Issue 656
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
Welcome to this week's bulletin of public sector news. First and foremost, it is National Biodiversity Week 2023, a time to celebrate and promote the importance of biodiversity. Additionally, there are recommendations urging the Public Sector to take the lead in eliminating car park spaces and disposable cups, aiming for a more sustainable future. Furthermore, the Government has announced a significant investment of €50 million through the inaugural Community Recognition Fund, recognising the invaluable contributions of local communities. Lastly, two government departments have confirmed their utilisation of Chat GPT, emphasizing the growing presence of AI technology in public sector operations.
Communities will be coming together to celebrate biodiversity and connect with nature in their local area during National Biodiversity Week 2023, to take place from the 19th – 28th May. Events such as biodiversity walks, fun talks on the familiar and not-so-familiar plant, insect and animal species in the landscape and workshops for those looking to encounter the natural world up close will be taking place in towns and villages throughout the country, with something for everyone. All events – many of which are free - are listed on www.biodiversityweek.ie.
Welcoming the launch, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD said:
“National Biodiversity Week offers something for everyone to go wild and have fun connecting with nature in their local area. I’d like to encourage everyone to check out the website and see what’s going on locally, get involved in one of the hundreds of free events and learn about the work being done by organisations around the country to protect and conserve our natural world. I’d also like to congratulate the many groups participating in Biodiversity Week and the huge work done by the Irish Environmental Network to coordinate an excellent programme in celebration of nature.”
Wednesday 6th September 2023, 10.00am – 4.00pm, Online
Wednesday, June 21st, 2023, 09:30 am – 1:00 pm, Online
The use of disposable cups and cutlery will be phased out in public sector canteens under new plans being brought to Cabinet on Tuesday.
The public sector will have to “explain” if they don’t comply with new rules to phase out car parking spaces.
The public sector will have to “lead by example” in getting rid of car park spaces, disposable cups, plates and cutlery, as well as other measures as part of the ‘public sector climate action mandate’ signed off by Cabinet today.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said the “timeline is now” when asked how quick the public sector is expected to have this implemented. The Sustainability and Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has been tasked with tracking the public sector's implementation of the new plan. The public sector will have to “comply” with the mandate or “explain” if they fail to do so in annual checks.
“Progress on the implementation of the mandate will be tracked through the SEAI monitoring and reporting system using a ‘comply or explain’ approach,” the plan reads. “Each public sector body’s Climate and Sustainability Champion has responsibility for reporting annually on the mandate.” As part of the plans, parking at the workplace will be phased out over time, but only if there is good access to public transport and if there are walking, cycling or car pooling options for most staff and visitors.
Car parking will still be kept for workers who have physical mobility issues or staff who may work shifts or out of hours. The climate-friendly proposals cover all public workplaces bar local councils, commercial semi-state bodies and schools...
Wednesday, July 5th 2023, 10.00am – 12.30pm, Online
Monday, October 16th, 2023, 9.30am – 3.00pm, Online
Government announces €50 million investment under first ever Community Recognition Fund
The Government has today announced €50 million in funding for over 880 projects as part of the first ever Community Recognition Fund.
The major initiative is designed to support and reward communities that have welcomed families and citizens from Ukraine and other countries.
The details of the announcement were made during a visit to Lourdes Parish Hall on Dublin’s Sean McDermott Street by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister of State Joe O’Brien.
This particular project is receiving €770,000 to upgrade the facility for the benefit of the local community.
Other Examples of successful projects receiving funding today include:...
7th, 14th and 15th June 2023, 9.30am – 1.00pm, (9.30am-4.00pm on Day 2 and 3), Online
Recommended by LinkedIn
Thursday, November 23rd, 2023, 9.00am – 1.00pm, In-Person
Two Government departments have confirmed they have used artificial intelligence (AI) service Chat GPT.
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transport have said they used Chat GPT for a short period of time to see if it would help with tasks.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said the AI software was “briefly explored for answering technical or software related questions” in his department.
However, officials deemed it to be “of little benefit” and abandoned the technology.
While Chat GPT may not have gotten the seal of approval, AI is used often with the Department of Agriculture for predicting the likelihood for TB outbreaks, which birds may be susceptible to bird flu, CAP schemes and “smart text analysis” to prevent and contain data breaches.
AI is also used for “customer segmentation analysis” in agri food policies and analysing risk in food safety.
“All use cases are subject to human review, data protection and governance measures,” said Mr McConalogue.
It is not clear what the Department of Transport used Chat GPT for, and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said no decision has been made if the software will be used again.
Mr Ryan said no “commercial, sensitive or non-public information was entered into the platform” and that the software was used by “one division” to “trial its capabilities”.
The senior ministers at the Departments of Education, Higher Education and Tourism said officials in their departments do not use Chat GPT.
AI & GDPR: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence while complying with Data Protection Laws
Monday, July 17th, 2023, 10.00am – 1.00pm, Online
Tuesday, July 4th 2023, 10.00am – 1.00pm, Online
Oireachtas Business
This section provides information on Bills scheduled for discussion, Acts considered and any other business.
This section gives a detailed schedule of Dáil Éireann business
This section gives a detailed schedule of Seanad Éireann business.
This section gives a detailed schedule of committee meetings.
State Board Appointments