Results 8,741-8,760 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Dividends (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Historically, there has not been comprehensive central guidelines for State companies regarding dividend policy although, over recent years, dividends of approximately 30% of profits after tax have been sought and expected from most commercial State companies and, in Budget 2013, an additional €100m was sought from the sector. However, with the establishment of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), underpinned by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts 2009-2013, contains a number of measures directly affecting the pay of staff, with an estimated €2.2bn of direct reductions in public service remuneration and pensions, in addition to the savings achieved through the reduction in numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Annual Leave (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Following agreement between public service management and the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, in the context of the Croke Park Agreement, standardised annual leave arrangements were put in place for the entire public service, including non commercial state agencies, in 2012. The number of days annual leave allowance ranges from a minimum of 22 days to a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Redeployment (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Agreements (PSAs) covering the period 2010-16 (the Croke Park and Haddington Road Agreements) provide for agreed redeployment arrangements to apply in the Civil Service and in other parts of the Public Service. Under the PSAs, redeployment generally takes precedence over all other methods of filling a vacancy and supersedes any existing agreements on the deployment...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Injury Warrants (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Injury Warrants are a series of statutory instruments, made under the Superannuation Act 1887, which provide benefits to or in respect of officers who, through no fault of their own, are killed or injured while performing their duties. These benefits comprise (a) annual allowances, (b) gratuities, (c) loss of earnings allowances and (d) refunds of certain expenses. The amount charged to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation Office (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 was passed by the Seanad on 20th November 2014 and by the Dáil on 31st March 2015. There were some amendments to the Bill in the Dáil and it is scheduled to return to the Seanad on 16th April 2015 when it is expected to complete its passage through the Oireachtas. Section 39 of the Bill, if enacted, will amend Schedule 4 of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to my response to PQ No. 11966/15, regarding the restoration of reductions in public service remuneration and pensions, and also to the unwinding, in parallel and consistent with our improving economy, of the emergency measures implemented under the FEMPI Acts. The position remains unchanged. I have no statutory responsibility in relation to how any proposals in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Functions (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that having considered the question, the Office has no function nor responsibility in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies Dividends (15 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that there are no commercial semi-state companies under the aegis of my department.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I move:That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft:Freedom of Information Act 2014 (Exempted Public Bodies) Order 2015,copies of which Order in draft were laid before Dáil Éireann on 12th March, 2015.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In response to Deputy Fleming, there are no U-turns or rethink on policy. It is exactly the policy I set out, which is to have a comprehensive review of the disaster which the Deputy's party made of freedom of information in 2003. To repeat, I am very confident that the 2014 Act I introduced will stand the test of time, unlike the abomination the Deputy supported in 2003. The changes I am...

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Is the Deputy going to shout me down? It will be there for all time into the future.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: We have backdated it to last year for practical reasons. As I told the Deputy yesterday, the Refugee Applications Commissioner has 4 million paper files, so there must be some level of understanding of practicality. However, from last year, everything will be amenable to freedom of information and that will be the case into the future, for the first time. It is very difficult to listen...

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy can dish it out, but she cannot take it.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: If she wished to engage in freedom of information, she has information or has the wherewithal to ensure that information can be provided.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Can I deal with-----

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy loves to make charges.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy McDonald can obviously dish it out, but cannot face the truth herself.

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: There are two simple proposals before the House. One is to change the effective date for two bodies, the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, for a practical reason. It brings the date back to last year for practical reasons, because of the volume-----

Freedom of Information Act 2014: Motions (2 Apr 2015)

Brendan Howlin: It is very difficult to talk when one is being shouted down continuously.