Results 14,961-14,980 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy may be aware, only around 1% of public service pensioners are in receipt of a pension in excess of €60,000 and only a few hundred have a pension in excess of €100,000. The average public service pension is estimated at around €25,000 and many of these pensioners do not have any entitlement to the social welfare pension. I would add that there would be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Agencies (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The focus to date of this Government has been on the rationalisation of state bodies, and by the end of 2012 there were rationalisation measures fully implemented across 21 bodiesand measures effecting a further 82 bodies at advanced legislative / administrative stages. The Programme for Government also contains a commitment that when a Department is proposing a new agency or state body, it...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I would refer the Deputy to my reply to his previous written PQ (PQ 9199/13 – answered 20 February 2013) in which I noted that the key objective of the Construction Contracts Bill is to ensure that cash flows down the supply chain on all construction contracts. This is achieved by providing a statutory schedule of payments, prohibiting the use of ‘pay when paid’ clauses...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Remuneration (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Based on updated information submitted to my Department on the total cost of increments in a full year in the various sectors, the full year cost of increments in the public service (excluding the Local Authority sector) is now estimated at some €150 million per annum. My Department will review the information available to it on the cost of increments across the public service and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget 2014 (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The “two-pack”, which has just been agreed at EU level, reinforces the European Semester process and introduces a common budgetary timeline for all Euro-area Member States both in relation to the publication of the national budget and the enactment of the legislation. Member States are required to publish their draft budget for central government and the main parameters of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Legislation (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Decisions on the application of Freedom of Information to public bodies are a matter for Government based on proposals presented to them by me as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government decided last July to endorse the principle contained in the Programme for Government that Freedom of Information should apply to all public bodies subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Implementation (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government has, and will continue to be acutely aware of the needs and interests of the users of public services and the quality of those services. The Government’s ambitious Public Service Reform Plan was published in November, 2011 and sets out the basis for the comprehensive and strategic reform of the Irish Public Service. The Plan includes a core commitment to “place...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Exchequer Savings (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware this Government is committed to developing a leaner, more efficient Public Service. To this end, we agreed on 2 October 2012 to accelerate the reduction in Public Service numbers in order to achieve the previous end 2015 target of 282,500 by end 2014 instead. Greater efficiencies in the way the Public Service is going about its business means that some functions and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Remuneration (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Ireland is committed to reducing its general government deficit to less than 3% by 2015. To meet this commitment the Medium Term Fiscal Statement indicated that, in addition to the overall consolidation of €3.5 billion required for 2013, an additional €3.1 billion in savings and revenue raising measures must be identified for 2014 and €2 billion in 2015. If the public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Guidelines issued by my Department (Circular 10/10) require public bodies to conduct the public procurement function in a way that facilitates and does not place barriers to participation of small and medium enterprises. In relation to improving access for SMEs to larger contracts, the guidance advises contracting authorities to consider sub-dividing of procurement requirements into...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Costs (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: State bodies are the largest single consumer of legal services, and so it is critical to ensure that the State is achieving maximum value for money, while at the same time ensuring that it does not distort an important market. My Department is reviewing both the level of expenditure on, and the procedures that are being used to procure, legal services. The paper "Reducing Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clause (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The scope for including social considerations in public contracts is something that I have been examining closely recently. In this regard, I would refer the Deputy to my reply on this issue (PQ 3066/13 - answered 23/01/13). The inclusion of a social clause in all public procurement contracts requiring that, for example, a quota of long-term unemployed be employed in the delivery of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coillte Teoranta Harvesting Rights Sale (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 45 together. The House will recall my announcement of the shape and scale of the State asset disposal programme in February, 2012. The Government then decided in June that a long-term concession contract for the harvesting rights to Coillte forests represented the best option for realising value from Coillte in the short to medium term. A Steering...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, I have no statutory role in relation to the remuneration of staff below Chief Executive Officer (CEO) level in the commercial State sector. The Government supports a strong policy of pay restraint in the public sector and the Deputy will also be aware that in June, 2011 the Government took two significant steps in relation to the payment arrangements of CEOs...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Redundancies (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government has decided that voluntary redundancy will be introduced in certain targeted sections of the Public Service where staff surpluses are identified by management and where redeployment is not suitable. My Department agreed the terms for voluntary redundancy with the Public Services Committee of ICTU in June 2012, a copy of which can be found on my Department's website at:...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Issues (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Data on the gender break down in the clerical officer grade across the public service is not readily available. However, for the Civil Service there are just over 11,000 clerical officers or equivalents of which some 75% are female.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is intended that the competition for the next National Lottery licence will commence during the second quarter of this year. It is envisaged that the licence will be awarded in the second half of 2013 and that it will come into operation in 2014. My officials and the Department’s financial and commercial advisers have met with a number of parties who have indicated an interest...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Tenders (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 55 together. In relation to improving access for SMEs to public procurement opportunities the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has issued guidelines (Circular 10/10) that require public bodies to promote participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the award of public contracts. These guidelines set out positive measures that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Work is ongoing and significant progress has already been made in preparations for transactions in the State asset disposal programme that I announced last February. I envisage that significant further progress will be made during the course of this year, including the receipt of the initial proceeds for some of the assets, as circumstances allow.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Issues (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In recent weeks, extremely difficult and complex discussions have taken place between public service management and public service staff representatives seeking agreement on a series of measures that will secure an additional €1 billion saving from the public service pay and pensions bill by 2015. Following intensive engagement in recent days between the parties which was...