Results 20,181-20,200 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Travel (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I have received no requests to travel overseas on Government business between now and the end of 2015. While I expect to travel as part of the Government's St Patrick's Day promotion of Ireland, final arrangements have not yet been confirmed. Mr Simon Harris, T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, does not...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that there are two Shared Services Centres in my Department (PeoplePoint and the Payroll Shared Service Centre (PSSC)) where incoming calls are recorded with a Call Recording and Retention Policy in place. Like most shared service organisations Civil Service Shared Services Centres (SSCs) have an interactive voice response (IVR) telephone...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249 and 251 together. In relation to the procurement of legal services, I should point out that contracts for such services are not subject to the full scope of EU Public Procurement Directives. The awarding of individual contracts is a matter for each contracting authority. Therefore the onus is on the contracting authority to ensure that their public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The assessment of a tenderer's financial and economic standing is a key part of any procurement process. Establishing the appropriate suitability criteria that are relevant and appropriate to a particular contract is, of course, a matter for the contracting authority concerned. This is because the contracting authority is in the best position to gauge the appropriate levels of financial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, on Budget day I announced my intention to seek to put in place new arrangements to replace the Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotions in the Public Service from 2015 onwards.  Arrangements for the implementation of this revised policy are now the subject of discussions between my Department and all other Government departments, with a view to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Parliamentary Party Allowances (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to my reply to his previous question on this matter question 91 of 18 September 2014 (reference 34985/14).  The total amounts paid to each qualifying independent member from 9 March 2011 to date are set out in the tables below.  Michael Fitzmaurice TD, elected to Dáil Éireann in October of this year, has not yet claimed the allowance.  I am not...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am satisfied that the Protected Disclosures Act, enacted earlier this year provides detailed and comprehensive protection for all workers.  As the Deputy will be aware, the main objective of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is to provide protection for workers who make disclosures of serious wrongdoing that come to their attention in the workplace.  The term "worker"...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am satisfied that the Protected Disclosures Act, enacted earlier this year provides detailed and comprehensive protection for all workers.  As the Deputy will be aware, the main objective of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is to provide protection for workers who make disclosures of serious wrongdoing that come to their attention in the workplace.  The term "worker"...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The new Public Service Sick Leave Scheme is a very significant reform introduced by my Department earlier this year. The significant reduction in access to paid sick leave is required to reduce the unsustainable costs of sick leave in the public service. The new scheme was finalised on the basis of two Labour Court recommendations following extensive negotiations with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: An Fhoireann Rannach (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Mar fhreagra ar cheist an Theachta, is féidir liom a dhearbhú go bhfuil de chumas ag ochtar ball foirne obair na Roinne a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge.  B'fheidir go bhfuil cuma íseal ar an bhfigiúr seo, ach is cinnte gur leor é chun freastal a dhéanamh ar riachtanais na heagraíochta.  Mar gheall ar an ról ata aici, ni bhíonn...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The licence to operate the National Lottery was granted to Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), a consortium comprising Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (the owner of the Camelot Group), An Post and An Post pension funds in February of this year.  Half of the €405 million due from PLI in respect of the licence was received in the Exchequer at that time and the remaining half was...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: An actuarial valuation was carried out earlier this year by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to update the accrued liability in respect of Public Service occupational pensions. The key result of the exercise is that the total accrued liability in respect of Public Service occupational pensions is now estimated at €98bn as at December 2012. This compares with the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262, 263 and 266 to 269, inclusive, together. As set out in the Government's Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016, Public Service Reform has been, and will continue to be, a key element of the Government's overall recovery strategy.  The Reform Plan and Progress Reports which set out the considerable progress that has been made can be seen...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am happy to inform the Deputy that the programme of State asset disposals that I announced in February 2012 reached a successful conclusion this year. This will result in special dividends (asset proceeds) of some €1.4 billion being paid to the Exchequer to support stimulus measures and reduce Ireland's debt burden and no further State asset disposals are under...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The publication of the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015 2017 (CER) on Budget Day followed a process of evaluation and analysis of expenditure priorities over the coming years, and how best to accommodate the increasing demands on some public services in an affordable manner. For 2015 in the CER, the Government approved expenditure increases amounting to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (16 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Detailed quarterly and annual statistics on Public Service staffing  are available at .  Based on the Databank information, the table outlines the annual net reduction in Public Service numbers during each year from 2009 to 2013.  These numbers take account of exits through retirement and under voluntary redundancy schemes - some 2,500 staff left...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (17 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It would not be appropriate for me to comment publicly on the details of individual pensions cases. Pensions overpayment cases are unusual but do sometimes arise where a case is particularly complex. Where the collation of relevant data has not been completed before an individual retires, every effort is made to ensure that the retiree is not left out of pocket, even if this...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Property Valuations (17 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Under section 28 (4) of the Valuation Act 2001, a Revision Officer appointed by the Commissioner of Valuation may carry out a revision of valuation in relation to a particular property only if a material change of circumstances has occurred such as the coming into being of a new building, a change in value due to structural alterations of an existing building, total or partial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: International Agreements (17 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has no policy role in relation to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The matter is primarily for the Minister for Justice and Equality and, I understand, a number of other Ministers whose policy remit is also relevant to the provisions of the Convention.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (17 Dec 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In Budget 2015, I was pleased to be able to announce that there will be a targeted programme of recruitment into the Civil Service to address service needs and a shortfall in key skills commencing in late 2014 and continuing during 2015. The Deputy may wish to be aware that a number of open competitions have already taken place or are in process including: - Clerical Officer with an...