In this week’s Public Policy bulletin read about a Cabinet update on expenditure management and spending strategy ahead of Ireland's Budget 2022, the publication of revised guidance for the Irish public sector on green public procurement, a launch date for the Northern Ireland High Street scheme to stimulate the economy, and the flagship initiatives announced in the State of the European Union Address.
Expenditure management and spending strategy for Budget 2022
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, this week updated Cabinet on expenditure management and spending strategy for Budget 2022.
Expenditure figures from the end of August show overall State spending was €53.4 billion which is 2.6 percent higher than expenditure for the same period in 2020.
Capital spending in the period to the end of August amounts to 36 percent of the capital expenditure allocation for the year, and the Budget Estimates for 2022 will include a €4.2 billion increase in core expenditure, comprising €3.1 billion in current expenditure and €1.1 billion in capital expenditure.
Commenting, Minister McGrath pointed to the Government’s focus “on delivering in respect of the key commitment in the Programme for Government in the areas of Health, Housing and Climate Change, and other pressing challenges” and announced that by 2023, it is intended that Government borrowing would only be for capital investment purposes.
Green Public Procurement the Public Sector – revised guidance
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published its revised Green Public Procurement: Guidance for the Public Sector this week. This guidance provides step-by-step instructions and criteria for implementing green public procurement in line with policy and legislation for use when procuring goods and services across the public sector.
Originally published in 2014 the guidance has been substantially revised, to bring it up to date with Irish and EU policy and legislation. While the guidance is aimed primarily at those responsible for procurement in the public sector in central and local government, state agencies and other public bodies, it will also be of interest to the private sector when responding to tenders or applying green criteria in their own procurement.
Launching the publication at the EPA’s Circular Economy Conference 2021, Minister of State Ossian Smyth, TD, commented that “This new guidance from the EPA will be of assistance to all public servants who find themselves procuring goods and services by providing practical support on how to include realistic and measurable green targets in their contracts with suppliers.”
For more details visit the EPA’s website.
Northern Ireland High Street Scheme
The Northern Ireland High Street Scheme (HSS), previously covered in this bulletin, is to open for applications via an online portal from 27 September to 25 October. Under the scheme everyone aged 18 and over in Northern Ireland will be eligible for a pre-paid card worth £100 to spend on their local high street. The scheme is intended to provide a boost to the economy in the wake of the devastation of the coronavirus lockdowns.
The cards will be issued in the week beginning 4 October and can until 30 November. More information on the scheme is available on the DfE website.
State of the Union: European Commission proposes a Path to the Digital Decade to deliver the EU’s digital transformation by 2030
The European Commission is proposing a new concrete plan to achieve the digital transformation of European society and its economy by 2030.
The ‘Path to the Digital Decade’ will translate the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030 into a concrete delivery mechanism and plans include improvements in the areas of digital skills, digital infrastructures, digitalisation of businesses and public services.. The ambitions were announced on the day of the State of the Union 2021. Every year in September, the President of the European Commission delivers the ‘State of the Union’ address before the European Parliament, taking stock of the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. This week President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her second State of the Union address, and announced flagship initiatives, including:
- improving vaccination efforts in Europe and globally, and strengthening pandemic preparedness
- working with global partners to close the climate finance gap
- ensuring fairer working conditions and better healthcare, and creating more opportunities for Europe’s youth to benefit from the European social market economy
- stepping up cooperation on security and defence, and deepening EU’s partnership with closest allies
- defending European values and freedoms and protecting the rule of law.
The full speech can be accessed here.
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