Results 10,081-10,100 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not agree there is no information regarding the NDP.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not agree. The annual report on the NDP was published in the past few weeks.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The OECD report examined a number of agencies and made a number of recommendations regarding governance and improving the performance of agencies. The task force on public service will examine all issues set out in the report and specific actions to address these recommendations will be set out in its comprehensive response. It is, however, simplistic to say that reducing the number of...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: An extensive consultation process has been undertaken by those who authored the report over a 17 to 18 month period. We do not now need another report on a report on which there was already consultation. Having had the recommendations comprehensively set out and having had all that consultation with various stakeholders in the preparation of the report, the job now is to sequence an...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: A consultative panel was appointed which was representative of a range of interested parties, including trade union representatives and those working in consumer advocacy agencies. The task force did not work in a vacuum but in consultation with this consultative panel, which had a range of expertise available to it.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is always a matter of judgment who is included on such bodies. I do not suggest that the task force has a monopoly of wisdom. Many of its members work in the front line of social partnership, while others have been involved in major change management within companies, do so regularly as part of their job or have an expertise in this area. The objective is to set out an implementation...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It may be one of the few but it shows what can happen with the right leadership, the right approach and the right methodology. It can be done. While it may not be uniform across the service it is more prevalent in the service than it is given credit for. By the same token, it is not uniform and is not to the same standard and imagination as the good examples one can provide. That is the...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. On 28 April, I launched Towards an Integrated Public Service, the review of the Irish public service by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. This report, which benchmarks the public service in Ireland against other comparable countries and makes recommendations as to the further direction of public...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The OECD report does not criticise decentralisation policy or say it was a bad idea. Deputy Gilmore continually characterises decentralisation as a bad idea, despite the fact that the many people I meet who have decentralised to various parts of the country are very happy with their move. The decentralisation implementation group has always been aware of the business issues surrounding the...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not agree with Deputy Gilmore's characterisation of the decentralisation plan. He continues to denigrate it by suggesting that it is all about people meeting half way in cars on their way to meetings.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The factual position is that the decentralisation programme has been an unmitigated success for those who have decentralised in terms of quality of life, work environment and a range of issues, including the efficiency with which they deliver services. If Deputy Gilmore can identify any decentralised office in which there has been a reduction in the provision of service to the public as a...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: He certainly did, with a smart comment.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It was uttered for a cheap headline.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is interesting that six questions were tabled on the OECD report on the reform of the public service and we are discussing one third of a paragraph of a 400 page report. However, I will answer the question if this is as much as people want to discuss.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: With regard to decentralisation, the policy remains the same. It is a voluntary programme. The decentralisation implementation group has published at least five reports since the original budget announcement which confirm that because of industrial relations issues and the consultations which much take place, the target of three years was not attainable or possible. We moved from this...

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: We are moving people.

Public Service Reform. (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It was a voluntary programme from day one.

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: To answer Deputy Gilmore's questions directly, about 4% of the total student population is being educated in what he calls temporary accommodation in terms of the full school-going population. That is the size of the problem he is addressing. It will always be the case in trying to deal with increased student intake in rapidly developing areas that schools need to be provided where...

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is the largest allocation ever made for the capital programme in education. It is true that some of that construction activity offsets the reduction in residential housing output but not to the full extent. We all know that. We are also aware that we doubled construction industry employment levels. While employment levels in the industry will be reduced this year from 300,000 to...

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: Credit must be given where it is due. A sum of €640 million is being provided this year for schools alone. The Government will continue to examine how to provide priority investments in education in forthcoming budgets. We have always done that and it remains a priority area. However, there are varying levels of priority in the area. For example, no one contests that in rapidly...