Results 11,081-11,100 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputies opposite. We had a very good debate, in particular on Committee Stage. This suite of legislation is a work in progress and we will be returning to it later in the year in regard to overarching ethics legislation on foot of the tribunal recommendations and other matters. I believe we are greatly improving the transparency of the way we fund politics in the measures we...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I did not namecheck anyone.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: While I am a little disappointed that the Deputy is taking my letter and also wants to divide the House, I understand her position. The Dáil is continuing to evolve, but there remains a quantitative difference between a parliamentary party and a technical group. I think Deputy Murphy acknowledges that. Each individual member of the Technical Group has a personal allowance for himself...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I am going to take back my letter.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I will respond to Deputy Murphy in the first instance because we have had long discussions about this. The Deputy's intention is to increase the secretarial facilities, which are broader than "secretary" in the traditional sense. It can be a support made available to the Technical Group but at the expense of parties, because it shifts the money within the pool. We have had discussions and...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: It was in 1996.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: When we discussed this on Committee Stage, I had the temerity to point out that when the Deputy's party was in Government, it was happy to take the full complement of the money. It was my colleague, Deputy Quinn, when he was Minister for Finance, who thought it should be rebalanced to ensure the Opposition is enhanced and the parties in Government disadvantaged given that they have...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: That was always the way. We did not sneak in anything.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I do not oppose this in principle. Deputy Fleming's view on this goes well beyond funding for activities of the Houses of the Oireachtas and he has made a reasoned case for that. It happened because people did not address it rather than it being a contrived way of doing things. It probably would be more democratic if everything was required to be brought formally to the House as opposed to...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: This is the only amendment in which the Deputy is being mischievous. The rest of the amendments were genuinely tabled. The amendment is meaningless because one can set whatever norms one wishes for paying special advisers. I set low norms on the previous occasion with the aim of having controls. People could then make a case-by-case submission to me with regard to recruiting people whose...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Well done.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I checked.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputy. As he rightly stated, we had a long discussion on this matter on Committee Stage. Obviously, I consulted Revenue subsequently. I agree with the principle of the amendment, in that every Member should be tax compliant. As I explained on Committee Stage, however, my difficulty lies in accepting an amendment that is not practical or that will impose an unclear duty on a...

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The practicality.

Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Important.

Companies Bill 2012: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Wallace should say that again.

Companies Bill 2012: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: That is true.

Leaders' Questions (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Green Party.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Certain areas of the public service have pension arrangements which feature early paid pensions based on fast accrual of benefits, such as An Garda Síochána, the Permanent Defence Force and the Prison Service.  I understand that some cohorts of staff in these fast accrual sectors may qualify for retirement on full pension at age 50 years, provided that they have 30...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Process (2 Apr 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Government published the Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2012 on 3rd August, 2012 as part of its legislative programme. The Bill proceeded through its Second Stage in Seanad Éireann on 11th October 2012. The primary purpose of the Bill is to accelerate the national programme of revaluing every commercial and industrial property in the country which is being undertaken by the...