Results 22,021-22,040 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Confidence in Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: It is a generous thing for IBEC to have done, as it too has been subject to abuse from the quarter responsible for this pantomime tonight, but I suspect those involved in IBEC know the importance of making progress on the crucial issue of pensions is more important than petty political point scoring. Yet that is precisely the calling card of the main mover of this motion tonight. Deputy Ross...

Confidence in Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Nobody interrupted Deputy McDonald.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The Lower Lee (Cork City) Flood Relief Scheme is at design stage with the outline design expected to be completed in the next few months. At the same time, an Environmental Impact Statement will be completed. It is expected that this will allow the holding of a formal public exhibition in mid 2016 following which work on the detailed design will be progressed with the aim of enabling the OPW...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates Process (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Consistent with the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), the pace of economic growth and greater than forecasted tax receipts allowed the Government to allocate - on a prudent basis - additional amounts to expenditure in priority areas in 2015. The Revised Estimates Volume ("REV") 2016 published on 17 December 2015 sets out gross voted expenditure for 2015 of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ombudsman's Remit (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Under Section 1A of the Ombudsman Act, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform may, after consultation with the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children and such committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas as he or she considers appropriate, and with the consent of such other Minister which is responsible for the entity in question, may by order propose - for approval by the Oireachtas -...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Living Wage (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 2086/16 of 19 January 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: For public servants other than those who are members of the 2013-commenced Single Public Service Pension Scheme, responsibility for occupational pension terms and any maximum or compulsory retirement ages in particular sectors in general lies with the relevant employer, pension administrator or Government Department in the first instance. In the civil service, for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Lansdowne Road Agreement Implementation (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 33410/15 of 1 October 2015. The necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Lansdowne Road Agreement from 1 January 2016 was enacted by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act, 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (20 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The levels of investment provided for in the Capital Plan must be put into context and set against a backdrop of long term public investment policy.  Exchequer capital investment peaked in 2008 at over €9 billion. This was at the end of a period of unprecedented levels of public capital funding that were directed towards addressing long-standing infrastructural deficits....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (21 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to the answer 2317/16 which I gave on this matter on 19 January 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (26 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: For staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas Service who are civil servants of the State, there are differing compulsory retirement ages depending on when one first entered the relevant pension scheme. These are 65, 70 and no upper age limit. Members of the Oireachtas have no fixed retirement age, as they are not employees, but elected office holders.  While the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Levy (26 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The public service Pension-related Deduction (PRD), which applies to the pay of most pensionable public servants, was introduced with effect from 1 March 2009 under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2009. It remains a key part of the overall set of public service pay and pension retrenchment measures legislated over the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (26 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question, no proposals have been put forward by managerial staff from any agencies under my remit to alter the roll-out of public services which were delayed, postponed or abandoned as a result of non-cooperation by trade union representatives.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Retirements (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question there have been no cases made against my Department or the bodies under my aegis by civil servants that objected on age grounds to being retired when they reached 65.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Question No. 69 of 19 January 2016. The position has not changed.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: Staff in Ministerial Offices are generally employed as unestablished civil servants.  No voluntary early retirement scheme is currently sanctioned for civil servants.   With regard to severance arrangements, following the 2011 General Election my Department agreed that Personal Secretaries and Personal Assistants who had previous service under the Scheme for Secretarial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015 is delivering significant boosts to the occupational pensions of most retired public servants. This is being done by way of a substantial part-reversal, or restoration, of the cuts imposed on those pensions since 2011 by the Public Service Pension Reduction...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Forestry Grants (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: An initial submission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on the establishment of a reconstitution scheme to assist forest owners whose forests were damaged by winter storms, was received by my Department. This matter is the subject of ongoing discussion between the two Departments.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (27 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 enabled the commencement on 1 January 2013 of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme for new entrants to public service employment. The Single Scheme rules stipulate that both in-career pension credits and awarded pensions should be increased in line with increases in the Consumer...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (28 Jan 2016)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I announced the Government's Capital Plan on 20 September 2015 which outlined exchequer capital spending of €27 billion over the next six years. As the Deputy may be aware the funding allocations and spending on capital projects and other initiatives over the last five years in the constituency of Louth East Meath are available through the relevant...