Results 16,981-17,000 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 44 together. Following Government approval, I submitted a letter of intent for Ireland to participate in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) on 15 May 2013 and Ireland therefore joined the 4th cohort of new countries who will formulate an Open Government Partnership national action plan. The OGP is a global multilateral initiative that aims to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Redundancies (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government decided in late 2012 that voluntary redundancy can be introduced in certain targeted sections of the public service where staff surpluses are identified by management and where redeployment is not suitable. The purpose of the scheme is to assist Government in implementing restructuring and reform in a strategic and targeted manner. Greater efficiencies in the way the public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts (9 Oct 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, Minister of State Brian Hayes worked closely with Senator Feargal Quinn to develop the Senator's private members' Construction Contracts Bill into a robust piece of legislation. I believe that there is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates Process (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: At the end-September, 2013, the aggregate net voted total expenditure position was 2.7% (or €879 million) below profile, with all Departments broadly in line with profile. On the current expenditure side, net current spending was 1.9% (or €574 million) below profile in the first 9 months of the year. On the capital side, net voted capital expenditure at the end September...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I announced on 3rd October 2013 that Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited, a consortium comprising Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (the owner of the Camelot Group), An Post and An Post pension funds, has been selected as the preferred applicant for the next National Lottery licence. Discussions on finalising the terms of the licence will commence shortly between the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Freedom of Information Bill 2013, which I am currently sponsoring, passed Second Stage in the Dail last Thursday (3 October 2013). Section 40(1) of the Bill as currently drafted, provides that access to a record may be withheld if its release could have a serious adverse effect on the ability of the Government to manage the national economy or financial interests of the State, could...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Pensions (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: All public service pensions above €32,500 were reduced on 1 July 2013 as provided for in the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013; the Government's intention to proceed with this change was noted in the Haddington Road Agreement. In addition, a further effective pension cut applies, with effect from 1 September 2013, in the case of persons who receive two or...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Each Government Department has responsibility for its financial management structures which must comply with standard public financial procedures, including the Public Spending Code.The main features of formal management structures include business planning, effective systems of budgetary control, monitoring of performance, appraisal of projects and programmes, effective cash management and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As I announced on 3rd October 2013, Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited, a consortium comprising Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (the owner of the Camelot Group), An Post and An Post pension funds, has been selected as the preferred applicant for the next National Lottery licence. Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited has met the Essential Requirements provided for in the competition for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Legislation (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Freedom of Information Bill 2013, which I am currently sponsoring, passed Second Stage in the Dail last Thursday (3 October 2013). The Bill as currently drafted provides that FOI will apply to the bodies referred to in the Deputy's question. It was necessary to provide certain exemptions to these bodies to guard against the possibility that release of certain records under FOI would...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 96 together. It is clear that the Public Service Agreement or ‘Croke Park Agreement’ has delivered on its objectives. In this context, I would highlight the final report of the Implementation Body, which concluded that the Croke Park Agreement delivered significant cost savings amounting to €1.8 billion over its lifetime. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Privatisation (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As referred to in the Deputy's question,Bord Gáis Éireann is in the process of selling its energy business, Bord Gáis Energy. BGE and its advisors, working with NewERA who are advising the Government in relation to the sale, are currently assessing the latest bids received for Bord Gáis Energy. The Deputy will understand that, at this very sensitive stage of the process,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Sick Leave (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, in July 2012 sick leave arrangements for all public service employees under the Croke Park Agreement were the subject of a Labour Court Recommendation for the introduction of a comprehensively reformed Sick Leave Scheme for the public service. The basis to the reformed scheme was the unsustainable cost of sick leave for the public service (i.e. approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Properties Data (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The property portfolio of the State covers lands and buildings owned or leased by a wide variety of organisations in addition to the Civil Service, including local authorities, organisations such as the Health Services Executive and non-commercial State bodies such as the Industrial Development Authority and SFADCo. It would be necessary for the Deputy to obtain the information she requires...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Recruitment (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: On 12th July 2013, the Government approved my proposals to continue with the task of overhauling and simplifying the statute book, to be delivered initially through a series of statute law revision Bills focusing on eliminating obsolete regulations and charters before Irish independence and obsolete legislation more widely since independence. At present, the Statute Law Revision Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Procurement Service Framework Agreements (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Reform of public procurement is one of the major projects of key strategic importance in the Government's Public Service Reform Plan. Procurement of supplies and services accounts for around €9 billion of current spending by the State per annum. This represents a very significant portion of overall spending and it is, therefore, essential that the Public Service achieves maximum value...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The level of legal fees across Government Departments and State agencies will be examined in the light of the relevant expenditure allocations decided by the Government in the context of Budget 2014. Necessary adjustments will be made to ensure adherence to such allocations. The adjustments will continue the work already achieved in recent years by bodies such as the State Claims Agency and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 40 together. My officials have held discussions in relation to the staff of the National Lottery Company with the relevant trade union and management interests. The matter was referred to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). The LRC has prepared a proposal regarding the staffing issue and these proposals have been put forward to both the unions...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Under EU law, public contracts above 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: National Lottery Licence Sale (9 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I received correspondence some months ago on behalf of Rehab Lotteries which gave notice of its intention to challenge the State regarding the establishment and operation of the National Lottery on competition grounds. Having taken legal advice the response given was that the organisation’s assertion was unfounded and that in the event of proceedings being issued they would be...