Results 7,681-7,700 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: It could be anybody. I am sure there is a security mechanism to deal with this. On the overall vote, there is a new integrated pension scheme for all public servants which became operable on 1 January 2013. Everybody, a judge, a Deputy, a civil servant or a garda is part of the single integrated pension scheme from that date. The calculation of a pension is different and will be on a...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I will give the committee my briefing.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I will conclude on the valid point about how, in the case of mass recruitment, one can know the person applying online is the real applicant. Every person is required to apply with photographic ID and receives a unique identifier. After the second test, successful candidates are brought forward for supervised tests. There is still an unanswered question. It could potentially give a person...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am informed it is after second stage. Now that Deputy Fleming has raised it with me, I will see if anything can be done. It will be very hard. There were approximately 25,000 applicants for An Garda Síochána. Online applications make the process very efficient. It is the same with any postal application in that one cannot be sure the person who signs the form is the person he...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Fleming asked me about numbers and I will give him them as well.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I will send Deputy Fleming a table.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: We do not have redundancy.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Barry asked a number of questions. We do not have redundancy in the public service in general but we have cost-neutral early retirement. That is simply if one wants to retire before reaching one's retirement age. Actuarially, we have worked out that it is approximately 5% off one's pension and lump sum per year that one retires early so that the cost to the Exchequer is not...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: There is certainly a general discussion about people working for as long as they wish. We must have the predictability of retirement in order that we can plan properly but I can certainly envisage the upward movement of retirement potential at least so that people can stay longer in work. People are healthier and there is no reason they should not. I think that will be a feature of the future.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I wrote to the committee yesterday but I do not know whether the letter has been received yet.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I see. I just signed the letter yesterday. It is a response to the OECD report in which there are very useful observations. I have said to this committee previously that deep recession is not the best time to ask parliamentarians to engage on spending issues. When the whole trajectory of spending was downwards, there was not much appetite to engage, in my judgment. Now is a very good...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Political Reform (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: A number of key future reform initiatives are underway in this area building on the significant progress achieved under the Programme for Government.  For example: - It is intended to publish a Public Sector Standards Bill which will provide a new and reformed legal framework for ethics for all public officials, significantly enhancing the existing framework for identifying,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together. It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the National Minimum Wage. Like all employers, public service employers must comply with the National Minimum Wage rate. Following the outcome of the recent considerations by the the Low Pay Commission, the statutory minimum wage rate will increase from the current rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Cases Data (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Collating this information in the time available was not possible and I will reply directly to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Part 5 of the Valuation Act 2001, as amended by the Valuation (Amendment) Act 2015, provides for the revaluation, for rates purposes, of all industrial and commercial properties other than those occupied by public utility undertakings (known as global valuations) which are valued on a different cycle prescribed in section 53 of the Acts. Section 19(1) of the Act empowers the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The OGP is at an advanced stage of planning a tender process for a new office supplies framework agreement to be delivered in Q1 2016. As part of the planning process a review of the existing office supplies framework has been completed, which included engagement with the wider office supplies market.  It is expected that the new framework will be structured in a manner that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Expenditure (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The reform of the public procurement system across the public service is a key element of the reform programme for the public service. The fragmented procurement arrangements across the public service have facilitated amongst other things suppliers charging different public service bodies different prices for the same goods and services. This is not sustainable, as the State...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Overpayments to staff of salary, allowances and expenses can and do occur for a number of reasons in any organisation, be it private or public sector.  These include, but are not limited to, delays in applying or approving or processing pay-impactful absences, or pay-impactful leave arrangements, or errors in calculating allowances, payroll or expenses. PeoplePoint is the shared service...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (1 Dec 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy's correspondent seeks to dispute the funding basis of the Public Service Spouses' and Childrens' pension schemes on the grounds that it does not comply with practice in the insurance industry.  However, this is a mistaken view of the situation.  The Commission on Public Service Pensions, at paragraph 20.5.2 of its report, was clear that it accepted that the...