Results 17,441-17,460 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Allowances (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: The Deputy has asked what steps I have "taken to deal with the issue of allowances paid to staff" in my Department. Details of the changes made to a number of the allowances paid to staff in the Department of the Taoiseach are being circulated in the Official Report. Deputy Gerry Adams is right to suggest some of these allowances have been paid in addition to basic pay to personnel on the...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Allowances (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I do not have the figure for the scale of the savings achieved in the Department of the Taoiseach. We will include the estimated savings in the report to be circulated. A number of historical allowances are paid to certain grades only. The footwear allowance will now be paid every two years to those who engage in outdoor duties. I mentioned the chairpersons and delegates allowance which...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Allowances (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I share the Deputy's view that many of these workers who do their jobs very diligently are at the lowest end of the public sector wage scale. I agree with him that there are too many categories in the public sector. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, has referred to this on a number of occasions. It would be far preferable if the allowances were modified...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: As I said, the Deputy can appreciate that the decision taken by the Government was to streamline the process by which third level grants are received, processed and paid out. That was so that they would be done earlier and more efficiently, and to ensure monthly payments would be made to students' accounts. Prior to this, there were 66 processing organisations - the local authorities and...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: As the Deputy will recall, for many years before he came into the Oireachtas, a league table was published each year indicating which local authorities and VECs were in front with their payments. Now, at least, we have one central authority. I agree that it has had initial teething problems, but these are being rectified with the addition of 40 extra staff. I hope the lesson learned is...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: The intention - and this will happen - is that applications will be processed earlier and far more efficiently, and monthly payments will be made into the students' accounts. This will all be done by the end of December. This will be a massive improvement from having to wait until March or April, as applied for the past 25 years.
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Allowances (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I am arranging for details of the allowances paid to staff in my Department to be circulated with the Official Report. Details of the business cases made by my Department to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are available on that Department's website, www.per.gov.ie. Following publication of the central review of allowances by...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Allowances (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: The Deputy's question relates to the progress made in the Department of the Taoiseach with regard to allowances, and Deputy Adams asked what steps have been taken to deal with the issue of allowances paid to staff in the Department. I have answered those two questions. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, has set out quite exhaustively the scale of public sector...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I assure Deputy Adams there is no intention of penalising students. As I noted earlier, 21,000 applications are still awaiting documentation and 15,000 applicants have not provided any documentation. Person X going through the lists for the organisation will ask "who is this student, Gerry Adams? He has sent in no further documentation."
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: How will we contact this person? Is it a valid application?
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I acknowledge there are unacceptable delays. Can Deputy Adams tell me from the correspondence he received what college the student is attending and in what year? The Deputy might not be fully familiar with the Southern system because this has applied for 25 or 30 years.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: When Deputies were dealing with county councils and VECs the same problem arose. If these grants can be paid before December it will be a major improvement on what applied for many years, when students and their families had to go through the same process, for a variety of reasons, one after the other. I need to learn from Deputy Adams - he can give me the information afterwards if he so...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I hope that next year the lessons learned from this year will result in a vastly improved position for all students who will not be penalised and will be able to get their grant assistance on time and in a way that allows them to plan their semesters.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: The Deputy did not make his case as succinctly as Deputy Adams nor did he listen to the answer I gave to the latter.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: Some 40% of the documents received from students are incomplete. They cannot be processed if they are not complete. The Deputy understands that as well as everybody else. This has gone on for 25 years. Previously 66 processing authorities dealt with applications for third level assistance but now there is one. I recognise there are teething problems and agree they are not acceptable....
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: -----instead of paying out grants in March or April, as I have found to be the case with many constituents over the years, there will be a process to pay them at the end of the first semester. That will make an enormous improvement from a professional competence point of view and for students and their livelihoods.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: In his original question, Deputy Martin used the phrases "for political purposes" and suggested that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, had a political agenda and was following a particular line on this matter. He also said that perhaps it was something to do with Judge McMahon and the way he had handled a previous matter.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: That is absolutely irrelevant because there was no political agenda involved in this and it had nothing to do with Mr. Justice McMahon. As I have said already, we acted in good faith and wished to uphold the principles that apply here. Clearly, numerous surveys have shown that people wanted more information. I have listened to all of the vox-pops and to the avalanche of cynicism about...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: It is absolutely critical that we do not interfere with the Supreme Court in making its decision and with the reasons for that decision. We should show the court due deference and allow it to produce its comprehensive, detailed judgment, due for publication early in December.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)
Enda Kenny: I await that judgment with interest. The Deputy is pre-judging. A great deal of misinformation has been put about.