Weekly Newsletter Issue 420 07/10/16

A note from the Editor

Ahead of what appears will be a very busy Autumn/Winter session for the Houses of the , Public Affairs Ireland will now be releasing our weekly update on a Friday afternoon. These updates will include the Oireachtas schedule for the following week, notes about issues to be discussed and a Notice of Appointments section. We hope you will continue to read the update, and that you will find this change useful and beneficial to your business.

Any questions, suggestions or comments can be directed to Shauna at [email protected].

Notice of Appointments

Wednesday 5 October The appointment of Paul Lynam (formerly of Siemens) and Alf Smiddy (formerly of Beamish) to the Board of ESB has been approved by the Government. Denis Naughten TD, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, welcomed the appointments. Each appointment will last five years.

Thursday 6 October Current UCD Vice President Prof. Desmond Fitzgerald will replace Don Barry as President of the University of . Prof. Fitzgerald is a medical graduate of UCD. He has previously held management roles at the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. His new role is effective as of May 2017.

Budget to dominate Dáil next week

Next week’s Dáil debates will be dominated by Budget 2017. The Government’s Budget announcement is due to take place on Tuesday 11 October. The days following that will feature discussions of the budgetary measures throughout the upper house. As is customary, “[t]here shall be no Private Members’ Business slots during Budget week”, on either Wednesday or Thursday. It is expected that the Budget will feature the following: • Cut to Tax Credits for large earners; • Cuts to the USC; • Increase in excise on diesel fuel; • Increase in Minimum Wage; • Increase in State pension; • Increase in tax on cigarettes; • Increased spending on infrastructure and services; • Tax concessions for self-employed; and • Various concessions and aids to alleviate the housing problem. With Theresa May’s announcement of a date for the trigger of Article 50, there will be a focus on the economic ramifications it may have on Ireland. This will be reflected in the Government’s budget, according to An Taoiseach this week. The “Brexit-proofing measures in the Budget” are expected to include protective measures for small businesses that export to the UK. At Public Affairs Ireland

On the Blog New Politics — “It may not be perfect, but it is right” Conference Report Read here

Dismantling JobBridge can pave the way to better workplace activation schemes Niall Shanahan Read here

Brexit and the Bratislava Declaration Tom Ferris Read here

Towards an Outcomes-Based Approach in the Public Service NCB NI Read here

Training

Report Writing Certificate in Public Sector Corporate Tuesday 11 October Governance 9am to 1pm Two-day course, 9am to 4pm More information Tuesday 18 and 25 October More information Minute Taking Wednesday 12 October Certificate in Freedom of Information 9am to 1pm Wednesday 19 October More information 9am to 5pm More information Certificate in Regulatory Investigations, Inspections and Prosecutions Mediation Skills for Public Sector Managers Three-day course, 9.30am to 4pm Two-day course, 9.30am to 4pm Wednesday 12, 19 and 26 October Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October More information More information This week in Dáil Éireann

Tuesday 11 October Wednesday 12 October

1.00 p.m. 11.30 a.m. Budget 2017 Statements Leaders’ Questions (FF, SF, LAB, AAA-PBP, FF, RIG) 12.18 p.m. 9.30 p.m. Leaders’ Speeches on Budget 2017 SOS 4.18 p.m. 10.00 p.m. SOS Financial Resolutions 5.30 p.m. Budget Speeches (resumed) 12.00 a.m. Dáil Adjourns 10.00 p.m. Dáil Adjourns

Thursday 13 October

11.30 a.m. Leaders’ Questions (FF, SF, I4C, RIG, SF, SD-GP)

12.18 p.m. Budget Speeches (resumed)

4.00 p.m Topical Issues

5.48 p.m. Dáil Adjourns This week in Seanad Éireann

Tuesday 11 October Wednesday 12 October

3.30 p.m. 10.30 a.m. Order of Business Commencement Matters 11.30 a.m. 5.00 p.m. Order of Business Statements on Budget 2017 12.45 p.m. 7.00 p.m. Private Members Business - Seanad Bill 2016 – Second Stage Seanad Adjourns (resumed) (Senators Michael McDowell and and and Gerard P Craughwell and and Joan Freeman and Alice-Mary Higgins and and Rónán Mullen and Grace O’Sullivan and Pádraig Ó Céidigh and ) 4.00 p.m. Private Members Business - Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016 - Second Stage (Senators Rose Conway-Walsh, Máire Devine, , Pádraig MacLochlainn, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Niall Ó Donnghaile, ) 6.00 p.m. Statements on Judicial Appointments and Threatened Industrial Action by An Garda Síochána (Tánaiste and Minister for Justice & Equality) 7.00 p.m. Seanad Adjourns

Thursday 13 October

10.30 a.m. Commencement Matters

11.30 a.m. Order of Business

1.30 p.m. Statements on the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Commission (Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation)

3.00 p.m. Seanad Adjourns This week’s Committee Meetings

Tuesday 11 October Wednesday 12 October

Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Joint) Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Joint) CR4, LH 2000 5 p.m. (T)(M) CR1, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) AGENDA: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals: COM (2016) 479 and AGENDA: (i) Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposal Schedule A COM (2016) 482 (Greenhouse Gas Emissions). COM(2016)543 [Officials from the Department of Communications, Climate Action (ii) What it takes to sustain a viable rural community [Representatives and Environment; and Representatives from the Environmental of LEADER partnership groups from: Fingal; South Kerry; Kildare; Protection Agency] Meath; Monaghan; Roscommon and West ] Future of Healthcare (Select) CR4, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) AGENDA: International Health Care Systems [Dr. Josep Figueras, Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies] Justice and Equality (Joint) CR2, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) AGENDA: Priorities for An Garda Síochána in the near future [Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan] Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Joint) CR3, LH 2000 9.30 a.m. (T) AGENDA: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 [ Officials from the Department of Housing, Planning, Thursday 13 October Community and Local Government; and Representatives from the Irish Planning Institute and Threshold]

Education and Skills (Joint) Dáil Procedure CR1, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) Room 2 (off the Main Hall), Leinster House 6 p.m. AGENDA: (i) Scrutiny of EU legislative proposals: AGENDA: Private Meeting Schedule A: COM(2016)532; COM(2016)381; COM(2016)382; COM(2016)383 Schedule B: COM(2016)490; COM(2016)554 (ii) Motions regarding the 10% loss of marks in the Junior Certificate English Examination for students in ASTI staffed schools [Deputy Thomas Byrne and Deputy Catherine Martin] (iii) Non-payment of maintenance grants to students attending private higher education colleges [Representatives from Wake Up SUSI]and; (iv) Engagement with Mr. Michael Horgan, Chairperson Designate, Higher Education Authority (HEA) Health (Joint) CR4, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) AGENDA: (i) Scrutiny of EU legislative proposals: Schedule A COM(2016)547 and Schedule B COM(2016)548 (ii) Briefing on Open Disclosure [Officials from the Department of Health] Public Accounts CR3, LH 2000 9 a.m. (T) AGENDA: Session A: 9 a.m. (i) Business of the Committee; and (ii) 2014 Appropriation Accounts Vote 9 2015 Appropriation Accounts Vote 9 2015 C&AG Report Chapter 12: Tackling Fuel Laundering Chapter 15: Taxpayer Compliance Revenue Account 2015 [Officials from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners] Session B: 2.30 pm Examination of Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 94: National Asset Management Agency’s sale of Project Eagle (continued) [Mr. Brian Rowntree – Former Member of Northern Ireland Advisory Committee] Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (Joint) CR2, LH 2000 10 a.m. (T) AGENDA: (i) Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals COMs (2016) 551 & 557; and (ii) Methodology used to calculate National Economic Output [Mr. Padraig Dalton, Director- General, Central Statistics Office] Dáil Business Room 2 (off the Main Hall), Leinster House 10.15 a.m. AGENDA: Private Meeting Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Joint) CR2, LH 2000 2.30 p.m. (T) AGENDA: Issues surrounding the recent reappointment of the CEO of Horse Racing Ireland [Mr. Joe Keeling, Chairperson and Board Members of Horse Racing Ireland] Brexit: implications for public policy and public administration in Ireland

Friday 21 October, 9.00am to 1.00pm, The Alexander Hotel. Keynote Speaker: Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture

“Every Government Minister, every department & every agency is treating Brexit as its top priority.” – An Taoiseach

Amongst the slew of Brexit events planned for the coming weeks, Public Affairs Ireland’s morning conference is the only one that will address the implications of Brexit on the Irish public service, and governing in Ireland.

To book, visit our website here You can also call us on 01 819 8500