Results 15,581-15,600 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Let me answer the question. I did reduce it. Why? I did so because if we had stuck to the guidelines we had inherited, we would have-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No, this is an important point.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: If I did not change it, we would be spending €1.5 billion less on the social welfare programme. We are spending €20.2 billion on such measures. The figure for the Fianna Fáil agreed programme is €1.5 billion less. It is difficult to take it from the capital programme, but it is more acceptable than taking it from the social welfare budget. It is not agreed. We...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: A separate question was raised in regard to the retailers. I already indicated on Second Stage that I intend to protect the retailers' commission. This will be written into the licence.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Section 44, which we have not reached yet, states that moneys are paid into the Central Fund by the national lottery. The Government then "shall", not might, apply that money for particular purposes, and the purposes are then listed in the Bill - for example, sport, national culture, the arts or health. I added "natural environment" at the request of Members of the other House, where a...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In the Revised Estimates that are published, the Senator will see the expenditure that is funded by the national lottery under every subhead. Could it be applied for some reason? I suppose there is no prohibition on it, if there were some crisis in health funding for the elderly, for example, where we might all agree this is what should be done, particularly given that we have lived through...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No; I would not envisage a role for the regulator. The lottery regulator's job is to regulate the operation of the lottery, not the distribution of moneys, which must be done in accordance with the law. Everything that is involved in politics is regarded somehow as being open to suspicion. I found-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I meant suspicion in the sense of particular constituencies being favoured and so on. The bottom line is that at least decisions made by politicians are accountable. One can put down parliamentary questions, call in the Minister or have a committee hearing. Often, we set up boards that are independent, and they are so independent that they are unaccountable. Even in terms of appointments,...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is important that I give some clarification on this. I am anxious to maintain the income flow to good causes. I indicated the amount for good causes would be of the order of 31% of lottery sales, because that was, more or less, last year's pay-out. That figure is not in this legislation nor in the original legislation because it is determined in relation to the prizes and so on. I have...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I intend to construct it so that the good causes contribution will be linked to a percentage of what is called the "gross gaming revenues", which is basically the sales less the prizes. The reason I am doing that is that the variety of games offer a different prize fund. Despite what we might think, most people play the lotto to win a prize, not to support good causes. However, there is a...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is important that it goes to good causes. The main point in playing is the chance of winning something. As the lottery has changed, the different games have developed a different prize structure. Some offer prizes in excess of 50% of the take, up to 55% in some of the games. Therefore, rather than have a fixed 30% of all going to good causes, I have suggested a fixed percentage of an...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: A separate question was raised in regard to the retailers. I already indicated on Second Stage that I intend to protect the retailers' commission. This will be written into the licence.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Section 44, which we have not reached yet, states that moneys are paid into the Central Fund by the national lottery. The Government then "shall", not might, apply that money for particular purposes, and the purposes are then listed in the Bill - for example, sport, national culture, the arts or health. I added "natural environment" at the request of Members of the other House, where a...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In the Revised Estimates that are published, the Senator will see the expenditure that is funded by the national lottery under every subhead. Could it be applied for some reason? I suppose there is no prohibition on it, if there were some crisis in health funding for the elderly, for example, where we might all agree this is what should be done, particularly given that we have lived through...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No; I would not envisage a role for the regulator. The lottery regulator's job is to regulate the operation of the lottery, not the distribution of moneys, which must be done in accordance with the law. Everything that is involved in politics is regarded somehow as being open to suspicion. I found-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I meant suspicion in the sense of particular constituencies being favoured and so on. The bottom line is that at least decisions made by politicians are accountable. One can put down parliamentary questions, call in the Minister or have a committee hearing. Often, we set up boards that are independent, and they are so independent that they are unaccountable. Even in terms of appointments,...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: This is really a commercial decision for the operator. If it has an agreement with a local shop, it is often very important to the maintenance and sustainability of that shop. The operator must make a commercial decision as to whether it needs to put one next door to it if there are enough in one area and whether we need everybody in the street to be selling them. I think retailers would...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Before we conclude, I thank Members for the very important and robust interactions on this Bill. I look forward to coming back on Tuesday.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Numbers (1 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has been asking about the appropriateness of cost benefit analysis (CBA) as an evaluation tool for appraising the Government’s policy on public sector reform and headcount reduction. CBA is a technical evaluation tool for appraising the merits of public expenditure projects. It is one of a number of appraisal methods – as outlined and explained further in the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Issues (1 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My officials have written to the Alliance of Retired Public Servants with a view to a meeting in the coming weeks. As the Deputy will be aware ,following public servants non-acceptance of the measures proposed by the Labour Relations Commission, the Government has requested the CEO of the LRC to make contact with the parties to establish whether or not there is a basis for a negotiated...