Results 13,301-13,320 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Public Sector Staff (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I take the final part of the Deputy's question quite seriously. We do need to ensure that wherever we are engaging with agency or temporary staff there is a robust business case for it and that it makes economic sense. That is part of the culture which I am trying to inculcate across all State agencies and Departments.

Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware the programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce a statutory register of lobbyists and rules governing the conduct of lobbying. In addition, the public service reform programme, launched in November 2011, contains a commitment to prepare legislation to meet these objectives through the publication of legislation early in 2013. My Department is...

Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I intend to have a paper published very shortly but the Bill itself will be published early next year.

Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I could not agree more with the Deputy. She is aware I published a Private Members' Bill on this subject but it is a complicated issue. Lobbying is legitimate and every citizen and representative group should be able to lobby, whether it is a group representing the unemployed, farmers, single parents or anybody else. The issue is that it must be done in a regulated way that is transparent...

Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Although I am unaware of the particular research to which the Deputy's question refers, and he might indicate what it is as I could not find it, I would not necessarily accept that such findings can be extrapolated either generally or to the particular context of the programme of State asset disposals I announced last February. In dealing with the troika it has been the Government's...

Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: If I cannot find the report he mentioned I will get my office to contact the Deputy to ensure the review group takes full account of it. The experience of privatisation is not uniform and it depends on what is privatised and the method used. Our experience in the State of the privatisation of Telecom Éireann was disastrous in my judgment. It was a wholly wrong decision to privatise a...

Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I agree with the Deputy.

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 14 together. As the Deputy will be aware the Public Service Reform Plan, published in November last year, demonstrated the Government's commitment to reform and the pursuit of efficiencies by deciding (i) to proceed with the rationalisation of 48 bodies by the end of 2012 and (ii) the critical review of a further 46 bodies by the end of June 2012....

Written Answers — Public Sector Reform: Public Sector Reform (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I announced the review of allowances and premia payments, to be carried out by my Department, in my address on the 2012 Expenditure Estimates on 5 December 2012. This announcement was made on foot of a Government decision which requires the public service to take additional measures to deliver further efficiencies in 2012 so as to ensure that paybill targets are met and with a view to...

Written Answers — Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Since coming into office, the current Government has been working on a range of measures to boost employment and help stimulate economic growth beginning with the Jobs Initiative which was launched in May 2011 and which comprised a range of taxation and expenditure measures of €1.8bn designed to help get people back to work. Further work to stimulate economic growth and create employment...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In answer to the Deputy's question I can provide details in respect of the bodies under the aegis of my Department. It would be a matter for individual departments to supply the information in respect of the bodies under their aegis. The following is the list of Board Appointees to the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and their remuneration received in respect of Board membership. Name...

Written Answers — Ministerial Salaries: Ministerial Salaries (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The French President's decision to reduce his own pay and that of his Cabinet mirrors the precedent set by this Government on entry into office in March 2011. The Deputy will be aware that the Government decided on taking office in March 2011 to reduce the salaries of An Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers and Ministers of State with immediate effect. The reductions were implemented on a...

Written Answers — Sale of State Assets: Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 21 together. I announced last February that, following intense engagement, I had secured an agreement with the Troika that a third of the proceeds of our asset disposals programme could be used for re-investment in our economy. This was a substantial change to the Troika's previous position and will help promote recovery in the economy. I have since...

Written Answers — Sale of State Assets: Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The House will be aware that in dealing with the EU/ECB/IMF Troika on this matter, it has been this Government's consistent position that funds released from asset disposals would be used to support job creating initiatives in the economy. I am happy to report that, after long-term negotiations, I recently reached agreement with Troika representatives that all such proceeds would be used, in...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The current Guidelines on Special Advisors provide, except in the Offices of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste where separate arrangements apply, that they are to be placed on the minimum point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale, which currently runs from €80,051 at the minimum to €92,672 at the maximum. The following table sets out details of Special Advisers. List of Special...

Written Answers — Public Service Remuneration: Public Service Remuneration (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In June 2011, the Government introduced a general pay ceiling of €200,000 for future appointments to higher positions across the public service (including CEOs of Non-Commercial State Agencies). This pay ceiling has applied since June 2011 and continues to apply to newly appointed CEOs in the Non-Commercial State Agencies. While the policy applies to all new appointments to the position...

Written Answers — Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme 2012 - 2016 is primarily focused on the areas of jobs, education and health. Within the programme there is considerable emphasis on more labour intensive projects which provide greater opportunities for job creation. This is typically demonstrated by the broad range of projects that the Department of Education...

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, I announced on 4th April 2012 that the Government has decided to hold a competition for the next National Lottery licence and that the licence will be for a 20 year period. The ongoing provision of a fixed percentage of annual lottery turnover for good causes will be a condition of the licence. The Government has decided that this percentage is to be retained at...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There are no plans to introduce a Public Appointments Transparency Bill. In respect of appointments to State Boards, the Deputy will be aware that the Government put new arrangements in place for the making of such appointments. Under these arrangements Departments invite expressions of interest in vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis on their websites.

Written Answers — Sale of State Assets: Sale of State Assets (13 Jun 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 34 together. I am happy to report that significant progress has been made on advancing the asset disposal programme that I announced last February. The House will already be aware that a number of inter-departmental working groups have been established to examine each of the assets mentioned in that announcement with a view to disposals. The NewERA...