Results 18,141-18,160 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Let us remember, it is not all about savings, it is about doing things differently. This is a reform process rather than a savings process. I am afraid the savings were required because of the crisis and the need to do things more effectively. There can be more rational decisions now that we are out of the crisis and we can objectively decide on the optimum number of members of the Garda...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: That was an agreement we came to in the Haddington Road process with the different Garda organisational bodies. We undertook that we would do that review.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There are approximately 32,000 fewer public servants now than at the peak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It is very hard to stop intellectual loss. I have done my best. With free movement of people, I am afraid my best efforts have not been successful on all occasions to hold on to the most valuable people. We have not been able to choose who should leave. People's pensions are related to pay and because we reduced pay there was a cut-off date that would apply to reducing pensions. People...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am talking about 2016.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy makes a very valid point. We all know such people. This is not an easy nut to crack. What we need is to have more clarity in terms of people's role and better and more objective evaluation of people's performance. Even in the private sector, this is a huge issue, because in small enterprises where people are working cheek by jowl, it is very difficult to make an effective and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Absolutely, that is part of the job of the task force. It will make recommendations to me, but it will not be simple to do that and the implementation of the recommendations will certainly not be simple.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: We have taken a whole range of initiatives and are more proactive than ever before in terms of enabling SMEs to become involved in public contracts. We have a public contract website and are showing people how to operate and access it. We are conducting meet-the-buyer workshops so that people can see how to access small and large contracts, how to network with others and submit joint bids,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: This is a work in progress. There is a regional scale to contracts also, in terms of transport, other costs and immediacy, in terms of being able to supply within hours or by a next day delivery.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: We had that discussion with Deputy Mary Lou McDonald previously.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I worry a little when someone tells me what I am doing is "interesting". I thank Senator Sean D. Barrett for his comments, but I cannot deal with all of the points he made now. I will not allow him to drag me into a discussion on the size and scale of the Taoiseach's office. I know he is trying to lead me into difficulty, but I will resist it. I agree with him that there should be a...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy did not read the Bill.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I amended it in the Seanad to include that.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Bill was amended in the Seanad to provide for interim relief.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There is a Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions in the House.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: She can petition the committee of the House.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: A committee of the House is rubbish?

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Data Protection (20 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: While my Department does not have a formal role of Information Officer, it is registered as a data controller and data processor, fully complies with the relevant data protection legislation and and has a nominated contact person to whom members of the public may address any applications for access to their personal data.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Election Equipment Storage (25 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Under the electoral acts, as amended, the Minister for Finance, at the request of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, provides funds to the Returning Officers so that they can pay the suppliers of services required. The engagement of suppliers and the payment of suppliers is between the Returning Officer and the supplier concerned. The funds required, for payment to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Redeployment (25 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Civil Service has sick leave arrangements in place for staff who are unable to attend work due to illness or injury.  Under the Public Service Agreements covering the period 2010-16, Redeployment generally takes precedence over all other methods of filling a vacancy.  The detailed arrangements agreed with the staff unions, set out in a "Redeployment...