Results 14,981-15,000 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

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

Brendan Howlin: In recent weeks, extremely difficult and complex discussions have been underway 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...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Tenders (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. As one measure to achieve this, the guidance advises that the sub-dividing of procurement requirements into “lots” should be considered by contracting...

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

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Question No. 16 of 23 January 2013.

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

Brendan Howlin: Proposals for the sale of Coillte's harvesting rights under the State assets disposal programme are being considered within the context of a full and rigorous assessment of all the implications of a harvesting rights transaction for both the company and the timber processing sector in general. My department has actively engaged with Coillte, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the...

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

Brendan Howlin: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce new legislation to protect small building subcontractors that have been denied payments from bigger companies. In this regard, my colleague Minister of State Brian Hayes is working with Senator Feargal Quinn to develop the Senator’s private member’s Construction Contracts Bill into a robust piece of legislation. The...

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

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

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 152 together. The Government is making good progress on achieving all of our targets and priorities, as articulated in the Government Programme. We are bringing public expenditure back to a sustainable level and driving forward the public service reform agenda to ensure that efficiencies and reformed work practices play a full part in contributing...

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

Brendan Howlin: The historical data the Deputy has requested on public service pay and numbers is available on my Department’s website (). This data is regularly updated and I would urge all Deputies to utilise this resource.

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

Brendan Howlin: The Government’s Public Service Reform Plan, published November 2011, sets out an ambitious range of actions and timescales for comprehensive reform across all areas of the Public Service. In addition, all Departments and major Offices have developed their own high-level Integrated Reform Delivery Plans, which set out the key actions required to ensure the successful delivery of the...

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

Brendan Howlin: As I have previously informed the House, none of the potential receipts from the State assets disposal programme are to be used as a means of achieving the budgetary targets set for 2013. Instead, it has been agreed with the Troika that all of the Government’s proceeds from the programme will be available, in one shape or another, to support job creating initiatives in the economy....

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

Brendan Howlin: As I indicated to the Deputy in my reply to his Parliamentary Question on this subject on 10 October 2012, I agree that Departments and Offices should make every effort to contain and reduce all administrative costs including both insurance and procurement costs. This approach is in line with Government’s overall reform and efficiency agenda. In light of the need to accelerate the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 to 119, inclusive, together. Discussions have taken place between public service employers and the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions regarding the Government’s stated intention to reach agreement on securing the required overall savings from the public service pay and pensions bill by 2015. Following intensive...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question the following is a list of members or former members of the judiciary that have, in the past five years, acted as chairperson or member of any body or inquiry, or have performed functions including arbitration, mediation, conciliation, patronage, advisory or law reform functions or any other role in or in any body under the aegis of my Department: ...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Chairman and the committee for the opportunity. The five-year Exchequer capital framework published in November 2011 sets out a programme of Exchequer capital investment of €17 billion between its initiation and 2016. This significant level of investment will address critical infrastructure deficits, aid economic growth and job creation and provide much-needed social...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Before the end of March.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Much of the drilling down should be done at departmental level because the Department controls that. We are looking at the over-arching carry over. The general principal is that the maximum that can be carried over is 10%. By definition, it is a small subset of the total capital allocated. We monitor it on a monthly basis. Contrary to the normal workings of my Department, we push them to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: He was trying to push local authorities and many of them were reluctant to embark on new projects because of the creation of the new water authority. That annoyed me but he did push the local authorities on that. The Deputy asked what Departments had Supplementary Estimates and mentioned a sum of €1 billion. The Departments of Health and Social Protection had Supplementary Estimates.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Many Departments had savings and there were technical Supplementary Estimates for some to allow certain areas of expenditure and those were the two significant Supplementary Estimates. In the social protection area, a chunk of that was a short-fall in PRSI income. It was not a requirement for an additional spend, it was a re-labelling of spending, where money that came into the Exchequer...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: A major chunk of additional money will come under the PPPs that will fall under the stimulus plan. The first school bundles were signed off at the end of last year. This will not appear in voted capital. I hope to group bundles - that is happening with the next two bundles. A total of 12 schools will be signed off in May, and the first bundle is now under construction.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013: Motion (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No, this is additional stimulus. Ground work is underway on the Grangegorman project, which is the flagship project. We hope to make significant progress on it. I had a meeting with the Vice President of the European Investment Bank on that issue yesterday.