Results 15,121-15,140 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Transport (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question the following is a list of costs regarding Ministerial cars in 2012: Type of Expenditure Number of Staff Amount Minister Drivers Salaries 2 €65,929.42 Drivers Expenses 2 €24,171.01 Mileage Payment to Minister 1 €12,826.92 Total €102,927.41 Minister of State Drivers Salaries 3 €71,663.84 Drivers...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Issues (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Since 1986, the lottery licence has been managed by An Post National Lottery Company and has made a significant contribution to the State through making good cause contributions of approximately €4 billion. Importantly, the new licence is being designed to align interests between the new operator and the State with the objective of maximising contributions to be paid to good causes...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Allowances (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together. Departments were notified by my Department on 28 September 2012 of details of the Government decision in relation to the outcome of the Review of Public Sector Allowances and Premium Pay. Copies of these letters, detailing allowances to be abolished for new beneficiaries and allowances to be approved for new beneficiaries but subject...

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

Brendan Howlin: The proposals put forward by the Labour Relations Commission on 25 February last are a fair and equitable package of measures which will deliver the €1bn savings in the pay and pensions bill required by Government, while protecting those on lower incomes to the greatest extent possible. For example, under the proposals, there is no change to the core pay of the 87% of workers in the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnership Contracts (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: For the Design Build Operate Finance (DBOF) PPP contracts the following projects are subject to partial Indexation at CPI/HICP: Criminal Courts of Justice Convention Centre Dublin Schools - Pilots Schools 1 Schools 2 Schools 3 Cork School of Music National Maritime College M50 All operating payments under the toll roads (First Roads PPP Programme) – are subject to CPI. The Department...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Chairman for facilitating today's discussion. I do not think any other proposal has received the same scrutiny as this initiative to date. We have had debates, questions and numerous motions in both Houses on the issue. I welcome that because it is important that we rigorously consider all proposals. I strongly reaffirm the views I expressed on Second Stage on the national...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: " "central gaming system" comprises the secure core computer systems of hardware and software that validate and record all entries for National Lottery games and identify winning combinations;".The central gaming system is crucial to the operation of a national lottery. It is considered appropriate to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is always interesting to listen to Deputy Boyd Barrett. I dare say if I was introducing a lottery for the very first time, we would have strong socioeconomic arguments against gambling, the idea of a national lottery and-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I am sure we would hear very strong arguments. I am sure that, if I had the set of proposals to do exactly as Deputy Boyd Barrett now suggests and conduct the licence the way the last licence was conducted but with a ring-fenced lasso around an income stream to fund the children's hospital, I would be told of all the good causes which would suffer egregiously from that in working class areas...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The unprecedented challenge for this Government is to find resources to invest in job creation and in providing an infrastructure which is urgently needed. Nobody is against the notion of building a national children's hospital, so we need to find the wherewithal to do so. In my judgment, this is a very good way to do so. I do not believe it does any damage to the integrity of the lottery....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government made decisions in regard to this legislation in principle at the time I published the public capital programme. I was looking at everything available to us to fund infrastructure and to spend money on buildings and get construction workers back to work. We came up with the idea for this in November 2011 and I floated it. We have been working on it since then. In order to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The last one was put out to tender in 2001.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: To be very honest about it, I have changed the conditions of the licence. I made it a 20-year licence to make it more attractive and to attract a larger up-front payment. The Deputy is right that what we are putting into the market is a licence which we are obliged under European law to put into the market. I cannot award it to An Post or to anybody else. The reason An Post has it is that...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: What has changed is that there is a different licensing regime, because we now have a 20-year licence and different structure for it in that we are setting up an independent regulator. That is something I was going to go back to because Deputy McDonald threw in the point that it fundamentally altered the situation. Again had I brought in a provision such as: "the Minister having this...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No, that is not the case. There will not be two lotteries. There will be one lotto. A licence will be issued by the State to hold a national lottery in the State. It will be done by the successful tenderer, be that a commercial semi-State company or a private company, all of whom may have tendered for a previous licence. That is the long and the short of it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Nobody said there was nothing in it. Of course there is a profit margin in it for them.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Why did An Post apply for the licence for the lottery?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: That is a different way of making a profit.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: May I make my apologies to the Chair?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I am changing the timeframe of the licence as well as the payment mechanism. Instead of a fixed fee, it will be an upfront payment. That is the difference. I want an upfront payment to invest in our economy right now. I want to invest the money so that we build the children's hospital. I hope we will get money from the sale of the licence. We do how much will be bid for it, but we need...