from 65 per cent in 2008 to 25 per cent in
2012.
Reviewing the Mental Health Act
Following a broad public consultation process,
an Interim Report of the Steering Group set up
to review the Mental Health Act was published in
June 2012. The Expert Group appointed to conduct
the second and substantive phase of the review is
expected to produce its report in 2013, and will pick
up on the main issues and recommendations set out
in the Interim Review.
Other Health Priorities
The National Dementia Strategy
Following a successful public consultation process
in 2012, the National Dementia Strategy will be
completed during 2013. The strategy will serve
to increase awareness, ensure early diagnosis
and intervention, and enhance community based
services for people living with this condition.
The National Carers’ Strategy
The National Carers’ Strategy was published in July
2012 and outlines the actions that will be taken
to ensure that carers are supported to manage
their caring responsibilities with con?dence. Clear
implementation and monitoring arrangements are
in place with and reports on progress to the Cabinet
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 32
Committee on Social Policy. Fourteen additional
temporary staff were assigned during 2012 to clear
the backlog of Social Welfare Carer’s Allowance
applications and appeals.
Bioethics
The National Advisory Committee on Bioethics
was established in March 2012 and is tasked with
providing the Government with advice on the ethical
and social implications of scienti?c developments
in human medicine and healthcare. The Committee
will provide recommendations and assistance
towards the development of healthcare policy and
associated legislation.
The Expert Group Report on the A, B and C
-v- Ireland Judgement
Following consideration of the report of the Expert
Group on the Judgment of A, B and C -v- Ireland,
published in November 2012, the Government
decided that legislation with regulations be
implemented by way, within the parameters of
Article 40.3.3° of the Constitution as interpreted by
the Supreme Court in the X case.
Early Childhood Care and Education
Early Childhood Care and Education
Capital funding of €6 million was provided for the
maintenance of childcare facilities in 2012, to ensure
that facilities can continue to deliver high-quality
care and education to children.
Funding was provided in Budget 2013 to maintain
and protect the universal free pre-school year,
bene?tting over 65,000 children at an annual cost of
€175 million.
Empowering Schools to Improve
Standards
Reforming Teacher Training
In September 2012, the recon?gured and extended
Bachelor of Education for primary teachers
commenced, allowing for extended school
placement periods and an increased emphasis on
the key strategic priorities of literacy and numeracy,
ICT and inclusion.
An implementation plan is being developed to give
effect to recommendations by an international
review panel to establish six new centres for
education, replacing the existing nineteen State-
funded teaching colleges.
Evaluation and Development Plans for Schools and
Teachers
A new self-evaluation model for schools was
introduced in all primary and post-primary schools
from September 2012, based on new School Self-
Evaluation (SSE) Guidelines. Schools are required
to evaluate their work in a range of areas, and
devise a three-year improvement plan for aspects
of practice identi?ed as needing development. A
summary of the SSE report and school improvement
plan will be provided to school communities, to
ensure that information on school performance and
development is readily available to parents.
Protecting the Frontline
Protecting Frontline Services in Education
The Education Sector has delivered signi?cant
changes to work practices leading to substantial
savings helping to protect front-line services,
including:
• Teachers delivering 2 million additional hours
per annum
• Over 500 surplus permanent teachers redeployed
in 2012
• Academic and lecturing staff are delivering
250,000 additional lecturing hours per annum
• Special Needs Assistants are delivering an
additional 760,000 hours per annum
Improving Outcomes
Reforming the Junior Certi?cate
A new Junior Cycle framework was launched in
October 2012 to address issues of curriculum
overload and rote learning and will promote a
more active learning experience for students. The
reforms will see the traditional end-of-cycle Junior
Certi?cate Exam replaced with a school-based
model of assessment.
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Maths and Science at Second-Level
As part of the drive to improve standards in maths
education, in 2012 over €2 million was allocated to
provide a new Professional Diploma in Mathematics
for Teaching, with a special focus on the Project
Maths curriculum. The course commenced in
September 2012 with an initial intake of 390
students. All ?ve strands of the Project Maths
curriculum were rolled out to all second level
schools in September 2012.
A Bonus Points System for Maths
A bonus points scheme for students taking Leaving
Certi?cate higher-level maths was implemented by
third level institutions in 2012 and will operate for
a four-year trial period. The bonus points system,
combined with Project Maths, contributed to an
increase of 35 per cent in the number of students
sitting the higher-level paper in 2012, compared to
2011.
Making Literacy a National Cause
The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy
Good progress has been made in implementing
the actions set out in the National Literacy and
Numeracy Strategy, which aims to ensure that every
child leaves school with the required literacy and
numeracy skills. Progress to-date includes:
• A new website with resources for
parents to support their children’s learning
(www.helpmykidlearn.ie)
• A new ‘Education Passport’ for students moving
to second-level, from September 2012, to alert
schools to children who may need additional
support
• Standardised testing in reading and numeracy
have been expanded to three points during
primary school – 2nd 4th and 6th classes
Training and Support for Teachers in Teaching
Literacy
Units on literacy and numeracy are now in place
within the National Teacher Induction Programme.
A team of nineteen literacy and numeracy advisors
has been appointed to support teachers and schools
in this area. Courses have now been provided for
all serving principals and deputy principals on
effective teaching of literacy and numeracy and the
use of assessment to support planning of students’
learning.
Increasing the Time Spent Teaching Literacy in
Schools
From 2012, all primary schools are required to
increase the amount of time spent on literacy skills
to eight and a half hours per week, and on numeracy
to over four hours.
21st Century Schools
The National Centre for Technology in Education
The National Centre for Technology in Education
was formally merged with the Professional
Development Service for Teachers in June 2012,
while a senior post dealing with curricular matters
was assigned to the National Council for Curriculum
and Assessment. The new con?guration is intended
to ensure greater integration of ICT within teaching
and learning, both in policy and in practice.
Broadband in Schools
Almost two hundred post-primary schools in areas
worst affected by slow speed and low connectivity
were connected in the ?rst phase of the national
roll out of 100Mb broadband, in 2012. This includes
all second level schools in counties Cavan, Clare,
Donegal, Galway, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and
Westmeath
Building Schools for the Future
Prioritising School Building Projects
A total of 53 large scale projects were completed
in 2012, delivering 16,412 permanent school
places. 6,677 additional permanent school places
were also provided under the devolved Additional
Accommodation Scheme.
The Government stimulus package, announced
in July 2012, also includes plans to advance with
two further bundles of school projects as part of
the Public Private Partnership process. The ?rst
of those announced involves the delivery of 5 post-
primary schools delivering accommodation for 3100
pupils and a single 16 classroom primary school.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 34
A new Memorandum of Understanding, signed
in 2012, formalises a partnership between the
Department of Education and Skills and local
authorities to ensure the most appropriate sites
for new schools are acquired quickly and smoothly
in areas experiencing a rapid increase in pupil
numbers.
Replacing Prefabs
Under the Prefab Replacement Initiative announced
in March 2012, €15.6 million was paid out to
100 schools to replace their rented prefabs with
permanent accommodation in 2012.
Delivering Equity in Education
Students from Disadvantaged Areas
Some €750 million was allocated in 2012 to fund
measures to tackle educational disadvantage across
860 DEIS schools, impacting on 165,350 pupils.
As part of the new single scheme of bursaries for
Leaving Certi?cate students from DEIS schools, eight
additional bursaries were made available in 2012,
aimed at students from DEIS schools who intend to
pursue third level courses in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.
Children with Special Needs
€1.3 billion was spent in 2012 on supports for
children with special needs, providing for:
• Up to 10,575 Special Needs Assistant posts
• 9,950 learning support/resource teacher posts
• 1,100 teachers in special schools
• Special School Transport for 8,500 pupils with
disabilities
• Early intervention classes and other supports for
children with autism
The National Council for Special Education has
been asked to provide comprehensive policy advice
in 2013 on how the education system can best
support children with special needs. This will guide
the preparation of a plan on how aspects of EPSEN
can be implemented, including the prioritising of
access to children with special needs to an individual
education plan.
Tackling Bullying
Following the dedicated Anti-Bullying Forum held in
May 2012, an Action Plan on Bullying was launched
in January with a dedicated budget of €500,000
to support the implementation of actions to help
prevent and tackle bullying in primary and second
level schools. Two initiatives aimed at tackling and
changing attitudes towards cyber bullying were
launched in February 2013, the Watch Your Space anti
cyber-bullying campaign and the Garda post-primary
schools programme, Connect with Respect.
Patronage
The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism
The Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on
Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector
was published in April 2012. In areas where the
population is stable, the report recommends
achieving diversity of patronage by using the existing
stock of schools, based on parental demand. For
communities served by one ‘stand alone’ school,
where transfer of patronage is not an option, the
report makes recommendations aimed at ensuring
such schools are as inclusive as possible and
accommodate pupils of various belief systems.
Parental Preference Surveys
Following the recommendations of the Forum on
Patronage, a process leading to divesting of school
patronage in areas of stable population has begun.
Surveys, to ?nd out if parents would prefer a wider
choice of school patron than is currently available
to them, have been completed in forty-three areas
throughout the country. Where the surveys identi?ed
demand for alternative patronage, options will
be considered for school re-con?guration, which
would allow accommodation to be freed up for an
alternative provider.
Third Level Reform
Reforming Third Level Education
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has released
a series of documents that will inform engagement
between the HEA and higher education institutions,
leading to advice to the Minister on system
con?guration by April 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 35
Other key developments include the establishment
in November 2012 of a National Forum for the
Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at third
level. The Forum is focused on enhancing the quality
of the learning experience for all students.
Relocating DIT to Grangegorman
As part of the Government’s 2012 stimulus
package, €180 million has been earmarked for
the consolidation of DIT’s existing 39 sites into one
single education facility at Grangegorman. With
the ?rst 1000 students commencing their studies
there in September 2014, the new uni?ed Campus
will ultimately accommodate over 20,000 students
and staff, and will be served by the planned Luas
extension from St. Stephen’s Green to Broombridge.
Extending the Remit of Ombudsman to Third Level
Institutions
The newly extended remit of the Of?ce of the
Ombudsman, under the Ombudsman Amendment
Act 2012, includes all publicly funded third-level
education institutions.
Merging the Accreditation Authorities
The new Quality and Quali?cations Ireland was
formally established in 2012 and replaces the
National Quali?cations Authority of Ireland, FETAC,
HETAC, and the Irish Universities Quality Board.
Housing and Distressed Mortgages
Tackling Mortgage Arrears
Government established a dedicated Cabinet
Committee on mortgage arrears in 2012 to help
drive progress, which includes:
• Extensive new insolvency legalisation and
signi?cant preparations for new insolvency
service
• Intensive engagement by the Central Bank
with lenders and roll out of a variety of loan
modi?cation and resolution options with new
key performance indicators in place to measure
progress
• Roll out of the new Mortgage to Rent scheme,
allowing families to stay in their homes with
ownership transferring to an approved housing
body
• A new telephone and on-line information service
is in place, together with a free independent
professional ?nancial advice service to borrowers
in mortgage distress
Personal Bankruptcy Reform
The new Personal Insolvency Act has
comprehensively reformed Irish insolvency and
bankruptcy law, providing for new and more
?exible options to address personal debt including
mortgage arrears. The new legislative framework
provides for the introduction of three new non-
judicial debt resolution processes:
• The Debt Relief Notice will allow for the write-
off of qualifying unsecured debt up to €20,000,
subject to a three year supervision period
• The Debt Settlement Arrangement provides for
the agreed settlement of unsecured debt, with no
limit involved, normally over ?ve years
• The Personal Insolvency Arrangement will
enable the agreed settlement of secured debt up
to €3 million and unsecured debt without limit,
normally over six years
The new Insolvency Service of Ireland will be
launched in Q1 2013, to provide information
services to the public and to manage the processes
necessary for the ef?cient operation of the new non-
judicial debt settlement procedures. The Director
Designate of the service is overseeing arrangements
including recruitment of new and redeployed staff,
?t out of new premises, development of a new IT
system, and an appropriate regulatory framework
for personal insolvency practitioners and guidelines
for insolvency procedures.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service
Under the new Personal Insolvency Act 2012, MABS
will act as an approved intermediary for the purpose
of processing applications for Debt Relief Notices.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 36
A range of measures to assist people in mortgage
dif?culty have also been introduced through the
Citizens Information Board, funded solely by the
banks. Keepingyourhome.ie and the Mortgage
Arrears Information Helpline offer information and
guidance to mortgage holders who are in dif?culty.
Since September, independent ?nancial advice is
available from a panel of accountants to mortgage
holders who are being offered long-term resolution
proposals by their lenders.
Ghost Estates
At the end of 2012, the number of un?nished
developments had reduced to 1,770 down 37 per
cent from the initial 2,874 identi?ed in 2012. Some
of the measures progressed by the National Co-
ordination Committee include:
• A Stakeholders’ Code of Practice and a
Guidance Manual on Resolving and Managing
Un?nished Estates setting out good practices to
be adopted by all stakeholders
• €3.88 million in funding provided to Local
Authorities to address immediate safety issues
on un?nished developments
In May 2012, NAMA announced plans to invest at
least €2 billion to complete construction work on
unfnished properties in its portfolio, and to develop
green?eld sites. By the end of 2012, NAMA had
approved investments of €1.7 billion, of which over
€1 billion had been drawn down.
Social Housing
Increasing the Supply of Social Housing
Social housing output exceeded 6,000 in 2012,
with a further 5,000 to be provided in 2013. NAMA
Asset Residential Property Services Ltd has been
established to fast-track the acquisition of vacant
properties for social housing and a signi?cant
increase is expected in the number of NAMA
properties selected and delivered for social housing
in 2013.
Urban Regeneration
The new pilot Living City Initiative, announced in
February 2013 for Waterford City and Limerick City,
is a tax incentive scheme to revitalise urban areas,
through promoting the refurbishment of historic
Georgian buildings for residential and retail use.
The national regeneration programme continues
to progress, with the ?rst new homes delivered to
residents in Moyross, Limerick in February 2013.
Homelessness
Reviewing and Updating the Homeless Strategy
Following a Review of the Homeless Strategy, the
Government published its policy statement on
homelessness in February 2013. It endorses the
development of a housing-led approach, placing
the rapid provision of appropriate accommodation
with supports as the key solution to ending long-
term homelessness by 2016. A dedicated oversight
group has been established to coordinate policy and
ensure that the objectives are realised.
Housing
Supervising Credit Institutions’ Mortgage Lending
Practices
The Credit Reporting Bill 2012, currently before
the Oireachtas, will provide for the establishment
of a new credit register to support more informed
lending decisions and provide an important tool for
banking supervision. The register will be operated
by the Central Bank with mandatory reporting
standards and mandatory credit checks and
appropriate controls on access to the information to
protect businesses and consumers.
A National Housing Price Database
The new Residential Property Price Register,
published in September 2012, provides for the
?rst time accurate and up-to-date information on
residential properties purchased in Ireland since
January 2010.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 37
Justice and Law Reform
Reforming Anti-Corruption Law
The general scheme of the Criminal Justice
(Corruption) Bill was published in 2012 and referred
to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice,
Defence and Equality for its consideration, prior
to formal drafting. Once enacted, the legislation
will reform and strengthen the law criminalising
corruption.
Criminal Law Reform
Stopping the Flow of Mobile Phones to Prisons
Airport-style scanners and x-ray machines are now
in operation at the entrances to all closed prisons.
These security measures have proven particularly
effective at preventing smuggling into prisons,
re?ected in declining numbers of mobile phones
seized from prisoners, down 16% in 2012 to 1,150.
Introducing a Roadside Drug Testing Programme
Government has approved drafting of the Road
Traf?c Bill, which will provide for the introduction of
roadside testing for drivers suspected to be under
the in?uence of drugs.
Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation
The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation)
Act 2012 commenced in September and prohibits
the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in
Ireland, providing for punishment of up to 14 years
imprisonment on conviction.
Strong and Ef?cient Policing
Freeing-Up Gardaí from Administrative Duties
Following a successful pilot project in 2012 which
saw civilian staff delivering immigration services at
Dublin airport, plans are underway for its full-scale
extension which will ultimately release a signi?cant
number of Gardaí to frontline policing duties.
The consolidation of the Garda Station network will
result in an extra 61,000 patrol hours being available
in 2013 so that the maximum possible number of
Gardaí are engaging in frontline policing in our
communities.
A new Garda roster being implemented will result in
more Gardaí being on duty during periods of greater
policing demand and fewer at quieter times.
Improving Case Management Systems in the
Courts
A number of initiatives have been introduced to
improve ef?ciency in the courts and to reduce the
time spent unnecessarily by Gardaí in the courts,
including:
• Pilot pre-trial procedure in the Circuit Court,
aimed at removing delays in cases
• Requesting that the courts schedule hearings for
days on which Gardaí are rostered
• Excusing Gardaí from court after giving evidence
• Use of video conferencing facilities in all prisons
and the main courthouses, reducing the need to
transfer prisoners for trial
Combatting Smuggling
Revenue continues to combat smuggling at major
ports, along the coastline and at smaller airports
by maximising risk based and intelligence led
deployment of resources. Revenue’s x-ray scanner
programme comprises two mobile x-ray scanners
and a recently commissioned mobile van scan,
which are utilised in tackling smuggling. In the past
two years 9,780 X-ray scans have been carried out,
resulting in 40 seizures with a total value of over
€36.6 million. Twenty-two of these seizures related
to illicit tobacco products, with a value of over €33
million. The penalties for tobacco smuggling were
substantially increased in 2010.
Sentencing and Penal Reform
The Inspector of Prisons
Robust new procedures for the investigation
of prisoner complaints came into operation in
November 2012, including the examination of
complaints by external independent investigators
and giving the Inspector of Prisons oversight of the
process from the very beginning.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 38
Integrated Offender Management
Launched in May 2012, the Community Return
Programme has seen 388 low risk offenders offered
early temporary release in return for supervised
community service.
Reviewing Mandatory Sentencing Laws
A strategic review of penal policy is underway and
the review group is due to report during 2013. The
review will incorporate an examination and analysis
of all aspects of penal policy including prevention,
mandatory sentencing, sentencing policy generally,
alternatives to custody, accommodation and
regimes, support for reintegration and rehabilitation
and the issue of female prisoners.
Upgrading Our Prison Infrastructure
A new accommodation block became operational
in the Midlands prison at the end of 2012, providing
300 additional spaces with in-cell sanitation, as
well as new work, training and education facilities.
A programme of refurbishment is underway at
Mountjoy prison, to provide in-cell sanitation
throughout the prison. Refurbishment of C-wing was
completed in 2012 and work has now commenced
on B-wing.
Approval has been given for construction to
commence in 2013 of a new, modern 250 space
prison in Cork, to replace the existing outdated
facilities and provide in-cell sanitation for all
inmates. Plans are also underway for a major
redevelopment at Limerick prison.
St. Patrick’s Institution
Since July 2012 16 year old boys are no longer sent
to St. Patrick’s Institution. All newly remanded or
sentenced 16 year olds are now detained in the
children’s facilities in Oberstown. The construction
of a new National Children Detention Facility on
the Oberstown campus has been approved and an
allocation of €20.4 million in capital funding has
been made for the project in 2013. This project will
result in suf?cient capacity to extend the child care
model of detention to all young people under the
age of 18 years by mid 2014 and end the practice of
sending 17 year old boys to St Patrick’s Institution.
In June 2012, the remit of the Ombudsman for
Children was extended to cover all boys under 18
years of age in St. Patrick’s Institution, in order
to ensure that they are detained with the fullest
regards to their rights and needs as children.
Drugs
Implementing the National Substance Misuse
Strategy
Arising from the recommendations in the National
Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group
report, proposals are currently being ?nalised for
consideration by Government early in 2013.
Integrating Drug and Alcohol Abuse Strategies at
Local Level
Reforms are being introduced, arising from the
review of Drugs Task Forces concluded in 2012,
which are intended to better equip the Task Forces
to respond to the current pattern of substance
misuse. These include extending their remit to
include alcohol addiction, measures to improve
coordination and representation and a review of Task
Force boundaries.
In excess of €28 million will be made available to
Drugs Task Forces from the Drugs Initiative Fund in
2013 to support community-based drugs initiatives.
Reducing the Flow of Drugs to Prisons
A range of security initiatives have been introduced
in closed prisons, including x-ray scanners, tighter
control and monitoring of prison visits, airport
style security screening of all staff and visitors,
and increased random searches of prisoner
accommodation. These have proven particularly
effective in reducing the availability of drugs in the
prisons, with drug seizures decreasing by 28 per
cent between 2010 and 2012.
Accountability for the Addiction Budget
The Oversight Forum on Drugs meets each quarter
with all Departments and Agencies to monitor
progress on the actions in the National Drugs
Strategy, and to address any operational dif?culties
that may arise. A report on the implementation of
the actions of the strategy in 2012 will be published
early in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 39
Expenditure attributed to Drug Programmes
across all Departments and Agencies amounted to
approximately €245 million in 2012.
Law Reform, Courts and Judiciary
Creating Family Courts and a Civil Court of Appeal
Government has approved, in principle, proposals
for an amendment to the Constitution (subject
to a referendum of the people) to permit the
establishment of a Civil Court of Appeal and a
new separate Family Court structure. Work has
commenced on the further development of these
proposals and the necessary referendum is expected
to be held in the Autumn of 2013.
Introducing Structured Settlements
Preparation has commenced on Heads of a Civil
Liability (Amendment) Bill, which will give the courts
new powers to make periodic payment orders for the
bene?t of persons catastrophically injured through
the negligence of others. The scheme will enable
compensation to be paid in regular instalments
over the course of the injured person’s life, to cover
the ongoing cost of their care to ensure that such
compensation is adequate and necessary.
Reforming and Modernising Family Law
Legislation is being prepared to make court
proceedings in family law and child care cases more
transparent. The legislation will amend the in camera
rule to allow press access to the courts in family law
and child care proceedings.
Law Reform
The Law Reform Commission is currently developing
a work programme for its next Programme of Law
Reform. This has followed a broad consultation
process with civil and public society including
community, government and public bodies.
Passports, Citizenship, Immigration
and Asylum
Citizenship Applications
Over 25,000 applications were decided in 2012,
compared to 16,000 in 2011 and fewer than 8,000
in 2010. The success of the citizenship ceremonies
continued into 2012, with citizenship being conferred
on almost 20,000 persons at thirty-?ve ceremonies.
Equality and Social Protection
Tackling Poverty
A review of the National Poverty Target was completed
in 2012 and a new National Social Target for Poverty
Reduction has been adopted, with the objective of
reducing consistent poverty to 4 per cent by 2016 and
to 2 per cent or less by 2020. Preparations for the ?rst
monitoring report are underway.
A New Area-Based Approach to Tackling Child
Poverty
€2.5 million has been allocated to fund a new Area
Based Approach to Child Poverty initiative in 2013.
This initiative will build on and continue the work of
the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme,
which has demonstrated signi?cantly improved
outcomes for children and families. The number of
sites will be expanded from three to at least six during
2013. The learning and outcomes from the existing
projects will inform the design of this new Area Based
Approach, which will address the key themes of child
development, educational disadvantage, health, well-
being and parenting.
Eliminating Poverty Traps
Eliminating Poverty Traps
Reform of the Social Welfare system is continuing to
eliminate poverty traps and ensure that work pays for
welfare recipients:
• Signi?cant work has taken place to begin piloting
the transfer in 2013 of people with long term
housing needs from rent supplement to their local
authority where they will pay a differential rent
calculated on the basis of their welfare payment
or pay
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 40
• Reform of the One Parent Family payment
is underway, starting with the reduction in
qualifying child age, which is due to take effect
from July 2013
• Budget 2013 also contained a provision of €14
million to provide 6,000 subsidised school-age
childcare places to support people in taking up
employment
A Zero Tolerance Approach to
Welfare Fraud
Reducing Welfare Fraud
The roll out of Intreo, the new integrated
employment and support service, will enable a
more integrated approach to fraud control to be
realised, through better information pooling. The
new integrated decision-making and the case
management approach will also improve control
across schemes.
Introduction of the new Public Services Card (PSC),
with photographic identi?cation, commenced in
2012, with over 111,800 new cards issued to-date.
The card will allow for improved identi?cation and
authentication of individuals, which will assist in the
detection of fraudulent claims.
New fraud prevention and detection powers were
granted to Social Welfare Inspectors in 2012, to
make inquiries of landlords, to require identity
checks for social welfare claims, and to detect and
combat social welfare fraud and abuse at ports
and airports. Those powers have so far led to over
?fty claims being stopped, with control savings of
approximately €450,000.
The Social Welfare Act 2012 provides for swifter
recovery of social welfare overpayments by way
of weekly deductions of up to 15 per cent from a
person’s social welfare payment.
Getting Better Value for Money
Reducing Reliance on Rent Supplement
Local authorities transferred approximately 5,000
longer term recipients of Rent Supplement to Rental
Accommodation Scheme during 2012.
In line with the new Housing Policy Statement,
Government has agreed to the phased transfer
of responsibility for long-term rent supplement
recipients from the Department of Social Protection
to housing authorities under a new Housing
Assistance Payment (HAP). Calculated based on
ability to pay, this progressive new arrangement
will remove barriers to employment and return rent
supplement to its original purpose as a short-term
income support. Signi?cant work has taken place to
enable initial transitions to commence in 2013, with
general roll out from 2014.
Equality
Equality and Human Rights
Draft Heads of a new Irish Human Rights and
Equality Commission Bill were published in 2012, to
amalgamate the Human Rights Commission and the
Equality Authority. This legislation will oblige public
bodies to set out their consideration of human rights
and equality issues, relevant to their work, in their
strategic plans and report on them in their Annual
Reports.
Tackling Homophobic Bullying
A major Anti-Bullying Forum was held on the 17 May
2012 to coincide with the International Day against
Homophobia, the theme of which was homophobic
bullying. The new Action Plan on Bullying includes
a commitment to provide support for the Stand Up!
Awareness Week against Homophobic Bullying
organised by BeLonG To Youth Services.
People with Disabilities
An Implementation Plan for the National Disability
Strategy
A new Implementation Group, which includes
a number of people with disabilities, has been
established to develop an implementation plan
for the National Disability Strategy, which will
include speci?c actions, timelines and targets to be
implemented over a three year period. Work on the
plan is at an advanced stage and is expected to be
completed in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 41
A Disability Forum was established in 2012 to
facilitate better consultation with stakeholders and
capture the perspective of the end user.
A Comprehensive Spending Review of Disability
Services
Arising from the Value for Money and Policy
Review of the Disability Services Programme,
a high level implementation framework for the
recommendations in the review has been published.
The framework sets out a fundamental change
in approach to the governance, funding and focus
of the Disability Services Programme, through
migration from a groupÐbased service delivery
towards a model of personÐcentred and individually
chosen supports. These changes, which will
commence in 2013, will move the sector towards
more effective, transparent and accountable
management of the substantial existing resources
expended on health and personal services for people
with a disability.
National Standards for Residential Services for
People with Disabilities
Following a process of public consultation, HIQA has
developed new National Standards for Residential
Centres for People with Disabilities. The standards
will be published shortly and work is underway on
a new regulatory system to be put in place. It will
apply to all residential settings where people with
disabilities live, whether they are operated by public,
private or voluntary bodies or organisations.
Irish Sign Language
The National Disability Authority held a round
table discussion with representation from the deaf
community, together with the relevant Government
Departments, in May 2012, to identify possible
actions to promote the recognition of Irish Sign
Language for inclusion in the National Disability
Strategy Implementation Plan.
Reforming the Law on Mental Capacity
The Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Bill, to be
published shortly, will reform the law in respect
of vulnerable individuals, whose ability to make
important decisions is affected by intellectual
disability or mental illness. Once enacted, this
legislation will modernise the laws on capacity
and bring Irish legislation in this area into line with
current thinking and modern legislative frameworks
worldwide. The Bill will replace the outdated
adult ward-of-court system with a new statutory
framework, which will shift the focus towards
assisted rather than substitute decision-making.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 42
Key Highlights
Children
• Children’s rights now protected in the
Constitution
• New laws in force strengthening child protection
• 25 new staff redeployed to the Garda Vetting unit
• Preparations for the establishment of the New
Child and Family Support Agency
Communications, Energy and the
Environment
• Successful digital TV switchover with €450
million raised from spectrum auction
• New National Intellectual Property Protocol
helping to commercialise ideas and create jobs
through research
• Ireland’s new national waste management policy
published
• New one stop shop for planning information
www.myplan.ie launched
• Rati?cation of the Aarhus Convention
• Heads of a new Climate Action Bill published for
stakeholder consultation
Agriculture and Fisheries
• Total agri-exports top €9 billion for the ?rst time
• New Ocean Wealth plan to maximise marine
coordination
• New Origin Green sustainable food initiative
launched
• Agri-Environmental Options Scheme opened to
new entrants
• 90 per cent of Harvest 2020 actions advanced
• Ireland lead the way to EU phased ban on
dumping ?sh
• Streamlining of aquaculture licensing system
Culture, Sport and Transport
• Green light for construction of €368 million Luas
connector / Broombridge line
• Major reforms of the taxi sector came into force
in January 2013
• €850 million for national motorway and primary
route network upgrades
• Signi?cant expansion to the Dublin Bikes scheme
• New sports capital funding provides €31 million
to sports projects
• New philanthropy initiative generated over
€1 million in extra funding for the arts
• New legislation in place supporting the Irish
language
International
• Joint Statement of 2012 by Taoiseach and UK
Prime Minister reinforces British-Irish relations
• North South Parliamentary Forum established to
further peace and cooperation
• 31 North South Ministerial Council meetings held
in 2012 furthering economic cooperation
• Strengthened economic relationship with
China following historic visit by Vice President
Xi Jinping and return trade mission led by the
Taoiseach
• Successful start to Irish Presidency of the EU
• Ireland achieves top score on transposition of EU
legislation
• Major diplomatic initiative undertaken to support
renegotiation of promissory note deal
• Election of Ireland to United Nations Human
Rights Council
• Successful Irish chairmanship of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 43
Implementation
Children, Families and Older People
The Children’s Referendum
The passing of the Children’s Referendum marks
a signi?cant step forward in the protection of
children’s rights, addressing issues such as
adoption, intervention to protect their safety and
welfare, and giving children a say in their own
protection proceedings.
The Child and Family Support Agency
The July 2012 Task Force report is informing the
drafting of legislation to establish the new Agency.
In parallel, detailed operational preparations are
underway to facilitate the transfer of services and
staff from the HSE, the National Education Welfare
Board and the Family Support Agency. The Agency
will have a staff of over 4,000 and a budget in excess
of €550 million. It will bring together key services
for children and families and represents one of the
most signi?cant public service reforms underway.
Enhancing Child Protection
The Government has advanced a suite of legislation
to further enhance child protection. The Criminal
Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences
Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
entered into force in August 2012 and makes it an
offence to withhold information on serious offences
committed against a child or a vulnerable adult.
The National Vetting Bureau (Children and
Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 makes it mandatory
for people working with children or vulnerable
adults to be vetted by the Gardaí. Twenty-?ve
additional staff have now been re-deployed to the
Garda Central Vetting Unit, to ensure that it is
adequately staffed to meet the increased volume of
applications, arising from this legislation.
The Heads of a new Bill, to place the Children First
Guidelines on a statutory basis, were referred to
the Oireachtas Committee on Children in April
2012 whose report will inform the ?nal legislative
proposals.
Under New National Standards for the Protection
and Welfare of Children, frontline services
for children and families are now subject to
independent inspection for the ?rst time. The
standards, which have legal effect, will ensure that
services are providing adequate care and protection
to vulnerable children, and that Children First
guidelines on handling abuse and welfare concerns
are fully implemented.
As recommended in the Ryan Report, a memorial
to victims of institutional abuse has been
commissioned and will be erected adjacent to the
Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.
Modernising and Reforming Family Law
Legislation is being prepared to make court
proceedings in family law and child care cases more
transparent, amending the in camera rule to allow
press access to the courts. In addition, a project
was established in November 2012, which will carry
out research on child care hearings in the courts to
inform future policy and raise public awareness of
the child protection and courts process
Reforming the Law on Adoption
The draft Adoption (Amendment) Bill was published
in September 2012 in the context of the Children’s
Referendum. The Bill will bring certainty to the
circumstances in which adoption may be considered,
particularly for children who are living in foster care
for a signi?cant period as the result of serious and
persistent parental failure.
Arts, Culture and Sport
Philanthropic Funding for the Arts
The Philanthropy Leverage Initiative was piloted in
2012, to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and
endowment funding of the arts from private sources.
The State’s investment of €202,000 generated total
additional funding of over €1 million for the arts in
2012.
The RAISE initiative, launched in October 2012,
aims to build capacity in the sector to forging term
relationships with the private sector and secure
sponsorship and funding.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 44
The Arts Council has provided one-to-one
professional support to the eight selected
organisations for two years, through planning
and implementation of a tailored fundraising
programme.
Funding for Sport
New funding of almost €31 million has been
provided to sports projects across the country, in the
?rst round of sports capital funding in four years.
Additional grants of €2.6 million have been approved
to allow twenty-two national sports bodies to buy
new equipment to help boost participation in sport.
Foreign Affairs, ODA and Defence
Ensuring our Diplomatic Network Aids Repair of
our Reputation
A major diplomatic initiative was instigated to
further efforts to renegotiate the promissory note,
which was achieved in February 2013.
During 2012 Ireland, as Chair in Of?ce, successfully
steered the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, culminating in the largest
ever high-level conference of Foreign Ministers ever
hosted in Dublin.
Following an extensive campaign by the diplomatic
service, and Government Ministers, Ireland was
successful in its election to the United Nations
Human Rights Council. This builds on Ireland’s
reputation as a strong supporter of human rights
internationally.
Reviewing the White Paper on Overseas
Development Aid
A Review of the White Paper on Irish Aid was
undertaken in 2012, to examine the progress
being made by our aid programme, to assess the
changed context, globally and here at home, and
to set out future priorities. Following a successful
consultation process, a new policy on Ireland’s role
in international development has been completed
and will be submitted for Government approval
shortly.
Northern Ireland
Implementing the Good Friday and St. Andrew’s
Agreements
The Government is working continuously to support
the peace process and a new comprehensive
framework has been established for British-
Irish relations, developing economic, political
and security cooperation. Last year, through the
Reconciliation and Anti-Sectarianism Funds,
grants were awarded to more than 130 community
organisations to further the cause of reconciliation.
The establishment of the North/South
Parliamentary Forum in 2012, drawn equally from
members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the
Oireachtas, provides a formal platform for further
engagement and cooperation.
As part of the digital switchover, TG4, RTÉ 1 & 2 and
Raidió na Gaeltachta were made available for the
?rst time on Freeview in Northern Ireland, making
Irish-language broadcasting more accessible in
Northern Ireland, as provided for in the Good Friday
Agreement.
Increasing Economic Cooperation
Thirty-one sectoral meetings of the North South
Ministerial Council were held in 2012. This was the
highest number since its formation, and helped to
advance economic cooperation and focus on job
creation, including:
• The work of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce to
address the issue of the decline in visitors from
Great Britain in recent years
• An increase of over 50 per cent in European
Research and Development funding for North/
South projects from November 2011 to July 2012
• The introduction of two new InterTradeIreland
programmes Challenge and Elevate, supporting
SMEs and micro businesses to grow and develop
through innovation and exporting
The Joint Statement issued by the Taoiseach and
Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2012
initiated an intensive programme of work aimed
at reinforcing the British-Irish relationship for the
coming decade.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 45
This includes the preparation of a joint report,
to be published in March, evaluating economic
relations between Britain and Ireland and identifying
opportunities for closer collaboration.
Ireland in Europe
Delivering the Irish Presidency of the EU
Following a successful launch of the Irish
Presidency programme – “For Stability, Jobs and
Growth” – signi?cant progress is already being made
to deliver on these key objectives.
Ireland’s Presidency is now leading on behalf
of Member States in seeking the consent of the
European Parliament to the deal reached among EU
leaders on the 2014-2020 Budget.
The Irish Presidency is rapidly advancing proposals
on Banking Union and enhanced economic
governance measures and has already secured
important legislation in this area. Some of the key
priorities that the Government has identi?ed to
stimulate growth and job creation include making
progress on proposals aimed at strengthening
the Single Market and the Digital Single Market,
improved support for research and innovation
across the EU, and new trade agreements with third
countries. Important achievements already secured
include the Youth Guarantee and the Uni?ed Patent
Court.
Ireland will continue to work for agreement on the
programmes that deliver on EU policy objectives
including Horizon 2020 in the area of research,
reform of CAP and of the Common Fisheries Policy,
Cohesion, Erasmus and the COSME Programme for
SMEs.
The Government will continue to communicate key
messages about Ireland’s economic recovery to a
wide international audience during its Presidency to
strengthen Ireland’s reputation.
A new website, www.eu2013.ie, provides citizens
with up-to-date information and reporting on the
Irish Presidency with major events available to
watch via a live stream.
The Transposition of EU Legislation
A newly established interdepartmental committee
on European Engagement is monitoring Ireland’s
progress in transposing EU legislation into
domestic law and ensuring our compliance with EU
Directives. For the ?rst time Ireland, in transposing
all directives in due time, has achieved the highest
possible score of a zero transposition de?cit in the
EU Commission’s Internal Market Scoreboard, only
the second EU Member State to have achieved this.
Enhancing the Irish Role in EU Judicial and Home
Affairs Cooperation
The European Criminal Records Information System,
which has been operational since April 2012,
provides for the electronic exchange of criminal
records information between Member States.
An Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht
The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language
The Gaeltacht Act 2012 provides for a new de?nition
of the Gaeltacht, based on linguistic criteria rather
than geographic areas, with language planning
at community level central to this. The Act also
provides for the recognition of the importance of
smaller urban areas where Irish is widely used
amongst the community.
The Family Language Support Programme
commenced in April 2012 to strengthen the Irish
language as the household and community language
in the Gaeltacht by supporting Gaeltacht families to
raise their children through Irish.
Reforming the Irish Curriculum
The marks for the Leaving Certi?cate Irish oral
have increased from 25% to 40% of overall marks
from Leaving Certi?cate 2012. Key areas have
been prioritised for action, including the provision
of better curricula for Irish in Irish-medium and
mainstream schools. The National Council for
Curriculum and Assessment will review the Irish
curriculum at primary and post-primary levels.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 46
Climate Change
Climate Change
The National Climate Change Adaptation
Framework, published in December 2012,
introduces a policy framework to ensure adaptation
measures are taken across different sectors
and levels of government to manage and reduce
Ireland’s vulnerability to the negative impacts of
climate change.
Heads of a Climate Action and Low-Carbon
Development Bill have been issued for consideration
by stakeholders and the Joint Oireachtas Committee
on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
The proposed legislation will place a statutory
obligation on Government to adopt and implement
plans that enable the State to transition to a low
carbon, climate resilient and environmentally
sustainable economy in the period to 2050. The Joint
Committee’s report, and the recent policy analysis
by the Secretariat to the National Economic and
Social Council, will be key inputs for consideration
by Government in adopting a national policy position
on the transition to a low-carbon future, and
?nalising the introduction of climate legislation later
in 2013.
Budget 2013 introduced further measures designed
to address greenhouse gas emissions, including the
extension of the carbon tax to solid fuels, and the
further re-structuring of Vehicle Registration Tax
and motor tax.
Energy
A number of signi?cant steps have been taken
towards the development of an energy export
sector between Ireland to Britain, with the capacity
to create thousands of Irish jobs. The East-West
Interconnector, which links the power grids of
Ireland and Britain, became operational last year.
A Memorandum of Understanding on energy
cooperation was signed in January between the Irish
and UK Governments, an interim step towards a full
Inter-Governmental Agreement expected in early
2014.
More Ef?cient Foreshore Licensing
Signi?cant work has been undertaken to improve
the ef?ciency of foreshore licensing, with a number
of measures developed, including guidelines,
standard operating procedures, prioritisation and a
pre-application consultation process. Regulations
have also been introduced putting a time limit (4-8
weeks) on consultations with prescribed bodies.
Offshore Drilling
A procurement process has commenced for a
major state-of-the-art survey, which will add to the
understanding of the petroleum potential of the
Irish offshore and provide a boost to our efforts to
attract international mobile exploration investment
to Ireland.
Regulation
Rationalising Regulators
Given the major changes in the Irish economic
landscape, there is a need to reassess and reframe
the role of regulators as a central part of Ireland’s
economic recovery and to safeguard the consumer
interest. In this context Government has assigned
lead responsibility in respect of the various functions
in the regulatory arena across a number of policy
Departments to provide for a sharper sectoral focus
and a greater capacity to deliver. Forfás has also
completed a study on identifying a number of areas
where changes to their operation could have real,
positive impact upon cost competitiveness. The
recommendations of the review will help to inform
the wider economic regulation agenda, including
the preparation of a New Government Statement on
Economic Regulation, which is a key deliverable in
the Action Plan for Jobs 2013.
Sustainable Waste Policy
A New National Waste Policy
The Government’s new waste management policy,
launched in July 2012, aims to minimise the
amount of waste we produce, eliminate land?ll
and maximise waste as a resource to produce new
products and renewable energy.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 47
The ?rst phase of implementing the policy is now
complete, with the evaluation of all ten Regional
Waste Management Plans. The structure of the
three new Waste Planning Regions will be con?rmed
early in 2013 and will provide the platform for the
next phase of implementation. A review of waste
enforcement structures is underway and work has
also commenced on the design of a new waste
collection permitting regime.
Enhancing the Quality of the
Environment
Ratifying the Aarhus Convention
The Aarhus Convention, which lays down a set of
basic rules to promote citizens’ involvement in
environmental matters and improve enforcement of
environmental law, was rati?ed by Ireland in June
2012.
Peat
Turf Cutting
The work of the Peatlands Council and supporting
Compensation Scheme led to 70 per cent of active
turf cutters refraining from cutting on Special
Areas of Conservation during 2012. To date,
almost €3.5 million has been issued through the
enhanced Compensation Scheme, with over 2,148
compensation payments made.
Communications
The Digital Switchover
October 2012 saw the successful completion of
the digital TV switchover, following a major public
information campaign. The subsequent spectrum
auction, held in November by ComReg, yielded
an immediate dividend of €450 million to the
Exchequer, with an additional €405 million to be
paid on a phased basis over the coming years.
Developing a New National Intellectual Property
Protocol
The new National Intellectual Property (IP)
Protocol was published in 2012, to make it easier to
commercialise and create jobs from ideas developed
through publicly-funded research.
Maintaining a Universal Postal Service
The Communications Regulation (Postal Services)
Act 2011 marked the ?nal step in opening the postal
market to full competition. The Act also ensures
provision of a postal service on every working day to
every address throughout the country, guaranteeing
this universal service for twelve years and providing
for stronger levels of consumer protection, including
a means of redress and a price-cap on most
commonly used services.
Transport
Investing in High-Capacity Commuter Services
Advance works will commence in 2013 on the
construction of the €368 million Luas Cross City
Line project, which will connect the two existing
Luas lines between St Stephen’s Green and
O’Connell Street and will extend the service out to
Broombridge.
The Government stimulus package announced in
July 2012 restored the roads programme budget
with €850 million provided for essential upgrades to
the national motorway and primary route network.
This will enable work to commence on a number of
key projects, including the Gort-Tuam link and the
Gorey-Enniscorthy/ New Ross bypass.
Updating the Regulation of Taxis
A range of reforms came into force from January
2013, to bring greater professionalism, consumer
protection and accountability to the taxi sector.
The Taxi Regulation Bill, published in 2012, will
improve enforcement of the taxi regulations and
provide for the mandatory disquali?cation of people
who are convicted of speci?ed offences.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 48
Cycling and Sustainable Travel
Funding of €2.6 million has been provided by the
National Transport Authority for the expansion of the
Dublin Bikes scheme, which will see 1000 new bikes
available in 2013 at 66 new stations across Dublin
city, from the Docklands to Heuston Station.
Signi?cant investment in sustainable travel will
continue under a €65 million ?ve-year programme
agreed in 2012, to include:
• 334 kilometres of new cycleway to be built all
over the country over the next two years
• €23 million to enable local authorities to
install and upgrade facilities for cyclists and
pedestrians across three towns
Airport Charges
In the second consecutive year of growth, passenger
numbers at Dublin Airport increased by 2 per
cent to 19.1 million in 2012. As a result of this
expansion, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has
paid a rebate of €1.5 million in airport charges to
twenty-?ve airlines. The rebate was paid under the
DAA’s Growth Incentive Scheme, which is aimed
at encouraging airlines to maintain and grow their
business in Ireland.
Agriculture
Food Harvest 2020
Milestones for Success 2012 reported progress in
the implementation of Food Harvest 2020, showing
action commenced or substantially advanced on 90
per cent of the recommendations. The report also
highlighted that the agri-food and ?shing sector
continues to be one of the cornerstones of national
export recovery, with the value of agri-food exports
increasing by almost 2 per cent in 2012, to exceed
€9 billion for the ?rst time.
A key outcome of Food Harvest 2020 is the launch in
2012 of Origin Green, as the world’s ?rst nationwide
sustainability standard.
Expanding the Agri-Environment Options Scheme
€20 million in funding has been provided to allow
the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS)
to open to new entrants. AEOS 3 was launched in
September 2012 and builds on the success of both
AEOS 1&2 and the Rural Environment Protection
Scheme in delivering an annual income to farmers,
in return for farming to high environmental
standards.
Coastal Communities, Fisheries and
Marine Environment
The Common Fisheries Policy
A compromise put forward by Ireland at the June
2012 Fisheries Council was accepted by our EU
partners, ensuring that the practise of throwing
millions of tonnes of unwanted dead ?sh back into
the water will now be banned on a phased basis.
The agreement will support a more secure future
for the Irish ?shing industry while at the same
time promoting a more sustainable approach to
managing ?sh stocks.
Aquaculture
The streamlining of the aquaculture licensing
system has resulted in 115 determinations to either
grant or renew licences in 2012, compared to 6
determinations in 2011.
Better Coordination in Marine Policy Delivery
Published in July 2012, Harnessing Our Ocean
Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland aims
to maximise marine coordination, to make the
most of our ocean resources. It seeks to create the
right conditions to promote investment and enable
growth, with a plan to double the value of Ireland’s
ocean wealth by 2030, whilst also protecting our
marine environment. The Marine Co-ordination
Group is driving implementation of this plan, with
quarterly reporting of actions across all relevant
departments and associated agencies.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 49
Planning
Better Coordinated Planning
2012 saw a number of developments to assist better
planning:
• Publication of Our Sustainable Future - A Framework
for Sustainable Development for Ireland to identify
and prioritise policy areas and mechanisms where
a sustainable development approach will add value
• New Local Government reforms provide for the
creation of new Regional Assemblies which will,
in future, draw up Regional Spatial and Economic
Strategies to act as a bridge between local and
national plans
• A public consultation held on draft guidelines for
planning authorities in preparing and implementing
Local Area Plans
• A new, free planning information system for the
public has been launched. Myplan.ie provides
information relevant to planning including census
results, ?ood mapping, zoning information, heritage
sites and patterns of housing development. The
site will not only bene?t citizens, but will also
assist with improved coordination between local
authorities and better delivery of public services
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 50
Commitments Under Review
Putting the Household Bene?ts Package out to
Tender
The Government has received legal advice from the
Chief State Solicitors Of?ce, the Commission for
Energy Regulation and the Competition Authority,
which indicates that is it not possible to put the
Household Bene?ts Packages out to tender. The
best possible value for money will continue to be
sought from the utility companies, building on the
annual savings of €17 million secured from Eircom
in 2011.
Competitive Tendering for Local Waste Collection
Services
Based on extensive public consultation, advice from
the Competition Authority and the outcome of a
Regulatory Impact Analysis the Government has
decided to preserve the current market structure
for household waste collection, with a strengthened
regulatory regime.
COMMITMENTS UNDER REVIEW
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 51
Government legislation enacted since March 2012
Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012
Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Act 2012
Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012
Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Act 2012
Jurisdiction of Courts and Enforcement of Judgements (Amendment) Act 2012
Clotting Factor Concentrates and other Biological Products Act 2012
Finance Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012
Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Act 2012
Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012
Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012
Education (Amendment) Act 2012
Electricity Regulation (Carbon Revenue Levy) (Amendment) Act 2012
Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012
Competition (Amendment) Act 2012
Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic
and Monetary Union) Act 2012
Statute Law Revision Act 2012
European Communities (Amendment) Act 2012
European Stability Mechanism Act 2012
Companies (Amendment) Act 2012
Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012
Credit Guarantee Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012
Veterinary Practice (Amendment) Act 2012
Quali?cations and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Act 2012
European Arrest Warrant (Application to Third Countries and Amendment) and Extradition (Amendment) Act
2012
Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012
Microenterprise Loan Fund Act 2012
Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2012
APPENDIX 1
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 52
Gaeltacht Act 2012
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012
Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012
Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012
Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012
Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012
Credit Union and Cooperation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012
Equal Status (Amendment) Act 2012
Appropriation Act 2012
Social Welfare Act 2012
Civil Defence Act 2012
Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012
Europol Act 2012
Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012
Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Act 2012
Health Insurance (Amendment) Act 2012
National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
Personal Insolvency Act 2012
Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Act 2012
Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Act 2013
Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Act 2013
Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2013
APPENDIX 1
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 53
Rationalisation of State Bodies
Rationalisations fully implemented involving 21 bodies
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Education and
Skills
Amalgamation of Further Education and
Training Awards, Higher Education and
Training Award Council and National
Quali?cations Authority of Ireland and
incorporating functions of the Irish
Universities Quality Board
Completed Nov 2012
Quality and Quali?cations Ireland
was established as a new integrated
agency replacing 4 Bodies
Merge Irish Research Council for Science,
Engineering and Technology and Council for
the Humanities and Social Science into a
consolidated single council under HEA.
Merger complete March 2012
Environment,
Community
and Local
Government
Merge Local Government Computer Services
Board & Local Government Management
Services Board
Completed August 2012.
Merge 2 Regeneration Agencies in Limerick
into Local Authorities
Completed in July 2012.
Subsume An Comhairle Leabharlanna into
existing public body
Completed January 2013 – subsumed
by Local Government Management
Agency
Comhar to be integrated into the National
Economic and Social Council.
Completed January 2012
Merge the Affordable Housing Partnership,
National Building Agency and Centre for
Housing Research into a new body
Completed August 2012 - Housing
and Sustainable Communities Agency
established
Discontinue the Dormant Accounts Board Completed December 2012
Public
Expenditure and
Reform
Merge Commission on Public Service
Appointments with Ombudsman
Completed October 2012
Health Subsume National Council for Professional
Development of Nursing and Midwifery into
An Bord Altranais.
Completed December 2011
Transport,
Tourism and
Sport
Dublin Regional Tourism Authority
possible merger into Fáilte Ireland
Completed January 2012.
Defence Merge Civil Defence Board into Department Completed December 2012
Justice and
Equality
Transfer of Family Mediation Service into the
Legal Aid Board
Completed November 2011
APPENDIX 2
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 54
Rationalisations with legislative or administrative changes underway across
82 bodies
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Education and
Skills
Reduce Number of VECs from 33 to 16 Enabling Bill is currently before Dáil
Jobs, Enterprise
and Innovation
Rationalise the industrial relations /
employee rights institutions (Labour
Court, Labour Relations Commission,
National Employment Rights Authority,
Employment Appeals Tribunal, Equality
Tribunal)
Signi?cant progress has been achieved
to date on an administrative basis in
building the new two tier-model pending
drafting of the legislation the general
scheme of which has been approved by
Government
Amalgamate the Competition Authority
and National Consumer Agency
Draft Heads of Bill approved and is in
the Government’s Spring Legislative
Programme
Establish the scope to merge Forfás into
the Department of Jobs, Enterprise &
Innovation
An Implementation Group, comprising
senior management from the
Department, Forfás and D/PER is
overseeing the integration project.
Review of 35 City and County Enterprise
Boards
The bill to dissolve the existing CEB
structure and transfer functions
to Enterprise Ireland is in the
Government’s Spring Legislative
Programme .
Justice and
Equality
Merge Equality Authority with the
Human Rights Commission to form new
Commission
The measure is currently being
progressed on an administrative basis
prior to enactment of the necessary
legislation -Draft Heads of a Bill
approved
Arts, Heritage and
the Gaeltacht
Combine Irish Museum of Modern Art,
Crawford Art Gallery & National Gallery
of Ireland.
Framework for Cooperation & Improved
Services agreed.
Merge National Archives & Irish
Manuscripts Commission, into National
Library & shared services with National
Museum
New model of shared services and
governance developed which will be
put into effect on an administrative
basis pending enactment of enabling
legislation
Merge functions of An Coimisinéir
Teanga with Ombudsman Of?ce.
Necessary legislative proposals to
advance this are expected in Q1 2013
APPENDIX 2
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 55
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Transport,
Tourism and Sport
Merge NRA with Railway Procurement
Agency
General Scheme of Bill will be submitted
to Government in Q1 2013
Merger of National Sports Campus
Development Authority with the Irish
Sports Council
Draft General Scheme of Bill to be
submitted to Government in Q1 2013.
Review Role of Shannon Development
(Tourism) and possible merger into Fáilte
Ireland
Proposals for merger approved by
Government and will be implemented by
Q2 2013
Communications,
Energy and
Natural Resources
Merge the Digital Hub Development
Authority with Dublin City Council
Merger implemented on an
administrative basis pending legislation
Children and
Youth Affairs
Merge back-of?ce functions of
Ombudsman for Children with
Information Commissioner
Shared services model to be
implemented.
Merge Family Support Agency into new
Child and Family Support Agency
Drafting of required legislation is well
underway
Health Merge Opticians Boards with the Health
and Social Care Professionals Council
A working Group is advancing this
proposal.
APPENDIX 2
Department of the Taoiseach
doc_259772323.pdf
When we formed this Government in March 2011, our core promise to the Irish people was to fix our economic problems and to get Ireland working again.
Programme for Government:
Annual Report 2013
Year 2: Rebuilding
Programme for Government:
Annual Report 2013
Government for National Recovery 2011-2016
March 2013
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 3
Foreword 4
Economy 6
Reform 19
Fairness 26
Progress 42
Commitments Under Review 50
Appendix 1: Government Legislation Enacted since March 2012 51
Appendix 2: Rationalisation of State Bodies 53
CONTENTS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 4
FOREWORD
Year 2: Rebuilding
When we formed this Government in March 2011, our core promise to the Irish people was to ?x our economic
problems and to get Ireland working again. Since then, the Government has been working with the people to
implement our agreed plan for economic recovery. That plan is working.
The hard work and sacri?ces endured by many are making a real difference. Ireland is rebuilding its reputation,
restoring con?dence and laying the foundation for a better future. This second annual report sets out the
progress made right across Government in the past year. It shows a Government hard at work, reforming,
legislating and delivering on its commitments.
After two years in government, there is real evidence of the rebuilding that has taken place.
Restoring Financial Stability and Con?dence
Building on the ?rst renegotiation of the bail-out agreement, we have further reduced our borrowing costs
through liquidating the former Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide banks and getting rid of the promissory notes.
Other banks have been restructured and recapitalised, with new boards and management teams. The
bank guarantee has been ended, further stakes in the banks have been sold, deposits are ?owing back and
dependence on emergency central bank funding is greatly reduced.
The correction of the public ?nances is on track, with 90% of the ?scal consolidation complete and borrowing
on track to fall to below the 3% of GDP target by 2015.
This hard work to rebuild our international reputation for responsible ?nancial management has paid off, with
long-term Government bond yields now at less than 4%. Ireland’s successful preparations and start to the
Presidency of the EU will further enhance our standing.
Helping People Back to Work
But our key priority has been getting people back to work because there are still far too many people without
jobs. We successfully implemented 92% of the 270 actions in the 2012 Jobs Plan designed to make it easier to
protect and create jobs and secured the €2.25 billion stimulus in job-rich public infrastructure projects. We led
18 successful trade missions in 2012 worth €200 million in new export sales.
We put in place almost 30,000 new education and training places for jobseekers and launched Intreo, the new
one-stop-shop employment and support service. We kept our promise not to increase taxes on work and
income.
Protecting the Most Vulnerable and Ensuring Fairness
We have continued to maintain primary weekly social welfare rates and protect those families worst affected by
the economic collapse. We introduced €2.5 million to fund a new Area Based Approach to Child Poverty.
We enacted new personal insolvency legislation to help distressed borrowers reach a settlement with
their lenders while staying in the family home. We transferred 5,000 households to the long term rental
accommodation scheme.
€1 billion was spent by NAMA towards completing un?nished properties, and the number of un?nished housing
developments is now down 37% since 2010.
We’ve ensured a fair contribution from everyone to the national effort, particularly by increasing taxes on
capital and wealth and by eliminating tax loopholes traditionally used by the better off.
Reforming Our Politics
We have been overhauling the political system to make it more effective and ef?cient, and to make sure
politicians share in the sacri?ces being made by the entire country.
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 5
We have increased the number of Dáil working days by 30%. We have cut politicians pay and expenses and further
reduced the cost of Ministerial transport and use of the Government jet.
Constitutional reform continued with the passing of the Children’s Referendum, strengthening our children’s rights
and the work of the new Constitutional Convention. Public Sector reform is advancing with streamlined services
and bodies, more shared services, enhanced skills and greater ef?ciencies while delivering better services.
We are radically reforming the local government system to make it more ef?cient and effective, cutting the number
of councillors by over a third.
Protecting Key Services
Despite the necessary budget cuts, we are protecting education, health and other key services by cutting costs,
eliminating waste and recruiting new teachers and vital mental health and primary care staff. We secured
signi?cant new agreements with hospital consultants and the pharmaceutical industry to reduce costs and
enhance health services.
We have set out a road map of 48 key actions to reform hospital and primary care to ensure a future sustainable
and equitable health service. The Special Delivery Unit has continued its work with hospitals and further reduced
hospital trolley and waiting times during 2012.
We opened the new 34 bed Cystic Fibrosis Unit in St Vincent’s Hospital and we chose the St James Hospital
campus as the site for the new National Children’s Hospital.
Programme Priorities and Milestones for Next Year
In the year ahead, we will continue the work of rebuilding the country, driving implementation of our policies to
deliver real change to impact people’s lives:
• accelerating the work-out of the mortgage crisis to ensure that most families are offered sustainable solutions
by next year;
• growing the economy to generate jobs, implementation of the 2013 Action Plan on Jobs, enacting legislation for
NewERA and Strategic Investment Fund and ?nancing new projects in key strategic sectors;
• making sure economic recovery does not bypass jobless households – an enhanced Pathways to Work strategy
to ensure new jobs go to people on the live register;
• delivering further political and constitutional reforms with an Autumn referendum on the abolition of the
Seanad, continuing the work of the Constitutional Convention and transforming Freedom of Information
provisions;
• exiting the IMF-EU programme, while sticking to a path of reducing borrowing and debt to sustainable levels;
• protecting front-line services through further productivity and reforms of public services;
• delivering signi?cant new policy change to enhance people’s lives, including a health and wellbeing strategy,
primary care reforms, modernising the education system and enhanced child and family services.
We present this as a record of progress made, acknowledging that there is still plenty to be achieved over the
remaining three years of this Government’s term. We will continue to press on towards the goal of reclaiming
Ireland’s future for its people with hard work and determination.
Enda Kenny T.D.
Taoiseach
Eamon Gilmore T.D.
Tánaiste
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 6
ECONOMY
Key Highlights
Banking and Fiscal Policy
• Bank debt deal reducing State borrowing by €20
billion over 10 years
• Ending of the Bank Guarantee Scheme
• Closed down IBRC (formerly Anglo Irish Bank
and Irish Nationwide)
• Sale of Irish Life
• Successfully reducing Ireland’s large de?cit to
put our national ?nances on a sound footing
• The Irish State and Irish banks have returned
to the long term bond markets for the ?rst time
since September 2010
• The people passed the Stability Referendum,
helping to restore con?dence by guaranteeing
Ireland’s access to the backstop of the European
Stability Mechanism
• Deposits returning to Irish banks and reduced
reliance on emergency ECB funding
• Disposals of some of the State’s holdings in
banks
• New bank resolution fund established in case of
future ?nancial instability
• Restructuring of Credit Union sector
Creating Jobs and Tackling
Unemployment
• Private sector employment increasing again with
an annual increase in employment recorded for
the ?rst time since 2008
• The economy continued its return to growth with
an increase of 1.4% in GDP in 2011, with further
growth forecast in 2012 and 2013
• 2012 was the most successful year of job creation
for IDA and Enterprise Ireland since 2006
• Maintaining our transparent and consistent
corporate tax rate
• Launched the Action Plan for Jobs 2013 while
delivering 92% of the 270 actions in the 2012
Jobs Plan
• Progression outcomes for our national internship
programmes, JobBridge, best in Europe
• Almost 30,000 new education and training places
provided for jobseekers
• Roll out of Intreo – the new one-stop-shop
employment and support service
• €60.5 million in funding to 85 pioneering projects
developing new commercial opportunities
• Launch of Agenda 2020 plan to maximise the job-
creation potential of SFI research
• Signi?cant investment in new world-class
Research Centres
• Extension of short-stay visa waiver programme
to 17 countries
• Roll out of multi-year entry visa regime for
business travellers extended
• Major tourism events supported worth €110
million to the Irish economy
• International education worth €1 billion to
Ireland – new agreement signed with Brazil
Growing Businesses
• Introduction in Budget 2013 of a 10 Point Tax
Reform Plan that will make a real difference to
SMEs
• New measures to provide €900 million in
additional ?nancing for SMEs
• New venture capital investment schemes for
medium and start-up companies
• 18 successful trade missions in 2012 worth €200
million
• Signed a new memorandum of understanding
with China leading to signi?cant new commercial
relationships
• Cost of red tape reduced by 19% worth up to
€289 million annually
• Rent easement by NAMA on commercial
properties worth €13.5 million to businesses
• New scheme to provide credit to small
businesses of €150 million
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 7
• Historic overhaul of Irish bankruptcy law
• Corporate tax exemption for new start-up
companies will be available for companies that
commence trading in 2013 and 2014
Key Infrastructure
• €2.25 billion stimulus package providing
investment in job-rich public infrastructure
projects
• €850 million roads programme restored as part
of the stimulus package
• New Broadband Plan to provide high-speed
broadband to every home and business
• Creation of a €70 million Energy Ef?ciency Fund
• Investment of €200 million in Ireland’s water
services investment programme
• East-West Interconnector linking the power grids
of Ireland and Britain
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 8
Implementation
Banking and Re-Negotiation of the
IMF/EU Programme of Support
Enhancing the Sustainability of the Public Finances
A deal on the promissory note, achieved in February
2013, will reduce Ireland’s borrowing needs by €20
billion over the coming decade. The ?rst payment
of principal under the new deal will not now be
made until 2038, with the last payment to be made
in 2053. In addition, the sale of Irish Life and the
State’s holding of Contingent Capital Notes in Bank
of Ireland will lower the Exchequer Borrowing
Requirement by approximately €2.4 billion in 2013.
Structural Reforms to Accelerate Growth and Debt
Sustainability
A number of structural reforms were advanced in
2012, including:
• Further bank deleveraging, in line with the
Financial Measures Programme 2011
• Personal insolvency reform to facilitate the
resolution of unsustainable personal debt
• Publication of legislation to make it easier for
viable SMEs to restructure their debts
• Measures to make it easier for businesses to
access credit
• Further reform of the budgetary framework to
enable better planning
• Fiscal Stability Treaty legislation setting out new
budgetary and debt rules
• Reform of workplace relations structures and
sectoral wage-setting mechanisms
• A new integrated employment and support
service to enhance labour market activation
services and reduce the risk of long-term
unemployment
• Accelerated reduction in public sector numbers
• Progress towards the introduction of a new
Housing Assistance Payment to create a more
sustainable system and reduce barriers to
employment
• Broadening the tax base through a new local
property tax to fund local services
Bank Recapitalisation
Recapitalisation of the banks was deferred until
after the completion of the stress tests carried out
in the 2011 Prudential Capital Assessment Review
(PCAR). Of the €24 billion in capital identi?ed as
being required following the 2011 PCAR process,
the State has provided €17.8 billion with the
balance being sourced through burden sharing
with subordinated bondholders, private investment,
asset disposals and internal capital generation.
This has helped to provide a secure ?nancial system
for deposits and ensure the ?ow of credit to Irish
consumers and businesses.
Reducing Banks’ Reliance on the Irish and
European Central Banks
Banks operating in Ireland continue to reduce their
level of borrowing from the ECB. During January
2013, the funding drawn via the ECB re?nancing
operations declined by €0.9 billion to €70.1
billion – its lowest level since September 2008.
Since November 2012, AIB, Bank of Ireland and
Permanent TSB have all returned to international
debt markets, raising €2.6 billion in new funding.
Following a Government decision, the Bank
Guarantee Scheme will end for all new liabilities
from midnight on the 28th March 2013, marking a
signi?cant step in the normalisation of our banking
system. The ending of the scheme and the gradual
removal of this liability from the taxpayer will also
help to sustain Ireland’s re-entry to international
markets.
Ensuring Credit for SMEs
The pillar banks met their commitment to make
€3.5 billion of credit available to SMEs in 2012 and
have committed to making a further €4 billion of
credit available in 2013.
The Credit Review Of?ce has overturned more than
50 per cent of the lending decisions appealed to
it since 2010 – unlocking over €10 million in extra
credit for SMEs.
The National Pensions Reserve Fund is to invest
in a suite of three new long-term funds, which will
provide equity, credit and investment for Irish SMEs:
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 9
• The SME Equity Fund, of €300 million, will focus
on healthy businesses seeking to grow
• The SME Turnaround Fund, of €100 million, will
focus on underperforming businesses, which are
at or close to the point of insolvency but with the
potential for restructuring
• The SME Credit Fund, of €450 million, will
focus on performing larger SMEs and mid-size
corporates
A Microenterprise Loan Fund has been established
to facilitate over €90 million in additional lending to
start-ups, sole-traders and micro-enterprises.
A Special Resolution Regime and Bank Levy
The Central Bank and Credit Institutions
(Resolution) Act 2011 provided for an effective
and ef?cient Special Resolution Regime for credit
institutions, to minimise taxpayers’ exposure to
future ?nancial sector dif?culties. A Resolution
Fund of €250 million, to be funded by a levy on credit
institutions, was established in 2012 to provide a
source of funding for the resolution of ?nancial
instability in credit institutions.
Disposing of the Public Stake in the Banks
The State has successfully disposed of its entire €1
billion holding of Contingent Capital Notes in Bank
of Ireland, resulting in a payment to the State of
€1.056 billion, including interest and pro?t.
Making NAMA More Transparent
NAMA established a new Strategy and
Communications Division in 2012 to further support
its engagement with public representatives,
business, the media and members of the public. The
new Freedom of Information provisions progressing
in 2013 will ensure that NAMA is subject to FOI
requests for the ?rst time.
Credit Unions
A Credit Union Restructuring Board was established
on an administrative basis in 2012 to oversee and
facilitate the restructuring of the credit union
sector. The Credit Union and CoOperation with
Overseas Regulators Act 2012 placed the Board on
a statutory footing and provides for stabilisation,
strengthened governance and a regulatory
framework for credit unions.
Jobs Programme
Building on the success of the 2011 Jobs Initiative,
the Government launched the Action Plan for Jobs
in 2012 as the ?rst instalment in an ambitious
multi-year process, aimed at increasing the
number of people at work in Ireland by 100,000.
Implementation of the plan has been highly focused,
with 92 per cent of the 270 measures successfully
delivered, supporting growth in trade and exports,
improving access to ?nance, investing in research,
enhancing cost-competitiveness, and exploiting
sectoral opportunities.
While unemployment remains high, there are signs
of progress in the labour market. For example in
2012, IDA Ireland companies created the highest
number of new jobs in a decade with 6,570 net
new jobs recorded, whilst Enterprise Ireland client
companies had their best performance since 2006
with the creation of more than 3,000 net new jobs.
February saw the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs
2013, which contains 333 actions to be implemented
throughout the year, and will build on progress
made in 2012 to continue improving supports for
job-creating businesses and removing barriers to
employment-creation across the economy.
Labour Market Policy
In 2012, the Government launched its policy
statement on labour market activation, entitled
Pathways to Work. This sets out a new approach
to how the State engages with and supports the
unemployed to get back to work, which links the
payment of entitlements to individual engagement in
activation programmes.
This will focus on regular interaction, greater
targeting, incentivising employers and clients and
reforming the systems.
Work Activation Initiatives
By the end of 2012, 13,232 individuals had
commenced JobBridge placements. The
independent evaluation of the scheme last year
found it to be a highly successful activation measure,
with 52 per cent of interns progressing into paid
employment.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 10
This is one of the best progression outcomes for
work placement programmes anywhere in Europe.
By the end of 2012, 7,305 people had either
completed or were currently on Tús work
placements, keeping people work-ready especially
those out of work long term.
Budget 2013 provided €11 million in funding for an
additional 10,000 places across a range of activation
programmes.
Additional Education and Training Places
The target of providing 30,000 additional education
and training places is almost complete, with the
following provided so far:
• 5,800 places on the FAS Speci?c Skills Training
programme
• 5,000 places on the 2011 Springboard
programme
• 4,121 places on the Back to Education Initiative
• 1,000 Post Leaving Certi?cate places
• 6,500 Labour Market Education and Training
Fund places
• 6,000 places on the 2012 Springboard
programme
A total of €48 million has been provided in the
National Training Fund for labour activation
measures and targeted skills training in 2013.
A New National Employment and Entitlements
Service
Intreo, the new integrated employment and support
service, was launched in October 2012. Intreo is
a new one-stop shop service integrating a range
of claim, activation, employment and control
services with a single decisions process to reduce
bureaucracy and speed up decisions and claim
processing and ensure early access to employment
services. Phased roll out of the service has
commenced to ensure its nationwide availability by
2014.
The legislation to enable the establishment of
SOLAS, the new body which will be responsible for
integrating, developing and modernising the further
education and training sector, has been published.
Increasing Exports
The value of goods exports in 2012 increased by 1
per cent to €92 billion, which is the highest ?gure
since 2002. Latest available ?gures show that
services exports for the ?rst nine months of 2012
increased by over 11 per cent, meaning that the
annual overall increase in exports for 2012 is likely
to be signi?cant.
Creating a Home to Export Programme
Enterprise Ireland has established a new
Potential Exporters Division to reorient companies
with growth potential from the domestic to
the international marketplace. A new pilot
programme to increase collaboration between Irish
companies and multinationals has been launched
and development has also commenced on an
international mentor-adviser programme. Budget
2013 extended the Foreign Earnings Deduction
scheme, to support exporting companies in putting
‘boots on the ground’ in eight additional countries.
Improving Trade Relations with Emerging
Economies
Eighteen trade missions took place in 2012,
promoting Ireland as a key trade and investment
destination in established and emerging markets
such as the United States, Canada, South
Africa, China, Russia and Brazil. Contracts and
commitments with potential value of over €200
million were signed during these missions. Two
successful Joint Economic Commissions were also
held towards the end of 2012, further enhancing our
trade and economic links with both China and South
Korea.
The new €2 million Africa Agri-Food Development
Fund was established on a pilot basis in 2012 to
develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food
Sector and African countries.
Developing Scholarship Schemes with Emerging
Markets
The new Ireland Scholarship scheme is aimed at
attracting foreign teachers of English to Ireland
to refresh their language skills, targeting key
international markets. Twelve scholarships were
awarded in 2012 and further expansion of the
scheme in 2013 will see it extended to Russia and
China.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 11
Government of Ireland International Scholarships
are awarded to high calibre students to study in
Ireland for a period of one year. The successful
scholars undertake to become Education in Ireland
Ambassadors and use social media to promote the
Irish brand in their home countries. Twenty-two
scholarships were awarded in 2012, primarily to
students from India and China. Further expansion of
the scheme in 2013 will see it extended to Brazil.
Innovation and Commercialisation
Trading and Investing in the Smart Economy
Good progress was made in 2012 in implementing
the recommendations outlined in the Trading and
Investing in the Smart Economy Report:
• 110 members of the Global Irish Network signed
up to the Global Irish Contacts Programme,
which connects the Diaspora with companies
seeking to expand internationally
• The Succeed in Ireland initiative, launched in
March 2012, aims to create 5,000 jobs within ?ve
years by incentivising the Diaspora to work for
Ireland in ?nding mobile foreign investments.
485 potential investments have been submitted
to date
Supporting our Indigenous Digital Game Industry
An industry-led Clustering Development Team has
been established to drive implementation of the
Forfás Games Strategy. Particular attention is being
given to the training and educational needs of the
companies operating in the games sector.
Enterprise Ireland has published a guide on R&D tax
credits, in follow up to a series of R&D workshops
held with the games industry in 2012.
The fourth Internet Growth Acceleration Programme
was launched in October 2012, with 36 participating
companies. This is an intensive management
development programme for high potential internet/
games companies, aimed at equipping them with
the practical tools needed to formulate international
growth plans and scale their businesses.
eGovernment
The new eGovernment Strategy, launched in April
2012, contains 45 actions to transform how citizens
and businesses engage with the State, to reduce
the costs of public service delivery and ensure that
Ireland bene?ts from the opportunities offered by
new and existing ICT technologies. A new website,
e.gov.ie, facilitates public bodies to report progress
and allow the public to see how the strategy is being
implemented.
A Data Sharing Clearing House has been established
to advance data sharing across the public service,
to reduce the number of times that citizens
and businesses are asked to supply the same
information.
Making Ireland a Leader in Cloud Computing
The new Cloud Computing Strategy for the Public
Service, published in July 2012, sets out a range of
timetabled initiatives to maximise the potential of
cloud computing to reform delivery of ICT services
and deliver ef?ciencies. One of the aims for 2013
is the implementation of the necessary networking
infrastructure to support a Public Service
Community Cloud.
The Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and
Commerce (IC4) was launched in November 2012 to
accelerate the development and adoption of cloud
technology in Ireland, and develop and showcase
Ireland’s capabilities and create jobs in the ICT
sector.
Promoting Technology Research and Innovation
The Research Prioritisation Action Group has
developed a new National Science, Technology
and Innovation Policy 2013-2017. The Group has
also adopted Action Plans for the fourteen priority
areas recommended in the 2011 National Research
Prioritisation Report, in order to realign competitive
public research funding around priority areas over
the next ?ve years.
In November 2012, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
launched its new strategy Agenda 2020 – Excellence
with Impact, an eight-year plan to maintain and
attract top-tier scientists in Ireland and maximise
the economic and societal development returns
from SFI supported research. Legislation, published
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 12
in 2012, will enable SFI to support research on an
all-Island and pan-European basis, allowing SFI
funded teams leverage additional levels of non-
exchequer funding into Ireland.
In January 2013, under its Investigators Programme,
SFI made awards of €60.8 million in total to fund
eighty-?ve pioneering projects, which will directly
support 250 research jobs. The projects being funded
have links to thirty-six commercial companies thus
far, with signi?cant potential for job creation.
Enterprise Ireland has launched a €22 million
Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative 2013-
2016 for universities and Institutes of Technology,
to boost interaction between industry and higher
education institutes. The initiative is expected to
produce 150 new companies by 2016.
The DCU Innovation Campus, a new national centre
for innovation in the clean-tech sector, was of?cially
opened in January 2013. The new campus will be a
location of choice for high-growth clean-tech start-
ups, SMEs and larger companies and is expected to
drive signi?cant green economy growth, supporting
200 jobs over the initial eighteen months and 500 in
the ?rst ?ve years.
Though a combined State/industry investment of
€300 million, announced in February 2013, seven
new world-class Research Centres are to be
developed in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin.
These centres will support more than 800 scientists
in attracting dynamic new partnerships with
industry, to develop and commercialise cutting-edge
research and new technologies.
Dublin City of Science 2012 was enormously
successful, with over 600,000 people taking part in
science events across the country. Over 160 events
and activities involving some of the world’s leading
scientists attracted visitors and journalists from over
70 countries. Building on this success, a Festival of
Curiosity will be held annually in Dublin, beginning in
July 2013.
Establishing a Network of Technology Research
Centres
Technology Research Centres are collaborative
entities established and led by industry; focused on
research with a direct impact on industry. Twelve
new centres have been established, creating 223 new
jobs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Kildare.
These Centres will interact with 220 companies in
2013, supporting the commercialisation of research
ideas, spin-out companies and further job-creation.
Preparation is underway for a further ?ve centres in
the areas of health, data analytics, dairy technology,
medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
Making R&D Tax Credits More Accessible to SMES
The Finance Bill 2013 will amend the ‘Key Employee’
provision of the R&D tax credit regime by reducing -
from 75% to 50% - the proportion of time that such
an employee must spend solely on R&D activities, in
order to qualify for the credit.
Supporting SMEs
Reforming Public Procurement
Central procurement is undergoing radical reform,
with plans for the establishment of a new National
Procurement Of?ce, led by the recently appointed
Chief Procurement Of?cer. The integration of
procurement policy, strategy and operations into one
Of?ce will ensure substantially reduced costs (over
€250 million per annum) and better value for money,
as well as fostering increased SME participation in
tendering for public contracts.
Reforming Bankruptcy Legislation
The new Personal Insolvency Act 2012 has
comprehensively reformed Irish bankruptcy law,
with the introduction of automatic discharge from
bankruptcy, subject to certain conditions, after 3
years instead of 12 years.
Reforming the Joint Labour Committee Structure
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012
radically overhauled the statutory wage setting
mechanisms making them fairer and more
responsive to changing economic circumstances
and labour market conditions. As provided for in the
Act, the Labour Court is carrying out a review of the
existing Joint Labour Committees, to be concluded
in April. The Labour Relations Commission has
commenced consultations with stakeholders on
standardising Sunday work and overtime rates
through nationally agreed Codes of Practice.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 13
Reducing Commercial Rents
As reported last year, legislative intervention in the
area of upward-only rent reviews has unfortunately
proved unfeasible. However, NAMA proactively
works to facilitate rent easement in cases where
it has acquired the loan on a commercial property,
where a tenant demonstrates that the rent payable
under a lease is in excess of current market levels
and that the viability of a business is threatened as
a consequence. By the end of 2012, the Agency had
granted 212 applications for rent abatement, with an
aggregate annual value of €13.5 million.
Reducing Compliance Costs for Microenterprise
As reported last year, analysis suggests that the
‘Single Business Tax’ as previously proposed in the
Programme for Government could not be delivered
in the form described. As an alternative to this, a
Tax Reform Plan was announced as part of Budget
2013, to cut the cost of tax compliance for small and
medium enterprises and make starting a business
less daunting. The plan includes an extension of
the three year corporation tax relief for start-up
companies and a number of measures to encourage
innovation, help cash ?ow and improve access to
funding.
Reducing Government Imposed Red Tape on
Business
Efforts across Government reduced the
administrative burden on businesses during
2012 by 19 per cent, which represents an annual
potential saving of over €289 million for business.
A new website, launched in June 2012, (www.
businessregulation.ie) provides a single source of
information for businesses on how to comply with
regulatory requirements imposed across over thirty
Government bodies.
The Companies Bill consolidates the existing 16
Companies Acts into one and will reduce red tape and
make company law obligations easier to understand.
As a result, 12,500 start-ups in Ireland every year will
save a total of more than €6 million in professional
fees associated with establishing a company. The Bill,
which is the largest substantive piece of legislation in
the history of the State, has been published and will
proceed through the Oireachtas during 2013.
Enabling SMEs to Restructure Their Debts
The Companies Bill also contains provisions that
will enable SMEs to apply directly to the Circuit
Court to have an examiner appointed, which will
make it cheaper and easier for viable businesses to
restructure their debts.
Protecting Small Building Contractors
The Construction Contracts Bill, which will be
enacted this year, will provide greater protection for
small sub-contractors by:
• Establishing certainty around the timing and
amounts of payments
• Providing an effective means of enforcement in
respect of late, non or partial payments
• Providing for a right to refer payment disputes to
adjudication
• Prohibiting the use of “pay when paid” provisions
in construction contracts
Financial Services and Credit
to Business
Implementing a Credit Guarantee Scheme
The Credit Guarantee Scheme became operational
in October 2012 and is expected to facilitate
total additional lending of €450 million to small
businesses, over the next three years. The scheme
is expected to bene?t 5600 businesses and create
4000 jobs. The Scheme is targeted at businesses
with growth and job creation potential, which are
struggling to access credit due to insuf?cient
collateral, or because they operate in sectors with
which banks are unfamiliar. Twelve credit guarantees
have been approved to-date, amounting to total credit
facilities of over €1.4 million being provided to SMEs.
Establishing a Microenterprise Loan Fund
The Microenterprise Loan Fund, which commenced
in October 2012, will facilitate over €90 million in
additional lending to start-ups, sole-traders and
microenterprises that have been refused access to
credit by the banks. The scheme will provide loans of
up to €25,000 to viable businesses and is expected to
help 5,500 microenterprises to create 7,700 jobs over
the next ten years, with 24 loans already provided
to-date.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 14
Venture Capital
Innovation Fund Ireland is an initiative to attract
leading international venture capital fund managers
to Ireland. The ?rst call for expressions of interest
led to a number of signi?cant investments, including
€28.7 million in 2012, in So?nnova Ventures – an
international healthcare venture capital fund with
an Irish of?ce in Dublin. This investment will help
ensure that Irish based high-tech companies in key
sectors have access to funding. A second call for
expressions of interest was launched in 2012, through
which the Government will invest more than €60
million in funds that establish a presence in Ireland.
The Development Capital Scheme was launched in
April 2012 and has now been extended to provide a
total of €225 million in funding to mid-sized, high-
growth, indigenous companies with signi?cant
prospects for jobs and export growth. This Scheme
will support companies that would not generally fall
within the focus of seed or venture capital funds.
In June 2012, the National Pensions Reserve Fund
(NPRF) announced a collaborative relationship
with Silicon Valley Bank, aimed at supporting the
technology innovation sector in Ireland. The bank
expects to lend US$100 million to fast-growing Irish
technology, life science, cleantech, private equity and
venture capital businesses over ?ve years.
To further develop the domestic venture capital
system, €175 million in funding was provided in
Budget 2013 for the Seed and Venture Capital Scheme
2013-2018. This will target leveraging a further €525
million from the private sector, for investment in high
potential start-up and scaling companies.
Supporting Cooperatives
The Registrar of Friendly Societies has reduced a
range of fees imposed on co-operatives by between
33 and 80 per cent, bringing them broadly into line
with fees charged to companies.
The Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident
Societies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will ease the
regulatory burden on cooperative societies and make
it easier to run a cooperative as an alternative form of
enterprise organisation.
Sectoral Strategies
Growing the Agri-Food Sector
Securing Common Agriculture Policy Reform
The overall funding envelope for the Common
Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the shares for individual
Member States were determined by the Multiannual
Financial Framework 2014-2020 negotiations, which
came to a successful conclusion in February 2013.
The agreed budget guaranteed funding of over €1.5
billion per year for Ireland from the CAP, which
will amount to over €11 billion over the seven year
period. Ireland’s Direct Payment ceiling will be over
€1.2 billion per year, with a very small reduction to
accommodate new member states.
Further Expansion and Innovation in our Dairy
and Meat Sectors
A Trade Mission to China in April 2012 resulted in
market access for Irish agri-food, animal feed and
seafood products, and new business for the equine
sector. A number of agreements were reached in
2012 enabling further export of Irish meat products
to Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and South
Africa. The combined value of meat and livestock
exports in 2012 increased by 4 per cent to reach a
total of almost €3 billion.
Signi?cant collaborative and innovative ventures
advanced in the domestic market in 2012, including:
• Kerry Foods to invest €100 million in a new
?agship Research and Innovation Centre in Naas,
with 900 jobs
• Glanbia to invest €21 million in its Ballyragget
plant, to capitalise on the growing Sports Nutrition
Market
• Marketplace International, Ireland’s largest food
and drinks buyer forum, achieved sales contracts
of over €27 million in 2012 – an increase of €16
million on 2011
• Over 4,800 livestock farmers participated in the
new Beef Technology Adoption Programme
• A technology adoption programme in the sheep
sector has been launched, with a budget of €3
million
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 15
Promoting Land Mobility
A widening of the de?nition of registered farm
partnerships was announced as part of Budget 2013,
so that more farmers can bene?t from the 50 per
cent rate of stock relief. A relief from capital gains
tax arising on disposals of farm land up to 2015 for
farm restructuring purposes was also announced.
Developing New Food Businesses
Last year, thirty entrepreneurs had their business
idea taken forward through a year-long programme
and eleven of the most feasible and scalable
projects have now been selected for the ?nal stage
and are developing their tested business plans, in
preparation for their market launch in 2013.
A Single Brand for Irish Agri-Food
Development of a single brand strategy is focused
on Ireland building a reputation as a world leader in
high-quality food production. In June 2012, a Bord
Bia led Sustainability Programme, Origin Green,
was launched to industry. It is the world’s ?rst
nationwide sustainability standard, with participants
committing to progressively reduce their energy
inputs, minimise their carbon footprint and decrease
their overall impact on the environment. Origin
Green has attracted a high level of industry support
with 175 food and drink companies registering their
interest to-date.
Irish Seafood Strategy
The strategy for Irish seafood, as set out in Food
Harvest 2020, aims to capitalise on the strong and
growing demand for seafood products to increase
revenue from €700 million to €1 billion by 2020.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has been assisting the
Irish processing sector to expand into new markets
and this assistance is yielding dividends, with
seafood exports continuing to show strong growth in
2012, increasing by 18 per cent to €493 million.
BIM’s Seafood Development Centre is the State’s
?rst centre focused on new product development
and improved presentations of our seafood products.
Last year, 330 innovative start-up seafood and food
processing companies used the Centre and new
product sales developed there are in the order of
€10 million per annum and growing. In the last 12
months, Bord Bia welcomed around 30 international
seafood buyers into Ireland from a range of markets
including China, Japan, Russia, Austria, the US,
Switzerland and Germany.
Improving Our Tourism Product
During 2012, the ongoing Tourism Ireland
Global Greening campaign attracted high-pro?le
participants such as Niagara Falls, the Leaning
Tower of Pisa, the London Eye, the Princes’ Palace in
Monaco, Burj al Arab in Dubai and the Sydney Opera
House and helped to generate positive publicity for
Ireland worth in excess of €5 million in advertising
value.
New Arrangements for Visitor Visas
The Irish Short-Stay Visa Waiver Programme,
established in 2011, has been extended for a further
period of four years and the number of countries
covered has been increased to seventeen. Visits
from countries covered by the programme increased
by 21 per cent in the twelve months following its
introduction.
During the London 2012 Olympics, the Olympic
accreditation document issued to competitors,
coaches, of?cials and media representatives was
accepted in lieu of an Irish visa for those wishing
to visit Ireland. Over 30 countries sent teams or
athletes to Ireland for pre-Olympic training in 2012.
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is
continuing roll out of a multi-entry visa regime for
business travellers, which allows for the granting of
multi-entry visas of up to three-years duration.
This was implemented in the Gulf region in 2011,
in Russia and China in 2012, and it is proposed to
extend the regime to India in 2013.
To contribute to the success of The Gathering,
people attending approved Gathering events will
be able to make visa applications free of charge,
processed on a priority basis.
Recovering Market-Share in Britain
The Tourism Recovery Taskforce published a new
strategy in 2012 for how the island of Ireland
can attract more visitors from Great Britain. The
recommendations of the report are re?ected in the
2013 Business Plans of the Tourism Agencies.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 16
Improving the e-Capability of our Tourism Product
In January 2013 Tourism Ireland launched
www.Ireland.com, the new international website
for tourism to the island of Ireland, available in a
number of different languages.
Free Wi-Fi has been installed in 17 Tourist
Information Of?ces to date. Free Wi-Fi has also been
introduced on Irish Rail’s Dart and commuter rail
services, Irish Rail Intercity services, the main Bus
Éireann commuter routes and selected Dublin Bus
vehicles. Roll out to the Luas, and to the remainder
of the Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus ?eets, will take
place in 2013.
Prioritising Event Tourism
Major events supported in 2012 included the Volvo
Ocean Race in Galway, the Tall Ships Race in Dublin
port and the Notre Dame -v- Navy match in Dublin.
Economic impact studies indicate that the Volvo
Ocean Race and Tall Ships Race generated a direct
bene?t to the Irish economy of €22.3 million, while
Notre Dame -v- Navy match saw 35,000 fans ?ying
into Ireland with an average estimated spend per
visitor of around €2,500.
Signi?cant preparations took place during 2012
for the Gathering Ireland 2013 which, with over
3,000 festivals and events planned, is the biggest
tourism initiative ever staged in Ireland. €5 million
was invested in 2012 and a budget of €7 million is
being provided this year, with the aim of attracting
an additional 325,000 overseas visitors to villages,
towns and cities throughout the country.
International Education
Attracting More International Students
The international campaign Education in Ireland
has been rolled out in a number of key markets,
including the USA, China and Russia. A range of
other initiatives is being undertaken to promote
Ireland to international students, including social
media marketing and a pilot Student Ambassador
programme. English language student numbers
have increased by 16 per cent since 2010.
In 2012, Minister-led education missions visited
China, India, Vietnam and Malaysia. The education
sector was also represented on the President-led
mission to Brazil, where a major education and
research agreement was signed. This will see up
to 5,500 fully funded scholarship students come to
Ireland to study over the next four years.
Creating Green Jobs
Delivering our Green Potential, the Government’s
Policy Statement on Growth and Employment in the
Green Economy published in November 2012, sets
out a range of actions to deliver growth and up to
10,000 jobs, including:
• Connect a minimum of 200MW of new renewable
generation to the grid each year
• Work with indigenous companies to identify and
develop export opportunities for green goods and
services
• Prioritise research and development in areas
including Sustainable Food, Marine Renewable
Energy and Smart Grids/Cities
Energy Ef?ciency
Published in February 2013, Ireland’s second
National Energy Ef?ciency Action Plan commits to a
national energy saving target of 20 per cent by 2020.
The public sector will lead by example, with a 33 per
cent reduction in energy use targeted for 2020.
€35m was provided in Budget 2013 for a new Energy
Ef?ciency Fund, which aims to leverage a further
€35 million from the private sector, to provide
project lending for energy ef?ciency works in the
public and commercial sectors. Investments by
the Fund have the potential to create and sustain
signi?cant employment across a broad range of
construction-related sectors.
Establishing Ireland as a Renewable
Manufacturing Hub
The Strategy for Renewable Energy 2012-2020 was
launched in 2012 and outlines strategic goals and
speci?c actions to maximise the economic potential
of renewable energy. These include: increasing
the use of on and offshore wind, developing a
sustainable bio-energy sector, fostering research
and development, growing sustainable transport
and building up robust and ef?cient smart energy
networks.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 17
Positioning Ireland as a Leading Player in the
Global Carbon Market
The GIFSC (Green International Financial Services
Centre) initiative is working to capitalise on the
?nancing needs of the future green economy, both
domestic and international. Recent developments
include:
• New tax changes introduced mean that Ireland
is one of the ?rst governments in the world to
recognise forest carbon credits in tax legislation
• A new internationally accredited Graduate
Certi?cate and MSC in Sustainable Energy
Finance, hosted by Dublin City University
• The ‘Greening the IFSC’ initiative launched in 2012
• Development of a clear brand presence,
highlighting Ireland’s unique proposition in this
sector
Investment Strategy
The Strategic Investment Fund
Work is underway to prepare legislation to refocus
the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF)
on investment in Ireland, under the Strategic
Investment Fund initiative. A key principle of the fund
is that investment will be solely on a commercial
basis, with the Fund seeking matching investment
from third-party investors. In parallel, the NPRF
continues to work on assembling and developing
a pipeline of additional commercial opportunities
for the Strategic Investment Fund. Commitments
made by the NPRF to date include up to €500 million
of ?nancing to SMEs and €125 million innovation
funding to companies.
NewERA
NewERA
NewERA has been established on a non-statutory
basis within the NTMA and has made valuable
contributions in several areas including:
• The establishment of the new €70 million Energy
Ef?ciency Fund
• The establishment of Irish Water and the
domestic water metering programme
• Plans for the export of renewable energy between
Ireland and Britain
• The State assets disposal programme
A New Water Network
The Implementation Strategy for Water Sector
Reform, published in October 2012, details a
strategy to improve the quality of water services,
increase cost ef?ciency and conserve our national
resource. The strategy includes speci?c actions
and timelines for the transformation of the water
sector over the period to 2017, and is particularly
focused on the issues to be addressed to transfer
statutory responsibility for water services from local
authorities to Irish Water with effect from January
2014.
Irish Water is in the process of being established
as an independent state-owned company within
the Bord Gáis Group and legislation is progressing
through the Oireachtas to enable this on an interim
basis. The installation of water meters will be
progressively rolled-out throughout the country,
beginning later this year, creating approximately
1,600 jobs with local contractors.
The European Investment Bank has provided a €200
million loan to support immediate improvements in
Ireland’s Water Services Investment Programme, by
?nancing 23 projects to provide new water mains,
water and wastewater treatment facilities and
reservoirs, as well as measures to improve water
conservation.
Next Generation Broadband
The National Broadband Plan, published in August
2012, sets out a programme to provide high-speed
broadband to every home and business in the
State over the lifetime of the Government, through
a combination of policy support for commercial
sector investment and direct market intervention
where the market cannot deliver. In an important
milestone towards delivery of this commitment, the
Government recently launched a tender for experts
to assist in the design, planning and procurement
of the State-led investment. The commercial sector
is already making investments of approximately
€1 billion, which will deliver broadband speeds of
30Mbps to 150Mbps to homes and businesses.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 18
A 21st Century Smart Grid
The East-West Interconnector, which links the
power grids of Ireland and Britain, became
operational in 2012 and represents a signi?cant step
towards the development of an energy export sector
between Ireland to Britain.
As part of EirGrid’s Grid 25 Programme, public
consultations were carried out in 2012 on the Grid
Link and Grid West projects. These projects will
see the construction of a high-voltage power-line
linking Leinster and Munster and the delivery of 21st
century energy infrastructure to the West of Ireland.
The Smart Grid Innovation Hub is a new partnership
between EirGrid and the National Digital Research
Centre, launched in October 2012. It enables
entrepreneurs and businesses to access expertise
in energy systems and gives them the opportunity
to demonstrate their ideas on a live system. Two
such proposals from Glen Dimplex and SSE/General
Electric are now moving into demonstration phase.
State Assets
In July 2012, the Government announced plans for
an additional €2.25 billion investment in job-rich
public infrastructure projects. Funding will come
from the proceeds of the sale of State assets, with
further contributions from the National Pensions
Reserve Fund, public-private partnerships and the
European Investment Bank. Key projects include:
• Up to twenty new Primary Care Centres
• New and replacement school buildings
• DIT’s Grangegorman Campus
• A new State Pathology Laboratory
• €850m for upgrading the national motorway and
primary route network
Progress has been made on the Government
plans for State asset disposals, with a number
of transactions expected to be launched in the
coming months. On Bord Gáis Energy, advisors are
now in place and a pre-marketing campaign has
commenced in advance of the formal transaction
launch.
ESB is continuing to prepare for a series of assets
to be brought to the market on a phased basis
commencing shortly. Work on preparing for the
proposed sale of harvesting rights to Coillte forests
is also proceeding.
Fiscal Policy
Based on the end-December 2012 Exchequer
Returns, the General Government De?cit for 2012 is
expected to be below 8 per cent of GDP – well within
the 8.6 per cent of GDP target set under the EU/IMF
Programme.
A Minimum Effective Tax-Rate for Very High
Earners
The Revenue Commissioners’ report on the
effectiveness of restrictions introduced for very high
earners, published in 2012, shows that the objective
of ensuring an effective rate of tax of approximately
30 per cent has been achieved.
The Local Property Tax
Government accepted most of the recommendations
made in the Report of the Expert Group to introduce
an equitable property tax based on market value,
rather than a site value tax. The Finance (Local
Property Tax) Act was enacted in December 2012
and the Local Property Tax will commence with
effect from the 1st of July 2013 and will be collected
by the Revenue Commissioners.
The money raised will be used to fund local
services, with at least 65 per cent of local property
tax revenues ring-fenced for use in the areas it is
collected in. From 2015, local authorities will have
the power to vary the rates by 15 per cent above or
below the central national rates to better match
their funding needs. There will be a number of
payment and deferral options and exemptions to
help those who have dif?culties in meeting the
payment.
Maintaining Employer’s PRSI
The standard rate of employer’s PRSI has been
maintained at 10.75%.
ECONOMY
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 19
Key Highlights
Constitutional
• Children’s Referendum approved strengthening
children’s rights
• Convention underway considering a range of
constitutional reforms
• Fiscal Stability Treaty approved to aid Ireland’s
economic recovery
• Referendum on the abolition of the Seanad on
track for Autumn 2013
Political
• New laws restricting corporate and political
donations
• 2,921 obsolete laws repealed
• Use of Government jet reduced by 50%
• 57 pieces of legislation enacted in the past twelve
months
• New Oireachtas public petitions system in
operation
• Legislation enacted to increase women’s
participation in politics
Public Sector
• 21 State bodies fully rationalised and remainder
on track for 2013
• LRC proposals published following conclusion of
negotiations on Public Service Agreement
• Economic and evaluation skills enhanced across
Government Departments
• Increased mobility and private sector recruitment
of senior Civil Servants
• Establishment of PeoplePoint – new Civil Service
HR Shared Service Centre
• More ambitious target to reduce public service
numbers
• Public service delivering increased productivity
despite reduced resources
• 111,800 new Public Services Cards issued to date
• New eGovernment and Cloud Computing
strategies launched
• Reform of central procurement to produce
savings of €250 million per annum
Local Government
• New Action Plan published to completely reform
and empower local government
• Introduction of a new Local Property Tax to fund
local services
• New local government enterprise and jobs
strategy, incorporating new Local Enterprise
Of?ces in local authorities
• Fixyourstreet.ie extended nationwide
Transparency and Accountability
• Launch of Ireland Stat with detailed information
on spending and use of Government resources
• 140 extra public bodies added to Ombudsman’s
remit
• Legislation advanced to restore Freedom of
Information and extend it to all public bodies
• On track to deliver legislation to protect
whistleblowers, regulate lobbying, and provide
for Oireachtas inquiries
• Independent Irish Fiscal Advisory Council now on
a statutory basis
• Increased level of performance information in the
2012 Revised Estimates
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 20
Implementation
The Context for Reform
A Referendum to Abolish the Seanad
Preparations are underway for a referendum on the
abolition of the Seanad to be held in Autumn 2013.
Government has approved drafting of a Referendum
Bill, which will be published in the next Session.
A Referendum on Children’s Rights
The Children’s Referendum was held on the 10th
of November 2012. The Thirty-First Amendment of
the Constitution was approved by a majority of the
people, to insert an explicit statement on children’s
rights into the Constitution for the ?rst time. It
addresses a number of areas of children’s rights
including intervention to protect their safety and
welfare, adoption and giving children a say in court
proceedings related to their custody or welfare.
Establishing a Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was established in
July 2012, comprising sixty-six citizens and thirty-
three politicians under the chairmanship of Mr. Tom
Arnold. The Convention has held two full meetings
to date and has voted in favour of:
• Lowering the voting age, with a recommendation
that it be reduced to 16
• Altering the “Women in Home” clause in the
Constitution
• More Government action to increase participation
of women in public and political life
• Measures to introduce gender-inclusive
language into the Constitution
The Convention has rejected proposals to reduce the
presidential term of of?ce from seven years to ?ve,
and to align it with local and European elections.
The Convention will meet a further six times during
the remainder of 2013 to consider and report on the
broad range of subjects set out in the Programme
for Government. The Government has committed
to respond publicly to any recommendations made
by the Convention within four months of the reports
being laid before the Oireachtas.
Political Reform
Reducing the Number of TDs
The Report of the Constituency Commission
recommended reducing the number of TDs to
158 and the number of constituencies to 40. The
legislation to give effect to these reductions has
been published and will proceed through the
Oireachtas during 2013.
Political Pensions
Ministerial pensions have not been paid to sitting
members of the Houses of the Oireachtas since
February 2011. Pensions are no longer paid to
Members newly elected to the Oireachtas since 2004
until they reach 65.
Oireachtas Inquiries
The Government has approved the drafting
of legislation to provide for the Oireachtas to
undertake inquiries within the existing constitutional
framework, under ?ve principal categories:
• Recording and reporting evidence
• Investigations relating to the legislative functions
of the Houses
• Inquiries relating to the removal of certain of?ce
holders
• Inquiries in relation to the conduct of Members of
the Houses
• Inquiries to hold the current Government to
account
Re?ecting the serious concerns signalled during
the course of the Oireachtas Inquiries referendum
campaign in 2011, these legislative proposals
provide extensive safeguards to protect the
constitutional rights of witnesses, to con?rm
unfettered access to the Courts, to guarantee fair
procedures and to ensure the risk of any perception
of bias in an inquiry committee is minimised.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 21
Overhauling Politics and
Government
Extending Freedom of Information and the Remit of
the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman Amendment Act 2012 now
extends the remit of the Of?ce of the Ombudsman
to include 140 additional public bodies. Drafting is
at an advanced stage on a Bill to restore Freedom
of Information provisions and extend it to all public
bodies.
Limiting Corporate and Political Donations
The Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Act
2012 provided for the establishment of a register
of corporate donors, signi?cant restrictions on the
amount that can be donated to political parties
and candidates without public disclosure, and
an obligation on all registered political parties
to prepare and publish annually a statement of
accounts and an auditor’s report.
More Equal Representation in Politics
The Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Act
2012 now provides that the public funding of political
parties will be reduced by half unless at least 30
per cent of the party’s candidates are women and
at least 30 per cent are men at the next General
Election.
The Statute Law Revision Project
The Statute Law Revision Act 2012 repealed 2,921
obsolete pieces of legislation enacted between 1751
and 1922, in the latest phase of the most extensive
statute law revision project ever undertaken.
A Statute Law Expert Advisory Group has been
appointed to assist in the next phase of the project of
legislative simpli?cation, which will focus on post-
1922 Statutes.
Showing Leadership
Reducing the Cost of Ministerial Transport
Following a review of ministerial transport in 2012,
Ministers and Ministers of State who use their
own cars on of?cial business, have taken a 10 per
cent reduction in the total mileage claimed, to take
account of personal travel incurred.
The Government Jet
Stringent implementation of the Code of Practice
governing the use of Ministerial Air Transport
System has led to a reduction in use of almost 50
per cent in 2011-2012, compared to 2009-2010.
Dáil Reform
Following on from the signi?cant ?rst phase of Dáil
reforms introduced in 2011, work on a second set of
reforms is at an advanced stage. The Dáil Reform
sub-committee has met on three occasions to
discuss a second phase of Dáil Reform proposals to
be introduced in Spring 2013.
Oireachtas Committee Reforms
Following a review of the new Oireachtas Committee
system, established to address a number of
commitments, further reforms were introduced in
June 2012 including:
• Dissolving and reorganising a number of
administrative Committees to prioritise
resources towards those dealing with
Government Departments
• The establishment of a Committee with a sole
focus on Jobs
• The establishment of a dedicated Committee
on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, given its
increased workload
Increasing Dáil Sitting Days
Increased activity of the Dáil continued in 2012,
with 123 sitting days, including Monday and Friday
sittings. The Dáil Summer recesses have been
shortened by up to six weeks, Christmas recess
shortened by three weeks, and the Dáil now sits
through St. Patrick’s week. The past twelve months
have been busy for the processing of legislation
in Dáil, with ?fty-seven new Bills enacted, a list of
which is available at Appendix 1.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 22
A Dáil Petitions System
Members of the public can now put their concerns
about matters of public policy directly to the Joint
Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight
and Petitions via an online and postal petitions
system.
The Committee will examine submissions received
and produce a report setting out its conclusions and
making recommendations, with a view to ?nding
ways to improve the delivery of public services.
The Committee has held nine public sessions and
received over 60 petitions to date, indicating a
substantial level of public interest in utilising the
new system.
The Committee is also the formal channel of
consultation between the Oireachtas and the
Ombudsman, who has appeared before the
Committee on a number of occasions to discuss the
recently enacted Ombudsman Amendment Bill and
to present special and annual reports produced by
her of?ce.
Protecting Con?dentiality of Information Provided
to Public Representatives
Government has approved the drafting of the
Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and
Procedures) Bill, which will provide for protection for
con?dential communication from members of the
public who wish to draw wrongdoing to the attention
of Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas without
having their identities disclosed.
More Effective Financial Scrutiny
Establishing an Independent Irish Fiscal Advisory
Council
The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 provided a
statutory basis for the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council,
ensuring its independence. The Council published
two Fiscal Assessment Reports in 2012, which
it submitted to Government, and appeared twice
before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance,
Public Expenditure and Reform to discuss its
?ndings.
Public Sector Accounting
The annual Appropriation Accounts, prepared by
the Comptroller and Auditor General, now include
a balance sheet giving information on the ?nancial
position of each Government Department and public
sector body at year-end.
Publishing Government Purchase Orders over
€20,000
All Government Departments along with many
State Agencies have begun publishing details of all
Purchase Orders over €20,000. It is expected that all
other State Agencies will follow suit during 2013.
Setting out Strategic Priorities
Strategy Statements outlining the key strategic
priorities for the period to 2014 were published
by all Government Departments and State Bodies
in 2012. These set out the respective high level
objectives and policy goals with a strong emphasis
on delivery and measuring performance.
Performance Budgeting
The performance budgeting framework was
rolled out for almost all Votes in the 2012 Revised
Estimates for Public Services. An unprecedented
volume of performance information was included
and this information helped to inform the
subsequent Select Committees’ Estimate debates.
New Leadership and Skills in the Department of
Finance
The Department of Finance has been restructured
under new leadership into four policy divisions
supported by two specialist of?ces underpinning the
?nancial, legal, risk and compliance requirements.
The new expanded Economics Division is resourced
by expert economists in both the macro-economic
and micro-economic ?eld with experience drawn
from the private sector, international ?nancial
institutions and the public service. The Department
has also recruited 44 graduate-level staff trained
to Masters Level or higher in economics and
other relevant disciplines such as tax, ?nance and
accountancy.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 23
The National Parliament and the
European Union
The Fiscal Stability Treaty Referendum
A referendum on ratifying the Fiscal Stability
Treaty was held on 31st May 2012. The Thirtieth
Amendment of the Constitution was approved by
the people and ensures that Ireland will be eligible
for funding from the European Stability Mechanism,
should that ever be required in the future. The
rati?cation of the Treaty also means that Ireland and
other Eurozone countries will put in place new rules
aimed at ensuring more responsible budgeting.
Europe Week
A week-long series of events was held in May
2012 to mark Europe Day including a number of
Oireachtas debates addressing key areas such as
Ireland’s EU Presidency, EU legislative proposals,
and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Communicating Europe to the Irish People
In 2012, the Government’s Communicating Europe
Initiative supported 23 projects across Ireland, which
aimed to deepen public awareness of the role that
the European Union plays in our daily lives.
2013 has been designated European Year of Citizens
and this was launched in Dublin in January by the
Taoiseach, Tánaiste and President Barroso. A series
of Citizens’ Dialogues are taking place around the
country to stimulate public debate about our rights
as EU citizens and about our membership of the
European Union.
Following the successful pilot phase of the Blue Star
programme last year, the 2012-2013 programme is
underway involving over 90 schools in 21 counties.
Reforming Local Government
Reforming Local Government
Putting People First, the Action Programme for
Effective Local Government published in October
2012, is a comprehensive plan for the most
fundamental reforms to the local government
system in over one hundred years. The scope and
function of local government will be widened with
an increased role in economic, social and cultural
development and enterprise support, better
alignment with the local development sector, and
devolution of speci?c functions from central to local
level.
Local government structures will be strengthened
and streamlined at county, sub-county and regional
levels, delivering estimated savings of up to €420
million through measures that include reducing the
number of local authorities from 114 to 31 and the
number of Town, County and City Council seats from
1,627 to not more than 950.
To-date, ef?ciency savings of around €195 million
have been realised through the implementation
of recommendations of the Local Government
Ef?ciency Review Group.
Empowering Local Government
Local government funding, accountability and
governance are to be strengthened through the
introduction of a new Local Property Tax, which will
provide the cornerstone of a stable and equitable
funding base for local government. At least 65 per
cent of property tax revenues will be ring-fenced for
use in the areas in which it is collected and, from
2015, local authorities will have the power to vary
the rates by 15 per cent above or below the central
national rates to better match their funding needs.
A new system of oversight will be introduced,
involving the establishment of a National Oversight
and Audit Commission and the strengthening of
aspects of the local government audit system.
Local Enterprise Of?ces
The new local government enterprise and jobs
strategy, launched in September 2012, outlines
plans for local authorities to take on an enhanced
role in economic development and enterprise
support, with a new dedicated Director of Services
for Economic and Community Development in
key areas and a new dedicated Strategic Policy
Committee for Economic Development in each local
authority.
The new strategy will also see the dissolution of the
existing County and City Enterprise Boards and the
creation of new Local Enterprise Of?ces (LEOs) in
each Local Authority area, to provide a ‘one-stop-
shop’ support service for the micro-enterprise and
small business sector.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 24
Enterprise Ireland has established a new
Microenterprise and Small Business Division to
spearhead the delivery of this enhanced support
model to entrepreneurs and small businesses in
2013, and legislation is being drafted to give effect to
the reforms.
Public Sector Reform
Transparency and Accountability
Ireland Stat is a new whole-of-Government
performance measurement website for citizens,
which was launched in October 2012. It presents
accessible information for government programmes
on activity, costs, achievements and international
comparison.
The Government’s new online Databank provides
open access to a comprehensive range of
information about how public money is spent in
Ireland. Information is available from 1994 to the
present day, across all Government Departments
and a range of State bodies.
Reducing the Number of Public Sector Employees
The Government has adopted the more ambitious
target of reducing Public service numbers to 282,500
by the end 2014, rather than 2015. Public service
numbers were reduced to 292,000 during 2012.
A targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme has been
approved to assist organisational restructuring in
the health, education and agricultural sectors.
Following intensive negotiations between public
service unions and Government representatives,
the Labour Relations Commission has prepared
proposals aimed at further reducing the cost of the
public service pay bill. The proposals will now be
put to ballot by members of public service unions.
A Strategic Centre
Transforming the Department of the Taoiseach
Since 2011 the Department of the Taoiseach has
undergone signi?cant restructuring to refocus its
work in line with the Programme for Government.
Targeted secondment and recruitment of staff in
2012 has greatly added to the Department’s policy
capacity deployed to support the formulation and
implementation of Government policy, in particular
through the Economic Management Council and
Cabinet Committee structure. The number of staff
in the Department has reduced from 211 to 199 and
will reduce further at the end of the EU Presidency.
New Skills and Rigour in Policy-Making
A dedicated Irish Government Economic and
Evaluation Service (IGEES) has been established to
expand and enhance the economic and evaluative
capacity of the civil service. The ?rst phase of
specialist recruitment to the service is complete
and IGEES economists are now actively deployed
on policy analysis and development in a number of
Government Departments.
The Public Service Evaluation Network was
established in 2012, comprising civil servants
and experts from universities and other research
organisations. It provides a forum for those
engaged in policy analysis to share experiences
and expertise, facilitating the ?ow of information
between the public service and external experts.
Open Government
Restoring and Extending Freedom of Information
Drafting is at an advanced stage on a Bill to restore
Freedom of Information provisions, removing the
substantive restrictions introduced in 2003 and
extending it to all public bodies including NTMA,
NAMA, An Garda Síochána and the Central Bank of
Ireland. The General Scheme of the Bill has been
submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance
and Public Expenditure and Reform for examination,
and the recommendations of the Committee will
further inform and guide the drafting of the Bill.
Progress continues on development of legislation
required to protect whistleblowers and regulate
lobbying.
Top Level Appointments in the Civil Service
The reforms introduced in 2011 ensure that
candidates for senior Civil Service posts come from
a broad mix of public and private sector and are
selected in an independent manner on the basis
of merit. This has led to a signi?cant increase
from 4 per cent to 18 per cent of appointments to
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 25
senior positions from the private sector. Mobility
at senior levels within the Civil Service is also
increasing, with a 40 per cent reduction since 2010
in senior appointments made from within the same
Department.
As part of the newly established Senior Public
Service, a protocol on mobility at Deputy and
Assistant Secretary levels has been drawn up to
promote the ?lling of new senior posts by candidates
at the same grade. This is being piloted at present,
with almost a third of Assistant Secretary level posts
?lled under the protocol in 2012.
Waste
Establishing Shared Services
PeoplePoint, the new Civil Service Human Resource
Shared Service Centre, will reduce duplication in
HR across the civil service and is expected to yield
savings of €12.5 million per annum, as well as
bringing about improved ef?ciency, consistency and
service delivery. A Pensions Shared Service will also
be integrated with the HR Shared Service. The ?rst
transitions to the new Shared Services centre are
expected at the end of March 2013, involving seven
major Government Departments and bodies.
Considerable progress has also been made on
the consolidation of ICT across the Public Service,
including the implementation of a shared, high-
speed Government network, and greater use of
shared data centres.
Reducing the Number of State Bodies
Signi?cant progress has been made on the 48
rationalisation measures identi?ed in the Public
Service Reform Plan, which affect over 100 different
bodies. The majority of these measures are fully
completed or at a legislative stage and further
detail is provided at Appendix 2. 46 critical reviews
of further potential rationalisation measures also
took place in 2012 – 24 of which recommended
proceeding with the proposed measures.
Departments are expected to fully implement these
new measures by the end of 2013.
External Service Delivery
Work has commenced to identify and analyse non-
core activities that may be suitable for external
service delivery and detailed bene?ts-driven plans
have been developed by the major sectors of
Health, Justice and Local Government. A number
of contracts deemed suitable have commenced
tendering phase, including the new property tax call
centre, which will create 400 jobs, and HSE payroll
services.
“Choice and Voice” for Service Users
Fixyourstreet.ie
Following the successful pilot of ?xyourstreet.
ie last year, the website has now been extended
nationwide. The service enables people to easily
report issues such as graf?ti, road defects and
illegal dumping to their local Council. Currently all
reports submitted are responded to by an of?cial
from the relevant Council within an average of 1.8
days, with over 60 per cent responded to in less than
one day. To-date, ?xyourstreet.ie has taken over
7,700 reports across six categories: Roads and Path
Defects (30%), Litter and Illegal Dumping (27%),
Street Lighting (18%), Tree and Grass Maintenance
(13%), Graf?ti (7%), and Leaks and Drainage (5%).
Empowering the Civil Service
Mobility in the Public Sector
A two-year pilot scheme has been launched for
the exchange of staff between the civil service and
the private sector, to enhance communication and
cooperation.
Single Point of Contact for Government Services
The central government portal at www.gov.ie
now provides access to approximately 400 online
informational and transactional public services.
The new Public Services Card will facilitate easier
access to Government services and will eventually
be used by a range of public bodies to identify
individuals at points of service. Over 111,800 new
Public Services Cards have been issued to-date.
REFORM
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 26
Key Highlights
Health Services
• Future Health Roadmap published, setting out
reforms towards Universal Health Insurance
• Publication of policy proposals on Money Follows
the Patient
• New risk equalisation scheme commenced in
2013
• Further progress by Special Delivery Unit in
reducing trolley times and waiting lists
• Publication of legislation to abolish the Health
Service Executive
• New deal reduces cost of medicines bill by €400
million over 3 years
• New agreement with hospital consultants to
enhance health services
• New National Carers’ Strategy published
Mental Health and Disability
• €35 million ring-fenced to develop community
mental health services
• 246 new mental health posts ?lled with further
recruitment progressing
• Increase in budget for the National Of?ce for
Suicide Prevention
• Implementation Framework published for the
reform of Disability Services
• Disability forum established in 2012 to enhance
stakeholder consultation
Infrastructure
• Opening of the new 34 bed Cystic Fibrosis Unit in
St Vincent’s Hospital
• St. James’ Hospital site chosen for the new
National Children’s Hospital
• 100Mb broadband rolled out to 200 post-primary
schools with greatest need
• 23,000 permanent school places delivered in
2012 including 53 large school builds
• Construction underway of a new National
Children’s Detention Facility
Debt Distress, Housing and Social
Solidarity
• New Cabinet Committee driving progress on
mortgage arrears
• Extensive new insolvency legislation enacted
• Establishment of new insolvency service and
information and advisory services
• New register of residential property purchases
• Number of un?nished housing developments
down 37% since 2010
• €1 billion spent by NAMA towards completing
un?nished properties
• New tax incentive scheme to help revitalise
urban areas
• New policy statement on homelessness launched
• 5,000 households transferred to long term rental
accommodation scheme
• €2.5 million to fund a new Area Based Approach
to Child Poverty
• New powers granted to Social Welfare inspectors
to tackle fraud
Education
• Major overhaul of teacher training being
implemented
• New development and evaluation plans for
schools started in 2012
• School patronage surveys completed in 43 areas
• New Junior Cycle reforms launched in 2012
• All public third-level institutions now subject to
scrutiny by Ombudsman
• New changes help deliver 35% increase in
students sitting higher level maths in 2012
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 27
• Time spent on literacy and numeracy skills
increased in 2012 in all primary schools
• New comprehensive Action Plan on Bullying
Justice
• No more 16 year olds sent to St. Patrick’s
Institution
• New supervised community service programme
started
• Strategic review of penal policy commenced
• 25,000 citizenship applications decided in 2012
• 35 citizenship ceremonies held
• New initiatives releasing Gardaí to frontline
policing duties
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 28
Implementation
Health Service Reform
Health Service Reform and Universal Health
Insurance
The publication in November 2012 of Future Health: A
Strategic Framework for Reform of the Health Service
2012-2015 sets out the major healthcare reforms that
will be introduced by 2015, as key building block for
the launch of Universal Health Insurance in 2016.
It sets out 48 detailed actions to be implemented,
with speci?c timelines over the next 3 years, to be
overseen by a new Programme Management Of?ce
in the Department of Health.
The Government is committed to reforming our
model of delivering healthcare so that more care is
delivered in the community, and by reforming how
we pay for healthcare through Universal Health
Insurance, we can reduce the cost of achieving
the best health outcomes for our citizens, and end
the unfair, unequal and inef?cient two-tier health
system.
The ?rst phase of actions to be delivered in 2013
includes governance changes, the establishment
of Hospital Groups, reforms of the private health
insurance market, establishment of a Health
and Wellbeing Framework, development of a
Money Follows the Patient funding model and the
publication of a White Paper on Universal Health
Insurance.
Risk Equalisation in the Insurance Market
Newly enacted legislation underpins a permanent
Risk Equalisation Scheme, which commenced from
1 January 2013 and has been approved by the EU.
The scheme protects our system of community
rating, whereby older and sicker people can buy
health insurance for the same price as younger and
healthier customers.
The Special Delivery Unit
During 2012, implementation of programmes by
the Special Delivery Unit resulted in signi?cant
improvement in hospital access targets. By
December 2012 there were:
• 20,352 fewer patients waiting on trolleys – a
reduction of 23.6 per cent since 2011
• 3,620 fewer adults waiting more than 9 months
for inpatient and day case surgery – a reduction of
98 per cent since 2011
• 1,670 fewer children waiting over 20 weeks for
inpatient and day case surgery, from 1,759 in
December 2011 – a reduction of 95 per cent since
2011
• 4,554 fewer patients waiting over 13 weeks for a
routine endoscopy procedure – a reduction of 99
per cent since 2011
Primary Care
An allocation of €20 million has been made in the
HSE National Service Plan 2013, to enable the
recruitment of over 250 new primary care staff. It
is intended that additional Public Health Nurses,
Registered General Nurses, Occupational Therapists,
Physiotherapists, and Speech and Language
Therapists will be in place during 2013.
Extending Free GP Care to People with Long-Term
Illnesses
The Health (Amendment) Bill, to provide for the
extension of free GP care to persons with prescribed
long-term illnesses, is at an advanced stage and will
be enacted in 2013.
Recruiting Psychologists and Counsellors to
Community Mental Health Teams
By the end of February 2013, 246 posts to strengthen
Community Mental Health Teams had been ?lled,
out of 414 approved, with most of the remainder
expected to be ?lled by the end of March 2013.
Budget 2013 announced a further €35 million for the
continued development of mental health services,
including the recruitment of over 470 additional staff.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 29
Universal Hospital Care
A White Paper on Financing Universal Health
Insurance
The Universal Health Insurance (UHI)
Implementation Group met on six occasions in 2012
and has provided advice in relation to policy work
on ‘Money Follows the Patient’, Hospital Groups
and overall design of the UHI model. Preparations
are underway for a White Paper on Universal
Health Insurance, which will set out details of
the UHI model in addition to the estimated costs
and ?nancing mechanisms associated with the
introduction of UHI. A preliminary document on
UHI was published in February 2013, setting out
progress on work to-date and the major tasks and
projects that stand to be addressed throughout 2013
and beyond.
Hospitals
Hospital Groups
A key stepping-stone towards UHI is the integration
of hospitals into groups on an administrative basis
in preparation for the development of independent
not-for-pro?t hospital trusts. A Strategic Board was
established in 2012 to report on recommendations
on the composition of Hospital Groups, governance
arrangements, current management frameworks
and linkages to academic institutions. Following a
comprehensive consultation process, the Report
on the Establishment of Hospital Groups will be
published shortly.
Money Follows the Patient
Policy proposals on ‘Money Follows the Patient’
were published in February 2013, with the objectives
of moving to a fair and equitable system of
resource allocation and increasing ef?ciency and
transparency. A process of stakeholder consultation
is being undertaken, followed by the implementation
of Money Follows the Patient shadow-funding during
2013, in advance of phased implementation of the
new arrangements from 2014.
A National Licensing System for Hospitals
Standards for Safer Better Healthcare were formally
launched in June 2012 and provide a national
framework for good governance, patient safety and
quality of care. These national standards apply to
all healthcare services (excluding mental health)
provided or funded by the HSE. The standards, which
are monitored by HIQA, are the precursor to a new
licensing system to be introduced for all hospitals in
2015.
Care of Older People and
Community Care
A new Model of Care for Specialist Geriatric
Services was launched in December 2012, aimed at
signi?cantly improving the way in which older people
are cared for in hospital. The new model includes
the establishment of Specialist Geriatric Teams
within hospitals, dedicated in-patient specialist
geriatric wards, and in-patient rehabilitation
facilities.
Care of Older People
The Government commitment to supporting older
people to remain in their homes and communities
continued in 2012 with over €400 million allocated
for community based services for older people.
This includes €192 million spent on Home Help and
€134 million spent on Home Care packages. Around
100,000 older people receive some form of HSE
community based supports each year, including over
10 million home help hours, home care packages,
meals-on-wheels, and day or respite supports.
Measures introduced in 2012 to improve the safety
and quality of home support services for older
people include HSE National Guidelines for the
Standardised Implementation of the Home Care
Package Scheme and a Procurement Framework
for Home Care Services with quality and screening
requirements relating to staff training, infection
control and supervision levels.
Extending Fair Deal
A review of the Fair Deal system of ?nancing nursing
home care was initiated in 2012 informed by a
public consultation process, and is expected to be
completed in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 30
Cost Control
A Reduced Drugs Bill
A new three-year agreement on drug prices
between the pharmaceutical industry and the State
was reached in October 2012, reducing the cost of
existing medicines by €400 million over three years.
As well as providing reduced prices for consumers,
it facilitates greater access to new cutting-edge
drugs for certain conditions.
Legislation has been published, which will require
pharmacists to offer patients cheaper, generic
alternatives to branded drugs.
The HSE has established a Medicines Management
Programme to develop a series of measures aimed
at GPs and Consultants, to promote more cost
effective prescribing practices.
Hospital Consultants
From October 2012, new consultants will begin on
an entry level pay rate 30 per cent lower that the
rate previously paid to new entrant consultants.
Agreement has been reached with hospital
consultants on new work practices and ?exibilities,
which will allow for greater provision of consultant
services through 24/7 rostering and enable hospitals
to treat more patients more quickly.
Medical Procurement
The HSE has delivered €124 million in savings to
date through the operation of a single national
procurement model.
Health Administration
Abolishing of the Health Service Executive
The HSE Governance Bill, published in July 2012,
paves the way for major changes in the design of
the health service, including the abolition of the
Board of the HSE and the establishment of a new
governance structure, including a new national
directorate designed to make the HSE more directly
accountable to the Minister for Health.
Capital Developments in Health
Priority Capital Spending
Close to €2 billion will be invested from the
Exchequer in the period 2012-2016, to support
three high priority national projects: the National
Children’s Hospital, the replacement of the Central
Mental Hospital and the National Project for
Radiation Oncology.
The Government’s stimulus package, announced in
July 2012, included an additional €115 million for
the construction of twenty primary care centres,
to be delivered by public private partnership. The
awarding of tenders will be completed by the end of
March 2013.
Cystic Fibrosis Care
The new 34 bed cystic ?brosis unit in St. Vincent’s
Hospital opened in August 2012, providing a
designated in-patient and day-care unit for cystic
?brosis patients, with modern isolation facilities.
Following negotiations with the pharmaceutical
industry Kalydeco, a new innovative medicine for
the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, has been made
available to patients in Ireland at a reduced cost to
the Exchequer.
The National Children’s Hospital
Following the selection of the St James’s Hospital
Campus in Dublin as the site of the new National
Children’s Hospital, new governance arrangements
are being put in place to advance the next phase
of the project. The National Paediatric Hospital
Development Board will be restructured to enable
it to focus solely on building the new hospital, with
construction to commence in 2015. A Children’s
Hospital Group, chaired by Dr. Jim Browne,
President of NUI Galway, will concurrently plan for
the transfer of services to the new hospital on its
completion in 2018.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 31
Mental Health
Community Mental Health Services
By the end of February 2013, 246 posts to strengthen
Community Mental Health Teams had been ?lled,
out of 414 approved, with most of the remainder
expected to be ?lled by the end of March 2013.
Budget 2013 announced a further €35 million for the
continued development of mental health services,
including the recruitment of over 470 additional
staff.
Improving GP Mental Health Training
A number of new initiatives have been advanced in
the area of GP mental health training:
• The Irish College of General Practitioners and
the National Of?ce for Suicide Prevention have
developed a skills-based training programme
in suicide prevention for general practitioners,
practice staff and primary care teams
• A specially commissioned Team Based
Approaches to Mental Health in Primary Care
course for primary care staff commenced in 2012
at Dublin City University, and has since been
extended to Sligo
Implementing Reach Out: The National Suicide
Prevention Strategy
The budget for the National Of?ce for Suicide
Prevention (NOSP) increased from €4.1 million in
2011 to €8.1 million in 2013. Developments in the
implementation of the National Suicide Prevention
Strategy during 2012 included:
• Publication of Suicide Prevention in the Community
– a practical tool with good practice guidelines to
support community groups to address suicide
• Publication of National Quality Standards for
the Provision of Suicide Bereavement Services
– to ensure consistency and quality of suicide
bereavement support services nationwide
• New guidelines on mental health and suicide
prevention for post-primary schools were
distributed to all schools across the country
• A suicide prevention training programme for Irish
Prison Service staff was rolled out to all prisons
in 2012
Closing Unsuitable Psychiatric Institutions in
Favour of Community-Based Care
By the end of 2012, a total of ?fteen unsuitable
psychiatric hospitals had either closed completely or
closed to new admissions.
The Implementation Framework for the Housing
Strategy for People with a Disability, published in
2012, puts in place a mechanism to support the
transitioning of people from institutional care to
more independent living. This will commence in
2013, with the aim of transitioning 4,877 people over
the next seven years.
Ending the Practice of Placing Children in Adult
Psychiatric Wards
An increase in bed capacity in child and adolescent
inpatient facilities has meant that the number of
children and adolescents admitted to adult units
decreased from 65 per cent in 2008 to 25 per cent in
2012.
Reviewing the Mental Health Act
Following a broad public consultation process,
an Interim Report of the Steering Group set up
to review the Mental Health Act was published in
June 2012. The Expert Group appointed to conduct
the second and substantive phase of the review is
expected to produce its report in 2013, and will pick
up on the main issues and recommendations set out
in the Interim Review.
Other Health Priorities
The National Dementia Strategy
Following a successful public consultation process
in 2012, the National Dementia Strategy will be
completed during 2013. The strategy will serve
to increase awareness, ensure early diagnosis
and intervention, and enhance community based
services for people living with this condition.
The National Carers’ Strategy
The National Carers’ Strategy was published in July
2012 and outlines the actions that will be taken
to ensure that carers are supported to manage
their caring responsibilities with con?dence. Clear
implementation and monitoring arrangements are
in place with and reports on progress to the Cabinet
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 32
Committee on Social Policy. Fourteen additional
temporary staff were assigned during 2012 to clear
the backlog of Social Welfare Carer’s Allowance
applications and appeals.
Bioethics
The National Advisory Committee on Bioethics
was established in March 2012 and is tasked with
providing the Government with advice on the ethical
and social implications of scienti?c developments
in human medicine and healthcare. The Committee
will provide recommendations and assistance
towards the development of healthcare policy and
associated legislation.
The Expert Group Report on the A, B and C
-v- Ireland Judgement
Following consideration of the report of the Expert
Group on the Judgment of A, B and C -v- Ireland,
published in November 2012, the Government
decided that legislation with regulations be
implemented by way, within the parameters of
Article 40.3.3° of the Constitution as interpreted by
the Supreme Court in the X case.
Early Childhood Care and Education
Early Childhood Care and Education
Capital funding of €6 million was provided for the
maintenance of childcare facilities in 2012, to ensure
that facilities can continue to deliver high-quality
care and education to children.
Funding was provided in Budget 2013 to maintain
and protect the universal free pre-school year,
bene?tting over 65,000 children at an annual cost of
€175 million.
Empowering Schools to Improve
Standards
Reforming Teacher Training
In September 2012, the recon?gured and extended
Bachelor of Education for primary teachers
commenced, allowing for extended school
placement periods and an increased emphasis on
the key strategic priorities of literacy and numeracy,
ICT and inclusion.
An implementation plan is being developed to give
effect to recommendations by an international
review panel to establish six new centres for
education, replacing the existing nineteen State-
funded teaching colleges.
Evaluation and Development Plans for Schools and
Teachers
A new self-evaluation model for schools was
introduced in all primary and post-primary schools
from September 2012, based on new School Self-
Evaluation (SSE) Guidelines. Schools are required
to evaluate their work in a range of areas, and
devise a three-year improvement plan for aspects
of practice identi?ed as needing development. A
summary of the SSE report and school improvement
plan will be provided to school communities, to
ensure that information on school performance and
development is readily available to parents.
Protecting the Frontline
Protecting Frontline Services in Education
The Education Sector has delivered signi?cant
changes to work practices leading to substantial
savings helping to protect front-line services,
including:
• Teachers delivering 2 million additional hours
per annum
• Over 500 surplus permanent teachers redeployed
in 2012
• Academic and lecturing staff are delivering
250,000 additional lecturing hours per annum
• Special Needs Assistants are delivering an
additional 760,000 hours per annum
Improving Outcomes
Reforming the Junior Certi?cate
A new Junior Cycle framework was launched in
October 2012 to address issues of curriculum
overload and rote learning and will promote a
more active learning experience for students. The
reforms will see the traditional end-of-cycle Junior
Certi?cate Exam replaced with a school-based
model of assessment.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 33
Maths and Science at Second-Level
As part of the drive to improve standards in maths
education, in 2012 over €2 million was allocated to
provide a new Professional Diploma in Mathematics
for Teaching, with a special focus on the Project
Maths curriculum. The course commenced in
September 2012 with an initial intake of 390
students. All ?ve strands of the Project Maths
curriculum were rolled out to all second level
schools in September 2012.
A Bonus Points System for Maths
A bonus points scheme for students taking Leaving
Certi?cate higher-level maths was implemented by
third level institutions in 2012 and will operate for
a four-year trial period. The bonus points system,
combined with Project Maths, contributed to an
increase of 35 per cent in the number of students
sitting the higher-level paper in 2012, compared to
2011.
Making Literacy a National Cause
The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy
Good progress has been made in implementing
the actions set out in the National Literacy and
Numeracy Strategy, which aims to ensure that every
child leaves school with the required literacy and
numeracy skills. Progress to-date includes:
• A new website with resources for
parents to support their children’s learning
(www.helpmykidlearn.ie)
• A new ‘Education Passport’ for students moving
to second-level, from September 2012, to alert
schools to children who may need additional
support
• Standardised testing in reading and numeracy
have been expanded to three points during
primary school – 2nd 4th and 6th classes
Training and Support for Teachers in Teaching
Literacy
Units on literacy and numeracy are now in place
within the National Teacher Induction Programme.
A team of nineteen literacy and numeracy advisors
has been appointed to support teachers and schools
in this area. Courses have now been provided for
all serving principals and deputy principals on
effective teaching of literacy and numeracy and the
use of assessment to support planning of students’
learning.
Increasing the Time Spent Teaching Literacy in
Schools
From 2012, all primary schools are required to
increase the amount of time spent on literacy skills
to eight and a half hours per week, and on numeracy
to over four hours.
21st Century Schools
The National Centre for Technology in Education
The National Centre for Technology in Education
was formally merged with the Professional
Development Service for Teachers in June 2012,
while a senior post dealing with curricular matters
was assigned to the National Council for Curriculum
and Assessment. The new con?guration is intended
to ensure greater integration of ICT within teaching
and learning, both in policy and in practice.
Broadband in Schools
Almost two hundred post-primary schools in areas
worst affected by slow speed and low connectivity
were connected in the ?rst phase of the national
roll out of 100Mb broadband, in 2012. This includes
all second level schools in counties Cavan, Clare,
Donegal, Galway, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and
Westmeath
Building Schools for the Future
Prioritising School Building Projects
A total of 53 large scale projects were completed
in 2012, delivering 16,412 permanent school
places. 6,677 additional permanent school places
were also provided under the devolved Additional
Accommodation Scheme.
The Government stimulus package, announced
in July 2012, also includes plans to advance with
two further bundles of school projects as part of
the Public Private Partnership process. The ?rst
of those announced involves the delivery of 5 post-
primary schools delivering accommodation for 3100
pupils and a single 16 classroom primary school.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 34
A new Memorandum of Understanding, signed
in 2012, formalises a partnership between the
Department of Education and Skills and local
authorities to ensure the most appropriate sites
for new schools are acquired quickly and smoothly
in areas experiencing a rapid increase in pupil
numbers.
Replacing Prefabs
Under the Prefab Replacement Initiative announced
in March 2012, €15.6 million was paid out to
100 schools to replace their rented prefabs with
permanent accommodation in 2012.
Delivering Equity in Education
Students from Disadvantaged Areas
Some €750 million was allocated in 2012 to fund
measures to tackle educational disadvantage across
860 DEIS schools, impacting on 165,350 pupils.
As part of the new single scheme of bursaries for
Leaving Certi?cate students from DEIS schools, eight
additional bursaries were made available in 2012,
aimed at students from DEIS schools who intend to
pursue third level courses in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.
Children with Special Needs
€1.3 billion was spent in 2012 on supports for
children with special needs, providing for:
• Up to 10,575 Special Needs Assistant posts
• 9,950 learning support/resource teacher posts
• 1,100 teachers in special schools
• Special School Transport for 8,500 pupils with
disabilities
• Early intervention classes and other supports for
children with autism
The National Council for Special Education has
been asked to provide comprehensive policy advice
in 2013 on how the education system can best
support children with special needs. This will guide
the preparation of a plan on how aspects of EPSEN
can be implemented, including the prioritising of
access to children with special needs to an individual
education plan.
Tackling Bullying
Following the dedicated Anti-Bullying Forum held in
May 2012, an Action Plan on Bullying was launched
in January with a dedicated budget of €500,000
to support the implementation of actions to help
prevent and tackle bullying in primary and second
level schools. Two initiatives aimed at tackling and
changing attitudes towards cyber bullying were
launched in February 2013, the Watch Your Space anti
cyber-bullying campaign and the Garda post-primary
schools programme, Connect with Respect.
Patronage
The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism
The Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on
Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector
was published in April 2012. In areas where the
population is stable, the report recommends
achieving diversity of patronage by using the existing
stock of schools, based on parental demand. For
communities served by one ‘stand alone’ school,
where transfer of patronage is not an option, the
report makes recommendations aimed at ensuring
such schools are as inclusive as possible and
accommodate pupils of various belief systems.
Parental Preference Surveys
Following the recommendations of the Forum on
Patronage, a process leading to divesting of school
patronage in areas of stable population has begun.
Surveys, to ?nd out if parents would prefer a wider
choice of school patron than is currently available
to them, have been completed in forty-three areas
throughout the country. Where the surveys identi?ed
demand for alternative patronage, options will
be considered for school re-con?guration, which
would allow accommodation to be freed up for an
alternative provider.
Third Level Reform
Reforming Third Level Education
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has released
a series of documents that will inform engagement
between the HEA and higher education institutions,
leading to advice to the Minister on system
con?guration by April 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 35
Other key developments include the establishment
in November 2012 of a National Forum for the
Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at third
level. The Forum is focused on enhancing the quality
of the learning experience for all students.
Relocating DIT to Grangegorman
As part of the Government’s 2012 stimulus
package, €180 million has been earmarked for
the consolidation of DIT’s existing 39 sites into one
single education facility at Grangegorman. With
the ?rst 1000 students commencing their studies
there in September 2014, the new uni?ed Campus
will ultimately accommodate over 20,000 students
and staff, and will be served by the planned Luas
extension from St. Stephen’s Green to Broombridge.
Extending the Remit of Ombudsman to Third Level
Institutions
The newly extended remit of the Of?ce of the
Ombudsman, under the Ombudsman Amendment
Act 2012, includes all publicly funded third-level
education institutions.
Merging the Accreditation Authorities
The new Quality and Quali?cations Ireland was
formally established in 2012 and replaces the
National Quali?cations Authority of Ireland, FETAC,
HETAC, and the Irish Universities Quality Board.
Housing and Distressed Mortgages
Tackling Mortgage Arrears
Government established a dedicated Cabinet
Committee on mortgage arrears in 2012 to help
drive progress, which includes:
• Extensive new insolvency legalisation and
signi?cant preparations for new insolvency
service
• Intensive engagement by the Central Bank
with lenders and roll out of a variety of loan
modi?cation and resolution options with new
key performance indicators in place to measure
progress
• Roll out of the new Mortgage to Rent scheme,
allowing families to stay in their homes with
ownership transferring to an approved housing
body
• A new telephone and on-line information service
is in place, together with a free independent
professional ?nancial advice service to borrowers
in mortgage distress
Personal Bankruptcy Reform
The new Personal Insolvency Act has
comprehensively reformed Irish insolvency and
bankruptcy law, providing for new and more
?exible options to address personal debt including
mortgage arrears. The new legislative framework
provides for the introduction of three new non-
judicial debt resolution processes:
• The Debt Relief Notice will allow for the write-
off of qualifying unsecured debt up to €20,000,
subject to a three year supervision period
• The Debt Settlement Arrangement provides for
the agreed settlement of unsecured debt, with no
limit involved, normally over ?ve years
• The Personal Insolvency Arrangement will
enable the agreed settlement of secured debt up
to €3 million and unsecured debt without limit,
normally over six years
The new Insolvency Service of Ireland will be
launched in Q1 2013, to provide information
services to the public and to manage the processes
necessary for the ef?cient operation of the new non-
judicial debt settlement procedures. The Director
Designate of the service is overseeing arrangements
including recruitment of new and redeployed staff,
?t out of new premises, development of a new IT
system, and an appropriate regulatory framework
for personal insolvency practitioners and guidelines
for insolvency procedures.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service
Under the new Personal Insolvency Act 2012, MABS
will act as an approved intermediary for the purpose
of processing applications for Debt Relief Notices.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 36
A range of measures to assist people in mortgage
dif?culty have also been introduced through the
Citizens Information Board, funded solely by the
banks. Keepingyourhome.ie and the Mortgage
Arrears Information Helpline offer information and
guidance to mortgage holders who are in dif?culty.
Since September, independent ?nancial advice is
available from a panel of accountants to mortgage
holders who are being offered long-term resolution
proposals by their lenders.
Ghost Estates
At the end of 2012, the number of un?nished
developments had reduced to 1,770 down 37 per
cent from the initial 2,874 identi?ed in 2012. Some
of the measures progressed by the National Co-
ordination Committee include:
• A Stakeholders’ Code of Practice and a
Guidance Manual on Resolving and Managing
Un?nished Estates setting out good practices to
be adopted by all stakeholders
• €3.88 million in funding provided to Local
Authorities to address immediate safety issues
on un?nished developments
In May 2012, NAMA announced plans to invest at
least €2 billion to complete construction work on
unfnished properties in its portfolio, and to develop
green?eld sites. By the end of 2012, NAMA had
approved investments of €1.7 billion, of which over
€1 billion had been drawn down.
Social Housing
Increasing the Supply of Social Housing
Social housing output exceeded 6,000 in 2012,
with a further 5,000 to be provided in 2013. NAMA
Asset Residential Property Services Ltd has been
established to fast-track the acquisition of vacant
properties for social housing and a signi?cant
increase is expected in the number of NAMA
properties selected and delivered for social housing
in 2013.
Urban Regeneration
The new pilot Living City Initiative, announced in
February 2013 for Waterford City and Limerick City,
is a tax incentive scheme to revitalise urban areas,
through promoting the refurbishment of historic
Georgian buildings for residential and retail use.
The national regeneration programme continues
to progress, with the ?rst new homes delivered to
residents in Moyross, Limerick in February 2013.
Homelessness
Reviewing and Updating the Homeless Strategy
Following a Review of the Homeless Strategy, the
Government published its policy statement on
homelessness in February 2013. It endorses the
development of a housing-led approach, placing
the rapid provision of appropriate accommodation
with supports as the key solution to ending long-
term homelessness by 2016. A dedicated oversight
group has been established to coordinate policy and
ensure that the objectives are realised.
Housing
Supervising Credit Institutions’ Mortgage Lending
Practices
The Credit Reporting Bill 2012, currently before
the Oireachtas, will provide for the establishment
of a new credit register to support more informed
lending decisions and provide an important tool for
banking supervision. The register will be operated
by the Central Bank with mandatory reporting
standards and mandatory credit checks and
appropriate controls on access to the information to
protect businesses and consumers.
A National Housing Price Database
The new Residential Property Price Register,
published in September 2012, provides for the
?rst time accurate and up-to-date information on
residential properties purchased in Ireland since
January 2010.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 37
Justice and Law Reform
Reforming Anti-Corruption Law
The general scheme of the Criminal Justice
(Corruption) Bill was published in 2012 and referred
to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice,
Defence and Equality for its consideration, prior
to formal drafting. Once enacted, the legislation
will reform and strengthen the law criminalising
corruption.
Criminal Law Reform
Stopping the Flow of Mobile Phones to Prisons
Airport-style scanners and x-ray machines are now
in operation at the entrances to all closed prisons.
These security measures have proven particularly
effective at preventing smuggling into prisons,
re?ected in declining numbers of mobile phones
seized from prisoners, down 16% in 2012 to 1,150.
Introducing a Roadside Drug Testing Programme
Government has approved drafting of the Road
Traf?c Bill, which will provide for the introduction of
roadside testing for drivers suspected to be under
the in?uence of drugs.
Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation
The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation)
Act 2012 commenced in September and prohibits
the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in
Ireland, providing for punishment of up to 14 years
imprisonment on conviction.
Strong and Ef?cient Policing
Freeing-Up Gardaí from Administrative Duties
Following a successful pilot project in 2012 which
saw civilian staff delivering immigration services at
Dublin airport, plans are underway for its full-scale
extension which will ultimately release a signi?cant
number of Gardaí to frontline policing duties.
The consolidation of the Garda Station network will
result in an extra 61,000 patrol hours being available
in 2013 so that the maximum possible number of
Gardaí are engaging in frontline policing in our
communities.
A new Garda roster being implemented will result in
more Gardaí being on duty during periods of greater
policing demand and fewer at quieter times.
Improving Case Management Systems in the
Courts
A number of initiatives have been introduced to
improve ef?ciency in the courts and to reduce the
time spent unnecessarily by Gardaí in the courts,
including:
• Pilot pre-trial procedure in the Circuit Court,
aimed at removing delays in cases
• Requesting that the courts schedule hearings for
days on which Gardaí are rostered
• Excusing Gardaí from court after giving evidence
• Use of video conferencing facilities in all prisons
and the main courthouses, reducing the need to
transfer prisoners for trial
Combatting Smuggling
Revenue continues to combat smuggling at major
ports, along the coastline and at smaller airports
by maximising risk based and intelligence led
deployment of resources. Revenue’s x-ray scanner
programme comprises two mobile x-ray scanners
and a recently commissioned mobile van scan,
which are utilised in tackling smuggling. In the past
two years 9,780 X-ray scans have been carried out,
resulting in 40 seizures with a total value of over
€36.6 million. Twenty-two of these seizures related
to illicit tobacco products, with a value of over €33
million. The penalties for tobacco smuggling were
substantially increased in 2010.
Sentencing and Penal Reform
The Inspector of Prisons
Robust new procedures for the investigation
of prisoner complaints came into operation in
November 2012, including the examination of
complaints by external independent investigators
and giving the Inspector of Prisons oversight of the
process from the very beginning.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 38
Integrated Offender Management
Launched in May 2012, the Community Return
Programme has seen 388 low risk offenders offered
early temporary release in return for supervised
community service.
Reviewing Mandatory Sentencing Laws
A strategic review of penal policy is underway and
the review group is due to report during 2013. The
review will incorporate an examination and analysis
of all aspects of penal policy including prevention,
mandatory sentencing, sentencing policy generally,
alternatives to custody, accommodation and
regimes, support for reintegration and rehabilitation
and the issue of female prisoners.
Upgrading Our Prison Infrastructure
A new accommodation block became operational
in the Midlands prison at the end of 2012, providing
300 additional spaces with in-cell sanitation, as
well as new work, training and education facilities.
A programme of refurbishment is underway at
Mountjoy prison, to provide in-cell sanitation
throughout the prison. Refurbishment of C-wing was
completed in 2012 and work has now commenced
on B-wing.
Approval has been given for construction to
commence in 2013 of a new, modern 250 space
prison in Cork, to replace the existing outdated
facilities and provide in-cell sanitation for all
inmates. Plans are also underway for a major
redevelopment at Limerick prison.
St. Patrick’s Institution
Since July 2012 16 year old boys are no longer sent
to St. Patrick’s Institution. All newly remanded or
sentenced 16 year olds are now detained in the
children’s facilities in Oberstown. The construction
of a new National Children Detention Facility on
the Oberstown campus has been approved and an
allocation of €20.4 million in capital funding has
been made for the project in 2013. This project will
result in suf?cient capacity to extend the child care
model of detention to all young people under the
age of 18 years by mid 2014 and end the practice of
sending 17 year old boys to St Patrick’s Institution.
In June 2012, the remit of the Ombudsman for
Children was extended to cover all boys under 18
years of age in St. Patrick’s Institution, in order
to ensure that they are detained with the fullest
regards to their rights and needs as children.
Drugs
Implementing the National Substance Misuse
Strategy
Arising from the recommendations in the National
Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group
report, proposals are currently being ?nalised for
consideration by Government early in 2013.
Integrating Drug and Alcohol Abuse Strategies at
Local Level
Reforms are being introduced, arising from the
review of Drugs Task Forces concluded in 2012,
which are intended to better equip the Task Forces
to respond to the current pattern of substance
misuse. These include extending their remit to
include alcohol addiction, measures to improve
coordination and representation and a review of Task
Force boundaries.
In excess of €28 million will be made available to
Drugs Task Forces from the Drugs Initiative Fund in
2013 to support community-based drugs initiatives.
Reducing the Flow of Drugs to Prisons
A range of security initiatives have been introduced
in closed prisons, including x-ray scanners, tighter
control and monitoring of prison visits, airport
style security screening of all staff and visitors,
and increased random searches of prisoner
accommodation. These have proven particularly
effective in reducing the availability of drugs in the
prisons, with drug seizures decreasing by 28 per
cent between 2010 and 2012.
Accountability for the Addiction Budget
The Oversight Forum on Drugs meets each quarter
with all Departments and Agencies to monitor
progress on the actions in the National Drugs
Strategy, and to address any operational dif?culties
that may arise. A report on the implementation of
the actions of the strategy in 2012 will be published
early in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 39
Expenditure attributed to Drug Programmes
across all Departments and Agencies amounted to
approximately €245 million in 2012.
Law Reform, Courts and Judiciary
Creating Family Courts and a Civil Court of Appeal
Government has approved, in principle, proposals
for an amendment to the Constitution (subject
to a referendum of the people) to permit the
establishment of a Civil Court of Appeal and a
new separate Family Court structure. Work has
commenced on the further development of these
proposals and the necessary referendum is expected
to be held in the Autumn of 2013.
Introducing Structured Settlements
Preparation has commenced on Heads of a Civil
Liability (Amendment) Bill, which will give the courts
new powers to make periodic payment orders for the
bene?t of persons catastrophically injured through
the negligence of others. The scheme will enable
compensation to be paid in regular instalments
over the course of the injured person’s life, to cover
the ongoing cost of their care to ensure that such
compensation is adequate and necessary.
Reforming and Modernising Family Law
Legislation is being prepared to make court
proceedings in family law and child care cases more
transparent. The legislation will amend the in camera
rule to allow press access to the courts in family law
and child care proceedings.
Law Reform
The Law Reform Commission is currently developing
a work programme for its next Programme of Law
Reform. This has followed a broad consultation
process with civil and public society including
community, government and public bodies.
Passports, Citizenship, Immigration
and Asylum
Citizenship Applications
Over 25,000 applications were decided in 2012,
compared to 16,000 in 2011 and fewer than 8,000
in 2010. The success of the citizenship ceremonies
continued into 2012, with citizenship being conferred
on almost 20,000 persons at thirty-?ve ceremonies.
Equality and Social Protection
Tackling Poverty
A review of the National Poverty Target was completed
in 2012 and a new National Social Target for Poverty
Reduction has been adopted, with the objective of
reducing consistent poverty to 4 per cent by 2016 and
to 2 per cent or less by 2020. Preparations for the ?rst
monitoring report are underway.
A New Area-Based Approach to Tackling Child
Poverty
€2.5 million has been allocated to fund a new Area
Based Approach to Child Poverty initiative in 2013.
This initiative will build on and continue the work of
the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme,
which has demonstrated signi?cantly improved
outcomes for children and families. The number of
sites will be expanded from three to at least six during
2013. The learning and outcomes from the existing
projects will inform the design of this new Area Based
Approach, which will address the key themes of child
development, educational disadvantage, health, well-
being and parenting.
Eliminating Poverty Traps
Eliminating Poverty Traps
Reform of the Social Welfare system is continuing to
eliminate poverty traps and ensure that work pays for
welfare recipients:
• Signi?cant work has taken place to begin piloting
the transfer in 2013 of people with long term
housing needs from rent supplement to their local
authority where they will pay a differential rent
calculated on the basis of their welfare payment
or pay
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 40
• Reform of the One Parent Family payment
is underway, starting with the reduction in
qualifying child age, which is due to take effect
from July 2013
• Budget 2013 also contained a provision of €14
million to provide 6,000 subsidised school-age
childcare places to support people in taking up
employment
A Zero Tolerance Approach to
Welfare Fraud
Reducing Welfare Fraud
The roll out of Intreo, the new integrated
employment and support service, will enable a
more integrated approach to fraud control to be
realised, through better information pooling. The
new integrated decision-making and the case
management approach will also improve control
across schemes.
Introduction of the new Public Services Card (PSC),
with photographic identi?cation, commenced in
2012, with over 111,800 new cards issued to-date.
The card will allow for improved identi?cation and
authentication of individuals, which will assist in the
detection of fraudulent claims.
New fraud prevention and detection powers were
granted to Social Welfare Inspectors in 2012, to
make inquiries of landlords, to require identity
checks for social welfare claims, and to detect and
combat social welfare fraud and abuse at ports
and airports. Those powers have so far led to over
?fty claims being stopped, with control savings of
approximately €450,000.
The Social Welfare Act 2012 provides for swifter
recovery of social welfare overpayments by way
of weekly deductions of up to 15 per cent from a
person’s social welfare payment.
Getting Better Value for Money
Reducing Reliance on Rent Supplement
Local authorities transferred approximately 5,000
longer term recipients of Rent Supplement to Rental
Accommodation Scheme during 2012.
In line with the new Housing Policy Statement,
Government has agreed to the phased transfer
of responsibility for long-term rent supplement
recipients from the Department of Social Protection
to housing authorities under a new Housing
Assistance Payment (HAP). Calculated based on
ability to pay, this progressive new arrangement
will remove barriers to employment and return rent
supplement to its original purpose as a short-term
income support. Signi?cant work has taken place to
enable initial transitions to commence in 2013, with
general roll out from 2014.
Equality
Equality and Human Rights
Draft Heads of a new Irish Human Rights and
Equality Commission Bill were published in 2012, to
amalgamate the Human Rights Commission and the
Equality Authority. This legislation will oblige public
bodies to set out their consideration of human rights
and equality issues, relevant to their work, in their
strategic plans and report on them in their Annual
Reports.
Tackling Homophobic Bullying
A major Anti-Bullying Forum was held on the 17 May
2012 to coincide with the International Day against
Homophobia, the theme of which was homophobic
bullying. The new Action Plan on Bullying includes
a commitment to provide support for the Stand Up!
Awareness Week against Homophobic Bullying
organised by BeLonG To Youth Services.
People with Disabilities
An Implementation Plan for the National Disability
Strategy
A new Implementation Group, which includes
a number of people with disabilities, has been
established to develop an implementation plan
for the National Disability Strategy, which will
include speci?c actions, timelines and targets to be
implemented over a three year period. Work on the
plan is at an advanced stage and is expected to be
completed in 2013.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 41
A Disability Forum was established in 2012 to
facilitate better consultation with stakeholders and
capture the perspective of the end user.
A Comprehensive Spending Review of Disability
Services
Arising from the Value for Money and Policy
Review of the Disability Services Programme,
a high level implementation framework for the
recommendations in the review has been published.
The framework sets out a fundamental change
in approach to the governance, funding and focus
of the Disability Services Programme, through
migration from a groupÐbased service delivery
towards a model of personÐcentred and individually
chosen supports. These changes, which will
commence in 2013, will move the sector towards
more effective, transparent and accountable
management of the substantial existing resources
expended on health and personal services for people
with a disability.
National Standards for Residential Services for
People with Disabilities
Following a process of public consultation, HIQA has
developed new National Standards for Residential
Centres for People with Disabilities. The standards
will be published shortly and work is underway on
a new regulatory system to be put in place. It will
apply to all residential settings where people with
disabilities live, whether they are operated by public,
private or voluntary bodies or organisations.
Irish Sign Language
The National Disability Authority held a round
table discussion with representation from the deaf
community, together with the relevant Government
Departments, in May 2012, to identify possible
actions to promote the recognition of Irish Sign
Language for inclusion in the National Disability
Strategy Implementation Plan.
Reforming the Law on Mental Capacity
The Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Bill, to be
published shortly, will reform the law in respect
of vulnerable individuals, whose ability to make
important decisions is affected by intellectual
disability or mental illness. Once enacted, this
legislation will modernise the laws on capacity
and bring Irish legislation in this area into line with
current thinking and modern legislative frameworks
worldwide. The Bill will replace the outdated
adult ward-of-court system with a new statutory
framework, which will shift the focus towards
assisted rather than substitute decision-making.
FAIRNESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 42
Key Highlights
Children
• Children’s rights now protected in the
Constitution
• New laws in force strengthening child protection
• 25 new staff redeployed to the Garda Vetting unit
• Preparations for the establishment of the New
Child and Family Support Agency
Communications, Energy and the
Environment
• Successful digital TV switchover with €450
million raised from spectrum auction
• New National Intellectual Property Protocol
helping to commercialise ideas and create jobs
through research
• Ireland’s new national waste management policy
published
• New one stop shop for planning information
www.myplan.ie launched
• Rati?cation of the Aarhus Convention
• Heads of a new Climate Action Bill published for
stakeholder consultation
Agriculture and Fisheries
• Total agri-exports top €9 billion for the ?rst time
• New Ocean Wealth plan to maximise marine
coordination
• New Origin Green sustainable food initiative
launched
• Agri-Environmental Options Scheme opened to
new entrants
• 90 per cent of Harvest 2020 actions advanced
• Ireland lead the way to EU phased ban on
dumping ?sh
• Streamlining of aquaculture licensing system
Culture, Sport and Transport
• Green light for construction of €368 million Luas
connector / Broombridge line
• Major reforms of the taxi sector came into force
in January 2013
• €850 million for national motorway and primary
route network upgrades
• Signi?cant expansion to the Dublin Bikes scheme
• New sports capital funding provides €31 million
to sports projects
• New philanthropy initiative generated over
€1 million in extra funding for the arts
• New legislation in place supporting the Irish
language
International
• Joint Statement of 2012 by Taoiseach and UK
Prime Minister reinforces British-Irish relations
• North South Parliamentary Forum established to
further peace and cooperation
• 31 North South Ministerial Council meetings held
in 2012 furthering economic cooperation
• Strengthened economic relationship with
China following historic visit by Vice President
Xi Jinping and return trade mission led by the
Taoiseach
• Successful start to Irish Presidency of the EU
• Ireland achieves top score on transposition of EU
legislation
• Major diplomatic initiative undertaken to support
renegotiation of promissory note deal
• Election of Ireland to United Nations Human
Rights Council
• Successful Irish chairmanship of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 43
Implementation
Children, Families and Older People
The Children’s Referendum
The passing of the Children’s Referendum marks
a signi?cant step forward in the protection of
children’s rights, addressing issues such as
adoption, intervention to protect their safety and
welfare, and giving children a say in their own
protection proceedings.
The Child and Family Support Agency
The July 2012 Task Force report is informing the
drafting of legislation to establish the new Agency.
In parallel, detailed operational preparations are
underway to facilitate the transfer of services and
staff from the HSE, the National Education Welfare
Board and the Family Support Agency. The Agency
will have a staff of over 4,000 and a budget in excess
of €550 million. It will bring together key services
for children and families and represents one of the
most signi?cant public service reforms underway.
Enhancing Child Protection
The Government has advanced a suite of legislation
to further enhance child protection. The Criminal
Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences
Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
entered into force in August 2012 and makes it an
offence to withhold information on serious offences
committed against a child or a vulnerable adult.
The National Vetting Bureau (Children and
Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 makes it mandatory
for people working with children or vulnerable
adults to be vetted by the Gardaí. Twenty-?ve
additional staff have now been re-deployed to the
Garda Central Vetting Unit, to ensure that it is
adequately staffed to meet the increased volume of
applications, arising from this legislation.
The Heads of a new Bill, to place the Children First
Guidelines on a statutory basis, were referred to
the Oireachtas Committee on Children in April
2012 whose report will inform the ?nal legislative
proposals.
Under New National Standards for the Protection
and Welfare of Children, frontline services
for children and families are now subject to
independent inspection for the ?rst time. The
standards, which have legal effect, will ensure that
services are providing adequate care and protection
to vulnerable children, and that Children First
guidelines on handling abuse and welfare concerns
are fully implemented.
As recommended in the Ryan Report, a memorial
to victims of institutional abuse has been
commissioned and will be erected adjacent to the
Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.
Modernising and Reforming Family Law
Legislation is being prepared to make court
proceedings in family law and child care cases more
transparent, amending the in camera rule to allow
press access to the courts. In addition, a project
was established in November 2012, which will carry
out research on child care hearings in the courts to
inform future policy and raise public awareness of
the child protection and courts process
Reforming the Law on Adoption
The draft Adoption (Amendment) Bill was published
in September 2012 in the context of the Children’s
Referendum. The Bill will bring certainty to the
circumstances in which adoption may be considered,
particularly for children who are living in foster care
for a signi?cant period as the result of serious and
persistent parental failure.
Arts, Culture and Sport
Philanthropic Funding for the Arts
The Philanthropy Leverage Initiative was piloted in
2012, to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and
endowment funding of the arts from private sources.
The State’s investment of €202,000 generated total
additional funding of over €1 million for the arts in
2012.
The RAISE initiative, launched in October 2012,
aims to build capacity in the sector to forging term
relationships with the private sector and secure
sponsorship and funding.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 44
The Arts Council has provided one-to-one
professional support to the eight selected
organisations for two years, through planning
and implementation of a tailored fundraising
programme.
Funding for Sport
New funding of almost €31 million has been
provided to sports projects across the country, in the
?rst round of sports capital funding in four years.
Additional grants of €2.6 million have been approved
to allow twenty-two national sports bodies to buy
new equipment to help boost participation in sport.
Foreign Affairs, ODA and Defence
Ensuring our Diplomatic Network Aids Repair of
our Reputation
A major diplomatic initiative was instigated to
further efforts to renegotiate the promissory note,
which was achieved in February 2013.
During 2012 Ireland, as Chair in Of?ce, successfully
steered the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, culminating in the largest
ever high-level conference of Foreign Ministers ever
hosted in Dublin.
Following an extensive campaign by the diplomatic
service, and Government Ministers, Ireland was
successful in its election to the United Nations
Human Rights Council. This builds on Ireland’s
reputation as a strong supporter of human rights
internationally.
Reviewing the White Paper on Overseas
Development Aid
A Review of the White Paper on Irish Aid was
undertaken in 2012, to examine the progress
being made by our aid programme, to assess the
changed context, globally and here at home, and
to set out future priorities. Following a successful
consultation process, a new policy on Ireland’s role
in international development has been completed
and will be submitted for Government approval
shortly.
Northern Ireland
Implementing the Good Friday and St. Andrew’s
Agreements
The Government is working continuously to support
the peace process and a new comprehensive
framework has been established for British-
Irish relations, developing economic, political
and security cooperation. Last year, through the
Reconciliation and Anti-Sectarianism Funds,
grants were awarded to more than 130 community
organisations to further the cause of reconciliation.
The establishment of the North/South
Parliamentary Forum in 2012, drawn equally from
members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the
Oireachtas, provides a formal platform for further
engagement and cooperation.
As part of the digital switchover, TG4, RTÉ 1 & 2 and
Raidió na Gaeltachta were made available for the
?rst time on Freeview in Northern Ireland, making
Irish-language broadcasting more accessible in
Northern Ireland, as provided for in the Good Friday
Agreement.
Increasing Economic Cooperation
Thirty-one sectoral meetings of the North South
Ministerial Council were held in 2012. This was the
highest number since its formation, and helped to
advance economic cooperation and focus on job
creation, including:
• The work of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce to
address the issue of the decline in visitors from
Great Britain in recent years
• An increase of over 50 per cent in European
Research and Development funding for North/
South projects from November 2011 to July 2012
• The introduction of two new InterTradeIreland
programmes Challenge and Elevate, supporting
SMEs and micro businesses to grow and develop
through innovation and exporting
The Joint Statement issued by the Taoiseach and
Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2012
initiated an intensive programme of work aimed
at reinforcing the British-Irish relationship for the
coming decade.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 45
This includes the preparation of a joint report,
to be published in March, evaluating economic
relations between Britain and Ireland and identifying
opportunities for closer collaboration.
Ireland in Europe
Delivering the Irish Presidency of the EU
Following a successful launch of the Irish
Presidency programme – “For Stability, Jobs and
Growth” – signi?cant progress is already being made
to deliver on these key objectives.
Ireland’s Presidency is now leading on behalf
of Member States in seeking the consent of the
European Parliament to the deal reached among EU
leaders on the 2014-2020 Budget.
The Irish Presidency is rapidly advancing proposals
on Banking Union and enhanced economic
governance measures and has already secured
important legislation in this area. Some of the key
priorities that the Government has identi?ed to
stimulate growth and job creation include making
progress on proposals aimed at strengthening
the Single Market and the Digital Single Market,
improved support for research and innovation
across the EU, and new trade agreements with third
countries. Important achievements already secured
include the Youth Guarantee and the Uni?ed Patent
Court.
Ireland will continue to work for agreement on the
programmes that deliver on EU policy objectives
including Horizon 2020 in the area of research,
reform of CAP and of the Common Fisheries Policy,
Cohesion, Erasmus and the COSME Programme for
SMEs.
The Government will continue to communicate key
messages about Ireland’s economic recovery to a
wide international audience during its Presidency to
strengthen Ireland’s reputation.
A new website, www.eu2013.ie, provides citizens
with up-to-date information and reporting on the
Irish Presidency with major events available to
watch via a live stream.
The Transposition of EU Legislation
A newly established interdepartmental committee
on European Engagement is monitoring Ireland’s
progress in transposing EU legislation into
domestic law and ensuring our compliance with EU
Directives. For the ?rst time Ireland, in transposing
all directives in due time, has achieved the highest
possible score of a zero transposition de?cit in the
EU Commission’s Internal Market Scoreboard, only
the second EU Member State to have achieved this.
Enhancing the Irish Role in EU Judicial and Home
Affairs Cooperation
The European Criminal Records Information System,
which has been operational since April 2012,
provides for the electronic exchange of criminal
records information between Member States.
An Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht
The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language
The Gaeltacht Act 2012 provides for a new de?nition
of the Gaeltacht, based on linguistic criteria rather
than geographic areas, with language planning
at community level central to this. The Act also
provides for the recognition of the importance of
smaller urban areas where Irish is widely used
amongst the community.
The Family Language Support Programme
commenced in April 2012 to strengthen the Irish
language as the household and community language
in the Gaeltacht by supporting Gaeltacht families to
raise their children through Irish.
Reforming the Irish Curriculum
The marks for the Leaving Certi?cate Irish oral
have increased from 25% to 40% of overall marks
from Leaving Certi?cate 2012. Key areas have
been prioritised for action, including the provision
of better curricula for Irish in Irish-medium and
mainstream schools. The National Council for
Curriculum and Assessment will review the Irish
curriculum at primary and post-primary levels.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 46
Climate Change
Climate Change
The National Climate Change Adaptation
Framework, published in December 2012,
introduces a policy framework to ensure adaptation
measures are taken across different sectors
and levels of government to manage and reduce
Ireland’s vulnerability to the negative impacts of
climate change.
Heads of a Climate Action and Low-Carbon
Development Bill have been issued for consideration
by stakeholders and the Joint Oireachtas Committee
on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
The proposed legislation will place a statutory
obligation on Government to adopt and implement
plans that enable the State to transition to a low
carbon, climate resilient and environmentally
sustainable economy in the period to 2050. The Joint
Committee’s report, and the recent policy analysis
by the Secretariat to the National Economic and
Social Council, will be key inputs for consideration
by Government in adopting a national policy position
on the transition to a low-carbon future, and
?nalising the introduction of climate legislation later
in 2013.
Budget 2013 introduced further measures designed
to address greenhouse gas emissions, including the
extension of the carbon tax to solid fuels, and the
further re-structuring of Vehicle Registration Tax
and motor tax.
Energy
A number of signi?cant steps have been taken
towards the development of an energy export
sector between Ireland to Britain, with the capacity
to create thousands of Irish jobs. The East-West
Interconnector, which links the power grids of
Ireland and Britain, became operational last year.
A Memorandum of Understanding on energy
cooperation was signed in January between the Irish
and UK Governments, an interim step towards a full
Inter-Governmental Agreement expected in early
2014.
More Ef?cient Foreshore Licensing
Signi?cant work has been undertaken to improve
the ef?ciency of foreshore licensing, with a number
of measures developed, including guidelines,
standard operating procedures, prioritisation and a
pre-application consultation process. Regulations
have also been introduced putting a time limit (4-8
weeks) on consultations with prescribed bodies.
Offshore Drilling
A procurement process has commenced for a
major state-of-the-art survey, which will add to the
understanding of the petroleum potential of the
Irish offshore and provide a boost to our efforts to
attract international mobile exploration investment
to Ireland.
Regulation
Rationalising Regulators
Given the major changes in the Irish economic
landscape, there is a need to reassess and reframe
the role of regulators as a central part of Ireland’s
economic recovery and to safeguard the consumer
interest. In this context Government has assigned
lead responsibility in respect of the various functions
in the regulatory arena across a number of policy
Departments to provide for a sharper sectoral focus
and a greater capacity to deliver. Forfás has also
completed a study on identifying a number of areas
where changes to their operation could have real,
positive impact upon cost competitiveness. The
recommendations of the review will help to inform
the wider economic regulation agenda, including
the preparation of a New Government Statement on
Economic Regulation, which is a key deliverable in
the Action Plan for Jobs 2013.
Sustainable Waste Policy
A New National Waste Policy
The Government’s new waste management policy,
launched in July 2012, aims to minimise the
amount of waste we produce, eliminate land?ll
and maximise waste as a resource to produce new
products and renewable energy.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 47
The ?rst phase of implementing the policy is now
complete, with the evaluation of all ten Regional
Waste Management Plans. The structure of the
three new Waste Planning Regions will be con?rmed
early in 2013 and will provide the platform for the
next phase of implementation. A review of waste
enforcement structures is underway and work has
also commenced on the design of a new waste
collection permitting regime.
Enhancing the Quality of the
Environment
Ratifying the Aarhus Convention
The Aarhus Convention, which lays down a set of
basic rules to promote citizens’ involvement in
environmental matters and improve enforcement of
environmental law, was rati?ed by Ireland in June
2012.
Peat
Turf Cutting
The work of the Peatlands Council and supporting
Compensation Scheme led to 70 per cent of active
turf cutters refraining from cutting on Special
Areas of Conservation during 2012. To date,
almost €3.5 million has been issued through the
enhanced Compensation Scheme, with over 2,148
compensation payments made.
Communications
The Digital Switchover
October 2012 saw the successful completion of
the digital TV switchover, following a major public
information campaign. The subsequent spectrum
auction, held in November by ComReg, yielded
an immediate dividend of €450 million to the
Exchequer, with an additional €405 million to be
paid on a phased basis over the coming years.
Developing a New National Intellectual Property
Protocol
The new National Intellectual Property (IP)
Protocol was published in 2012, to make it easier to
commercialise and create jobs from ideas developed
through publicly-funded research.
Maintaining a Universal Postal Service
The Communications Regulation (Postal Services)
Act 2011 marked the ?nal step in opening the postal
market to full competition. The Act also ensures
provision of a postal service on every working day to
every address throughout the country, guaranteeing
this universal service for twelve years and providing
for stronger levels of consumer protection, including
a means of redress and a price-cap on most
commonly used services.
Transport
Investing in High-Capacity Commuter Services
Advance works will commence in 2013 on the
construction of the €368 million Luas Cross City
Line project, which will connect the two existing
Luas lines between St Stephen’s Green and
O’Connell Street and will extend the service out to
Broombridge.
The Government stimulus package announced in
July 2012 restored the roads programme budget
with €850 million provided for essential upgrades to
the national motorway and primary route network.
This will enable work to commence on a number of
key projects, including the Gort-Tuam link and the
Gorey-Enniscorthy/ New Ross bypass.
Updating the Regulation of Taxis
A range of reforms came into force from January
2013, to bring greater professionalism, consumer
protection and accountability to the taxi sector.
The Taxi Regulation Bill, published in 2012, will
improve enforcement of the taxi regulations and
provide for the mandatory disquali?cation of people
who are convicted of speci?ed offences.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 48
Cycling and Sustainable Travel
Funding of €2.6 million has been provided by the
National Transport Authority for the expansion of the
Dublin Bikes scheme, which will see 1000 new bikes
available in 2013 at 66 new stations across Dublin
city, from the Docklands to Heuston Station.
Signi?cant investment in sustainable travel will
continue under a €65 million ?ve-year programme
agreed in 2012, to include:
• 334 kilometres of new cycleway to be built all
over the country over the next two years
• €23 million to enable local authorities to
install and upgrade facilities for cyclists and
pedestrians across three towns
Airport Charges
In the second consecutive year of growth, passenger
numbers at Dublin Airport increased by 2 per
cent to 19.1 million in 2012. As a result of this
expansion, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has
paid a rebate of €1.5 million in airport charges to
twenty-?ve airlines. The rebate was paid under the
DAA’s Growth Incentive Scheme, which is aimed
at encouraging airlines to maintain and grow their
business in Ireland.
Agriculture
Food Harvest 2020
Milestones for Success 2012 reported progress in
the implementation of Food Harvest 2020, showing
action commenced or substantially advanced on 90
per cent of the recommendations. The report also
highlighted that the agri-food and ?shing sector
continues to be one of the cornerstones of national
export recovery, with the value of agri-food exports
increasing by almost 2 per cent in 2012, to exceed
€9 billion for the ?rst time.
A key outcome of Food Harvest 2020 is the launch in
2012 of Origin Green, as the world’s ?rst nationwide
sustainability standard.
Expanding the Agri-Environment Options Scheme
€20 million in funding has been provided to allow
the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS)
to open to new entrants. AEOS 3 was launched in
September 2012 and builds on the success of both
AEOS 1&2 and the Rural Environment Protection
Scheme in delivering an annual income to farmers,
in return for farming to high environmental
standards.
Coastal Communities, Fisheries and
Marine Environment
The Common Fisheries Policy
A compromise put forward by Ireland at the June
2012 Fisheries Council was accepted by our EU
partners, ensuring that the practise of throwing
millions of tonnes of unwanted dead ?sh back into
the water will now be banned on a phased basis.
The agreement will support a more secure future
for the Irish ?shing industry while at the same
time promoting a more sustainable approach to
managing ?sh stocks.
Aquaculture
The streamlining of the aquaculture licensing
system has resulted in 115 determinations to either
grant or renew licences in 2012, compared to 6
determinations in 2011.
Better Coordination in Marine Policy Delivery
Published in July 2012, Harnessing Our Ocean
Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland aims
to maximise marine coordination, to make the
most of our ocean resources. It seeks to create the
right conditions to promote investment and enable
growth, with a plan to double the value of Ireland’s
ocean wealth by 2030, whilst also protecting our
marine environment. The Marine Co-ordination
Group is driving implementation of this plan, with
quarterly reporting of actions across all relevant
departments and associated agencies.
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 49
Planning
Better Coordinated Planning
2012 saw a number of developments to assist better
planning:
• Publication of Our Sustainable Future - A Framework
for Sustainable Development for Ireland to identify
and prioritise policy areas and mechanisms where
a sustainable development approach will add value
• New Local Government reforms provide for the
creation of new Regional Assemblies which will,
in future, draw up Regional Spatial and Economic
Strategies to act as a bridge between local and
national plans
• A public consultation held on draft guidelines for
planning authorities in preparing and implementing
Local Area Plans
• A new, free planning information system for the
public has been launched. Myplan.ie provides
information relevant to planning including census
results, ?ood mapping, zoning information, heritage
sites and patterns of housing development. The
site will not only bene?t citizens, but will also
assist with improved coordination between local
authorities and better delivery of public services
PROGRESS
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 50
Commitments Under Review
Putting the Household Bene?ts Package out to
Tender
The Government has received legal advice from the
Chief State Solicitors Of?ce, the Commission for
Energy Regulation and the Competition Authority,
which indicates that is it not possible to put the
Household Bene?ts Packages out to tender. The
best possible value for money will continue to be
sought from the utility companies, building on the
annual savings of €17 million secured from Eircom
in 2011.
Competitive Tendering for Local Waste Collection
Services
Based on extensive public consultation, advice from
the Competition Authority and the outcome of a
Regulatory Impact Analysis the Government has
decided to preserve the current market structure
for household waste collection, with a strengthened
regulatory regime.
COMMITMENTS UNDER REVIEW
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 51
Government legislation enacted since March 2012
Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012
Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Act 2012
Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012
Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Act 2012
Jurisdiction of Courts and Enforcement of Judgements (Amendment) Act 2012
Clotting Factor Concentrates and other Biological Products Act 2012
Finance Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012
Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Act 2012
Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012
Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012
Education (Amendment) Act 2012
Electricity Regulation (Carbon Revenue Levy) (Amendment) Act 2012
Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012
Competition (Amendment) Act 2012
Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic
and Monetary Union) Act 2012
Statute Law Revision Act 2012
European Communities (Amendment) Act 2012
European Stability Mechanism Act 2012
Companies (Amendment) Act 2012
Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012
Credit Guarantee Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012
Veterinary Practice (Amendment) Act 2012
Quali?cations and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012
Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Act 2012
European Arrest Warrant (Application to Third Countries and Amendment) and Extradition (Amendment) Act
2012
Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012
Microenterprise Loan Fund Act 2012
Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2012
APPENDIX 1
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 52
Gaeltacht Act 2012
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012
Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012
Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012
Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012
Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012
Credit Union and Cooperation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012
Equal Status (Amendment) Act 2012
Appropriation Act 2012
Social Welfare Act 2012
Civil Defence Act 2012
Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012
Europol Act 2012
Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012
Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Act 2012
Health Insurance (Amendment) Act 2012
National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012
Personal Insolvency Act 2012
Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Act 2012
Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Act 2013
Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Act 2013
Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2013
APPENDIX 1
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 53
Rationalisation of State Bodies
Rationalisations fully implemented involving 21 bodies
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Education and
Skills
Amalgamation of Further Education and
Training Awards, Higher Education and
Training Award Council and National
Quali?cations Authority of Ireland and
incorporating functions of the Irish
Universities Quality Board
Completed Nov 2012
Quality and Quali?cations Ireland
was established as a new integrated
agency replacing 4 Bodies
Merge Irish Research Council for Science,
Engineering and Technology and Council for
the Humanities and Social Science into a
consolidated single council under HEA.
Merger complete March 2012
Environment,
Community
and Local
Government
Merge Local Government Computer Services
Board & Local Government Management
Services Board
Completed August 2012.
Merge 2 Regeneration Agencies in Limerick
into Local Authorities
Completed in July 2012.
Subsume An Comhairle Leabharlanna into
existing public body
Completed January 2013 – subsumed
by Local Government Management
Agency
Comhar to be integrated into the National
Economic and Social Council.
Completed January 2012
Merge the Affordable Housing Partnership,
National Building Agency and Centre for
Housing Research into a new body
Completed August 2012 - Housing
and Sustainable Communities Agency
established
Discontinue the Dormant Accounts Board Completed December 2012
Public
Expenditure and
Reform
Merge Commission on Public Service
Appointments with Ombudsman
Completed October 2012
Health Subsume National Council for Professional
Development of Nursing and Midwifery into
An Bord Altranais.
Completed December 2011
Transport,
Tourism and
Sport
Dublin Regional Tourism Authority
possible merger into Fáilte Ireland
Completed January 2012.
Defence Merge Civil Defence Board into Department Completed December 2012
Justice and
Equality
Transfer of Family Mediation Service into the
Legal Aid Board
Completed November 2011
APPENDIX 2
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 54
Rationalisations with legislative or administrative changes underway across
82 bodies
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Education and
Skills
Reduce Number of VECs from 33 to 16 Enabling Bill is currently before Dáil
Jobs, Enterprise
and Innovation
Rationalise the industrial relations /
employee rights institutions (Labour
Court, Labour Relations Commission,
National Employment Rights Authority,
Employment Appeals Tribunal, Equality
Tribunal)
Signi?cant progress has been achieved
to date on an administrative basis in
building the new two tier-model pending
drafting of the legislation the general
scheme of which has been approved by
Government
Amalgamate the Competition Authority
and National Consumer Agency
Draft Heads of Bill approved and is in
the Government’s Spring Legislative
Programme
Establish the scope to merge Forfás into
the Department of Jobs, Enterprise &
Innovation
An Implementation Group, comprising
senior management from the
Department, Forfás and D/PER is
overseeing the integration project.
Review of 35 City and County Enterprise
Boards
The bill to dissolve the existing CEB
structure and transfer functions
to Enterprise Ireland is in the
Government’s Spring Legislative
Programme .
Justice and
Equality
Merge Equality Authority with the
Human Rights Commission to form new
Commission
The measure is currently being
progressed on an administrative basis
prior to enactment of the necessary
legislation -Draft Heads of a Bill
approved
Arts, Heritage and
the Gaeltacht
Combine Irish Museum of Modern Art,
Crawford Art Gallery & National Gallery
of Ireland.
Framework for Cooperation & Improved
Services agreed.
Merge National Archives & Irish
Manuscripts Commission, into National
Library & shared services with National
Museum
New model of shared services and
governance developed which will be
put into effect on an administrative
basis pending enactment of enabling
legislation
Merge functions of An Coimisinéir
Teanga with Ombudsman Of?ce.
Necessary legislative proposals to
advance this are expected in Q1 2013
APPENDIX 2
Programme for Government Annual Report March 2013 PAGE 55
DEPARTMENT BODY AND ACTION STATUS
Transport,
Tourism and Sport
Merge NRA with Railway Procurement
Agency
General Scheme of Bill will be submitted
to Government in Q1 2013
Merger of National Sports Campus
Development Authority with the Irish
Sports Council
Draft General Scheme of Bill to be
submitted to Government in Q1 2013.
Review Role of Shannon Development
(Tourism) and possible merger into Fáilte
Ireland
Proposals for merger approved by
Government and will be implemented by
Q2 2013
Communications,
Energy and
Natural Resources
Merge the Digital Hub Development
Authority with Dublin City Council
Merger implemented on an
administrative basis pending legislation
Children and
Youth Affairs
Merge back-of?ce functions of
Ombudsman for Children with
Information Commissioner
Shared services model to be
implemented.
Merge Family Support Agency into new
Child and Family Support Agency
Drafting of required legislation is well
underway
Health Merge Opticians Boards with the Health
and Social Care Professionals Council
A working Group is advancing this
proposal.
APPENDIX 2
Department of the Taoiseach
doc_259772323.pdf