Results 17,901-17,920 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Offices (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) was established late last year as key element of the Public Service Reform agenda to reduce costs and achieve better value for money through reform of public procurement. The OGP's mission is to deliver sustainable procurement savings for the tax payer by optimising value for money across the public service. The OGP will be head-quartered in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 87 together. The Programme for Government contained a commitment to introduce new legislation to protect small building subcontractors that have been denied payments from bigger companies. My colleague, Minister of State Brian Hayes worked closely with Senator Feargal Quinn to develop the Senator's private member's Construction Contracts Bill into a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Recruitment (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Government Chief Information Officer tendered his resignation for personal family reasons.  We have commenced a recruitment process and I am confident that we will find a suitable replacement as soon as possible to ensure the continuity of our ambitious reform agenda. In establishing the Office of Government CIO, the CIO identified the budget and resources required over the next...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 90, 94, 95 and 97 together. Each year the Budgetary Estimates are published on Budget day as part of the Expenditure Report, and further detail including agency statements is published in the annual Revised Estimates Volume (REV). These publications compare allocations with amounts for the preceding year.  This information is also available at . ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Implementation (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to my response of 21 November 2013 to Parliamentary Question 23. As I noted in that response, the final report of the Implementation Body for the Croke Park Agreement concluded that the Agreement facilitated significant cost savings, amounting to €1.8 billion over its lifetime, while also acting as a key enabler for reform both at central and sectoral levels in a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The expenditure reduction measures adopted by Government  to restore our economic sovereignty, including pay and pension reductions applied to serving and former public servants,  have been directed at ensuring  that the  reduction in the public service pay and pensions bill makes a proportionate contribution to the significant...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Since 2008, the size of the public service has been reduced in net terms by about 31,500 (or c. 10%) to its present size of about 289,000.  Detailed statistics are available at  .  In the course of this downsizing, we have ensured the prioritisation of key posts and services and have allowed recruitment and the filling of priority vacancies across key areas of the public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Outsourcing of Public Services (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: All Exchequer-funded services - including any such services that are outsourced - are subject to the normal rules governing the allocation and spending of public monies. Expenditure ceilings for individual Votes are agreed by Government within the context of the overall fiscal targets. It is a matter for each Minister and their Departments to ensure that Vote-level allocations are adhered to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: None of the receipts from the sale of State assets either completed or currently underway were required to meet our debt reduction targets to-date, including for 2014. Rather, the Government intends that the funds released from these asset disposals are to be used in the short term, in one form or another, to support job...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's questions I can confirm that there are no Semi-State organisations under the aegis of my Department.

Seanad: Standards in Public Office Commission Membership: Motions (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on these resolutions proposing the appointment of the chairperson and ordinary member of the Standards in Public Office Commission. The motions were passed in the Dáil this morning. The Standards in Public Office Commission was established under ethics legislation, namely, the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995, as amended by the Standards in...

Seanad: Standards in Public Office Commission Membership: Motions (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Yes, my officials noted that.

Seanad: Standards in Public Office Commission Membership: Motions (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank all the Senators for their support. It is important that a small amount of time is made available for Ministers to come to the House for these resolutions, rather than having them dealt with pro forma. I agree with Senator MacSharry in that regard. I am cognisant of the point he made about having as broad as possible a selection of representatives of the Oireachtas, including...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Since taking office, the Government has consistently shown it is committed to the rehabilitation and stabilisation of the public finances and the recovery of economic sovereignty. All Members are aware of the enormous impact of the difficult decisions the Government has been forced to take due to the parlous state of the public finances...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I will provide for consolidation.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There is a sliding scale.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The more Members in the group, the more funding it receives.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Per capita.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Correct.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Economies of scale are an issue.