Results 10,601-10,620 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I can tell the Deputy this is the hardest curve of all to get ahead of.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I have had no such intimations from any Government Deputy.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am very supportive of former officeholders.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: The ones with pensions are.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: That is dealt with in the pension section.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: The widow or widower will always get a pension in those circumstances.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: No. The age restriction does not apply in the event of the death of the Member. The pension is payable to the widow or widower.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: Three offices?
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I will try to assist the House as much as I can by going through each Member's contribution rather than delivering a general reply. Deputy Bruton commenced the debate by referring to legal advice and his comments were echoed by several Members. The position is that the Attorney General advised that removing the pensions from current sitting Members was vulnerable to constitutional challenge...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: When Deputies were linked to principal officers, the link was established at the highest level of principal officer pay. In other words, a principal officer would have to earn all his increments to have the basic salary of a Deputy. On the issue of having increments for Deputies, I examined the papers in my Department and noted a very scanty submission underlying the change in this regard...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: If I can close my remarks there might be an opportunity to discuss it. Deputy Burton raised a number of important points. The position relating to former Taoisigh is unique. One currently serves in the House and there are another four who have retired from the House. The position of a former Taoiseach is unique and a former Taoiseach has always been paid a full pension with no reduction....
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I appreciate that, Deputy. Deputy O'Donnell also asked the question and Deputy Shatter addressed the legal issues. Deputy Bruton asked about increments in the public service generally but they do not arise in this legislation. Fine Gael has consistently advocated that increments be frozen in the public service. Typically, increments in the public service are earned by the lower grades...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I have considerable sympathy with the amendment tabled by Deputy Bruton. The Standards is Public Office Commission has a statutory oversight role that relates to party leaders' allowances. The commission has made a recommendation on the statutory effect to be given to the guidelines on the allowance issued. I am considering the recommendations and will consider this proposal in that...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I have not yet had the opportunity to digest that matter but the chapter headings show that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission is within the scope of the report. Deputy Creed raised a number of issues. This has been a very constructive debate so far. In regard to ministerial pay, Ministers are the only people who have taken a voluntary pay cut as an absolute and general class in the...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: There is a vouched and an unvouched option available to Ministers and to Deputies. Deputy Creed pointed out the fact that a Minister gets some provision for constituency staff from the public service.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: There is a point that must be borne in mind and it is that those officers are not allowed to engage in political activity.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: It is not a fine line.
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I will not go into the detailed application of the rules-----
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am simply making the point that there is a line to be drawn here. Certainly they could not circulate literature, something at which Deputy Varadkar has always been a great expert. They certainly could not draft and circulate political propaganda. There is a distinction to which I draw attention. We have seen in recent elections that increasingly these distinctions are enforced and...
- Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee Stage and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy had better remind me what walk-about allowances are.