Results 9,741-9,760 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Commissioners of Public Works expended €2,030,580.28 during 2011 and 2012 on rents and service charges for leased properties in Co Laois to facilitate decentralisation.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Energy Usage (16 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Office of Public Works has been running a very successful staff energy awareness campaign in all large State buildings (>1000m2) since 2008. The programme entitled Optimising Power @ Work has achieved average energy savings of over 19% in 270 participating buildings/complexes. As part of this campaign there are a number of different types of energy audits carried out in each building. ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Visits (16 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The provision of a dedicated media facility in the former ‘Print Works’ area of the Stamping building to accommodate the 1,200 accredited media in preparation for these State visits in 2011 cost a total of €909,000. The works consisted of:- - Improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning in the main 'Print Works' space on the ground floor and, to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Water Levels (16 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 379 together. The Office of Public Works monitors the position in relation to water levels on the Shannon and the on-going progress in respect of the River Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment & Management Study (CFRAM). Having regard to on-going expressions of concern about the control of water levels on the Shannon, Jacobs Engineering...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coastal Erosion (17 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Office of Public Works OPW has not been made aware of reports on coastal erosion problems at the southern end of Inch Spit. Investigation of this matter would in the first instance be a matter for Kerry County Council. It is open to the Council to apply for funding under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Monuments (17 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: There are aesthetic and practical considerations involved in deciding whether floodlighting of particular sites is either feasible or appropriate. The nearby availability of a power source, cost, rural light pollution and the appropriateness of floodlighting isolated sites must all be taken into account. In many situations, floodlighting in an urban setting is feasible, while the same might...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Stations (22 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Office of Public Works is responsible for managing the sale of surplus properties in state ownership, including Garda stations. The OPW is currently assessing the property options arising in respect of Garda stations, which are no longer required by An Garda Síochána. This assessment will include other potential State uses for the properties. If and when properties are...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Properties (22 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The relocation of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s staff from Convent Road to Golf Links Road in Roscommon Town will be complete by early February 2013, following which this building will be practically fully occupied. The space vacated in Convent Road, as a result of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s move, has been allocated to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Properties (22 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Commissioners of Public Works currently hold two vacant leases. These are as follows:1. Ballymun former Garda Station, annual rent €3,175. 2. Cork Centrepark House, Floor 3. Annual rent €43,940

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The Deputies are aware of the Government's record to date in reducing higher levels of pay and of pensions in the public service. Since it took office, the Government has introduced a general pay ceiling of €200,000 for higher positions across the public service, brought forward a referendum to allow pay reductions to apply to the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: I will take the latter issue first. The Government is firmly of the view that savings in pay and pensions over the next three years must bring in a net saving of €1 billion. We have set out our plan for 2013 of €300 million and the remainder in 2014 and 2015. It is against a background where three years ago the totality of public sector pay and pensions in this country was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: While the question of the graduate scheme in the health service is of course a matter for the Minister for Health, the reality is that ten years ago, Ireland had a public sector of approximately 290,000 people. Today, even on foot of the reductions in the total number over the past four years of 30,000, it still has approximately 290,000 people, despite the collapse by one third in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: What is sick is to pretend to people that one can solve this problem by taking out everyone on a salary of €100,000, putting them up against a wall and doing what the Deputy's former comrades used to do to them. That is sick, in a circumstance in which the great majority of people who work in the public service are not on that kind of money. If one is serious about dealing with this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: On the question that Deputy Sean Fleming quite rightly asked about teachers, one point on which I wish to agree with him is that even with the reductions in public servant numbers the Government and its predecessor were obliged to introduce, there still will be more teachers in the system. The reason is the number of children coming into the schools has not been at the current rate since the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Procurement Service (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The public service reform plan published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in November 2011 identified procurement reform as a key instrument that can assist in maintaining the delivery of public services in an efficient manner. The National Procurement Service, NPS, has put in place a number of national arrangements designed to secure better value for money from leveraging...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Procurement Service (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: To answer the Deputy's question, it was considered by my Department very carefully. My Department stands over the decision it successfully brought to the Government for approval last July. That memorandum is crucially important for the procurement space into which the Government is trying to get. There is an enormous prize to be won in this regard. A recent independent report showed the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Procurement Service (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: We had very substantial dialogue with representatives of the small and medium enterprise, SME, sector before introducing this because we want that sector to win more of these contracts. If there is a criticism I can make of the procurement, it is that we do not have multiple suppliers on those frameworks. I accept the criticism from some that a framework should not be created with one...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: On 17 July 2012, the Government announced its plans for an additional €2.25 billion investment in public infrastructure projects in Ireland. The stimulus package included €850 million in Exchequer investment to be funded from the proceeds of the sale of State assets and from the new licensing arrangements for the national lottery. This investment will be used as a project...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: I apologise. I can do so now.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 Jan 2013)

Brian Hayes: The Deputy is correct in that there is no such reference in the Bill, but that is not the intention of the legislation. The Minister published the Bill last December and the House will have the opportunity to discuss it in further detail shortly. We never said that all the proceeds-----