Results 13,001-13,020 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: With regard to Deputy Michael McGrath's questions, the sitting sequence is a matter for discussion and will not simply be determined by the Government side. I understand the Government Whip would like to engage with all parties and Independent Deputies in the House to ensure general agreement on the sequencing of the sittings between now and the referendum day. I assure the Deputy the two...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Neither to me nor the Government because of the €160 million required to fund local services for the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on them. With regard to the announcement on the promissory note, from my perspective and the perspective of those of us in government who have been working on substantially altering the terms of the agreement entered into by our predecessors,...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There are those who do not wish success for the State. For political reasons they would prefer that we did not succeed-----

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: -----and want constantly to badmouth the progress this economy has made step-by-step over the past 12 months. I agree entirely with Deputy Higgins on the traditional gameplaying on these issues. Like him and all Members of the House, I have plenty to occupy myself fully for the next couple of weeks.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy asked a number of questions. The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2011, which is a Private Members' Bill, was discussed at Cabinet. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, is supportive of it being enacted and I am sure that will be facilitated. I understand that the Bill may require some tweaking but that will be worked on. As regards...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Recapitalisation of the banks was debated at length a year ago when the PCAR numbers were published.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Let me explain. It was estimated at that stage that the recapitalisation would be of the order of €35 billion. The final amount is considerably less than that because of the actions of Government, in particular, the deleveraging of non-core assets of the banks. As regards purchase of Irish Life, the Deputy will be aware that it had been intended to use the sale of the insurance arm of...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The referendum Bill will be dealt with the first week after the Easter recess. The European Stability Mechanism legislation will be published but not taken until after the referendum.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The consumer and competition Bill will be published mid-year. As regards the ongoing discussions with the banks, the matters raised by the Deputy are subject to discussion at that level.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Bill will be published later this year.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Stanley will be aware that that Bill was published as a Seanad Bill. It is being taken in the Seanad today. Once it concludes its passage there it will return to this House.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There is no problem with the legislative conveyor belt. I commend the Deputy opposite and his party on its industry in publishing its own Bills. It is useful that Bills are introduced by the Opposition and accepted by Government, which was not my experience when a Member on the opposite side of the House. My Department is publishing Heads of Bills to go to Committee. I have already done...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The social protection Bill will be taken during the first week following the Easter recess. The two main pieces of legislation before the House that week will be the referendum Bill and the social protection Bill.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Bill will be published later this year. The heads of the Bill have not yet been brought to Cabinet.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is probably aware that the companies Bill is an enormous project. There are 1,270 heads of the Bill.

Order of Business (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: An enormous quantum of work will have to be done after the Bill has been published and sent to the committee. I understand it is still intended that the Bill will be published this year. Work on the prioritisation of criminal justice legislation is being undertaken by the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has been very assiduous on the legislative side. Nobody in this House is better...

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The surplus generated by the National Lottery is transferred annually to the Exchequer and is applied to part-fund the Exchequer allocations to a specified range of expenditure subheads across various Votes. The amount transferred to the Exchequer from the National Lottery surplus, together with details of the total Exchequer allocations to the relevant Lottery supported subheads, are...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The only cost incurred by my Department in respect of the visit to Singapore was the cost of the flights for myself and the two officials accompanying me, which amounted to €7,035 including taxes and charges. In order to reduce the costs of the visit my officials and I stayed in the Ambassador's residence in Singapore. The costs arising in Singapore in relation to the trip were met from...

Written Answers — State Bodies: State Bodies (29 Mar 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The radical streamlining of State Bodies is a key deliverable of the Public Service Reform Plan, which was published in November 2011. This streamlining includes the rationalisation of 48 bodies by the end of 2012, as well as the critical review of a further 46 bodies to take place by end June 2012. Details of the bodies involved are set out in Appendices IIa and IIb of the Plan which can...

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Whose fault is that?