Results 11,301-11,320 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Fiscal Policy (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy seems to be under something of a misapprehension. The comprehensive spending review is not a document but a process.

Fiscal Policy (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It could not. It is a process, with submissions coming in and an analysis undertaken of those submissions. There is scope for external inputs. For example, I have sought views from the public and we are receiving many useful proposals from front line workers, people who know how savings and improvements can be made in their own workplace. All of this is feeding into the comprehensive...

Pension Provisions (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 introduced a number of measures in the public interest. Section 2 of the Act provided for a pension-related deduction, PRD, to be made from the remuneration of public servants who are members of public service pension schemes or who have analogous arrangements. On average, this reduced pay by approximately 7%. The PRD was...

Pension Provisions (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I agree with the Deputy to the extent that a big burden is being carried by a whole cross-section of our community, public servants, workers and all taxpayers on foot of disastrous decisions that were made by bankers and policy makers in the State. It is not fair but it is necessary in order for the country to survive and to thrive and there is no way that can be 'magicked' away. Whether it...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts 2009 imposed a pension related reduction effective from March 2009 and a reduction in pay rates effective from January 2010 ranging from 5% to 15% for all public servants. The effect of these measures, combined with measures to reduce the numbers of public servants and to restrict other elements of the public service pay bill, has...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: What brass neck - I have seen brass neck in this House over the past 20 years but this is something. The objective of the Croke Park agreement and all the measures we have taken, including not resiling from the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts that the previous Government put in place is to restore economic solvency of our State. Deputy Fleming and his party broke...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to reducing public service numbers in accordance with the programme for Government subject to there being no compulsory redundancies and to the protection of front line staff. The recruitment moratorium is a means to this end and is being used with redeployment and increased productivity to limit the impact of necessary savings on all public services. As outlined...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Boyd Barrett is an idealist and he believes what he says. The problem is that we must pay our way. We are borrowing €18 billion to fund ourselves for this year. Do I like the memorandum of understanding we inherited from her predecessors? No, I do not, nor do I like reporting to external forces, chapter by chapter and the line by line of public expenditure. I am determined and...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: In line with the programme for Government, a comprehensive review of expenditure is under way across all Departments with a focus on what services the public service should provide and also how these services can be best delivered. This review will undoubtedly lead to changes in the way in which some services are delivered. The Government will make decisions on the outcome of the review in...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I have indicated already that the Government has accepted the Croke Park agreement. We will live up to our side of it. As I have indicated to the House, there is conditionality in that regard. We want an array of options available to us to ensure the review is truly comprehensive. I want people to think outside the box with ideas that I am happy to bring to the unions and to the...

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Secretaries General.

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy uses nice pejorative terms like "cook up". The letter was to Secretaries General asking people to engage in the process in an open way. In the spirit of transparency, the Deputy asked me if I would publish the letters. I will. I will arrange within the next few days to have them put on my website for the Deputy to examine.

Croke Park Agreement (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I will tell the Deputy what the savings are when the savings are adduced and we have the process under way and done. I read out in my reply what is in the public service agreement and its appendix which requires consultation on all these matters and proper evaluation, down to the public interest evaluation. All the Deputy's concerns will be taken into account but we will do things that are...

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Cabinet committee on economic infrastructure, of which I am a member, has been overseeing the progress of the NewERA initiative in line with the programme for Government commitments. My Department is also represented on the senior officials group on economic infrastructure which supports the work of the Cabinet committee and is charged with preparing proposals for its consideration. I...

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: You do not know that.

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I do not answer questions that are not my responsibility. I am sure the relevant Minister will answer that. The infrastructure committee of the Cabinet has done a huge amount of work on this issue. It is crystallising proposals now to go to Cabinet on the establishment of the NewERA proposal. The idea is that it is to be a driver of new jobs into the future. That will be announced in due...

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----with the troika on the use of resources that are generated from the sale of State assets.

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It is not even under my remit.

NewERA Proposal (14 Jul 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I will not answer any questions that are outside my function and responsibility. It is a matter for the Deputy to table a question to the appropriate Minister. All I have indicated is that the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure, of which I am a member, has discussed and is crystallising the NewERA proposals that will come to Cabinet in due course. When they are before Cabinet, it will...