Irish Water has today published its Proposed Capital Investment Plan for 2014 to 2016. Investment is prioritised where it can deliver the most urgently needed improvements in drinking water quality, leakage, water availability, wastewater compliance, efficiencies and customer service. It is proposed to deliver/progress over 380 projects under the Plan which has been submitted to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) for consideration.

Irish Water estimates that €1.77 billion will be required to deliver on the objectives of the 2014-2016 Capital Investment Plan (CIP). The current indicative funding available to Irish Water is €1.2 billion which includes the additional €200 million announced by the Government last week. This brings funding up from current levels of €310m in 2014 to €410m in 2015 and 2016…to continue reading, click here.

To access the Proposed Capital Investment Plan directly, go here.

For details of plans specific to the Dublin region, go here.

And, for a list of the proposed schemes nationwide, click here.

The government has agreed at cabinet to establish a new Oireachtas committee with the special purpose of conducting a banking inquiry.

On the Public Accounts Committee, I represented Fine Gael on a sub-committee tasked with drafting a roadmap for holding a public banking inquiry. This 300 page document explains what we already know, identifies the gaps in our knowledge and poses 276 questions that need to be answered. It also lays out the process of such an investigation in the necessary phases. This report can be accessed here.

The PAC will not be tasked with holding the coming banking inquiry.

This week it was announced that:

– the inquiry will be conducted under the Government’s recently enacted Oireachtas inquiries legislation;

– the inquiry will be carried out by a dedicated Joint Oireachtas Committee to be established for that purpose;

– the Committee will be chaired by Deputy Ciaran Lynch and be composed of 7 T.D.s and 2 Senators;

– a motion to establish the inquiry will be put before the Dáil on Tuesday 6 May 2014, with the committee moving immediately to draft proposals for its terms of reference.

I have put my name forward to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to sit on this special committee.

On Tuesday the Government took a number of actions on Garda reform:

Commission of Investigation
The Government decided to appoint Mr Justice Nial Fennelly, currently serving as a Judge of the Supreme Court, as Chair of the Commission of Investigation.

The Government also discussed draft terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation.

It was agreed that the Commission of Investigation should examine all matter of public concern relating to the issue of taping of conversations in Garda stations.

The full terms of reference will be finalised shortly, in consultation with Mr Justice Fennelly.

These terms of reference will be subject to approval by Dáil Éireann.

The administrative preparations for the formal establishment of the Commission of Investigation have been commenced.

Other Legal Issues Relating to Taping in Garda Stations
The Government also decided that An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice & Equality should

– ensure the retention and preservation of all tapes
– complete a full inventory of all tapes
– devise arrangements to ensure that tapes can be accessed, as required and in accordance with the law

The Government noted that the President of the High Court has issued an instruction in the matter.

The Government also received a briefing on the latest position in the specific case related to Bandon Garda Station which has given rise to particular concern. The specific legal issues in this case will be dealt with through the courts.

The Government noted that two other inquiries relating to An Garda Síochána and its oversight (the Cooke and Guerin inquiries) are to be completed later this month.

A new Cabinet Committee on Justice Reform will be established immediately to oversee the development of proposals for an independent police authority, and other associated reforms to the policing and justice system.

The Cabinet Committee will be chaired by the Taoiseach and its membership will include the Tánaiste and the Minister for Justice & Equality.

It will make formal proposals to the Government for its consideration and final approval.

The Government also agreed that it is important that there be a full public debate on the issue of policing and justice reform. It will therefore bring forward proposals for a public consultation process in the coming weeks.

The Government’s intention is to have new structures, including the appointment of a new Garda Commissioner by open competition and the establishment of a new independent policing authority, in place later this year.

Today the Government approved the drafting of the Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill 2014. This legislation will reform the school admission process at primary and secondary level.

The majority of schools – 80% – are able to admit all  pupils who apply for enrolment and the changes envisaged in the Bill will have little affect here.

But for the 20% of schools that are currently over-subscribed, and the parents who find themselves grappling with this issue, the reforms will play an important role.

You can read more details about these reforms here. 

Update: Hugo MacNeill, former Irish and Lions international, has been selected to Chair the Working Group. An excellent choice in my opinion. Scroll down to watch our debate in the Dáil today.

Tomorrow Ministers Varadkar and Ring will announce the person to chair the Working Group in preparation for Ireland’s proposed bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

The Working Group is made up of a number of representative bodies and key stakeholders in the bid.

Today we had the opportunity to question Minister Ring further on the current developments following meetings with ministerial counterparts in the North and the establishment of the Working Group. The Working Group will hold its first meeting on Tuesday 25th February.

Click here to watch our debate in the Dáil today.

The government’s announcement of a further suite of Dáil reforms today is welcome and demonstrates a key point about this government: that it is a reforming government.

Reform of Dáil Éireann has been a key priority of mine as an elected TD, and I believe that being a member of the government backbenches places a particular responsibility on my colleagues and I to drive the reform programme through.

In March of this year I produced a detailed pamphlet outlining some simple ideas to radically improve the performance of our parliament – you can read the pamphlet here.

Some of the improvements announced today include: debating committee reports in the Dáil chamber, expanding the current Oireachtas committee pre-legislative stage, introducing a specific week annually to scrutinise departmental objectives for the coming year, improvements to ministerial question time, and greater scrutiny of EU matters.

These changes will significantly change the operation of Dáil Éireann and the work that its TDs do on your behalf.

Unfortunately what you won’t see mentioned is any loosening of the Whip System, or the introduction of a budgetary scrutiny committee, similar to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office in the US, to assist Dáil members in considering budgetary matters independently on a year-round basis. Nor is there any mention of changes to the Office of Ceann Comhairle as put forward recently be the Chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, Charlie Flanagan TD.

The good fight continues!

For details of the changes announced today, click here (Dáil Reform Briefing Document) and here (Reform Progress Report).

The Minister for Education yesterday announced the introduction of measures to maintain the level of resource teachers for children with special educational needs at 2012/2013 levels. The Minister has secured cabinet agreement to release 500 additional special needs teaching posts to cope with the 12% surge in applications from schools. Having been in contact with both parents and schools about the potential implications of the proposed reductions, it’s clear that this is a very welcome decision.

A working group will also be established to examine the reasons for this 12% increase in demand and to develop a new model for allocating resource teachers to schools from 2013/2014. This group is due to report in September and will include both parents and special needs advocates. This is the third year in a row that the Government has maintained spending on special needs education at €1.3billion and that the number of Special Needs Assistants and Resource Teachers has been protected. 

The Government has launched a new €175million Seed and Venture Capital Scheme 2013-2018 aimed at providing additional funding for high-growth Irish companies with the potential to generate large amounts of additional export sales and create new jobs.

Today the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD issued the first call for Expressions of Interest from venture capital funds seeking investment, and advertisements will appear in newspapers from this weekend. Minister Bruton is targeting an additional €525million in funding from the private sector, which will mean a total of €700million available for investment over the lifetime of the Scheme. It is expected that the average initial venture investment in a company made by the funds targeted under this call could be of the order of €2million.

This first call for expressions of interest will see Enterprise Ireland committing up to €100m to venture capital funds targeting investment in the wider ICT and life sciences sectors. It is expected that over the lifetime of the scheme it will benefit hundreds of Irish companies, generate tens of millions of euros in additional export sales and create thousands of jobs. Further expressions of interest will be issued over the next two years.

The Scheme is part of a series of new funding mechanisms put in place by this Government, which will make available a total of more than €2billion in additional non-bank lending for Irish businesses:

· €850million through three SME funds from the NPRF

· €450million credit guarantee scheme

· €90million micro-finance scheme

· €225million development capital scheme

· €10million international start-up fund

· €120million second call under Innovation Fund Ireland

Today’s announcement marks the delivery of a key commitment under Action Plan for Jobs 2013.

Further details on the Seed and Venture Capital Scheme click here.

For more information on the Governments Action Plan for Jobs click here.

Today the Network for Responsible Business – Business in the Community Ireland is launching its website www.bitc.ie. This website will allow you to find out about the positive social impacts that businesses are having in your area. In Dublin alone, 1,981 Partnerships are being supported by 46 Companies, donating a total of €13,753,480 in cash, products and services. A total of 77,614 hours have also been volunteered.

Click here on the interactive map to see what’s happening in your area.

SOFIA, 13 May 2013 – Bulgaria’s early parliamentary elections on 12 May were held in a competitive environment, fundamental freedoms were respected, and the administration of elections was well managed, although the campaign was overshadowed by a number of incidents that diminished trust in state institutions and the process was negatively affected by pervasive allegations of vote-buying, international observers said in a statement today.

The campaign was competitive and generally free of violence, and the caretaker government undertook several measures to hold genuine elections. Cases of pre-election wiretapping and concerns over last-minute incidents related to ballot security, however, weakened public confidence in the process. The campaign was at times negative, with some parties using inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric. Allegations of vote-buying continued, negatively affecting the campaign environment, the international observers noted.

“Voters had a genuine choice in a competitive campaign, and the authorities made real steps to uphold the integrity of the election, but scandals and the recent discovery of additional ballot papers without proper explanation undermined people’s faith in the political system and, more worryingly, made them question the process itself,” said Eoghan Murphy, the Special Co-ordinator who led the short-term OSCE observer mission. “When you look at the mistrust that exists between political parties, and at the current economic difficulties, this is a negative development.”

“The lack of public confidence in the electoral process and the alienation of too many Bulgarians from their public institutions remains a matter of concern,” said Andreas Gross, the Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “All those who have been elected have to address this in order to overcome the social and political crisis with which the Bulgarian people are confronted.”

The process was well-administered by the Central Election Commission (CEC), which generally worked in an open manner, although providing more information on the times of all of its sessions and the basis for its decisions would have improved transparency, the statement said. There were some concerns expressed about the independence of lower election commissions, but the posting of CEC sessions on the Internet was a welcome transparency measure.

“It is only through democratic institutions that social, economic and political changes can be addressed effectively. In many countries we see systematic attacks on the credibility of the democratic institution of elections. It is not acceptable that, in order to win elections – the basis of democracy – elections are damaged,” said Roberto Battelli, the Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation. “Genuine efforts at holding democratic elections that we have seen here are not enough, and addressing this must be a top priority for both national and international actors.”

The legal framework for the elections generally provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections when implemented properly. While some recommendations made by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe were adopted in recent amendments to the Electoral Code, others remained unaddressed. Legal provisions on campaign financing could ensure a more transparent system, the statement said.

Although the media landscape during the campaign was pluralistic, media ownership lacks transparency. Public broadcasters and some private media granted contestants free airtime on popular election-related programmes, but a significant share of the campaign information had to be paid for, creating an unlevel playing field for candidates and limiting public media’s role in providing voters with a broad range of information. Paid campaign information was not always clearly labeled as such, potentially misleading voters about the sources of election-related messages.

Election day took place in a calm and orderly manner, with polling station openings and voting mostly assessed positively, although the counting of ballots was more problematic in a number of cases. Tabulation, overall, was positive. The large number of proxies and observers present enhanced transparency.

“There were serious violations during this campaign. These have to be thoroughly investigated and those responsible prosecuted,” said Miklós Haraszti, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission. “In order to restore the trust of Bulgarian citizens in their democratic process, the cycle of impunity must be broken.”

Click here to view the Press Conference.

For the full post-election statement, click here