Results 18,501-18,520 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Other Questions: Regional Development (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Neither the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, nor the Energy Efficiency Finance Facility, EEFF, will fund local authority houses. That is a different issue. We must find the resources to do that. I recommend to the Deputy a very fine document published by the Labour Parliamentary Party last week on the housing crisis. I accept there is an issue in that regard and perhaps we could...
- Other Questions: Regional Development (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I do not have a problem with that.
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist sin a ardú. As the Deputy is aware, the Government approved the introduction of a new approach to ensure that there is a sufficient number of civil servants who are able to perform their duties through Irish. These new arrangements were put in place in the context of replacing the policy of awarding bonus marks for Irish language...
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy asked three distinct questions. In regard to his first question, I agree with the Deputy that there will be functional bilinguals who have absolute proficiency in Irish and English working in areas other than the defined posts or geographical areas that would require it and are designated. I hope there will be a much broader spread of people who are proficient to handle any case...
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: That is true.
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: The reason I disagree with the Deputy's mathematics is that it is too sterile an approach. The issue is whether we are going to recruit to try to change and transform the Civil Service immediately.
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I do not believe that the current policy, which we have all stood over - particularly Deputy Ó Cuív, who was in government for much of the last decade - has worked, so we need a change. We need to say that we will have a change. I am saying we need functional bilinguals. We have to set a reasonable number for that. Is the Deputy suggesting that everybody we recruit when are...
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: That would not be fair. The Deputy asked two other questions. I cannot answer one of them now but I will ask whether we have any data on the number of functional bilinguals that are currently employed.
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: A related and relevant point is how many people seek to do their business with State agencies trí Ghaeilge. That would be an interesting number. There is no point, as we have done in the past, in providing Irish translations of documentation and so on that nobody asks for. We need to match the demand with the provisions.
- Other Questions: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Tá. Aontaím leis an Teachta. Ba chóir go mbeadh sé ar chumas saoránach ar bith a gnó nó a ghnó a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge más mian leis nó léi, cibé Roinn atá i gceist. Tá mé sásta go bhfuil sé ar chumas muintir mo Roinne a gcuid gnó a dhéanamh as Gaeilge más gá.
- Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Gross voted total expenditure in 2007 was €56.4 billion, in 2011 it was €57.4 billion, and for 2014 the estimate is just under €53 billion. Gross voted current expenditure in 2007 was €48.6 billion, in 2011 it was €52.8 billion, and the estimate for 2014 is €49.6 billion, as I have stated previously. The Deputy is specifically asking...
- Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: For the second occasion the Deputy wants to play with figures. In 2007, as I told him, voted current expenditure was €48.6 billion at a time when unemployment payments totalled €159 million.
- Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: This is the reality. Unemployment figures were marching towards 500,000 when the previous Government marched out of office. Needless to say we had to pay for this, and because people's incomes had collapsed the number of medical cards increased from 1.2 million to 2 million and we had to provide money for this also. The Deputy stated the previous Government had done the heavy lifting in...
- Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Do not count chickens.
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I do not accept the Deputy's contention that the biggest new public utility company in a generation, Irish Water, is a white elephant. The status quois the difficulty rather than what will happen in future. The status quois a fragmented, under-invested delivery system for the most important of public resources to people, which is water. There are 34 local authorities using €1.2...
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is creating a conspiracy-----
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I do not know what the other Deputy is mumbling about.
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy referred to conspiracy and problems but in truth we must deal with enough real problems without having imaginary problems. There are real issues to be dealt with in the country. God knows the legacy of the Deputy's party's term in Government.
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: One of the big issues we need to deal with as a people is to create proper infrastructure. Nothing is more important for our people's health and well-being, and for those who might invest in our State, than to have a decent water system. I do not for a second believe the Opposition Members believe the current system provided by 34 local authorities, in which one third of the wastewater...
- Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2014)
Brendan Howlin: This Government is determined to ensure people get medical treatment as swiftly, effectively and efficiently as possible. Since 2011 a major programme of change has been under way to reconfigure totally the way pre-hospital emergency care services are managed and delivered. In my three years as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the absolute resistance of the Deputies opposite to...