Results 11,021-11,040 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Other Questions: Public Sector Reform Implementation (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Government continues to make good progress in achieving its deficit targets and priorities.  Since its peak in 2009, gross voted expenditure has been reduced by €10.1 billion, or 16%, from €63.1 billion in 2009 to just under €53 billion in 2014.  Staff numbers have been reduced by more than 30,000 since the 2008 peak, even as demands on services increased. ...

Other Questions: Public Sector Reform Implementation (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy asked a good question, which goes to the heart of the creation of my Department. In advance of entering government, the Deputy's party and my party had both reached the conclusion that to make the economic changes required, we needed to have a proactive reform agenda. This could only be driven by a Cabinet Minister who controlled the money, and the Department of Public...

Other Questions: Public Sector Reform Implementation (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is well versed in developments in the European context in the past three years. Ireland has signed up to the Stability and Growth Pact, which has become part of the constitutional architecture of the State. Eurozone countries have mutual oversight of their budgets to ensure the common currency is protected and countries such as Germany, Greece, France and Italy do not engage in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I have not avoided it because we have dealt with this previously. I agree with the thrust of what the Deputy has said which is that people who have decent pensions should not come back and displace people who are looking for public service contracts of employment. By and large that should be and is the situation. However, there will be exceptional cases, either through an agency or a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I understand the point the Deputy is making, but I do not want to set up a new bureaucracy involving a new trawl of every agency or company that applies cleaning or catering facilities even on a short-term basis. We have reduced the number of people working in the public service and do not want to put new burdens on them unless there is an identifiable problem, which I do not believe is very...

Other Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Review (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the House will be aware, the measures negotiated under the Haddington Road agreement will deliver a further reduction of €1 billion in the public service pay and pensions bill by 2016. The focus of public service management is now firmly on the delivery of the required level of savings and there has been significant progress in the implementation of the agreement at various levels....

Other Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Review (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy asked about the effects of the Haddington Road agreement. Without the Haddington Road agreement we could not have had a budget that would have been acceptable and passed by this House last year. I do not believe we would have exited the bailout and there would be a crisis in the country. That is why before the end of 2012 I opened the books to the trade unions. As a good...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I will come to that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: That is wrong and I will explain why.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Yes, I will.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I omitted to answer the first question and will do so now. We decided to sell the BGE business in its entirety, rather than break it up and sell it in modules to maximise Exchequer receipts. EU rules for the separation of competitive energy businesses from strategic gas networks apply. Centrica, Brookfield and iCON as a consortium bid the highest price for the entire business and we have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The bottom line is that it is not for us to break down the components. That is the point I am making. We are selling it as a unit and looking at the highest price. By any analysis, €1.1 billion, the total price paid, is a fair price. How it is apportioned among the bidders is nothing to do with the State.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Does the Deputy not understand the net point? The total price the State is paid is what is of interest to us. We sold it as an entity. It was the block or bag of assets that was up for sale. Due process suggested a fair value would be in excess of €1 billion. We got €1.1 billion. Demonstrably, that is fair. In the final part of his question the Deputy asked me about...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputy for his question. As Minister with responsibility for the public service and public expenditure, I have overall responsibility for employment and human resource policy for the public service as a whole. The Deputy will appreciate that the specific decisions made by public bodies on the re-engagement of former public servants reflect the particular circumstances applying...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I agree with the Deputy that the main dividend of the sale of State assets is having the capacity to reinvest in the economy. He has been critical of the reduction in the general capital programme, but we need investment. I have worked hard to find alternative sources of money to invest. I cannot provide a jobs tot because I will not have the money until this year. I announced and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy will be aware that only a small amount of money is accruing from the sale of Garda stations because, in many instances, closed Garda stations are being subsumed for community use which I am encouraging, rather than trying to extract commercial value from every Garda station. That is a good and proper approach to take in that regard. Separate from any money that will accrue from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has asked a number of questions. On his first question, I am not, as I have stated previously, an enthusiastic seller of State assets. It would not be the first place I would look, but we inherited a programme. It was explained to us by representatives of the troika that they expected State asset sales of €5 billion. Clearly, we are not going to go into that territory....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 4 together. The House will be aware from my announcement in February 2012 of the shape and scale of the State asset disposal programme that is being pursued. The asset disposal programme agreed at that time by the Government consists of the sale of Bord Gáis Éireann's energy business, not including its gas transmission and distribution...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The detailed information the Deputy asks about is available on my Department's web site, at .  Here the Deputy will find comprehensive data on all Government Departments, including staffing levels and expenditure - both pay and non-pay.  This relatively new information resource is updated on a quarterly basis and provides a comprehensive profile of staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Section 9 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 provides that persons retiring before 31 August 2014, or a later date made by Order under the Act, will be entitled to have their pensions calculated as if the pay reduction and any increment pause or freeze had not applied to them. As the Deputy is aware, I have decided to extend the grace period from 31...