Results 21,101-21,120 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Billy Timmins is an independent voice. The other point in Deputy Fleming's amendment, which he did not reference, was the prioritising of candidates. That is not done by TLAC in the normal course. TLAC normally gives a Minister three names and simply deems them all to be qualified, so there is some flexibility for the Minister to make a discernment and I would like to give that same...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am sure it will be wonderful but will not be in order. Good luck to the Deputy.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I was referring to it being in order in the context of debating it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Excellent, and good luck.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I have certainly given careful consideration to this proposal. The reason for putting the formal TLAC process in place for the Clerk of the Dáil position is that it is a Secretary General level position. With respect to the three positions being proposed by Deputy Ó Snodaigh to be encompassed in the TLAC proposal, none of them has a current status higher than principal officer,...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I fully understand the issues raised by Deputy Ó Snodaigh. I apologise; I did not mean to imply that he wanted to do the same with the Clerk of the Seanad. At the moment there is an esteem due to the Seanad as a standalone House, even more so since the approval by the people's vote to retain the House. It would seem odd if the Dáil alone had the status of a TLAC-appointed Clerk...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 6:In page 4, line 19, after “specified” to insert “by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission”. A technical issue has been identified concerning the terms of the Bill as published. Section 14 of the Bill would insert a new section 6A into the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas Act of 1959 so as to allow limits to be placed on the tenure of...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: This is a technical amendment, of which I gave advance notice on Second Stage. Section 4 of this Bill, by repealing section 7(1) of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act, would bring the appointment of the Clerk of the Dáil within the scope of that Act. That Act deals with normal appointments of senior civil servants, which is done on the basis of merit. I...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I will have to take advice on it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I assume the commission falls with the Dáil.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Unlike Ministers who survive until-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: -----their replacement arrives at the door. I will check out that point for the Deputy for Report Stage.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (1 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the committee for its efficiency.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Lansdowne Road Agreement (2 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The context of the discussions that I initiated with the trade unions and associations representing public servants across the public service was the need to plan and provide for a measured unwinding of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts. My aims were also to secure the continuation of the productivity measures introduced under the Haddington Road agreement, honour...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Lansdowne Road Agreement (2 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: When all the senior negotiators for every trade union in the public service have been in the same building, often on the same floor and in the same rooms, as the senior negotiators for each line Department for a protracted period of time - as the Deputy will know there is a good deal of waiting time in all these negotiations - bilateral discussions can take place on issues that are not part...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Lansdowne Road Agreement (2 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I do not think any line Minister has any difficulty in explaining what was agreed by their negotiators during the process. I want to make it clear that it is not part of the overall agreement and it is not part of what has been balloted upon. I will raise that with colleagues if people want to raise it with line Ministers. In regard to the outsourcing question, we have a procurement...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Lansdowne Road Agreement (2 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As part of the measures required to repair the Government finances and meet our international commitments to reach a GDP deficit target of 3% or below this year, it was necessary for the Government to secure agreement with unions and associations representing public servants for the introduction of significant productivity measures and also additional pay cuts for public servants earning over...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Lansdowne Road Agreement (2 Jul 2015)

Brendan Howlin: No. On the contrary, the Deputy is fundamentally wrong. The whole focus of Lansdowne Road agreement was to concentrate pay restoration initially on the lowest paid. If one considers what has happened with the unions, that is the reason the recommendations for acceptance have come largely from the lower paid. The ones that are resisting, such as the Association of Higher Civil and public...