Results 18,541-18,560 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Before the summer.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It will be published within two weeks.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The heads have not yet come to Cabinet. I will ask the Minister to update the Deputy directly.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Durkan was lucky in the lotto for questions today, but not so lucky, unfortunately, in the Bills he has selected. Neither of those Bills, the PIAB Bill or the teaching council Bill, has yet come to Government and there is no set date when the Bills might be published.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It was recommended by a committee that you set up.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: No, Deputy Kitt's party in government.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The heads were cleared by Government on 4 April and we had a debate on that issue. I did not resist much in taking responsibility for answering to the Dáil for the Coimisinéir Teanga and it is appropriately left with an tAire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta, where it will stay. That amendment will not delay the presentation of the Bill to the House.

Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Hopefully, before the summer session.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The detailed information the Deputy asks about is available on my Department's web site, at .  Here the Deputy will find comprehensive data on all Government Departments, including staffing levels and expenditure - both pay and non-pay.  This relatively new information resource is updated on a quarterly basis and provides a comprehensive profile of staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Section 9 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 provides that persons retiring before 31 August 2014, or a later date made by Order under the Act, will be entitled to have their pensions calculated as if the pay reduction and any increment pause or freeze had not applied to them. As the Deputy is aware, I have decided to extend the grace period from 31...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Programme Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, my Department sets the capital allocations for Departments and the delegated sanction arrangements under which they make their spending decisions. The actual roll-out of particular capital projects and programmes is, of course, managed by the individual line Departments and their agencies who are responsible for project and programme delivery. All Departments...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Meetings (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As part of the Government's Promote Ireland Programme, I travelled to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing for the St. Patrick's Day period, participating in 25 events over 8 days in 3 cities. Priorities for Ireland are the Tourism, Culture, Agriculture, Education, Financial Services and Science & Technology sectors. Thus, my programme included events designed to encourage business...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The new Public Service Reform Plan, which I launched in January, sets out  ambitious goals for improving the quality and efficiency of public services between now and 2016.  It envisages changes in the way public services are delivered, demands greater efficiency and calls for better use of technology and shared services.    Responsibility for making...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In the context of the agreement on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Irish Government was successful in securing €1.2billion of Cohesion policy funding for the period 2014-2020.   It should be noted that this represents an increase of 8% in real terms over the 2007-2013 programming period, at a time when the overall EU budget for Cohesion policy was cut...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Issues (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Since the enactment of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013 last December, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has been notified of 246 public service employees that require to be designated for redeployment to comparable positions elsewhere in the public service under the Act.  The PAS...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Accountability (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: On 9 January last, I published a consultation paper on strengthening Civil Service accountability and performance.  The aim of this paper was to begin an extensive public consultation process on the key issue of who is accountable to whom and for what in the Civil Service.  I also established an Independent Panel on Strengthening Civil Service Accountability and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Language Issues (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: One of my Department's objectives or aims contained in the 20 Year Strategy on the Irish Language is to strengthen and develop language awareness and language training programmes so that a higher proportion of public service staff are truly functional in Irish and can deliver services in Irish to customers who seek them. In this regard my Department has devolved responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin:  As I have told this House on a number of occasions, in disposing of State assets, it is a primary concern of the Government that value is secured for the Exchequer and that fire sales are avoided. In the case of the sale of Bord Gáis Energy, this position was underlined by the announcement that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and I made at...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Government Procurement (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As you are aware, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has been established to centralise the procurement of common goods and services across the Public Service.  This move is in line with best practice in the public and private sector and is part of the continuing reform programme being driven by my Department.  The reform of Public Service procurement functions will deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In February of this year, I granted the next licence to operate the National Lottery to Premier Lotteries Ireland delivering €405 million to the Irish citizen. As I announced in Budget 2014, half of the proceeds from the Lottery licence transaction will be used to help fund a number of job rich projects across the country. These include the Wild Atlantic Way Driving Route, 1916...