Results 3,361-3,380 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I have a question for the Bord Gáis representative. Were the staff who transferred to Irish Water replaced? If so, at what salary rates were they replaced?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Mr. Barry might come back to me on that, because my concern is that Bord Gáis used it as an opportunity to downsize its own costs and move them on to Irish Water. I would like some reassurance that this did not happen, and I would like to see the costs and the analysis in that regard. Could Mr. Barry provide that to me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I accept that. The example given to me was that the job was advertised at approximately €50,000. A Bord Gáis staff member applied for that job and transferred into it at a salary of approximately €70,000. Irish Water might have had many more applications for that position if it had been advertised at €70,000 rather than €50,000. I ask the regulator to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Mr. Tierney may have misunderstood me. My understanding is that those jobs were advertised at market rates.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Mr. Tierney is talking about the bonuses. I stated the more one earned, the higher the percentage of one's bonus. I accept Mr. Tierney's point. I thought he had misunderstood me, that the jobs were advertised at a rate of €50,000 but were filled at €70,000. My point is that many more people would have applied had the jobs been advertised at €70,000.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I welcome our guests. To follow on from the regulator's point, water services in Ireland have suffered from decades of under-investment. The statistics are frightening. A total of 40% of all treated water is being lost through leaks. Another statistic that is even more worrying is that 25% of water treatment plants have failed to meet international standards. We have an enormous...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Can Mr. Tierney detail what Irish Water will be putting into the price control submission to the regulator?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The next step will be the tariff structure and connection charges. Will that include the price per thousand litres and the cost of the connection charge to the business or the customer, which is to be made in March?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Quite a number of customers will have a non-metered supply. A large number of customers would be connected to the mains water supply but would not have an outfall to a treatment plant; they would have a septic tank or whatever. Would the regulator expect there to be a difference in the charging level because the costing there would be double? Would there be two costings within that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The regulator would take into account that the treatment of the water is much more costly than the production process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Will the standing charge be included at that stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: That would not be the cost per thousand litres, but would be just in regard to the standing charge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Irish Water is often compared to Scottish Water. In regard to standing charges, in the UK they use a standing charge that is related to one's rates. The regulator would not envisage that the standing charge would be related to property tax in Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: That is the model that is used in many other countries.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Standards of Service in Water Supply: Irish Water and CER (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: On a point of information, I know that the Chair was very fair to the Opposition at the last meeting, to the detriment of the Government. At meetings such as this it was my understanding that the order moved in turn from the Opposition to the Government in the early stages. That is what normally happens in other committees.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Government Bonds (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: 136. To ask the Minister for Finance the plans by the National Treasury Management Agency to issue Sharia-compliant Sukuk, also known as Islamic bonds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6177/14]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Stock Exchange Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: 137. To ask the Minister for Finance the measures in place to encourage Islamic finance here; the number of such funds that are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6178/14]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Credits (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: 148. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will arrange for the incapacitated child tax credit to be granted to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 in view of the fact that the updated medical information shows a disability, and they qualify for domiciliary care allowance and other State supports; if the incapacitated child tax credit has been granted to parents of children with...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Credits (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: 167. To ask the Minister for Finance if the incapacitated child tax credit has been granted to parents of children with dyspraxia; if so, the number that currently receive same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6659/14]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: 547. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of funding that will be made available to each specific project under the design stage of the ABC programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6368/14]