Results 26,201-26,220 of 34,868 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Minister has the gist of my questions.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy knows the answer.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: I have two queries. We could say a lot about the Valuation Office, but the valuation legislation will be dealt with in the Dáil Chamber tomorrow so I will reserve most of my views. It was also dealt with this morning during Question Time, so I will revert to my team tomorrow on it. There are two issues I wish to raise. I cannot be blamed for not wanting to pass the bottom paragraph...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: The second thing concerns a reference on page 54. The fees from appeals to the commissioner amounted to €258,000 last year. There is no provision for it for this year. What is the change in the system? What is that about? There must be some change in methodology. It is under appropriations-in-aid. What is the background to that big change?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: It will be an in-house review.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: Every year we speak about the shared services. The outturn last year was €20 million. For shared services, the note states the net Estimate last year was approximately €30 million and the net Estimate this year is €39 million. However, the outturn last year was €20 million. The outturn did not get anywhere near the Estimate last year. Having spent €20...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Minister stated that parent Departments paid appropriations-in-aid. They have not lost staff, but the work is being done in the shared services office. Must the Departments carry the staff they always had as well as make the payments? How does it work?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: Do adjustments in the Estimates reflect, for example, ten staff moving from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to shared services?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: We could talk forever about this Vote, but I will ask just one question. There is a substantial increase in the Estimate. Given the new bodies, that is understandable. However, it came to light during the year that the office made a case concerning the troubling situation in nursing homes in County Mayo. That morning, the Ombudsman stated on radio that he had the authority to investigate...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: Very briefly.

Other Questions: Garda Stations (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: 10. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of former Garda stations that were offered for sale on behalf of the Office of Public Works in 2013 and 2014; the total proceeds from completed sales; if any are currently offered for sale; the number that have been transferred to community use; the number that have been reinstated as operational Garda stations following...

Other Questions: Garda Stations (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: This is a straightforward question. Will the Minister of State provide up-to-date information regarding the closures of Garda stations that were announced some time ago? How many stations have been sold, what were the total proceeds from such sales and for what have those proceeds been used? How many stations are currently on the market and how many have been transferred to either...

Other Questions: Garda Stations (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: Will the Minister of State clarify whether the proceeds from the various sales were put into the Central Fund or did the OPW retain them? Will he explain what the guardianship arrangement to which he referred involves? Does it involve caretaking duties? How many former Garda stations remain to be dealt with, and have any difficulties been identified regarding the titles to these...

Other Questions: Government Expenditure (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: 6. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has costed recent policy proposals from Ministers including increased subsidies for child care, paid paternity leave and compensation for small business for increases in the minimum wage; if ministerial announcements regarding additional expenditure must comply with expenditure ceilings; and if he will make a statement...

Other Questions: Government Expenditure (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: This is an important issue given events that will happen in the next 12 to 14 months in the run up to the general election. I want to ask the Minister whether he has costed and sanctioned recent policy proposals by a plethora of Ministers that would incur an extra cost to the Exchequer including subsidies for child care, paid paternity leave and compensation for small businesses for an...

Other Questions: Government Expenditure (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: In general, if a Minister makes a statement on one of these matters, do we ask the Minister whether he or she has included it in the expenditure ceiling for his or her Department over the coming three years or do we ask the Minister, Deputy Howlin, to validate it? I ask because, in January, a Minister announced that the public sector pension levy was likely to be reduced. On 13 January,...

Other Questions: Government Expenditure (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: While I agree with the Minister, we need a broad debate on it to discuss the different perspectives. The Minister may be right from a political perspective to suggest that we discuss the concepts and ideas and then cost the best ideas to see if they are affordable. However, is it right to let the conversations and vague promises happen without any costing? The public would like to know how...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: I understand what the Minister has said - he is essentially outlining the position. I am probably coming at this from a different perspective, as I think the system is not satisfactory. He is saying that up to 40% of properties have been revalued over the last seven years. If it is going to take ten or 12 years, that just is not good enough for small, medium-sized and large businesses. He...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: There has been a valuation system and people have been paying rates for the last century. A new regime came in and in 2007 we starting revaluing. When I referred to self-assessment, it was not just about the local property tax. Income tax and corporation tax are self-assessed and are working very well. In view of the massive changes in the economic cycles, there are many businesses whose...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (11 Feb 2015)

Seán Fleming: I understand what the Minister is saying, and we will certainly take advantage of that. However, what is required is bigger than what this amending legislation for the Valuation Office is proposing. It is a bigger issue than that. There are also proposals, as the Minister is aware, to amalgamate the Valuation Office with Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Property Registration Authority....