Results 2,481-2,500 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: Would the sub-committee consider setting out the proposal to the Department so that we can give it due consideration? I will speak to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform about it. I see some advantages in the proposal. Our colleagues on the Committee of Public Accounts may say this is already happening.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: I will put your suggestion to the Minister. We might formalise it as a proposal. I do not see a difficulty in that. The real problem arises if a Minister with responsibility for one of the big expenditure areas decides to save money in a particular area. That is usually bad news because it means schemes being cut or people losing money. The worst circumstance is not achieving that...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: The Deputy is asking a crucial question: are we going to have new schemes? I presume this is an issue that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, will be addressing in the context of the discussions that are ongoing with trade union colleagues on this issue. The net issue is that the Government has given a commitment to get down to numbers of 282,500 by 2015, coming...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: "If you knew Susie like I know Susie".
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: That is a fair point. What if the retirements did not happen? We reckon when someone moves from being paid a salary to being paid a pension the saving is at least 50%. One could argue that the cost would be a further 50% if these people had not exited.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: I agree absolutely with the Deputy.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: It is a complex organisation in which almost 300,000 people work and there are some extraordinarily talented people with vast expertise. If some of that expertise was at work in the private sector, those involved would probably be on twice the salary they are on currently. Another point should be made to those who regularly harangue those in the public sector. Our public sector numbers...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: People must be realistic. People have paid into these things. The legal position is that pensions are a form of deferred remuneration. As I noted earlier, it is classified as a property right. We have a body of law which is quite clear. I refer to the most recent judgment made by Mr. Justice McMahon. He referred to this point when he said that if the Exchequer tried to go after a group...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: I would be more than willing to provide those figures to the committee. Deputy Twomey is quite right. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, has introduced a new unified pension scheme where career-average earnings rather than 50% of final salary will be used to calculate pensions in future. Not only will new public servants be on lower pay, they will also be in...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: The figures are becoming more reliable. There were enormous changes this year because of the February deadline, when large numbers left the public service. Furthermore, if people were 60 years or over and had the requisite service, they could also leave after February. There was an enormous transformation in terms of the numbers exiting the service this year alone. We are confident that...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: The Minister replied to a question the Deputy put to him on 21 November on the issue of additional reductions for people on salaries of €100,000 plus. I am not sure what her specific proposal is. We have made a reduction of 20%, but I am not sure what she proposes.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: The advice that we have obtained, which was set out in the Minister's reply to the Deputy, was that a move to introduce close to a 100% rate of pension reduction on pensions over €100,000 could likely lead to the courts finding that such a complete restriction of property rights could give rise to legal difficulties and we set out that advice for the Deputy. We must be mindful of...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: Given that one must be clear that any scheme of reductions the Government proposes to make must be proportionate to the amounts people put in, their likely expectations due to their deferred remuneration and how they will be affected vis-à-vis other categories of pensioners, which is a crucial issue on which the courts would have a view.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: Yes. These are wonderful things to say for the purpose of headlines, quick fix pretend solutions and fantasy economics, but unlike the Deputy, we must bring in actual measures that will make a difference. We must bring in measures that matter and must introduce tax and expenditure issues as part of our obligation to hit the targets we have been given. The Deputy may well have the luxury of...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: Okay, but she can vote in the Chamber on it. If she or anyone chooses to vote against this, the clerical officer retiring next week, who will be on a very small pension, or the staff officer retiring with the legitimate expectation of a lump sum, will be left wanting. The money we are looking for is to ensure that we can balance our books in this Vote this year. The Deputy is putting...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: We will agree on that anyway.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: The only emergency measure we propose is an additional €25 million in this Vote, which will allow public servants on various pensions to be paid. That is what we are looking for.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: As I pointed out at the start -----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: I think I have made the point. The €25 million is for paying people between now and the end of the year. That is what we are looking for. Without labouring the point, the majority of those people are people who will have very small pensions for the rest of their lives. There is a political point here too. This is about alternatives. If people put forward alternatives, the...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2012) Brian Hayes: I thank the Deputy for her Private Members' Bill to which the Government will give due consideration when the matter comes before the House. I want to be honest, we will look at any and every proposal that is made. As the Deputy rightly said the great majority of public service pensioners are on very modest pensions. She asked the number on pensions of €10,000 or less. I understand...