Results 12,661-12,680 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — EU Presidency: EU Presidency (15 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I have taken a close interest in the preparation for Ireland's EU Presidency since my appointment as Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform. A Presidency planning group has been set up within the Department and the matter is discussed regularly by the Department's Management Board. My Department also takes an active part in the various Presidency preparation groups established by the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In general, my Department uses the services of the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. The costs associated with these Offices are borne by their respective Votes. My Department also seeks outside legal advisors in circumstances requiring legal services of a specific nature. The total cost of such payments made by my Department since it was formed in...

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy should not be putting that on the record.

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: It was the developer.

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We are way over time.

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Does he have a script?

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In 1872.

Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: It is a mini-series.

Written Answers — Public Service Staff: Public Service Staff (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Agreement 2010-14 (Croke Park Agreement) provides for agreed redeployment arrangements to apply in the Civil Service and in other parts of the public service. Under the Agreement, redeployment generally takes precedence over all other methods of filling a vacancy and supersedes any existing agreements on the deployment of staff. It sets out the agreed redeployment...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In the time allowed it is not possible to provide a detailed response to the Deputy. However, details in respect of my Department are outlined as follows. Department Band Number of Employees D/PER 0-10K 99 D/PER 10-20K 9 D/PER 20-30K 24 D/PER 30-40K 36 D/PER 40-50K 53 D/PER 50-60K 57 D/PER 60-70K 19 D/PER 70-80K 28 D/PER 80-90K 45 D/PER 90-100K 12 D/PER 100-115K 17 D/PER...

Written Answers — Public Service Staff: Public Service Staff (16 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I presume the Deputy is referring to the Cost Neutral Early Retirement (CNER) scheme under which staff may apply to retire before the normal retirement age but to have an off-setting actuarial reduction applied to their retirement benefits. In the case of the Civil Service, the data sought by the Deputy is set out in the tables below for 2011 and 2012. In the case of the wider public service,...

Written Answers — Regulatory Impact Analysis: Regulatory Impact Analysis (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is a tool used by Departments to assess the costs, benefits and qualitative impacts of regulatory proposals. The use of this tool has been mandatory in relation to proposals for primary legislation as well as significant secondary and EU regulations since 2005, although, in general the practice to date has been that RIAs were only published once a Bill or...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Following the informal European Council meeting on 30 January 2012, Commission President Barroso launched an initiative to boost growth and tackle the problem of youth unemployment. He indicated his intention to work with Member States, particularly those where the situation of young people is most difficult, using structural funds among other instruments, to strengthen national efforts to...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy may know, the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009 introduced a pay cut with effect from 1 January 2010 for serving public servants. Section 3 of that Act provided that the pay cut did not affect pensions until a future date to be set by the Minister for Finance. That date was set as 29 February 2012 after which public service pensions coming...

Written Answers — Public Service Staff: Public Service Staff (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As part of its Reform Agenda, the Government is committed to reducing public service numbers to 282,500 by the end of 2015 with the aim of producing a more customer focused, leaner, more efficient, better integrated public service which delivers maximum value for money. Details of Public Service staff numbers and Government Offices are not held centrally on a county by county basis. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 273 together. In relation to my own Department the only state body under my aegis that is subject to the Revised Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies is An Post National Lottery Company. An Post National Lottery Company will submit its annual report on corporate governance as part of its overall annual report for 2011 to me as Minister...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to "amend the rules to ensure that no senior public servant (including political appointees) or Minister can work in the private sector in any area involving a potential conflict of interest with their former area of public employment, until at least two years have elapsed after they have left public office". This commitment is being...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 276 together. As part of the reform of the public service, the Government is committed to the introduction of new skills and talent across all Departments. In the Programme for Government we have said that appointments at Principal Officer level and above will be open to external competition. Since the introduction of the moratorium on recruitment...

Written Answers — Members' Allowances: Members' Allowances (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 282 together. The Party Leader's Allowance is provided for in the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) Act, 1938, as amended by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act, 2001. The allowance is paid to the parliamentary leader of a qualifying party in relation to expenses arising from the parliamentary...

Written Answers — Members' Allowances: Members' Allowances (21 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 281 together. Section 50 (c) (ii) (I) (a) of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2001, provides for an annual sum of €4.948 million to be shared among qualified political parties. Payments are calculated on the basis of the share of first preference votes obtained by an individual qualified party at the previous general election. Section 50(c) (i) (a) of...