Results 8,861-8,880 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Attendance Management: Attendance Management (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: My Department uses the PeopleSoft Human Resource Management and the Flexi Time Systems to record and track all absences from work, e.g. annual leave, special leave, sick leave and maternity leave. This data is used by the Department to monitor compliance with the provisions of the Organisation of the Working Time Act and Department of Finance Guidelines and Circulars. As in the case of all...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: The cost of legal services funded by my Department's Vote in 2007 and to date in 2008 is contained in the following tables: Department of the Taoiseach Year Cost of Legal Service € 2007 12,196.80 2008 300.00 NESDO Year Cost of Legal Service € 2007 26,710.00 2008 17,429.00 Commission of Investigation Year Cost of Legal Service € 2007 298,614.71 2008 0.00 It...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: My Department had no capital projects within the past five years.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: My Department does not pay severance packages to retiring staff. Under the Superannuation Act, all Civil Servants retiring from my Department are entitled to an annual pension and lump sum. The pension arrangements including calculations and payment of same, are a matter for the Department of Finance. Severance packages are made only to Ministerial personal staff whose employment is...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: There are currently 115 permanent staff working in the Office of the Attorney General, 35 are barristers and 12 are solicitors, 68 are not lawyers. They provide secretarial services, a Legal Library and a Registry which maintains legal files and tracks correspondence, as well as the usual range of administrative functions such as HR, IT, Finance and Corporate Services. These supports enable...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: No works have been undertaken under section 181(2)(a) of the Planning and Development Act since it was enacted in 2000, in respect of my Department's offices.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: There is no specific policy requirement by my Department to receive hard copies of tender documentation in response to all requests for tender. The national public procurement website www.etenders.gov.ie, known as etenders has a facility for the submission of tenders electronically. In fact, in a number of cases, my Department has adopted the practice of providing tenderers with the option...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: I have not used public transport services (bus or rail) since May 7th, 2008 and therefore have not incurred any expenditure in relation to same.

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: The following table outlines the cost to my Department of public transport services used by my officials since 2007 to date. Year Type of Public Transport Cost â'¬ 2007 Train 10,824.47 Bus 1,345.76 2008 (Jan-Oct) Train 10,985.33 Bus 1,200.86

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: There are no proposals to decentralise my Department or any of the agencies under its aegis. The Department of Finance has responsibility in Government for the overall Decentralisation Programme.

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: As I stated during Leaders' Questions, the Cabinet expects the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to bring the proposed covert surveillance Bill to the Cabinet next week. Thereafter, detailed drafting must take place and I cannot indicate to Deputy Kenny at this stage what the timeline will be. Given the previous discussion, we will accord priority to it and ask the Attorney...

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Government is deliberating on the detail and the best way to proceed. While it may have been the original intention to incorporate the provision as an amendment to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008, it will not now be incorporated. The matter is subject to continued deliberation. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government will introduce further proposals based on...

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not mean to be facetious, but we will introduce the legislation before the local elections if we are to have it.

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am trying to be helpful. We did not introduce such legislation previously for local elections because they are a different type of election. Under the current arrangement for European and general elections, there are spending limits and repayment arrangements. It is not as simple as some people suggest. We do not want a situation to develop where there is an unfair burden on local...

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: When drafting legislation we must take cognisance of the constitutional and international obligations and imperatives that apply. The need to give sufficient consideration to such matters is imperative, so that subsequent legislation is not struck down in the courts, where it is not effective because of court challenge or by way of legal argument. The accommodation of these public policy...

Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: That was dealt with in the financial resolutions to the budget.

Departmental Expenditure. (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The projected cost of the communications unit for 2008 is €302,235. There are four civil servants employed in the unit: two executive officers, one staff officer and one clerical officer. Their salaries are €50,410, €44,931, €41,566 and €34,642, plus one sixth allowance for shift work. The role of the communications...

Departmental Expenditure. (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: The public servants in question work within the departmental system. It is obvious that they are available to work elsewhere as well. The question of savings does not arise in that sense. The purpose of the service that is being provided by these public servants is to ensure that the work of the Government is portrayed accurately in the national public media so any inaccuracies,...

Departmental Expenditure. (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is not the situation in terms of the work these public servants do. A small part of the work of some public servants involves giving Ministers' offices an indication of the media coverage of what is going on in their Departments. The press offices in the various Departments provide much more assistance and value than that. It is a question of ensuring that the communications unit in...

Departmental Expenditure. (11 Nov 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not know where it came from, probably from the relevant section in the Department. It does not matter. I do not know what the argument is about. Press offices in every Department deal with the media on an ongoing basis in a range of areas. The Deputy knows better than I do about the proliferation of media outlets and one must deal with that. One can decide to deal with that or not...