Results 21,521-21,540 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am a great believer in allowing adequate debate on any matter that comes before the House.

Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As is routine, the Finance Bill is more of a Committee Stage Bill than it is a Second Stage Bill because it largely replicates, with a few exceptions - the Deputy is correct - the debate we had on the budget, but the detail is in the committee work and I would ask the House to agree to simply allow the Second Stage to pass and to deal with the Committee Stage on an issue-by-issue basis.

Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am sure adequate time will be afforded to the committee to go through the Bill forensically.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Relocation (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) operates an internal transfer list to facilitate, where possible, staff moves between the various offices of PER, the National Shared Services Office and the Office of Government Procurement. There are currently four staff on the list seeking a transfer to a different location, one of whom is based in Killarney while the other three are...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget Targets (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 112 and 113 together. The framework for the conduct of budgetary policy relating to the issues set out in the Deputy's question were detailed in the Budget and Expenditure Report documentation published on the Budget 2016 website available at . My statement on 13 October last on the Expenditure Estimates for 2016 and that of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Levy (5 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114, 115 and 117 together. On 16 June last, following discussions with representatives of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants, and reflecting the improved fiscal and economic position, I announced that Government had accepted my proposal to bring forward legislation to lessen the impact of the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes Operation (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The position is that the Department of Social Protection currently allocates a significant level of Exchequer funding to private companies in the community sector who are contracted to deliver the CE Scheme programme. This includes the subsidies which are currently provided towards the pay of CE Supervisors. However the Department of Social Protection is not the employer of CE...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I note the concerns raised in relation to the continued application of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) to pensions in payment to retired public servants. These concerns have also been articulated by the Alliance of Retired Public Servants and both I and my officials have met with representatives of the Alliance on a regular basis. In response to concerns raised in 2013, I...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Proposed Legislation (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation was introduced in five separate Acts from 2009 in response to the crisis in the public finances. In my most recent annual review of the legislation, I indicated in my report that I would bring forward the necessary legislative amendments to the Financial Emergency Measures Acts to enable the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Data (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Public service pensions which are affected by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) are simply reduced in pay-out value, and as such there is no imposition of a levy, deduction or other stoppage for which a centralised collection system is required. However based on available data sets and making reasonable projections as to future retirements...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 36415/15 of 20 October 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Authority Rates (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation Acts 2001-2015 provide in Schedule 4, paragraph 12A that property, being a building or part of a building, land or a waterway or a harbour directly occupied by any Department or Office of State is property that is not rateable. The Commissioner of Valuation, who is independent in the exercise of his duties under the Acts, has accordingly deemed that offices,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Ministerial expenditure ceilings are decided by the Government within the context of the overall Government expenditure ceiling required to ensure that our fiscal targets are achieved, and have a statutory basis in the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013. The Expenditure Report 2016 published by my Department on Budget day outlines Ministerial Ceilings for Current Expenditure in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Government Publications (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: A catalogue of publications for sale by Government Publications through its call centre is available electronically on the Office of Public Works website: The catalogue is supplemented by periodic lists of new publications: Call Centre staff are available to answer any queries from customers relating to publications for sale. Full contact details for Government Publications are to be found...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I and my officials have met with representatives of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants (ARPS) on a regular basis. I note that my proposals to Government earlier this year in respect of the amelioration of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) burden on pensioners, and which now form part of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Was it all in our imagination?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputies opposite for acknowledging so clearly the progress we have made as a country in the past five years. In 2011, when the Government of which I am honoured to be a member came into office, we inherited a broken country and a broken economy. We had lost 250,000 jobs and unemployment was heading towards 500,000. Our debt as a country peaked at 123% of GDP. All our efforts...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: We are only on the Title of the Bill yet.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Fleming wants to pull down the whole edifice.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I said an additional cost.