Results 11,661-11,680 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As I said, the detailed information would be properly provided by the line Minister responsible, in this case the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I do not know about the other question. That was the agreement reached in Bord Gáis Éireann on the pay freeze. In fact, I am told the pay freeze will last until December 2015 in BGE. I presume that was simply a three-year horizon, similar to the negotiations on the Haddington Road agreement. One must take a horizon of a reasonable period. I hope our economy will have improved...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Reform Implementation (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputy for the question. There have been major efficiency and productivity gains in the public service in recent years. New working arrangements have been introduced, including longer working hours, new rosters - some of which have not been changed in 30 years - and standardised arrangements for annual leave and sick leave. The numbers working in the public service have been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Pay Policy (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Government pay policy is clear that remuneration rates for public servants must be appropriately approved and sanctioned in advance of payment. Pay policy is underpinned by administrative and legislative requirements. In the majority of cases remuneration rates for public servants must be approved by the relevant line Minister, subject to my consent as Minister for Public Expenditure and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Pay Policy (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: This is the first Government to establish a clear pay policy which is undoing the ad hoc policies of previous Administrations over decades, Administrations which did not know or certainly did not care who was paying what to whom. That is now being rectified, but it cannot be done overnight. My Department which is new is responsible for setting the pay norms. However, there are 30,000...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Pay Policy (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: We have an array of legislation dealing with these matters. What we need is full transparency and that is what we are trying to achieve. A particular issue has arisen in regard to the section 38 and 39 agencies under the Health Act. There was an opaqueness in the degree of oversight and transparency with which these agencies which were independent but contracted to the HSE to provide...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Deputy for the question. In 2012 the Government reviewed the position on the payment of performance-related awards or bonuses for chief executive officers in commercial semi-State companies and agreed, on my recommendation, to continue with the policy we had introduced in 2011 of requesting the State companies concerned not to award such bonus payments in the light of the serious...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Update (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to exploring alternative models for the delivery of public services, in the interests of providing better customer service and driving down costs. I have reiterated this commitment in the new Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016, which I published last week. One of the four key themes in the new Reform Plan is the delivery of improved outcomes for service users...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Heritage Sites (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Office of Public Works (OPW) recently placed an advertisement in the national newspapers seeking expressions of interest from commercial entities and individuals to bring new and enhanced facilities to its heritage sites. Any agreement reached will be on the basis of a licence or concession, not a lease. It might be noted that OPW currently operates several concessions, e.g., tea...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Management Remuneration (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In June 2011, I introduced a general pay ceiling of €250,000 for future appointees to Chief Executive Officers of Commercial State Companies and a €200,000 pay ceiling for future appointees to higher positions across the public service, subject to certain exceptions. No approvals have been issued for new appointments in excess of these pay ceilings where they apply.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Language Issues (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The detailed information requested by the Deputy in his question is not available as it is not collected on a routine basis by my Department.  In October, 2013, the Government approved the introduction of a new approach to support Irish language proficiency in the civil service to replace the policy of awarding bonus marks for Irish language proficiency in civil service...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 31 together. My Department is responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly capital expenditure at Departmental level. Within the overall allocations set by my Department, individual Ministers and their Departments allocate capital funds across various projects and programmes in line with their...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Monitoring (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The mission of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as set out in our Statement of Strategy, is to serve the country, its people and the Government by delivering well managed and well targeted public spending, delivered through modernised, effective and accountable public services. We want to ensure sound and sustainable management of public spending that can underpin the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 28 together. 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. At the outset, let me say that the Bill will not change the basis of valuation for rating purposes. This will continue...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Issues (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The most recent actuarial exercise conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General showed the accrued liability in respect of public service occupational pensions to have been an estimated €116 billion as of December 2009. Work is under way in my Department on updating this figure; this exercise will estimate the position as of December 2012, and will take into account the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Agencies (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: No new Agencies or State bodies have been established under the remit of my Department since 9 March 2011.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: Conducting a revaluation of all commercial and industrial properties in the State has been a policy of successive Governments since the enactment of the Valuation Act, 2001 and, as I mentioned in a previous reply, the Commissioner of Valuation has, in accordance with that policy, been conducting a revaluation programme since 2005. The revaluation programme which has been completed in three...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legal Services Expenditure (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: In recent years, with a view to achieving significant reductions in legal costs, my Department has been actively engaged with the State's Law Offices and the Department of Justice and Equality, which are critically involved in the engagement of legal services. Prior to 2011, two separate reductions, each amounting to 8%, had been effected in regard to legal fees. In the period from 2011...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Update (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: The Public Service Reform Plan sets out a commitment to evaluate alternative models for the delivery of services in a more cost effective and flexible approach, with a focus on customer service improvement. In July 2012, the Government agreed a range of actions aimed at achieving a focused and integrated approach to external service delivery of non-core processes with the objective of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (22 Jan 2014)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, I indicated last November in the context of the Committee Stage debate on the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill that it was my intention that Irish Water should be made subject to FOI at an early stage following the enactment of the new legislation.  On the basis of recent developments and following the commencement of...