Results 10,161-10,180 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: My thinking is twofold. First, we must work out practical issues between the OPW and the insurers in terms of a flow of information. The Irish Insurance Federation must be confident that the information we give its members is the full picture and that it would disseminate the information to its member companies. There is, however, a wider issue. We will be in a better space when we have...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is a fair point. We should examine that approach. This process is new to us as well. It is an output of the office. In fairness, the Office of Public Works has been leading on the issue and I have been pushing the insurance industry to accept our maps and the standard. I fully accept the Chairman’s point.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: First, I thank the Deputy for her remarks. The minor works scheme is very important. We have an open-door policy in the Office of Public Works. The local authority is the key body which applies to the office to draw down funds, up to a maximum of €500,000, which is a significant sum of money. Some of the schemes could cost €20,000 or €30,000 but many of them cost...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: Any contribution would be gratefully accepted. I am aware of Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Limited which provides insurance for local authorities in the main.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: It is certainly worth pursuing. The argument made by insurance plcs when I speak to them is that they have taken a significant hit following the serious weather events we have had since 2008 and 2009 and it makes the Irish market less attractive. They tell me that the Irish market is effectively the same as Manchester in the United Kingdom in terms of its size and scale and that there are...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: Defence schemes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: If there are any initiatives the company wants to take in this area it would be more than welcome.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: In the banking area, we are examining how to treat the State as one entity for the purpose of procurement in terms of all the accounts that exist. Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Limited is one such example. I will put it this way. If funds exist in various ways in different State accounts we must get maximum benefit from them, which we are not doing at present. We need to start...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: The reason for this is that we have taken over responsibility for maintenance of all Departments. Up to now, there was an amount contained in their Estimates which they spent on maintaining their own buildings. We recently got a decision of Government, in consequence of which we are going to maintain their buildings and they have given us this money to do so. They put us in funds for that...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: One of the areas we highlighted in public sector reform is the putting together of a new procurement service. That requires bringing in new people who have specialist knowledge of individual markets and categories within them. That is the reason for the increase; there is an additional staff complement.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: We look at any assets we have and how we can get rid of them. My understanding is this refers to a piece of work we have been doing for the zoo, mostly relating to an elephant house on which the OPW has been working with the Zoological Gardens. I understand it is now completed and the money is finished.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is a fair point.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: We are in charge of elephants but not rhinoceroses which apparently are a matter for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, and come under his jurisdiction.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I suspect so. We are in charge of bull elephants.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: There is an extra element. The Chairman may remember that in my opening remarks I mentioned the energy efficiency campaign, the optimising power at work campaign. We have been given €1.7 million to run that programme and that is the reason the figure has increased from €1.2 million to €3.1 million.

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Availability (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and clarifying it. The Central Bank of Ireland issued a circular to all credit unions on 22 February 2013 regarding prudential lending. The circular emphasises the need for credit unions to assess adequately the creditworthiness of applications for credit and in particular the need to collect sufficient information about borrowers'...

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Availability (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: This is a useful exchange. There is a recognition in government, as there is on all sides of this House, of the importance of the credit union sector in terms of lending for the short and medium terms. It is an absolutely crucial part of the financial environment for the country. The credit union sector has come through a difficult time, as have other financial institutions, but we need to...

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: Taking up the point made by Deputy John Browne, the Government has no intention of cutting across the work of Kieran Mulvey and the LRC over the coming weeks. People who are experts in the area and have a track record of bringing people together to work out a solution need time and space. It is the fervent hope of the Government that we can still find some agreement. I am a great believer...

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: It is good to have a historical perspective, even on this side of the House.

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I did not interrupt anyone. From speaking to people across the European Union institutions, I know that the reduction in the number of people working in the service at a time of exceptional demand and the reduction in the public sector pay and pension bill without loss of days through strikes and industrial action is quite an achievement. There are two fundamental principles required and I...