Results 21,881-21,900 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Redeployment (10 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Agreements (the Croke Park and Haddington Road Agreements) provide for agreed redeployment arrangements to apply in the Civil Service and in other parts of the Public Service where there are surplus staff.  A Department of Public Expenditure and Reform circular (Circular 8 of 2010) setting out the arrangements across the Civil Service and between the Civil Service and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (10 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is an independent, statutory body which provides professional recruitment and selection services to the civil service. It operates under the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) Codes of Practice in conducting its business. Assignments to fill vacancies are made based on requests received from Departments. The service is demand led and...

Appropriation Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Appropriation Bill 2015 is an essential element of financial housekeeping that, as Deputies are aware, must be concluded by the Dáil this year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, it is necessary to authorise in law all the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2015 on the basis of the Estimates that have already...

Appropriation Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I thank both Deputies for their contributions. It is difficult to listen to a representative of Fianna Fáil talk about making economic choices. They ruined the country and crashed the economy and we have spent the past five years picking up the pieces after them. I will refer to a number of issues raised by Deputy Sean Fleming. He mentioned a bonanza increase in taxes outside the...

Appropriation Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 1:In page 3, lines 31 and 32, to delete "one hundred and one million," and substitute "one hundred and eleven million,". This is a technical amendment to correct a typographical error. The sum in the Schedule is correct but a "one" became a "zero" in section 2, so I hope we can correct that technical error.

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came into existence on 1 January 2004 under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003. The founding commission legislation in 2003 led, in summary, to two consequences: the commission became the sanctioning authority for expenditure and for deciding on staff numbers, up to the grade of...

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: He is earning his keep today.

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I was in a room with two future Presidents.

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Not in derogatory terms.

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the three Deputies for their contributions to this debate. Some of the matters raised will be the subject of discussion in the next Parliament because we are in the final phase of this particular Oireachtas. There are a number of points to which I wish to refer briefly. On legal fees, I very strongly underscore the point made by Deputy Fleming. We must be very careful that we...

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In truth, it goes to a political party, and from that the political parties organise their supports. The Deputy is saying the money we get for that is individuals' money but there is then collective money that needed to be done on top of that. We need a balance between them. I am supportive of co-ordination in general terms and I understand the point about being a hirer but no individual...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (15 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Report of the Review Group on State Assets and Liabilities, published by my Department in April 2011, listed the Irish State companies that had been sold since 1991.  The only company in that list in which shares were sold in the past 10 years was Aer Lingus (2006). In relation to the Commercial State sector, which comprises the companies for which I am...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (15 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, State-owned companies are used for a variety of reasons including, for example, not for profit companies established to achieve certain policy objectives or implement certain government policies via a separate and distinct implementation body, with its own appropriate corporate governance framework.  At the other end of the scale, the State also...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Remuneration (15 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 191 together. The nearest data currently available within the Department to that sought by the Deputy are based on the estimated breakdown of public service employee numbers on a whole time equivalent basis by mid-point of salary range up to €112,500 at end September 2014. Numbers of public servants have since increased on foot of Government...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Appointments (15 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Notwithstanding any practice that may apply in the case of an individual board and of which, in the absence of further details from the Deputy, I am currently unaware, I can assure him that the Government has no policy of age restrictions in regard to service on State boards. Under the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards that I issued in November 2014, detailed specifications...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Labour Court Recommendations (15 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware unions representing CE Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors have sought the provision of Exchequer funding to implement a Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme dating back to 2008. However the position has remained that it is not possible for the State to provide funding for such a scheme to employees of private companies even...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Redeployment (16 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware there are currently no formal arrangements for the transfer of staff between the different sectors of the public service. While, for example, expressions of interest did allow for some movement between sectors such moves were, in the main, designed to address specific skills shortages. About 12,000 civil and public servants have...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Exemptions (16 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform am not empowered by any provision in the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 to request the Commissioner of Valuation to re-assess the valuation of any property for rating purposes. The Commissioner is independent in the exercise of his duties under the Valuation Acts and the making of valuations for rating purposes is his sole prerogative as provided...

Order of Business (17 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: And the Deputy’s demise.