Issue 670
Public Affairs Ireland
The Trusted Provider of Professional Learning and Development for the Public and Private Sector. www.pai.ie
Welcome to PAI's weekly newsletter
In this week's comprehensive update on significant developments across both the public and private sectors, we begin by providing an overview of PAI's 8 Day Programme, specifically the "PAI's Certificate in Public Procurement." Following that, we delve into the Electoral Commission's latest review, which recommends the addition of 14 extra TDs and an increase in constituencies by four. Moving forward, we explore the valuable contributions of neurodiversity in enhancing workplace skillsets. Minister Humphreys has made a noteworthy announcement regarding the approval of the initial Local Action Groups responsible for implementing the 2023-2027 LEADER program. To conclude, we examine the financial viability of home retrofitting in the long term.
In the world of procurement, where every decision can impact an organisation's success, there's a course that stands out from the rest. We sat down with with David Coffey our lead trainer?on the PAI’s Certificate in Public Procurement – 8 Day Programme, to delve into what makes this course unique and how it can benefit professionals in the field.
Expertise that Sets Us Apart
One of the defining factors of this course is the calibre of individuals behind it. Our team, with their tremendous experience in monitoring procurement functions, managing complex tenders, and driving organisations through procurement change, is truly second to none. When it comes to education and training in procurement, having experts like these by your side can make all the difference.
Strategic Procurement Focus
This course takes a different approach—it's all about Strategic Procurement. We're not delving into tactical purchasing; instead, we're focusing on how to extract real value from procurement processes. To kick things off, we ensure that all attendees have a common understanding of what Strategic Procurement entails. This foundation is crucial for aligning our discussions within the context of public procurement in Europe, especially in Ireland.
Navigating Complexities with Confidence
Procurement can be a complex world, with ever-evolving regulations and procedures. We're here to demystify it all. From European procurement regulations and frameworks to directives and various types of procedures, we leave no stone unturned. We guide attendees through the process, from defining requirements to evaluating responses, making even the most intricate aspects accessible and understandable.
Comprehensive Approach
Our course offers a comprehensive view of procurement. It's not just about the process; we also explore the legal aspects, providing a balanced perspective. We draw on a wide array of experiences from different industries and categories, giving attendees a holistic understanding of procurement.
A Unique Perspective
What truly sets this course apart is the 25 years of experience in procurement evolution and change. We delve into critical aspects like the procurement operating model, the technology landscape in procurement (including AI and SAAS), and the development of procurement strategy and corporate procurement plans. This breadth of knowledge equips attendees with the tools and insights needed to excel in the ever-evolving world of procurement.
In summary, this course goes beyond the typical procurement process. It offers a broader framework that encompasses expertise, strategic thinking, legal understanding, and decades of experience. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your journey in procurement, this course promises to be of significant value. Don't miss the opportunity to enhance your skills and take your procurement career to new heights.
For more information contact [email protected] or Click Here:
12,13, 26, 27 September 10, 11, 24, 25 October 2023, 9.30am – 4.00pm Blended.
Thursday, November 23rd, 2023, 9.00am – 1.00pm, In-Person.
The country will vote for an extra 14 new TDs at the next general election.
The Electoral Commission’s first review of the constituency boundaries has recommended the creation of 174 Dáil seats for the next national vote.
This will see the number of constituencies increased by four to 43.
There will be 13 three-seater constituencies which is an increase of four on the last election, 15 four seaters which is a reduction of two and 15 five seaters which is an increase of two. Only seven constituencies will remain entirely unchanged since boundaries were last reviewed and they are; Clare, Cork South West, Donegal, Dublin Central, Kerry, Limerick County and Waterford.
Electoral Commission Chair and Supreme Court Judge Justice Marie Baker the recommendation for 174 TDs across 43 constituencies is the “product of detailed analysis of constitutional and statutory limits. It arrives at a solution which best fits the needs of the country as a whole, as our population expands.”
“The Commission is pleased to be in a position to recommend the removal of seven of the 10 existing breaches of county boundaries, reductions in the size of two existing breaches and to propose just three new county boundary breaches in the recommended constituency composition,” she said.
“Thanks to all those hundreds of people, parties and organisations who shared their ideas and proposals with us. Each was considered in making our final recommendations.”
“This Constituency Review is the first task of Ireland’s new Electoral Commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin. At barely six months old, we are proud to deliver this significant democratic review of Ireland’s constituencies, the building blocks of our democracy, on time and in line with our statutory mandate,” she added.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s constituency of Dublin West will go from a four to a five-seater which will put pressure on the Fine Gael leader to bring in a second candidate for the first time.
The Cork South Central constituency of Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney will also increase from four to five seats
The five-seater Dublin Fingal constituency is to be split into two next three seat constituencies of Fingal West and Fingal East…..
21 September 2023, 9.30am – 1.00pm, In-Person.
17 October 2023, 9.30am – 4.00pm, Online.
From the arts to the law, employers are seeing conditions such as autism and ADHD can have more benefits than drawbacks For most of his years as an actor and theatre-maker, Adam Welsh did not know he had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Neither did his agent, nor anyone he worked with. But since being diagnosed at the age of 34, he has realised the impact ADHD had on his career.
? “I just found myself repeatedly in situations where employers wanted to let me go because of my behaviour,” he says. ?
Last year Welsh launched Divergent Talent, an agency representing neurodivergent (ND) actors, writers and creatives, and securing the adjustments they need to work successfully in the entertainment industry – from schedules that are long enough, to spaces where they can de-stress on hectic sets. The reaction from potential clients was overwhelming.
“We put out one tweet and the response was enormous,” says Welsh. “And it doesn’t ever really stop.”
A decade after programmes to recruit neurodiverse talent – often focused on autism – were first launched by blue-chip companies such as IBM, the business software firm SAP, and the law and tax consultancy EY, Welsh is part of a growing movement to highlight the skills that a wider range of neurological differences, including ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia, bring to workforces of all kinds. In a recent study by Birkbeck, University of London’s Centre for Neurodiversity at Work, employers highlighted hyperfocus, creativity, innovative thinking, visual reasoning, and strength in processing detail and recognising patterns as valued qualities of ND staff.
“It’s very common for autistic people to be brilliant communicators – very clear, and they say what they mean Danielle Gleicher-Bates”
Yet the widespread reliance on traditional interview techniques – where body language and eye contact count for so much – and rigid expectations in areas such as organisation and time management, mean barriers to work remain high for many neurodivergent people. According to the University of Connecticut’s Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation, unemployment rates among neurodivergent adults are still as high as 30-40%. It is thought that people with neurodivergence make up 15-20% of the population. ?
“I’m ADHD, autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic and have a visual-processing disorder,” says Danielle Gleicher-Bates, who is studying to be a barrister and is a member of the organisation Neurodiversity in Law, which works to support and destigmatise the conditions within the legal profession. Those characteristics give her some distinct advantages in a law career, she says, from an aptitude for problem-solving and strategizing?to a talent for advocacy born of having to do it for herself all her life….
Friday, October 13th, 2023, 9:30 am-1:00 pm, Online.
Wednesday, 11th of October 2023, 10.00am – 1.00pm, Online.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced the approval of the first two local development strategies (LDS) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER programme.
The Local Action Groups (LAGs) that will deliver these strategies are in the Carlow and Tipperary sub-regional areas.
The announcement today, which sees the commencement of the 2023-2027 LEADER programme in these sub-regional areas, is the culmination of many months’ work by the successful groups in consultation with the rural communities and businesses in their areas.
Commenting on the approval of the first LAGs to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme, Minister Humphreys said:
“I am delighted to be announcing the selection of the first two LAGs to deliver the new LEADER programme. The LEADER Programme is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development right across the country.
“It plays an important role in supporting communities and enterprises in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level.
“I look forward to seeing the impact of the implementation of the 2023-2027 programme and to ensuring that LEADER continues to play a central role in supporting rural communities into the future.”
Carlow and Tipperary LAGs are the first two approved from an ongoing process to select the LAGs that will deliver LEADER funding throughout rural Ireland.
The LAG in Carlow is led by the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in partnership with County Carlow Development Partnership and Carlow County Council and will receive €4.9 million in funding to support a range of activities in county.
The LAG in Tipperary is led by the Tipperary LCDC in partnership with North Tipperary Development Company, South Tipperary Development Company and Tipperary County Council and will receive €7.8 million in funding to deliver its strategy.
Announcing the details of the LAGs, Minister Humphreys said:
“As Local Development Strategies are approved across individual LEADER sub-regional areas, the LAGs can commence the process of seeking and approving applications for funding from communities.
“I look forward to seeing further strategies being approved and LAGs being appointed to deliver LEADER over the coming months, which will bring significant funding into our rural communities over the lifetime of this programme.”
Further details of the appointment LAGs for the remaining sub-regional areas will be announced over the coming months as their local development strategies are approved.
The LEADER programme is co-funded by the EU under Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Monday, September 2nd, 2023, 9.30-13.00, Online.
22, 29 September & 6 October 2023, 9:30am- 4:30pm, Online.
Our climate objectives envisage that 500,000 dwellings should have undergone retrofitting by 2030.
But can retrofitting deliver the promised savings? Dr Ciaran Byrne, SEAI: ‘How do you put a price on a comfier warmer home?’ We are all familiar with the concept of cost benefit analyses, and some of us rely on them when making significant investments. At least, we think we do. In fact, psychologists tell us that most decisions are strongly influenced by emotion.
Even when we think we are being rational or logical, there may be a strong emotional element involved.?Cost is usually relatively straightforward to calculate – think of buying a house, a car, going on holiday or undertaking a retrofit. But benefits are almost impossible to accurately quantify, because so many benefits are intangible or emotional.
You know how much the new car will cost, but how do you quantify the benefit of driving comfort or not worrying about breakdowns? Retrofitting your home is no different. How do you put a price on a comfier warmer home?
SEAI recently collated the actual costs from the first 300 homes upgraded through the One Stop Shop programme launched last year. The average is €56,000, reducing to €30,000 with the Government-funded SEAI grant.
There is a wider societal benefit to retrofitting, too, in terms of CO2 emissions reduction, economic activity and employment
Savings are only one benefit of retrofitting your home. The others are a warmer home, an environmentally sustainable heating system, improved property value, better mortgage rates, and an all-round better place to live.?We all use energy differently, so putting a definitive figure on individual household savings in the absence of energy use data is guesswork at individual household level.
Just look at the lights in any suburban housing estate of a dark evening: some homes are dark, some look like they would be better placed in Las Vegas, and everything in between.?In the same way, not all retrofits are the same. However, we can say that if you live in a lower BER rated home, then you are going to make more savings with each upgrade than a higher-rated home.
Installing even basic measures such as attic insulation will yield savings. Savings should not be viewed as the sole purpose of the upgrade, but as one of a suite of added benefits. Imagine if installing a new kitchen was not only a good investment, but could save you money too. Undoubtedly retrofitting your home also makes a difference, and this is where the other benefits beyond cost savings come in.
There is a wider societal benefit in terms of CO2 emissions reduction, economic activity and employment. The significant benefits of retrofitting in terms of improved health, comfort, and warmth were quantified in a recent study supported by the Irish Government and undertaken by the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Participants reported improved thermal comfort, satisfaction with their ability to control temperatures in the home, pay bills and invite visitors to their home….
Wednesday 6th September 2023, 10.00am – 4.00pm Online. ?
Monday, October 16th, 2023, 9.30am – 3.00pm, Online.
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