Results 21,921-21,940 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Appointments to State Boards (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the table below outlines the names of people I have nominated to serve in positions carrying remuneration other than out of pocket expenses or commissions, industrial, assurance, Semi-State or other similar concerns and the amounts received annually in respect of each appointment since 2011.  Name Board Dates served Fees paid Eddie Sullivan (Chair)...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the table below outlines the number of annual subscriptions to external membership bodies in my Department for 2015.   Description Number of subscriptions Annual cost Association of Chartered Certified Accountants 5 €1,002.39 Chartered Accountants Ireland 1 €565.00 Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors 2 €1,602.61...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the cost to my Department of annual subscriptions to newspapers or magazines during 2015 was €22,379.  The publications received were: The Irish Times; Irish Independent; Financial Times; Irish Examiner; The Guardian; The Farmers Journal; Business and Finance.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the table below outlines the annual cost of advertising in my Department during 2015. Type of media used Description Amount Newspaper advertising Advertisements for  expressions of interest for appointments to a panel of appeal officers to review certain decisions made by the Standards in Public Office Commission in relation to the Regulation of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Parental Leave (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: As part of my responsibilities as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have overarching responsibility for the terms and conditions of employment of public servants.  However, specific policies relating to parental leave in each of the sectors of the public service, other than the civil service, are dealt with by the appropriate responsible Minister. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets a 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the public sector. The National Disability Authority (NDA) reports annually on compliance with this target. In its latest published report for 2013, the NDA reported that the proportion of staff with disabilities in the public service exceeded the 3% target for the third...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Update (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I note the correspondence the Deputy received from PeopleTalk in relation to public sector reform and citizen empowerment. I understand that PeopleTalk seeks to rebuild trust in public life and give citizens a say in public sector reform and I welcome any proposals that strengthen the voice of citizens, particularly at local level.   As the Deputy will be aware, rebuilding...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware from my answer to her previous PQ on this matter (ref; 33509/15), the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent centralised provider of professional recruitment, assessment and selection services for the Civil Service. The initiation of an inter-departmental or open recruitment campaign for any particular civil service grade is determined by...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Management (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: A number of human resource policies applicable in the civil service provide for procedures for employees who consider themselves unfairly treated (e.g. grievance, dignity at work etc.). I understand that equivalent policies are in place on a sectorial basis throughout the public service.  If the matter of concern raised by a public servant amounts to a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Living Wage (13 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: It is important that Ireland's statutory National Minimum Wage and the Living Wage concept are not conflated. The Living Wage is a voluntary societal initiative centred on the social, business and economic case to ensure that, wherever it can be afforded, employers will pay a rate of pay that provides an income that is sufficient to meet an individual's basic needs, such as housing, food,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pensions Levy (14 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Question Reference No. 44000/15  of 9 December 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (14 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question 1890 numbers were introduced with the intention of reducing call costs for members of the public to Government agencies.  At that time they were implemented by a large number of public bodies.  Primarily people used landlines to contact agencies and these calls were charged at local rates.  Mobile phone usage became more prevalent and mobile...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Administration (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 brought about a very substantial increase in the number of public bodies subject to the Ombudsman's oversight. It was the most significant extension of the Ombudsman's remit in 30 years and a priority objective for me, given that various Ombudsmen had been pressing for the extension for over 20 years. It brought some 180 additional public bodies, the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Administration (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I take note of the Deputy's proposal to abolish the commercial semi-State company, Irish Water. I am not sure what Sinn Féin wants to replace it with or what it wants to do to the staff. It would be useful if Deputy McDonald told the staff what she intends to do with them. Is she going to return them to local authorities, make them all redundant or just continue to pay them? If so,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Administration (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is spouting rhetoric but she has not answered the question as to what she would put in its place. Will she restore water functionality to the myriad local authorities which will not deal with the big structural issue of providing water for Dublin, for example, or deal with the fact that one third of our sewerage systems need significant investment of €4 billion, or deal...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Administration (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: None of those is dealt with. I have answered in terms of the dispute resolution system that is in place. The Deputy thinks that is not efficient and so her solution is not to make it more efficient but to abolish the entire entity. That would strike me as a rather large sledgehammer rather than addressing the issue of the complaints process, if it is inefficient in how it operates and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of Government Procurement (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I again thank the Deputy for his question. As he knows, public procurement is governed by EU and national law. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. While it is preferable for a contracting authority to test the market by carrying out a procurement process, modifications of contracts...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of Government Procurement (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I hear what the Deputy is saying. The Minister of State, Deputy Harris, has taken a direct interest in all of these matters. He chairs the procurement function and has had a particular focus on ensuring that, in so far as it can happen in compliance with European law, contracts are awarded to Irish entities and, by and large, are given to small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs. This is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of Government Procurement (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Three new European directives which were agreed during the last Irish EU Presidency need to be transposed into Irish law. Some of these will meet the very issues about which the Deputy is talking. We expect the transposition of these will be completed by April. The new directives are on the award of concession contracts, on public procurement, repealing EU Directive 2004/18/EC, and on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Value for Money Reviews (19 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: My Department has policy responsibility for the public spending code, which sets out for Departments and State bodies in comprehensive terms, the analytical framework for value for money appraisal and evaluation of public expenditure programmes and projects.Under the code, responsibility for conducting value for money reviews lies in the first...