Results 2,861-2,880 of 34,778 for speaker:Seán Fleming
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: The figure for the prison officer grade starts at €31,329, which is €600 per week, although I know there are allowances on top of this. The basic rate is not as high as some may think. People are confused about annualised and additional hours. Are they the same?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Some talk about annualised hours.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: That system was introduced in 2005. As I represent Portlaoise, I am familiar with the negotiations held. Mr. Clinton mentioned the issue of social partnership which was included in the agreement which did not allow for salary increases. What was the title of the agreement?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: The Croke Park deal is between the Government as an employer and the public sector trade unions as employees. It is not about social partnership but a bilateral pay agreement for public servants. With regard to the social partnership agreement, who signed up to it? It would have included the Government, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for public sector workers, as well as the unions in...
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Were the social pillar organisations involved at that stage? This deal was done because everybody signed up to an arrangement whereby there would be no pay increases. Pay increases in the Irish Prison Service could only be given by calling them allowances.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Who initiated it? Was it the then Minister? Did the officers volunteer to have the annualised system? Did it come about as a result of the reviews carried out?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: From the Department.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: What grades in the public service would have been similar?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: The social partnership deal was signed up to by almost everybody in the country in both the public and private sectors. Everybody was involved, including farmers, IBEC and the social pillars. A deal on pay was specifically not allowed at the time. Therefore, one way of ensuring there would be no knock-on effect was to call it an allowance. The country signed up to the process of calling...
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Mr. Purcell might be surprised at me asking this question as everybody thinks the sole purpose of the committee is to cut costs. We are here to ensure value for money and fair play. The additional hours payments are a fundamental part of core pay. Having examined the chart detailing additional hours, it seems it is almost the only category that is not pensionable. Why is this? Everybody...
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: That accounts for a figure of approximately €10 million.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: I cannot see much of a distinction between the two.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: It is now built into the basic structure and a new recruit will follow that process.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: I am sure Mr. Clinton is disappointed. When a prison officer retires, a large chunk of what is core pay but paid by allowances is not allowable for pension purposes.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: The witnesses mentioned an increase in the prisoner population or the number of committals. In what way are prison days counted per annum? Prison sentences are also lengthening.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Is it a good achievement given the significant increase in prisoner numbers, with overtime gone and bearing in mind that staff numbers have not increased?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: Regarding the additional allowances, does it ever happen that someone is asked to work beyond the 360 hours in the band?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: How is it balanced for any one individual?
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: If 360 hours per year amounts to 90 hours per quarter, let us say someone ends up working 112 rather than 90 hours per quarter.
- Public Accounts Committee: Department of Justice and Equality - Review of Allowances (25 Oct 2012)
Seán Fleming: I refer to the court escort figure, which 58 members of staff receive. It amounts to approximately €2,000 gross per annum, which is not a lot of money. Why are so few staff involved in court escorts? I had assumed more were involved.