Results 10,901-10,920 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Construction Contracts Bill passed all stages of the Houses of the Oireachtas in July 2013 and was signed into law on the 29 July 2013.  The enactment of the legislation marked a significant step towards the Programme for Government commitment to introduce new legislation to protect small building subcontractors that have been denied payments from bigger companies. The frustration...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The rationalisation of State bodies is a part of this Government's reform programme.  As the Deputy is aware, in November 2011, the Government set out 2 commitments in relation to agency rationalisation: - to implement 48 measures.  These measures (involving over 100 bodies) either have been fully delivered or will be delivered this year, apart from the small number where the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Water Establishment (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Primary  responsibility for setting up  Irish Water as a public  commercial company and related issues rests with my colleague  the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government. The delivery of water services under a public utility model is expected to bring benefits in terms of access to new sources of revenue to fund greater investment in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Data (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Data on the average age of civil servants across the Civil Service is set out in the following table. The average age has increased from just under 45 in 2010 to over 46 in 2013.  The increase is, in part, due to the necessary restrictions on recruitment introduced in 2009 as part of the response to the economic and fiscal crisis.  Workforce...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: My Department recently estimated the accrued liability figure in respect of public service occupational pensions at €98bn as of December 2012. This figure represents the present value of all expected future superannuation payments to current staff and their spouses in respect of service to December 2012, plus the liability for all future payments to current...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Remuneration (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There are 117 staff employed in the Department's Vote Group who currently are paid in line with the 10% reduced scales for newly recruited public servants effective from 1 January 2011. Under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement, revised salary scales are currently being prepared to redress the imbalance between same grade employees who entered the public service before and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Cases Data (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: There have been no legal cases arising from disputes relating to the pay and conditions of staff served against my Department since its establishment in July 2011.    

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Semi-State Bodies (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's questions I can confirm that there are no commercial semi State companies under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Medical Card Administration (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The issue of Medical Cards is a policy matter which is the responsibility of the Minister for Health in the first instance.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Redeployment (13 May 2014)

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.  The Agreements facilitate the transfer of staffing resources from organisations where activities have assumed lesser priority arising from changing...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy s question I can confirm that my Department does not engage in recording telephone calls nor is it a matter I am currently considering.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies Expenditure (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) is responsible for overseeing the conduct of appointment processes to a wide range of positions in the Civil and Public Service.  In carrying out its independent statutory functions, the CPSA must, on occasions, seek independent legal advice on issues that come to light in the course of its examination of appointment processes....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Proposed Legislation (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation Act, 2001, which came into effect on 2 May, 2002, provides that all buildings used or developed for any purpose including constructions affixed thereto are rateable unless expressly exempt under Schedule 4 of the Act. Paragraph 10 of Schedule 4 of the Act provides only for the exemption from rates of a school, college, university, institute of technology or other educational...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Travel (13 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's questions the following table is a list of all official foreign trips that I intend to take between now and the end of 2014: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Details of Foreign Trips intended from 12 May, 2014 to 31 December, 2014 Date Purpose Details of people Minister will be meeting Duration Planning to promote Ireland as a good place for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts (8 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It is widely acknowledged that the construction industry has seen the greatest decline in activity and with it the highest rise in unemployment of all sectors in the economy.  The collapse in construction output from the high and unsustainable levels of around €34bn in 2006 to around €8.8bn in 2013 has been accompanied by intense competition resulting in a reduction of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Exchequer Savings (8 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Exchequer Pay Bill has been reduced by 22%, from €17.5 billion gross in 2009 to an estimated €13.6 billion net by the end of 2014. In 2013, the net reduction was €210 million. This reduction was enabled, in part, by the implementation of various measures under the Haddington Road Agreement which helped to ensure that spending remained in line with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Allowances Payments (8 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 88 together. Departments were notified in September 2012 of details of the Government Decision in relation to the outcome of the Review of Public Service Allowances and Premium Pay.  Approval for payment of an allowance to a new beneficiary pending the outcome of the review was withdrawn from 31st January 2012 and was not restored in the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Fees (8 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together. Statistical information in relation to Freedom of Information requests are collated and published annually by the Office of the Information Commissioner. The tables containing details of these requests are contained in the Annual Report of the Office of the Information Commissioner which can be viewed at . The Annual...

Estimates for Public Services 2014: Motion (7 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I move:That leave be given by the Dáil to introduce the following Supplementary Estimate for the service of the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2014:Vote 2 — Department of the Taoiseach (Supplementary Estimate).

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (7 May 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The reduction in the rate of Pension Related Deduction (PRD) applied to the €15,000 to €20,000 band of pay fell from 5% to 2.5% on 1 January 2014. This rate cut is worth €125 annually in gross terms to most public servants, with those taxed at the standard rate enjoying the greater gain in terms of take-home pay boost. In terms of annual impact on the...