Results 15,421-15,440 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Issues (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together. I reiterate some of the points I have already made in response to Deputy Wallace’s priority question on a similar topic today. As I have already said, following Congress’s decision not to accept the Labour Relations Commission’s (LRC) proposals, the Government is reflecting on the outcome of the ballot and the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Adviser Pay (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As I have advised in previous Parliamentary Questions since I appointed Anne Byrne and Ronan O’Brien as special advisors no salary increases have been requested in respect of either appointment. However, on appointment, Ms Anne Byrne was placed on the second point of the PO Standard non-PPC scale with effect from 10 March 2011. In accordance with the normal practice Ms Byrne has...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 23 together. In relation to improving access for small and medium sized enterprises my Department has issued guidelines (Circular 10/10) that require public bodies to promote participation of such enterprises in the award of public contracts. The guidance does not distinguish between micro-enterprises and other SMEs, and the approach set out is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Travel (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, I this year visited Luxemburg and Belgium as part of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day Travel Programme. I visited Luxembourg on 14 March and engaged in a full programme of activities, including a visit to a promotion of Irish food and drink at a local hypermarket, a courtesy call on Luxembourg's Minister for Finance, Mr Luc Frieden, and a meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies Establishment (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I can confirm that no new State Body has been created by my Department since February, 2011. It is expected that a new regulator for the National Lottery will be created when the legislation is enacted.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Under EU law, public contracts above a certain values must be advertised EU-wide and awarded to the most competitive tender in an open and objective process. The aim is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers value for money. It would be a breach of the rules for a public body to favour or discriminate against particular candidates on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I would like to confirm that excess costs have not been incurred in payments to former civil servants interviewing candidates for public service jobs. The Irish public service has a long history of fair and open recruitment. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) took over the mantle of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, I agreed with the Troika in May 2012 that all of the proceeds from asset disposals will be available, in the short term, to be used in one shape or another to support job creating initiatives in the economy. Half of the proceeds will be available to fund employment enhancing projects of a commercial nature. The other half, while destined eventually to pay-down...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Performance Management Systems (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government’s Public Service Reform Plan contains a commitment to strengthen performance management across the public service. Good progress in this regard has been made in the various sectors. In the Local Authority sector, a performance management and development system (PMDS) has been operating since 2005 and periodic reviews of the system have been undertaken. In line with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Departmental current expenditure ceilings for 2014 were first set out in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014, published in December 2011, which first set out Departmental expenditure ceilings on a three year basis. Updated 2014 ceilings, taking account of pressures and adjustments, were set out in the Expenditure Report 2013 (published in December 2012) together with an aggregate...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Travel (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In order to promote Ireland over the St. Patrick's Day period, I led an ambitious programme to Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines from 13 to 21 March 2013. The visit included the first senior Ministerial visit to Manila, the first in over a decade to Jakarta and the first ever Ministerial call on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) HQ. Over the course of my visit I will...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Adviser Pay (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question the following table outlines the name and salary of each Special Adviser appointed by me: Name Title Salary (per annum) Increases Anne Byrne Special Adviser (D/PER) €83,337 with effect from March 2011 €86,604 with effect from March 2012. Ronan O’Brien Special Adviser (D/PER) €114,000 with effect May 2011 Nil As I...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Reform Plan (November 2011) identified the implementation of shared services as a major element in the Reform Programme. In May 2012, a formal decision was taken by the Government to set up a Civil Service HR and Pensions Administration Shared Service Centre for the Civil Service, called PeoplePoint, in Clonskeagh in Dublin; to consolidate transactional HR activities and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Issues (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I have not had discussions with representatives of retired public service workers in relation to this matter. As the Deputy will be aware, the talks leading up to the recent Labour Relations Commission proposals for a Public Service Agreement 2013 – 2016 took place between Government officials representing the State as employer, and staff representatives, principally the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 34, 36 and 37 together. As I have set out, on a number of occasions before, the position in relation to the pensions of senior public service retirees is kept under review by my Department. Over the course of recent years, several Government measures have been taken which serve to substantially reduce pension awards and pensions in payment to former...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Debt Collection (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Currently the Government has no plans to establish a centralised agency for the collection of all monies outstanding to the State. In line with our commitments in the Programme for Government and the Public Service Reform Plan, my Department is considering a range of alternative service delivery models, such as centralised services, shared services and external service delivery, to improve...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Proposed Legislation (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013 aims to establish a comprehensive statutory framework for the Oireachtas to conduct inquiries within the current constitutional framework. I wish to advise the Deputy that the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013 is currently at an advanced stage in the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware the LRC noted the Government’s intention to require public service pensioners to make a further contribution to the consolidation measures in conjunction with the contribution being sought from serving staff, thereby ensuring an element of burden sharing from higher paid public service pensioners. These matters now fall to be considered further in the light...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Official Engagements (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I met with representatives of the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in December last regarding the commencement of discussions with public service management on a new agenda for reductions in the cost of delivering public services and substantial longer term productivity improvements and workplace reforms. Following intensive discussions earlier this year, I...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme Issues (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The net capital expenditure allocation for 2013 is €3.097 billion, as set out in the Revised Estimates Volume published yesterday. The end March Exchequer returns showed that €387 million was drawn down by Departments and Offices during the first quarter of the year. This is just €50m below the level they had profiled to end-March. I fully expect that Departments and...