Emer Higgins
Dublin Mid-West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“With regard to the background, and as the Senator has touched on, this project was designed on the basis of a 30-year operational lease, with the primary objective of delivering value for money over the lifetime of that lease.”
“Regarding the specific situation in Castlebar that the Senator has raised, Tusla has indicated that following careful consideration, including extensive negotiations, which he referred to, and legal mediation with the developers, it was unable to reach an agreement.”
“They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops.”
“The strongest projects are those that invest in feasibility studies, site assessments, stakeholder engagement and detailed design from the outset, because decisions made at the earliest stage often have the greatest impact on cost, quality and operational performance.”
“As a result, it made a significant uplift on its original offer. The additional increase sought could not be justified, however, when benchmarked against comparable projects across both Tusla and the HSE. That comes back to the value-for-money argument.”
“Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable.”
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“I thank the Senator. Demand for passports is increasing. That is happening throughout the country and in the Senator’s region too. Given that Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and Farranfore Airport are in the region, I can appreciate that there are people who want to be able to collect and go straight to the airport, but the message from the passport service is not to rely on an urgent turnaround time and to apply on time. Demand for passports is, as I have said, increasing quite dramatically. Due to the Department's vigilant monitoring of passports and proactive management of resources, the passport service is now in a position to meet the forecasted demand for 2025. The Senator mentioned in her opening remarks that the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, spoke about plans to move the passport service in Cork to a new building.”
“He assures me he is satisfied that the current passport online service and production capacity meets the need of passport applicants. We will continue to consider ways in which we can enhance this service going forward.”
“While I appreciate that the Senator is not satisfied with the turnaround time in Cork being so different from the turnaround time in Dublin, it is still a four-day turnaround time. Therefore, it should help people. I reiterate that just 1% to 2% of passport applications we deal with require an urgent appointment service. For those reasons, a business case cannot be made to invest the required level of funds to facilitate the very small proportion of applicants who wish to have their passport renewed within a one-day timeframe in Cork. I appreciate that is not the news that the Senator or Councillor Rory Cocking is looking for, but it is the business case I have been asked to outline on behalf of the Tánaiste.”
“An Tánaiste is satisfied that the printing capacity of production equipment currently employed by the passport service is sufficient to meet both the current and the projected future demands for passports. The passport service estimates that the initial capital cost of purchasing and installing a new printer and mailing machine would be in the region of €5.3 million. In addition to that capital investment, these highly sophisticated machines require expert engineers to be on site when they are in operation to maintain and serve the machines and to repair them when necessary. The running and maintenance costs alone are estimated to be approximately €600,000 per year. The public offices of the passport service in Dublin 2 and in Cork, as the Senator mentioned, operate an urgent appointment service for renewals.”
“This workforce planning ability has allowed the passport service to maintain its current turnaround times in the face of what are really increased demands. The passport service operates three passport book printing machines, and as the Senator said, two of those machines are located in the main production facility in the Balbriggan campus, and the third machine is located in the Dublin 2 office. All three machines are currently located in Dublin. The printing and dispatching of passports is, as Members are aware, a highly automated process in what is essentially an industrial production system. All production facilities can print passports irrespective of the channel through which the application is processed. We can now print 250 passports per hour through each printer.”
“Passport online is a user-friendly, efficient service. Over 93% of all passport applications are now made through the passport online channel, which is available to 99.9% of applicants. Almost half of adults now renew online, and that is the vast majority of passport applications. In that instance, most are processed within two working days. To achieve these types of results and continue to improve the service, the Department has made a huge investment in the passport service. The passport service employs a total of 848 staff, which represents 97% of the approved staffing target for this year. Additionally, where necessary, the passport service offers voluntary overtime to staff to ensure service continuity.”
“I thank Senator Lynch for tabling this Commencement matter, which I am taking on behalf of An Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris. The passport service is successfully meeting current demand for passports. To date this year, the passport service has issued more than 536,000 passport books and cards. As the Senator said, last year was a very strong year in terms of the number of passports delivered. The customer service hub is responding to almost 12,000 phone and webchat queries every week. The passport online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This award-winning service has allowed for the centralisation of passport processing, which has resulted in greater efficiencies for our citizens across the country and for the passport service.”
“There will be evaluations as this continues. I reassure the Deputy that it will form a strong basis that will inform future policy as regards the direction for all small schools. That feeds into the delivery of this important programme for Government commitment we have. As regards the new administrative supports, there are currently trial roles being actively recruited in two of the six clusters, which is really interesting. We will be able to evaluate that. It will look at things like leadership and governance, at both primary and post-primary level, and will all be about supporting school leaders and the school communities better. As the Deputy said, the small schools pilot will be really interesting for us to learn from and, hopefully, to be able to get learnings that we can roll out right throughout Ireland.”
“Department officials, in conjunction and in consultation with education partners, are examining the current policies and practices to see what elements are serving school communities well and what elements can be improved on. The Deputy put it very well herself when she said we want teachers to be able to do what they do best, that is, to teach, which is what they are passionate about. We want to empower them to be able to do that. The Deputy mentioned the small schools project. To give her an update on that, the feedback from the 26 small schools has been really positive. That is reflected in the interim evaluation report, which is due to be published by the Department shortly. The independent review identifies potential areas for closer collaboration and an analysis of the scalability of actions already undertaken.”
“I thank the Deputy for sharing her own experience, which is so relevant. Ultimately, the existing models of leadership and governance in our schools place a burden on school principals as well as boards of management and the sector as a whole. It is a very difficult balance to strike to get the appropriate level of checks and balances which are critical for both our students and the industry and to make sure we are not overburdening principals, in particular, and school leaders. Recognising these challenges, the Department of Education and Youth is now putting an increased focus on leadership and governance at school level and across the sector nationally.”
“We want to build on the strengths of the system, to address challenges that will support our school communities and to be responsive to the needs of students in an increasingly complex world. The programme for Government commits to a trial of new administrative support for principals and boards of management to assist with demands faced and to support school leaders in rebalancing some of their time towards leading teaching and learning. Planning for this trial is now at an advanced stage.”
“Budget 2024 provided for an additional 500 additional assistant principal II posts for the current school year while budget 2025 provided for the equivalent of 500 assistant principal II posts, being distributed as 110 assistant principal I posts and 251 assistant principal II posts for the purposes of fully restoring all posts of responsibility in primary schools. A revised post of responsibility schedule issued to schools in April to reflect the increase in posts of responsibility available to schools for the coming school year. In examining leadership, the Department of Education and Youth is acutely aware that we need to protect what works well in our school systems and what serves so many of our young people so well.”
“As well as general teaching post improvements, a new leadership framework, introduced back in 2017, allows for flexibility in identifying and prioritising the evolving leadership and management needs of a school. This shared leadership model supports school leaders in the overall management and operation of schools. It provides for the assignment and reassignment of post holders to specific roles and responsibilities to meet a school's evolving needs. Today, one in three primary school teachers holds a management position.”
“This has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of one classroom teacher to every 23 pupils in all primary schools. That is the lowest level ever seen at primary level. In addition, the threshold at which a teaching principal becomes an administrative principal has been reduced from an enrolment of 176 pupils to 169 pupils. That is something the Deputy will be particularly interested in given that she queried the role and workload of teaching principals in particular. Budget 2022 ensured that each teaching principal having a minimum of one release day per week became a permanent feature in all schools. Schools with one special class received four additional release days while schools with two special classes have administrative principal status.”
“A review of leadership supports is currently in development, as committed to in the programme for Government. I hope that is welcome news for the Deputy given that it was the thrust of what she asked for this evening. This review will examine current resourcing, distributed leadership, administrative and advisory supports, and professional learning supports for school leaders. Extensive consultation with stakeholders will inform this work. The numbers employed in our schools will reach their highest ever level in this current school year. There are over 42,900 teaching posts allocated across the primary school system. This represents an increase of just over 5,000 teachers when compared with 2019-20. In three of the recent budgets, priority was given to reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary school by one point each year.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is raised with many of us in this House by principals up and down the country whose jobs are constantly evolving and constantly getting more challenging. I really appreciate the Deputy raising this here today. The role of schools within communities is crucial and the Minister for Education and Youth, on whose behalf I am taking this Topical Issue, acknowledges the contribution made daily by all school leaders in the operation of our schools. International evidence is clear on the vital impact school leaders have on student outcomes and on leading teaching and learning in our schools. To ensure our school leaders are supported in an increasingly complex environment both now and into the future, Department officials are examining how best to support school leaders.”
“These provide support and assistance to families and early learning and childcare providers. That network can assist in identifying vacant places in services for the children and families who need them and in engaging proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services that already exist, especially where there is unmet need locally. Parents experiencing difficulty with regard to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local city or county childcare committee for assistance. On the Deputy's wider point and páistecare, I was in the Chamber when her colleague raised it with the Tánaiste. He expressed an interest in learning more about it. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Foley, will be as well.”
“It offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand, projected demand and current demand. The programme for Government also commits to planning the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme. Some early scoping work has already been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision, which I know is something the Deputy is particularly interested in. More detailed and extensive policy development and design is ongoing to progress to the next stage, the implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the programme for Government. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Department also funds 30 city and county childcare committees.”
“I thank the Deputy and her colleague for the work they are doing on this issue. The Government is committed to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. I will take her recommendation for a cross-party committee to the Minister, Deputy Foley. The programme for Government commits, for the first time ever, to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned early learning and childcare facilities. This will create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. That is the trajectory we are on and we are very clear about it. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development.”
“When completed, these projects will deliver 1,500 additional full-time childcare places for one- to three-year-olds. The Deputy is absolutely right in her comments on the impact of access to high-quality, affordable childcare on gender equality in the workplace. That is why we need to support parents, providers and those working to build their career in the sector. When I was Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I got the opportunity to work with some of the organisations that represent our childcare workers. I was delighted to sign some of the new statutory instruments into effect relating to their wages. It is really important that we continue to invest in the sector, whether in the physical buildings, through core funding for service providers or by way of funding for childcare workers.”
“The Government continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of core funding, which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. It provides stability to services and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an existing one. We must do this to support childcare providers. The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The building blocks extension grant scheme is designed to increase capacity in the one- to three-year-old cohort, the pre—early childhood care and education category and in the age range for full daycare. The Minister has approved 50 applications to progress to the next stage of the building blocks extension grant scheme.”
“The Tusla register of services demonstrates a net increase of 226 in the numbers of registered early learning and childcare services last year. That is really positive because it shows it is a growing sector that is ambitious to, and is designed to, meet the forward demands. A forward planning model is in development by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. It will be central to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system, with State-led facilities adding capacity to what already exists. As the Deputy rightly said, that is something many of the parties campaigned for during the most recent election.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for sharing her own experience. It is really important that we, as female parliamentarians, share our experience. It is inspiring for others who may follow in her footsteps that the Deputy has done so. The challenge of providing accessible childcare is very much real. The Deputy outlined the issues many of her constituents face. Many of my constituents, and some of my friends, are in the same boat, having to put down the names of children who are not yet born or named for childcare places. This is not ideal and the Government is committed to addressing it. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. That is a fact. Data from the annual early years sector profile for 2023-24 shows the estimated number of enrolments increased by 19% from two years previously.”
“Earlier this year, the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and the Department of Justice launched a new merged and expanded youth diversion project in Rathkeale and west Limerick, along with the opening of two new projects in nearby east Clare and north Tipperary. We will achieve the target set out in the youth justice strategy of full national coverage of youth diversion projects. These are also an important part of what the Deputy spoke about earlier in relation to the social aspects of this and the need to invest not just in policing strategies but also in services underneath them. From the perspective of criminal assets, there is legislation to strengthen the State's ability to seize criminal assets and to target the proceeds of crime as well and this will also benefit Limerick.”
“They include legislation that has been brought through this House, for example to increase the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life in prison; to tackle those who are directly engaged in gangland and drug-related crime; to enact the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act to criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime; to draft new laws which will provide for the use of biometric technologies, including facial recognition technology; to investigate certain drug offences; and to roll out a support programme to break the link between gangs and the children they recruit.”
“According to the figures that have been provided to me by the Department of Justice, there was a 6% increase in the ten years previous to 2025. In addition to the specific measures I mentioned which are taking place in Limerick - I have gone through the different Garda operations - a number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle organised crime and the crime groups behind those types of acts.”
“-----but that is the latest information we have in relation to that. Deputy Quinlivan raised community gardaí and the need to invest in them. I absolutely hear him and will certainly bring that back to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, on whose behalf I am taking this Topical Issue. At the end of April this year, there were 585 Garda members of all ranks assigned to the Limerick division. I am told that is an increase of almost 6% since the end of the previous decade.”
“I thank the Deputies for raising all of those issues. Regarding the joint policing committees - I too sat on my JPC - as the Deputies will be aware, they are being replaced by the LCSPs. We will get further information on that-----”
“The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which was commenced on 2 April 2025, also provides for area-based neighbourhood community safety forums to facilitate a tailored, targeted and time-limited approach where issues of concern are arising in a more localised format. The Government’s commitment to An Garda Síochána and tackling crime is clear from the allocation of the highest Garda Vote in history, €2.48 billion, in budget 2025. This Government will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities across Limerick and around Ireland are safe and feel safe.”
“The local community safety partnerships, LCSPs, which will operate at each local authority level, are building upon the good work undertaken through the joint policing committees; JPCs, as we would have known them. The objective of the partnerships is to bring the relevant bodies, including An Garda Síochána, together with communities in a collaborative manner by focusing on the concerns identified and prioritised by local people. Each newly established LCSP will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan and will take a strategic approach to its work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner and addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the local community.”
“Limerick is one of three pilot sites for An Garda Síochána’s front-line deployment of body-worn cameras. The use of body-worn cameras is intended to increase public confidence in policing responses by enabling Gardaí to record incidents as they occur and provide evidence of how a particular incident unfolded, thereby providing greater transparency, promoting accountability and deterring criminal activity. We know we cannot solely police our way out of these situations. The best way to tackle the safety issues communities are facing is through An Garda Síochána and other State services partnering with the community to implement tailored solutions.”
“An Garda Síochána has advised the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, that it is carrying out a range of high-visibility and covert operations on an ongoing basis to support public safety in Limerick. Operation Croí has been in place in Limerick city centre, targeting antisocial behaviour and associated offences, including drug-related and traffic-related offences. This Garda operation assists in targeting criminals and the sale and supply of drugs in Limerick city centre. Operation Feabhsaigh was initiated in September 2023 and it has two key priorities, the first of which is law enforcement and crime prevention at King's Island historic quarter, which includes city centre locations. The second priority is dealing with the sale and supply of drugs, open drug use, chronic antisocial behaviour, aggressive begging and crime in St. Mary's Park.”
“I thank both Deputies for raising this cross-party Topical Issue which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I thank them for raising this issue. I was in Limerick city only earlier this week with Senator Maria Byrne and the issue of crime was raised with me by Limerick Chamber of Commerce. Like all decent citizens, I strongly condemn gangland criminality and, in particular, intimidation and threats using firearms and other lethal weapons. People have a right to live safely and feel safe in their homes and communities, and this Government is committed to the principle that everyone, wherever they live in Ireland, should be safe and feel safe.”
“These include issues around the register of electors and postal voting in particular. This is not to say it cannot be done - it absolutely can - but it requires careful thought and preparation, as well as securing a positive result in a referendum. As the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, said in his opening remarks, the Government is not interested in holding a referendum just for the sake of a referendum. We want to hold a referendum if we are in a position to win it. That is why debates like this are so crucial. I want to reassure the Dáil that the Government takes this matter very seriously and will continue to reflect on it, and it will work cross-party to look at this issue in a lot more detail.”
“I must be really clear in stating that extending voting rights in such a way would require a referendum to change the Constitution. The work undertaken by the Convention on the Constitution on voting rights and other matters was important. The issues were well researched and the discussion was mature and transparent. It is a model that others abroad now look to, and rightly so. The issue of extending the franchise for voting in presidential elections simply is not straightforward. The detailed 2017 options paper on the matter prepared by the Department of housing, planning, community and local government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade considered a range of policy, legal and logistical matters that we need to be mindful of and that need legal consideration.”
“The question today is not just about identity but also about citizenship. It is about ensuring the rights of everyone on this island are respected. That is paramount to maximising the benefits of the Good Friday Agreement and moving towards a more peaceful and reconciled society. I, too, was pleased the issue of voting rights in Irish presidential elections was debated recently in the Northern Ireland Assembly, during which a number of important aspects were touched on. Not least among these were the principles enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement regarding identity. On a practical level, however, the complexity involved in the implementation of the recommendations of the Convention on the Constitution was noted there also.”
“As we face greater risks from conflict and environmental challenges, our missions remain an important safety net for our citizens who are resident overseas. There has rightly been substantial discussion this evening on Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement makes very clear that the people of Northern Ireland can identify as Irish or British or both. Article 2 of the Constitution, as amended, forms a key part of the agreement and ensures the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland to be part of the Irish nation. This Government and all Governments since 1998 have advocated for and defended that right. We must do so as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and will continue to do that. There are and will continue to be differences in constitutional preference and identity.”
“The expansion of our diplomatic footprint has also provided a platform for greater engagement with our Irish away from home. Whether it is St. Patrick's Day or harnessing the spirit of St. Brigid's Day, supporting Irish business networks abroad or promoting our national games in partnership with the GAA, our embassies and consulates, and indeed our honorary consulates, play a central role in the continued renewal of a meaningful relationship with our diaspora. This engagement will be enhanced as we open new embassies in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Chișinău later this year and new consulates in Malaga and Melbourne early next year. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to our embassy teams who are working at the moment in very difficult circumstances in conflict zones.”
“It is our culture among the new generation and the next generation of our diaspora and we are continuing to see a growing interest in people exploring their Irish citizenship. Demand for foreign-birth registrations, or citizenship by descent, has increased exponentially over the past number of years. Prior to the Brexit referendum, those foreign birth registration applicants amounted to about 5,000 to 6,000 per year, yet last year we had over 40,000 applicants and 50% of those came from Great Britain. The passport service is reviewing the foreign-birth registration application process with a view to improving the service we provide to prospective citizens, including those in our diaspora who have direct familial links through their grandparents.”
“As we look to deepen our relationship with the diaspora, it is right that we continue to take on broad an inclusive definition of what it means to be part of the global Irish family. It is a community that encompasses Irish-born citizens and those whose parents or grandparents were born on the island, those with ancestral ties, as well as an affinity diaspora such as those who once lived, studied or worked here - those who hold a deep appreciation for our people and culture. It will also be important that the new strategy reach out to support those from under-represented groups such as the LGBT community, who are facing uncertainty in many countries across the world, and also to our new and mixed-race Irish and those in the Travelling community. I am so pleased to see the ongoing investment in Irish studies around the world.”
“In today’s challenging climate, when it is vital that we continue to diversify our markets, we are also seeing the global Irish step up and bring the experience, the knowledge and the goodwill of diasporic business networks to support the scale-up of Irish businesses in strategically important locations and sectors. For our part, we will ensure the emigrant support programme continues to invest in projects that foster a sense of community, nurture our identity and culture overseas and that deepen our trade, business and educational links. I welcome the support and work by the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, in undertaking to deliver this new diaspora strategy.”
“I met multigenerational families who have built their lives there. My own brother is an example of someone who has built his life and family abroad in Australia. So many in the diaspora are leaders in their communities and are making real contributions, be it in politics, business or the arts. I met with two ministers in Australia, both of whom have Irish connections and one of whom was born here in Dublin. They are advocates for human rights, inclusion and peace and reconciliation across the globe and we have to be willing to use their skills, access and influence in supporting our Irish both abroad and at home.”
“I was in Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. We all know about the growing Irish communities in that part of the world. Many are successful and are cherishing the experiences of a new life and a new culture abroad. Others, as elsewhere in the world, have a much more challenging experience. In Australia, organisations like the Claddagh Association in Perth and the GAA are working tirelessly with those who find themselves in need of support abroad. The Government, through the emigrant support programme, has invested in the likes of the Claddagh Association since 2009. As a result, we have organisations that work in partnership with our embassy to support our seniors and those who find themselves in crisis abroad. What I also saw in Australia was a diaspora engaged with its new home while also remaining utterly committed to this country.”
“I thank all Members in the House for what was a really interesting discussion on this really important issue. Like my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, I am pleased the Government has not opposed this motion. The Dáil’s engagement on diaspora matters is always welcome and it was really positive to have such good engagement today. Every day, we see the value of the sustained investment in our communities abroad. That was evident in the response of the Irish community to the Covid pandemic, a response of which we as a country should be so proud, as well as more recently during the wildfires in California and, of course, in the many zones of conflict around the world. I saw at first hand the importance of a strong and thriving community when I visited Australia for St. Patrick's Day this year.”
“Yes, and that is something Government is examining in detail. We need to make sure we invest in our digital infrastructure but that we do so in a way that balances our environmental commitments and obligations. We are working very hard to strike the right balance.”
“It has been great to see certain data centres take the lead themselves and not wait for new requirements, for example, using the excess heat from data centres to power public buildings, as South Dublin County Council is doing.”
“I thank the Deputies for their comments. The new Government data centre will provide secure but also green operations that will future-proof the reliable delivery of essential digital services. The intention is to operate a hybrid model utilising a Government data centre that combines Government and commercial cloud technology in an optimised way. That is part of the Government's wider digital strategy. The Government data centre will be a 4 MW facility and obviously, as Deputies have pointed out, all data centres require energy. They are, however, an important part of being able to do business in Ireland and, from a Government perspective, being able to keep all our citizens' information within Ireland and safe. The Government is keen to achieve the decarbonisation of data centres.”
“The next phase of the Government data centre programme will be the internal fit out and that will include the procurement and installation of racks and internal networking. That will begin in June and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. It is expected that the Government data centre will be operational from 2026 onwards and public service bodies will begin transitioning all their ICT infrastructure and services to the data centre from that point.”
“It is also an important element of the Government's strategic framework for fostering technology innovation and excellence across the public services in Ireland. That is something we, as a Government, encourage and recognise continually. In fact, the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and I will tonight do that at the 10th Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards. Following a successful procurement exercise by the OPW in 2022, a preferred bidder was chosen and a contract signed for the construction of the Government data centre in late 2022. The data centre construction project, which is co-funded by the EU's National Resilience and Recovery Programme, started in quarter 1 of 2023 and was successfully completed in early May 2025, earlier this month. The project came in on-budget and on-time.”
“The Government data centre initiative is led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, OGCIO, a division within my Department. It is an action item in the Government’s public service ICT strategy and aims to deliver and centrally support ICT as a shared service rather than have common technical solutions in each public sector body. The Government data centre project will deliver high-quality, energy efficient data centre facilities which are fit for purpose and are capable of efficiently meeting the Government's technology and energy saving requirements, both now and into the future. It will provide access for State bodies' ICT infrastructure to drive efficiency, standardisation, consolidation and the reduction in duplication as well as cost control.”