Results 18,201-18,220 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I strongly agree with the first point the Deputy made. There was a clear emphasis on cost reduction in the first wave of reforms. However, we implemented the cost reduction in an innovative manner to ensure we delivered services more efficiently. More than 400 public services are now available online and we are examining the top 20 transactions people engage in to ascertain if they can be...

Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I wish that as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I had Norwegian oil. We could then have extraordinarily good public platforms. Norway has the biggest reserves of money of any country in Europe. In regard to the Deputy's point, we are investing. We are investing to save. That is the reason we had to front-load People Point. We had to ensure we had people in training. An...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 10 and 40 together. In 2011, my Department led a Government-wide review of the public capital programme which culminated in the setting of a new investment framework for 2012 to 2016. The framework includes investment of €17 billion across a range of sectors over that five year period. Since then, I have made a number of announcements in...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am very conscious of the issues raised by Deputy Humphreys. There are many large road projects under way in the transport sector. We also have large projects in the education sector because we need schools to meet the demographic change. We also need to invest in the Grangegorman project which I believe will be the flagship education project of this Administration. Housing is a new...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I share the Deputy's concern in as much as public private partnerships take a long time to come to fruition. We had a major difficulty in the beginning because the market was so seared by the cancellation of PPP projects at the time of the economic collapse. We are going back to the same body of funders in the market and suggesting that we want them to bid for these projects and put in...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: That legislation does not fall within my remit but it will be published next month. That is no constraint. We have the agreement of Government to expend the money. We do not need the new legislation to allocate the funding and it has not been a constraint for me in pushing co-funding projects. That is not an issue. Reference was made to non-PPP projects. There can be frustrations. For...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I know nothing about the charge the Deputy is making. It might be one that Deputy Daly may wish to bring to the attention of the local government auditor. I can only say to the Deputy that I am giving her a very fine new manager in Fingal County Council shortly. I will be sorry to lose Mr. Reid, who is the officer in charge of the reform unit in my Department. Deputy Daly will find when...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I know nothing about that.

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The issue of under-the-counter payments never arose in anything. I have no idea what Deputy Daly is talking about.

Other Questions: Universal Health Insurance White Paper (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 19 and 29 together. The Deputies are referring to the White Paper, which is in draft form, on universal health insurance that is being developed by my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. Universal health insurance is a priority policy area for the Government. My Department, given its central role, is always engaged constructively...

Other Questions: Universal Health Insurance White Paper (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Quite clearly the Deputy will have a contribution to make to the debate when the paper is produced by my colleague the Minister for Health. Let us wait and see what the paper proposes. Let us then have that debate and consider the proposals from all sides, as we work together to form a health policy that will serve all the people properly. As a former Minister for Health, I know the...

Other Questions: Universal Health Insurance White Paper (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I ask the Deputy not to terrify people?

Other Questions: Universal Health Insurance White Paper (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Do not believe everything that is reported.

Other Questions: Universal Health Insurance White Paper (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy should wait until the paper is produced. He can then ask the questions and contribute to the debate, but let us work together to have an answer to one of the most intractable, difficult and challenging policy issues facing the governments of every developed country - that is, to provide an affordable, efficient, quality health service for a population that is ageing. We now enjoy...

Other Questions: Flood Relief Schemes Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It is a political reason.

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Overall gross voted expenditure for 2006 - I am surprised the Deputy picked that year - amounted to just over €50 billion compared to a gross expenditure figure of €53 billion for 2014.  This represents an increase, in nominal terms, of €3 billion or 6% over the nine-year period the Deputy has specified.  The 2014 Estimate for gross current...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: No, it is not. The very significant increase in the social protection budget would not have happened had Fianna Fáil remained in government. That party had planned to cut social protection by a further €1.5 billion by now.

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Fianna Fáil would have impoverished people. We did not do that and this Government took a consolidated and uniform view on the matter. The Deputy referred to education and skills, the increase in respect of which over the period was €900 million. This was primarily due to the national training fund and FÁS transferring to the Vote in 2011. He will be aware that...

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: No one could accuse Deputy Dowds of being rude.

Other Questions: Capital Programme Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Brendan Howlin: We renegotiated it.