Results 9,621-9,640 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, together. The communications unit will be retained in my Department as it provides a valuable media information service to Government Ministers and their Departments. It furnishes news updates and transcripts which ensure that Departments are kept informed in a fast and efficient manner of any relevant news developments. In this way,...

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I think the Deputy is referring to the fact there are press offices in every Department. This is not solely about listening to the radio——

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: ——or looking at the television. It is about a communications unit in the Department of the Taoiseach communicating with the existing press offices, which are part of every Department of State and are necessary in the modern age. Given the number of outlets and queries, one could not provide an efficient service if one did not have some dedicated staff for that purpose and they are kept...

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: They are dealt with in the press offices of individual Departments as part of their overall work. As Deputy Kenny knows as a former office holder, the work of the press office is to deal with press queries and to provide whatever information the Minister or his office is seeking. One needs people in situ in each Department who are acquainted with how the Department operates, who the...

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: The communications unit is not a public relations body, it is simply an internal arrangement for transmitting information across Departments from within the internal workings of the Government. As the Deputy knows, the question of public relations concerns outside advice being obtained from external companies for the purpose of communicating various initiatives at Government level or within...

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: No.

Departmental Expenditure. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: No, it provides information across Departments. As a former incumbent in an office of State, the Deputy is aware that the press office deals with most of the requirements of any Department. There are occasions when people require outside communications companies to assist them. Personally, I have not used such companies much, but arrangements have been made in the past when there was a...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, together. The projected cost of the implementation of the recommendations of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Service to my Department is €115,099 for 2008. This includes costs in respect of departmental staff and special advisers in my Department. These costings are supplied in the following table. The first phase of...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: It refers to all the people who are affected by the review body's recommendations, including all those to whom the Deputy referred. I do not envisage that any retrospection will be contemplated. We are talking about requiring a Government decision to activate this matter. The Government has made the decision that no further increases will be paid to those who already received the first...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: Those who received payments under 5.5% in the review body recommendation were paid that amount in September 2007. Those whom it was recommended should be paid more received 5% in September 2007. There was a proposal that they would get another 5% in September 2008 and the remainder in September 2009. The Government made a decision early this year to defer that for a further year so the...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: Yes, that is correct.

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I would have to get that information for the Deputy. That question is wider than the remit of the question.

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: To link it to performance with whom? That is the question. I take the view that public servants should be paid a remuneration commensurate with the responsibilities of what is available for similar jobs in the private sector. In that way, we try to ensure that we have more cross-pollination between the public and private sectors. We will get more people from the private sector coming into...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: Those are set out by the review body in the report.

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: People who are well qualified in this area are members of that review body. They might know a little bit more about it than the Deputy, although he might be surprised to hear that. They were in a position to make comparisons which stack up in terms of the process and methodology. That is the situation. We know all the pompous arguments made thereafter and the political hay that was...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not accept that we do not do that. The wider pay agreements are based on ensuring industrial peace and that we have ongoing reforms in the public service that are agreed to by the trade unions and staff representative bodies. Continuing reform is ongoing. The OECD points out the need to accelerate that, particularly at times when resources are tight and in view of the commitments we...

Public Service Pay. (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: I did not say appease.

Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (9 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: Ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón pearsanta agus comhbhrón Pháirtí Fhianna Fáil a chur in iúl don Teach ar bhás Shéamuis Ó Braonáin. Ba mhaith liom cású freisin lena bhean céile Ann agus lena seisear clainne. Is cinnte gur ócáid an-bhrónach scéal a bháis dúinn ar fad. Bhí an pholaitíocht go smior i Séamus Ó Braonáin. Óna chéad laethanta mar mhac léinn san ollscoil...

Written Answers — Programmes for Government: Programmes for Government (8 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: A Progress Report on the implementation of the Agreed Programme for Government (2002-2007) was published on 28 April, 2007. This report is available on the Department of An Taoiseach website.

Written Answers — Profit Outflows: Profit Outflows (8 Jul 2008)

Brian Cowen: The profit outflows of foreign owned multinational corporations operating in Ireland are not directly available for this period. However, the Net Factor Outflows shown in the table below largely reflect these accrued profit outflows and are given from 1976 to date. The geographical analysis of the destination of these outflows is only available for the years 2001-2007 and therefore the...