Results 12,521-12,540 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Political Reform Agenda: Political Reform Agenda (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 83 together. My Department is responsible for a number of commitments in the Programme for Government that form part of the Government's overall political reform agenda. These include:- introducing a statutory register of lobbyists, and rules concerning the practice of lobbying; legislating for a reformulated code of laws, replacing both the...

Written Answers — Public Service Reform: Public Service Reform (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 67 and 93 together. On 17 November last, I announced several key developments relating to Public Service reform and published the Government's Public Service Reform Plan which provides the basis for the comprehensive and strategic reform of the Public Service in the coming years. The Reform Plan outlines the priority actions and timelines for reform in a...

Written Answers — Sale of State Assets: Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Troika view asset disposals as a structural reform measure – intended to improve efficiency and competition in the economy, while also offering the prospect of reducing overall debt levels. The Government, however, views asset disposals as offering the potential to release value from State assets for use on employment generating initiatives in the economy. As I have previously stated,...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Guidelines on Staffing in Ministerial Offices were revised following decisions by this Government on a number of cost saving measures relating to the personal appointees of Ministers and Ministers of State. The current Guidelines provide that Special Advisers to Ministers are to be placed on the Principal Officer (standard) scale, which currently runs from €80,051 at the minimum to...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The latest departmental reports regarding cost savings were received as part of the 2011 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE). All of these reports, including analyses carried out by the Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit (CEEU) of my Department, were published on the Department's website, www.per.gov.ie, on 6 December 2011. This overall approach demonstrates an unprecedented level of...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I only as recently as June last year announced the introduction of general pay ceilings of: €200,000 for future appointments to higher positions across the public service; €250,000 for future appointments to CEO posts within Commercial State Companies. I have no plans to revise this general pay ceiling. CEO posts in Non Commercial State Agencies are generally filled by way of fixed-term...

Written Answers — Information Technology: Information Technology (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As part of the Public Service Reform Plan, published on 17 November 2011, my Department committed to develop a Cloud Computing Strategy for the Public Service during the first quarter of this year. This Strategy is being developed in collaboration with the Public Service Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council, which was recently established to assist and advise my Department in developing...

Written Answers — Sale of State Assets: Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 264 together. The context of the questions is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing the EU/IMF Funding Programme for Ireland, which commits the Government to considering options for an ambitious programme of asset disposals, based on the Programme for Government and the report of the Review Group on State Assets and Liabilities. The MOU...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 82 together. There are no incentivised schemes for early retirement in operation at present in the public or civil service. Many of the retirements at this stage are occurring in the normal course where an individual has reached retirement age. There are also cases where individuals are availing of "cost-neutral early retirement", which allows...

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay: Public Sector Pay (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government adopted my proposal in June 2011 for the introduction of:- · a general pay ceiling of €200,000 for future appointments to higher positions across the public service; and · a general pay ceiling of €250,000 for future appointments to CEO posts within Commercial State Companies. Following the outcome to the referendum on remuneration for the Judiciary, the Financial...

Written Answers — Commercial Semi-State Bodies: Commercial Semi-State Bodies (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, the NewERA unit was established within the National Treasury Management Agency in 2011 to reform the manner in which Government manages the commercial semi-State companies. NewERA will initially undertake the corporate governance function, from a shareholder perspective and reporting to relevant ministers, of ESB, Bord Gáis Éireann, EirGrid, Bord na Móna and...

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay: Public Sector Pay (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Pay and superannuation terms for Secretaries General and County Managers are in line with their contractual arrangements. The Deputy will be aware that a number of significant steps have been taken to reduce costs which will make a significant contribution to the national effort to restore the public finances to a sustainable path. Among the pay measures introduced and impacting on the...

Written Answers — Public Sector Reform: Public Sector Reform (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Senior public service managers are accountable to the Oireachtas through their appearances before Select Committees and the Public Accounts Committee. They are also subject to rigorous independent examination of regularity, propriety and value for money by the Comptroller and Auditor General who carries out individual VFM examinations on the economy and efficiency with which a public body...

Written Answers — National Pensions Reserve Fund: National Pensions Reserve Fund (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government's "Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012 to 2016" report, which was published on 10 November 2011, sets out the €17 billion Exchequer capital investment framework for the coming five year period. In addition, as signalled in the plan, there will be capital investment through the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), the establishment of which was announced by the Government...

Written Answers — Public Expenditure: Public Expenditure (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As is clear from the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014 published on 5 December last, the Capital Infrastructure Plan published on 10 November 2011, the Implementation Body publication of the Public Service Agreement Progress Report on the 17 November 2011, and the Public Service Reform Plan also published on 17 November 2011, the Government is making good progress on achieving all...

Written Answers — National Revaluation Programme: National Revaluation Programme (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As I explained in response to previous Questions, the revaluation programme which began in November 2005 in the greater Dublin area is ongoing, the current emphasis being in the Dublin City Council area which commenced last May and which involves the valuation of approximately 25,000 properties. As part of the roll-out of the revaluation programme to other local authority areas, the...

Written Answers — Public Sector Staff: Public Sector Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to reducing the Public Service number to 282,500 by 2015. Given the importance of meeting this challenging numbers target, any recruitment will be directed towards areas of most need. In order to mitigate the impact on frontline service provision as far as possible, with the co-operation and flexibility of individual public servants, we will fully use the...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question my Department does not keep a central registry of all State agency board appointees. Each Department keeps the details in respect of State agency board appointees in respect of the State Agencies which come under their remit. In respect of my own Department An Post National Lottery is a commercial State agency which comes under the remit of my Department....

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay: Public Sector Pay (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government has reaffirmed the key commitments under the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 on pay rates and job security for serving public servants. These commitments are contingent on delivery of the necessary flexibilities and reforms to public service delivery that are required under the Agreement. The Exchequer allocations for 2012 have been set out. Measures for 2013 will be...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Question Nos. 248 and 249 of 21 July 2011. The position remains unchanged.