Results 8,721-8,740 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation Office, as part of a programme that will see the valuation of all commercial properties in the State brought up to date, by reference to modern property values, and maintained on a rolling 5-10 year cycle of revaluations as provided for in the Valuation Act 2001, have recently completed the valuation of all commercial properties in Limerick. The revaluation...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Levy (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: It is understood that the Deputy's question refers to the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR), which came into effect on 1 January 2011 by way of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2010, and which has since been amended via the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Act 2011 and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Irish Red Cross conforms to the generic definition of a public body contained in Section 6 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 because it was established under enactment. On that basis, unless it was granted an exemption, the Irish Red Cross would automatically have become subject to FOI under the Act earlier this month. I accepted the case made by the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Directives (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: On 28 March, 2014, the European Commission published three new Directives as a collective reform of the existing EU regime for public procurement under the existing provisions of Directive 2004/17/EU - coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and Directive 2004/18/EU - on the coordination of procedures for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The work of the Valuation Office is underpinned by the Valuation Act, 2001 which provides for the valuation of all commercial and industrial property. The Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the performance of his functions under the Act and the making of valuations is his sole prerogative. The statute does not accord me as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform any function in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent centralised provider of recruitment, assessment and selection services for the Civil and Public Service. An annual competition is conducted by the PAS in order to respond to requests to fill temporary clerical vacancies which arise from time to time to cover such absences as maternity leave and shorter working year. Draw down...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Remuneration (28 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, under the newly established Payroll Shared Services Centre (PSSC) has responsibility for the payment of salaries only to serving public servants in the public service bodies listed as follows. Friday 1May 2015 is a bank holiday in many Euro currency/EU countries and, as a result, the Euro payments clearing and settlement system will be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Redeployment (23 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: There are no formal arrangements in place within the Civil Service to facilitate requests for transfers to other locations/employments, except in the case of grades represented by the Civil Public & Services Union. Transfers for these grades (mostly Clerical and Staff Officers) are arranged in accordance with formal procedures agreed with the Staff Side at General Council under the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (23 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The procurement reform programme is an important element of the Government's overall reform programme and is tasked with delivering increased value for money, more accurate and timely data and improvement in the capacity and capability of procurement across the public service. A new model for procurement was approved by the Government in September 2012, with common goods and services to be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (23 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The information set out in tabular form shows the number of Civil Servants in each Government Department on a county by county basis.  These numbers are recorded on a full-time equivalent basis, and the figures reflect the position at end-2014.  Information on the number of Civil and Public Servants in each State office or body under the aegis of my Department, on a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Budgets (22 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The tables set out, for both gross and net voted expenditure, the amounts allocated to and spent by  Ministerial Vote Group for the period 20112014 and for the first quarter of 2015, and the expenditure allocations for the full year 2015.  Gross Voted Expenditure 2011 2012 2013 20141 20152 20153 €m €m €m €m €m €m...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Pensions Data (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The following table sets out the number of retired civil service pensions in payment each year from 2008 to 2014.  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Number of retired civil service pensions in payment 15,245 17,005 18,122 18,617 19,974 20,314 21,128

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Pensions Data (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Total pensions in payment for established civil servants in 2014 amounted to €324 m, corresponding to an average pension amount of €24,000. Pensions in respect of other civil service pensioners (for example unestablished retired civil servants and survivors) amounted to approximately €65 million, or an average pension amount of about €8,700.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Pensions Data (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 to 320, inclusive, together. In my last review of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in June 2014, the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) was estimated to save in the region of €125 million annually. Public service pensions awarded to or in...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: No cost-increasing claims by trade unions or employees for improvements in pay or conditions of employment can be made or processed during the currency of the Haddington Road Agreement. As the Deputy will be aware, I have indicated my intention to enter into discussions later this year with the public service unions, and the representatives of public service pensioners, on...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Local Authority Rates (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Commissioner of Valuation is responsible under the Valuation Act 2001 for the valuation of commercial property for the purposes of the calculation, by Local authorities, of commercial rates. The legislation gives me as Minister no role in the valuation of property. Under the Valuation Act 2001 as it stands, a Community Sports Club that has a licence under the Registration of Clubs...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Pensions (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In my previous reply to which the Deputy refers, I set out a range of measures which have been implemented over recent years affecting the pensions of Public Servants, including Officeholders and politicians generally. The Haddington Road agreement, underpinned by the financial emergency measures in the public interest (FEMPI) legislation, forms the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (21 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is committed to an equal opportunities policy, and in accordance with the Employment Equality Acts (1998 to 2011) aims to ensure that all applicants are treated equally whatever their gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race or membership of the traveller community. As part of its ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pensions Levy Yield (16 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The public service Pension-related Deduction (PRD), which was introduced in March 2009 under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 is provisionally estimated to have yielded €891 million in 2014.  This estimated total does not include non-Exchequer PRD receipts, as arising for example in the local government sector. PRD is a progressively structured...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Exemptions (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together. The Valuation (Amendment)(No.2) Bill 2012 is expected to complete its passage through the Oireachtas shortly and the exemption of property used for early childhood care and education has been considered at a number of Stages both in the Seanad and in the Dáil. I was pleased to introduce an amendment at Report Stage in the Seanad...