Results 19,621-19,640 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that my Department has incurred no cost on advertising for vacancies in 2014. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has used the services of the Public Appointments Service (PAS) in all our recruitment requirements and related advertising who have a budget allocation for this purpose. My Department would only be required to pay...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Political Funding (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Parliamentary Activities Allowance (formerly known as the Party Leader's Allowance) is provided for in the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act, 1938, as amended, most recently by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices)(Amendment) Act, 2014. The allowance is paid to the parliamentary leader of a qualifying party in relation to expenses arising from the parliamentary...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clauses (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: On 9 June I announced the establishment of a Social Clauses Project Group to pro-actively look at projects with a view to including social clauses to ensure those awarded contracts contribute to employment or training opportunities for long term unemployed. The Group is chaired by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). There are nominees from the following departments and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Redeployment (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In general, individual Departments with regionalised structures have agreed arrangements in place for the transfer of staff. Staff in the grades represented by the Civil & Public Services Union (CPSU) are covered by the Central Transfer Scheme. Transfers for CPSU grades (mostly Clerical and Staff Officers) are arranged in accordance with formal procedures agreed with the Staff...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Redeployment (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that there are currently no civil servants in my Department, or in any organisation or body under the aegis of my Department who have designated a County Mayo venue as their preference for a transfer.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (21 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The number of staff in the Public Service at the end of Quarter 2, 2014 was just over 288,000. As announced on Budget day last week, new arrangements will be put in place for 2015 to govern how public services are staffed.  The Moratorium is being lifted and there will be no centrally dictated limits on staffing levels.  Instead, there will be a level of autonomy and flexibility...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (22 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In accordance with Section 1(3)(b) of the FOI Act 2014, in the case of a public body - such as is referred to in the Deputy's question - that was not subject to FOI under the FOI Act 1997 but is subject to FOI under the 2014 Act, the Act will apply to that body 6 months from enactment or on such later day, not later than 12 months from enactment, as the Minister may by order...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Job Creation (22 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Budget 2015 marked a move away from fiscal consolidation and saw the first increases to aggregate expenditure ceilings in six years. These increases are reflected in the Departmental expenditure ceilings (both capital and current) for the period 2015 to 2017 which are set out in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report. It is, of course, the changes to the capital budget which will...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (23 Oct 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that no organisation under my remit delivers bonuses to staff that need improvement.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation Office (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation Act, 2001 provides that all buildings used or developed for any purpose are rateable unless expressly exempted under Schedule 4 of the Act. The Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the performance of his functions under the Act and the making of valuations is his sole prerogative and I, as Minister, have no role in decisions in this regard. The current position under...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Legislation (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The public service Pension-related Deduction (PRD), was introduced in March 2009 under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009. The PRD has raised an estimated €5.5 billion since it was introduced. Year Euro Amount (Millions) 2009 837 2010 949 2011 960 2012 935 2013 923 2014 883 Total 5,487 PRD reduced the cost of the public service...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Legislation (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The powers granted by the Oireachtas under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts are temporary in nature and are predicated on the existence of a financial emergency in the State. In the course of my 2014 annual review, submitted to the Oireachtas, of the FEMPI measures impacting on public service pay and pensions, I concluded in June this...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Under the terms of the Pay and Productivitiy Measures outlined in sub section 2.4 of the Haddington Road Agreement the standard working week of public and civil servants was revised as follows: - Those with a working week of 35 hours or less (net of rest breaks) increased to a minumum of a 37 hour week. - Those with a working week that is greater than 35 hours but less than...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) advertised a competition for Clerical Officer in 2007. Following the competitive process panels of qualified individuals were established for various locations from which vacancies were filled. The competition was held using technology which has since been replaced and records are not readily accessible to PAS. The requirement for a manual search of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Recruitment to the civil service and a range of other public bodies is handled under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 which established a central recruitment agency, the Public Appointments Service (PAS), for this purpose.  The PAS operates under licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments and is independent in its operations. No...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: No performance related pay is payable to civil servants or similar grades in other parts of the public service, since the termination of the scheme of performance related pay in 2009. With regard to the Non-Commercial State Agencies, it is a matter of Government policy that Performance Related Award Schemes continue to be suspended on an indefinite basis.  Access to such schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The minimum age at which a pension is payable in the Pension Scheme for Non-Established State Employees is 65 years.  A person may resign their post prior to their 65thbirthday and preserve their accrued pension benefits until they attain the age of 65 years. Alternatively members of the Non-Established State Employees Superannuation Scheme, prior to resigning/retiring, may apply to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Meetings (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Officials of my Department have attended  inter-Departmental meetings from time to time convened by the  Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and others at which the person concerned was present and where Irish Water related issues featured, such as the Water Sector Reform Programme Steering Group.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Part III of the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2014-2017, which was published on Budget Day last month, outlines the budget reform measures that have been introduced by my Department over the last number of years and provides a comparison with best practice as identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  It shows that the new approach...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clauses (4 Nov 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As outlined in the response to PQs: 93 of 3 April 2014 (PQ 15781/14 refers); PQs 259 and 260 of 21 October 2014 (PQs 39990/14 and 39992/14 refers), a pilot social clause for inclusion in the Devolved Schools Programme, which is being administered by the National Development Finance Agency on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills was approved last year by the Government Contracts...