Results 8,341-8,360 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: They expect a lot of casualties.
- Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: Highly unlikely.
- Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: I move:That Dáil Éireann take note of the Statement of Estimates of moneys required in respect of ongoing expenditure for the period beginning on 1 January 2016 and ending on 31 December 2016, prepared and published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in accordance with section 13 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended by section 8 of the Houses of...
- Order of Business (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: That is false.
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Cross-Border Co-operation (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: While the Ireland Wales border is a maritime border, the Ireland Wales Programme nevertheless includes inland counties (Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary) within the eligible area, as well as coastal counties (Meath, Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, Kerry). The Programme, which has a total value of approximately €100 million over the period 2014-2020, will...
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fines Data (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question the following table outlines sanctions approved by my Department to pay the fines imposed by European Institutions since 2011. Year Claim Amount Comment 2013 ECJ Judgements: C374/11 Septic Tanks €2,756,000 In relation to transposition and implementation of a Directive on waste relating to the disposal of domestic waste waters in the...
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legal Costs (7 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: The total of legal fees incurred by the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCEI) to date in the case of NAMA v Commissioner for Environmental Information is €97,000. It is expected that additional fees will be incurred in the coming weeks. The total of all legal fees incurred by the OCEI since its inception to date, including those for the NAMA case, is...
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates (7 Jul 2015)
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 position under the...
- Other Questions: Information and Communications Technology (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: There is a lot in what the Deputy is saying. We obviously have to have access for all citizens. We cannot simply decide to do it electronically only and have a whole category of citizens excluded from availing of services or even being frightened to go to a public library or post office. The Deputy will have dealt with people in his office, as I have, who are intimidated by receiving a...
- Other Questions: Information and Communications Technology (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: I welcome the work being undertaken by Mr. Bobby Kerr's group which has been helpful to us. We, obviously, have to comply with European law in the procurement of any service.
- Other Questions: Information and Communications Technology (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: There is no point in having a pilot scheme if it will not impact on people. We need to ensure what we do is robust and actually delivers what is intended. During the Irish EU Presidency we passed three new procurement directives to make the procurement of services simpler. They will be transposed into Irish law in the coming year. We are always looking at new delivery systems that would...
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: Anseo.
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputy.
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: The data are contained in the following table. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenses 2011 - 1 July 2015 2011 Location Purpose of Visit Flights Hotel Accommodation Transport Costs Other Expenses* 15 - 16 Dec Brussels Formal meeting for Ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy €295.17 €0.00 €430.00 €136.13 2012 Location Purpose of Visit...
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: That is what happened; it was sent to every Minister, as I would not have access to data for expenses. I have set out data for every cent I have spent and claimed since I entered office in March 2011. The Deputy has referred to there being unease and disquiet, but there is nothing in the tabular statement that has not been aggregated, published and republished a multiplicity of times under...
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: My goodness, I thought the Deputy would welcome such things. Short of reading the long list of every European Council meeting I have attended and trade mission I have been on, I will give all of the information to the Deputy and hope it will satisfy her. She will also have everybody else's data to compare and contrast. We will then see the modest expenses that have accrued to the Minister...
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: No more than the Deputy.
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy describes the listed expenses as "personal", but they are not personal to me. Many of them relate to hosting meetings or lunches when EU ministerial colleagues visit me. In the normal course, they also involve hiring transport to bring officials to meetings that I am attending. In that regard, they are not personal to me.
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: The notion that, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I determine each line Minister's expenses, or that he or she should have to run them past me before booking a flight to Brussels to attend a European Council meeting would not amount to an efficient way to operate.
- Other Questions: Ministerial Expenditure (2 Jul 2015)
Brendan Howlin: All data are readily available in every Department and published. Most of us receive FOI requests on every cent incurred in expenses every month. Most of us now put everything online to obviate the need to do so. If there is one area that is rigorously exposed to public scrutiny, more than any other I can think of, it is the expenses paid to politicians.