Results 16,941-16,960 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: For 2013, the Government set a general Government deficit target of 7.5% of GDP and the expenditure ceilings underpinning the budget were set on this basis. It is too early to estimate the end of year outturn in regard to the 2013 current and capital expenditure allocations. As I indicated, the end of September Exchequer returns are on target. While net capital expenditure was 17% below...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I was very honest with the Deputy when he asked this question. There was a significant underspend last year by local authorities on the water system. They saw Irish Water coming along and did not want to use any of their own co-funding money to do sanctioned water schemes. I applied as much pressure as I could but local authorities are independent in making those decisions. It is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I agree with much of what the Deputy said. As he knows, we are putting a tranche of investment into Irish Water through the National Pensions Reserve Fund. Legislation will be brought in before the end of the year by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, which will change the National Pensions Reserve Fund into the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. That device will be a primer of jobs...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Public service numbers stood at 290,400 at the end of 2012. That number should have decreased to 282,500 by 2015, in line with the target set by the Government. This means that between now and 2015, the number employed in the public service will fall in net terms by a further 2.7%. I anticipate that this will mostly be achieved through natural retirement across the service, while allowing...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is wrong.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Many more people are being treated in the health service this year than ever before. We have 80,000 more pupils being taught in our schools. There are 900 more teachers this year. We can be fanciful about things and play politics with them, but that is the reality.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: We are trying to create a new type of public service. It is difficult to do so because there is a resistance to change. A great deal of work that used to be done at clerical officer level, for example, is no longer required because many people now do their own direct inputting. We are creating a different type of public service, which is much more in tune with the needs of a modern, 21st...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy knows, no teachers have been made redundant. Teachers who retire are replaced, which means there are more teachers now than ever before.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Issues (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The pupil-teacher ratio is fixed. If there are more pupils, there are more teachers. The fact is that there are 900 additional teachers this year. The Deputy has spoken about slashing public services. I reiterate that there have been no compulsory redundancies. In such circumstances, how can he say there has been slashing? Everybody who has left has retired naturally or has chosen to...

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Following Government approval, I submitted a letter expressing Ireland's intent to participate in the Open Government Partnership on 15 May last. Therefore, Ireland has joined other newly implementing countries that are developing national action plans. The development of Ireland's first national action plan is well under way. The participation of civil society in the Open Government...

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The basic contention of the Deputy's question is wrong. Clearly, the Economic Management Council is not self-appointed. It is a Cabinet sub-committee, appointed by Cabinet. The Cabinet is the democratically elected Government of Ireland.

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I know the Deputy would like to rule by decree but it is a matter of democracy. I put the challenge back to the Deputy. It is always great to say: "You do something." I am asking the Deputy to do something. We put in place the capacity for committees to examine budgets. That is what happens in the rest of Europe. We published the review of expenditure so that all the policy options were...

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Thankfully I had no responsibility for that, and the Deputy is trying to get me into trouble by asking me questions about the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, which has nothing to do with the Executive. It is the primary committee of the Oireachtas. I will leave the decisions of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to that committee and I will not voice a view on it.

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is being silly. That is a silly remark. Every international body, not partisan people, that has looked at the freedom of information legislation thinks it is world class in terms of the presentation we have made. We can argue about the individual Parts of it but I ask the Deputy not to be silly about it.

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In terms of the lobbying legislation, the register of lobbyists Bill is separate legislation. We have had much public consultation about that Bill. I will bring it into the House early next year and we will have another debate about that.

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 11 together. With regard to next week's budget, while the primary objective has been to reduce the deficit and return stability to the public finances, it has been vital to the Government to spread the burden of adjustments in as fair and as equitable a manner as possible while also seeking to minimise any negative impact on economic growth....

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In respect of the first point about the ASTI, I am not sure-----

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy made the point so I will respond to it. I am not sure whether he is addressing his comments to the Government or the ASTI. I regret that the ASTI is taking action. It is regrettable that the students from Deputy Fleming's constituency cannot visit the House. The ASTI is the only union outside the Haddington Road agreement. I would ask it to reconsider and allow the Haddington...

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Not only do I want to look after the people who are most vulnerable, which is what we have done very effectively, I also want to look after workers. We cannot keep screwing workers either if that is what Fianna Fáil policy is. We must give some recognition for work and allow people to have a decent take-home wage as opposed to a headline wage. That is a reality too so we must strike a...

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I have three points to make in response to Deputy McDonald's comments. First, I agree with her entirely that we need an objective analysis and not a partisan analysis from either side of the House. Objectively, if one looks at the totality of our public spending and taxation regime, one will see that we have a very progressive one in place. Can one tweak it one way or the other, do a...