Results 8,941-8,960 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (17 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that consideration of the implications of the move to Eircodes is only at an early stage and there is no estimate of the likely cost, though it is not anticipated that it will be significant.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: International Agreements (17 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: At the outset I would like to set out for the Deputy the process which is followed in relation to entering into international legal agreements. Prior to the State entering into any international legal agreement, the relevant Departments give careful consideration to the domestic implications of becoming a party to such an agreement. Consideration is given to whether or not it is compatible...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Public procurement procedures require all applicants to meet certain standards when applying for public contracts. In this regard at tender stage applicants must sign a declaration in relation to their financial standing, their legal standing, their payment of taxes and social contributions; and a statement that none of the circumstances for exclusion apply. The criteria upon which...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (17 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The surplus generated by the National Lottery for good causes is transferred annually to the Exchequer and is applied to part-fund the Exchequer allocations to a specified range of expenditure subheads across various Votes.  The amount transferred to the Exchequer from the National Lottery surplus, together with details of the total Exchequer allocations to the relevant Lottery...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Referendum Expenditure (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The approximate costings for all referenda since 2001 are set out in the following table with the exception of the referenda held in 2004 and 2011*. The referenda in those years were not taken on their own but were combined and accounted for with European and Local Elections in 2004 and with a Presidential and bye-election in 2011. It is not, therefore, possible to give an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Consultancy Contracts (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has been established to centralise the procurement of common goods and services across the public sector.  This move is in line with best practice in the public and private sector and is part of the continuing reform programme being driven by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The reform of the public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Mental Health Awareness (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question I can confirm that no flags are flown from any of my Department's buildings. As a result of this, even though the Amber Flag Programme is a very worthwhile cause, it is not possible for me to accede to the Deputy's request.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The multi-annual current expenditure ceilings for the Environment, Community and Local Government Vote published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017 are ceilings on gross voted expenditure within which the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government  must deliver its services.  The ceilings for the Environment, Community and Local...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017 (CER) relates to all spending by Central Government which is voted upon annually by the Dáil, plus the expenditure of the Social Insurance Fund and the National Training Fund. This corresponds to the Ministerial Expenditure Ceilings as defined in the Ministers and Secretaries Amendment Act 2013. In 2015, this...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (12 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Sick Leave Scheme provides substantial additional protection to individuals experiencing critical illnesses or serious injury through the Critical Illness Protocol (CIP), which provides the basis for access to extended sick leave.  Under the CIP, public servants who suffer from a critical illness or serious physical injury may have access to extended...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Chairman. We are seeing a lot of each other today. I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the 2015 Estimates for my Department’s group of Votes. The group, as the Chairman said, comprises a significant number of Votes. It contains the Vote for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Vote for the Office of Government Procurement, the Vote for shared...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Under the National Lottery Act 2013, the full cost of the lottery regulator is to be borne by the licensee. Obviously, when we were preparing the Estimate in October, we had to make a provision for €150,000 to cover the operation of the regulator in the course of 2015. I am advised that it is unlikely that any of these moneys will be used because the full cost of the regulator,...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I suggest this because of time constraints. The Deputy asked about Aer Lingus. As I answered in reply to a parliamentary question this morning, Aer Lingus was on the list of assets available for sale but it was heavily conditioned in the announcements made at the time by me and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. An approach has been made by the parent holding company of...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: Provisional costs are allowed until we see what is determined. We are seeking costs but that will be a matter for the courts to determine. The GRA initiated the case, as it was entitled to do. We introduced primary legislation to change the sick leave arrangements and we debated it at some length. I gave a period of time because further matters had to be determined by the Labour Court....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I can go through it or I can give the Deputy a document.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is asking a very pertinent question. We have made very substantial reductions in the pay bill of the order I indicated, from a peak in 2009 to last year. The anchor of much of these reductions is financial emergency legislation, which is unique legislation because we have not in the past by law reduced the pay and conditions of any set of workers.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: They were necessitated by a financial emergency because we could not continue to pay that volume of money and maintain public services at the front line. This was the trade-off I negotiated with the public sector unions. I am conscious, and the advice I have from the Attorney General is, that FEMPI legislation is not a permanent feature. It is predicated on there being an emergency...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: That is this year.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: It should not. From the beginning of my utterances about wanting to engage with the public sector unions, I made it clear that Haddington Road would be expected to run its course. Haddington Road is a three-year agreement from the summer of 2013 to the summer of 2016. We need to have an agreement not simply to run into that but to understand where we are going beyond that. Certainly, when...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Brendan Howlin: I am required to specify a date under the Act. What is envisaged here is that if someone retires in the shadow of the grace period, his or her pension calculation can be determined at the pre-FEMPI cut. The most recent FEMPI cut was in the 2013 Act. I have obviously had a great deal of discussion with colleagues, particularly in both the health and education sectors, who want to give...