Results 11,041-11,060 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Programme Expenditure (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, my Department sets the capital allocations for Departments and the delegated sanction arrangements under which they make their spending decisions. The actual roll-out of particular capital projects and programmes is, of course, managed by the individual line Departments and their agencies who are responsible for project and programme delivery. All Departments...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Meetings (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As part of the Government's Promote Ireland Programme, I travelled to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing for the St. Patrick's Day period, participating in 25 events over 8 days in 3 cities. Priorities for Ireland are the Tourism, Culture, Agriculture, Education, Financial Services and Science & Technology sectors. Thus, my programme included events designed to encourage business...

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

Brendan Howlin: The new Public Service Reform Plan, which I launched in January, sets out  ambitious goals for improving the quality and efficiency of public services between now and 2016.  It envisages changes in the way public services are delivered, demands greater efficiency and calls for better use of technology and shared services.    Responsibility for making...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In the context of the agreement on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Irish Government was successful in securing €1.2billion of Cohesion policy funding for the period 2014-2020.   It should be noted that this represents an increase of 8% in real terms over the 2007-2013 programming period, at a time when the overall EU budget for Cohesion policy was cut...

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

Brendan Howlin: Since the enactment of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013 last December, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has been notified of 246 public service employees that require to be designated for redeployment to comparable positions elsewhere in the public service under the Act.  The PAS...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Accountability (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: On 9 January last, I published a consultation paper on strengthening Civil Service accountability and performance.  The aim of this paper was to begin an extensive public consultation process on the key issue of who is accountable to whom and for what in the Civil Service.  I also established an Independent Panel on Strengthening Civil Service Accountability and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Language Issues (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: One of my Department's objectives or aims contained in the 20 Year Strategy on the Irish Language is to strengthen and develop language awareness and language training programmes so that a higher proportion of public service staff are truly functional in Irish and can deliver services in Irish to customers who seek them. In this regard my Department has devolved responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin:  As I have told this House on a number of occasions, in disposing of State assets, it is a primary concern of the Government that value is secured for the Exchequer and that fire sales are avoided. In the case of the sale of Bord Gáis Energy, this position was underlined by the announcement that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and I made at...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Government Procurement (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As you are aware, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has been established to centralise the procurement of common goods and services across the Public Service.  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 my Department.  The reform of Public Service procurement functions will deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In February of this year, I granted the next licence to operate the National Lottery to Premier Lotteries Ireland delivering €405 million to the Irish citizen. As I announced in Budget 2014, half of the proceeds from the Lottery licence transaction will be used to help fund a number of job rich projects across the country. These include the Wild Atlantic Way Driving Route, 1916...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 31 together. Significant progress is being made in relation to this Government's programme of political and legislative reform aimed at enhancing openness and transparency.  The Regulation of Lobbying Bill will form an integral part of this programme.  The decision to proceed with the Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014 marked a significant step...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: External Service Delivery (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to exploring alternative service delivery models including outsourcing, as part of an overall objective to reduce costs and improve customer services. This is a key component of the new Public Service Reform Plan 2014 2016, published in January 2014. There has already been considerable progress made in this area, as outlined in the Second Progress Report on the...

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

Brendan Howlin: For public service pensions coming into payment from 29 February 2012, the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 which provided for pay reductions for public servants receiving annualised remuneration of €65,000 under the Haddington Road Agreement, also provided for Public Service Pension Reduction rates ranging from 2% to 8%  to be applied to annual...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenditure Reviews (10 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 to 70, inclusive, 72, 75 and 76 together. Ensuring the sustainability of the public finances is a prerequisite for economic stability and growth and therefore remains a central feature of Government policy. This Government has pursued a determined deficit reduction strategy in order to reduce the General Government Deficit below 3% of GDP by the target...

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

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 74 together. As set out in my reply to the Deputy's Oral Question today (reference 16728/14) on a similar theme, the Government is continuing to make good progress on 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...

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

Brendan Howlin: I refer the Deputy to the detailed information on public service staff numbers and expenditure available on my Department's website, at .  The databank gives details of public service staff numbers by Sector and by Vote Group, and it also provides corresponding details of expenditure, both pay and non-pay, for the years to which the Deputy refers.  It will show that from 2008...

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

Brendan Howlin: PeoplePoint, the Civil Service HR and Pensions Shared Service will, when fully operational, be administering the transactional HR and Pensions activity for 38Civil Service Departments and Offices.  The role of PeoplePoint is to administer relevant transactional activity on behalf of Civil Service organisations.  PeoplePointcommenced operation at the end of March 2013.  To date...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (9 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The original tender return date for the Office of Government Procurement competition to supply Stationery and Office Supplies was 23 September 2013. During the tendering period tenderers submitted a large number of queries. The tender return date was extended until 15 November 2013 so as to allow tenderers sufficient time to fully consider and understand the responses to these queries. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (8 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: 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 by this Government. In brief, the asset disposal programme then agreed by the Government consists of: - The sale of Bord Gáis Éireann's energy business (but not including BGÉ's gas transmission or distribution systems or the two gas...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (8 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The new sick leave scheme, which I have introduced from 31 March 2014, is set out in the Public Service (Sick Leave) Regulations S.I. 124 of 2014 and applies to all public servants in all sectors of the public service, other than  the Permanent Defence Forces.   The new sick leave scheme was introduced following the enactment of the Public...