Results 17,941-17,960 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Internship Scheme Data (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I can confirm that my Department does not have any offices in Co Louth and we have not had and do not have any JobBridge interns in Louth.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Fixed-price lump-sum public works contracts were introduced in February 2007 as part of the Construction Procurement Reform Initiative the objectives of which are to achieve greater cost certainty, better value for money and timely and more efficient delivery of projects. A commitment was given to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and the professional bodies in 2006 by the Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Consultancy Contracts Data (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that there is no linkage by this Department between pro-bono work undertaken by firms for specific pieces of work and the subsequent award of contracts to the same firms for other work.  In each case where contracts are awarded, there is full adherence to tendering procedures in accordance with national and, as appropriate, EU...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Consultancy Contracts Data (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the following table outlines the top twenty Consulting firms engaged by my Department, and those under my aegis including the Office of Public Works, Public Appointments Service, State Laboratory and the Office of the Ombudsman in 2013: Top 20 Consulting firms engaged by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and those under its aegis 2013 Company...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 2776/14, 2890/14 and 2927/14 of 22 January 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Programmes (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As I stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question Ref. 42523/13 on 9 October 2013, the Statute Law Revision Programme (SLRP)  is being led and managed by two professional legal personnel, one of whom is the Programme Director engaged under contract with my Department until September 2015. The Programme Director / Legal Adviser was engaged in March 2012 by...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements for the appointment of State board members.  Under the new arrangementsDepartments now invite expressions of interest on their websites from the public in vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis. It is open to all members of the public regardless of gender, political affiliations or geographically...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Parliamentary Party Allowances (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The total amount paid under the Party Leader s allowance in 2013 to leaders of qualifying parliamentary parties and to qualifying independent members was €8.33 million. Following a review of the allowance and a consultation process with leaders of qualifying political parties, qualifying independent members and with the Standards in Public Office Commission, I published the Oireachtas...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There are five members on the Audit Committee  of my Department, as follows: Mr Aidan Horan (Chairperson, Non-Executive Member). Mr Horan is a Director of the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and is a qualified accountant.   As Mr Horan is a serving public servant, Mr Horan's employer (the IPA) was paid €2,062.17 in fees in respect of Mr Horan's work on the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The move to "digital by default" in the Public Service Reform Plan is an acknowledgement that digital delivery should be assumed for all new services, and that existing services may need to be re-engineered to take advantage of the ongoing changes in the technology landscape and the consequent impact on how services should be delivered and consumed. Any changes will need to reflect...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies Mergers (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The House will be aware that in the context of the Programme for Government commitment to create a streamlined and refocused commercial state company in the bio-energy and forestry sectors, the Government decided in June 2013 that an evaluation would be carried out on how to give effect to a beneficial merger of Coillte and Bord na Móna.  This work is now nearing...

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I move:That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014,copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 24 January 2014.I welcome the opportunity to move this motion today. This will permit the making of regulations to enable the application of the provisions of the freedom of...

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I will have five minutes.

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank Deputies for their contribution and their support for this motion. Deputy Ó Fearghaíl characterised this as a climb-down but he was not here when we debated the FOI amendments on Committee Stage, when I explained the position on commercial semi-State companies. The default position of the new regime - to borrow a phrase from Deputy Wallace - will be that every public body...

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has a fair point about monopolies. We will look at that in the context of new legislation. I strongly agree with the Deputy on the role of the Oireachtas. We need to have vigorous sectoral committees holding State agencies and Ministers to account. I think that is happening and we need to resource it better. This will evolve over time. Having the sectoral committees doing...

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Through the Chair, Deputy Flanagan thinks he is on the back of a lorry in this place, and he can scream down people with whose views he does not agree. I heard him say that he wanted to put in place a regime that in my judgment would kill off the semi-State sector. That is not something I am going to support. In terms of the general-----

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Stop shouting people down. This is Parliament. You are not on the back of a lorry. This is our national Parliament and people are entitled to hear and be heard, the same as I listened to you. I did not shout you down.

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The commitment I brought to the Government last year is to join the Open Government Partnership, which is a cutting edge set of measures to have transparency in everything we do. Part of what I want to do in that is to have what I describe as "open data". I hope that FOI will become obsolete over time, because open data means that we should have all information in the public domain as a...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It will be backdated to July of last year.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: One cannot use public money for election purposes.