Results 11,781-11,800 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Amendment No. 8 is a technical drafting amendment. On Report Stage in the Seanad the text of subsection 57D(b) of the principal Act was amended to remove any doubt that the Public Appointments Service must always consider any collective agreement on mobility or redeployment in the context of the broader redeployment policy of the Minister. This amendment adjusts the changed subsection...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: This group comprises one amendment relating to the deletion of the commencement provision of the Bill. It is necessary to commence the Bill on enactment to allow for the regulations under the sick leave arrangement to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas at the earliest possible date. I confirm that there is no impediment to the immediate commencement of the redeployment provisions.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I thank Senators for their contributions. I will deal first with Senator Byrne's questions in regard to what he describes as a rush. We have signalled this as coming for a very long time. The initial determination of the Labour Court was in 2012 and it had been my hope and expectation to commence all of this on 1 January. On foot of a request from the Senator's colleague in the other...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Group 2 is the more substantive group and contains the meat of what I want to achieve today. There are four amendments in this group which relate to the introduction of the new sick leave scheme for the public service. Given the relatively substantive change to the Bill during Report Stage in the Dáil, I would like to take some time to outline the new provisions relating to sick leave....

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his comprehensive explanation. Senators will be aware that we passed all Stages of the Bill in this House before the summer and that we had amended it to include a new issue in the Dáil, which is what brings me back to this House. I understand we will take the 13 amendments before the House in four groupings. A total of 13 amendments were proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 to 112, inclusive, together. Section 8 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill 2013 replaces Sections 15 and 16 of the existing 1997 Act and provides instead that each public body will publish a publication scheme instead of the Section 15 and 16 manuals. Given technological and ICT developments in the 15 years since FOI was first introduced, the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (18 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Guidelines for Ministerial Appointments, issued in March 2011, provide for Special Advisers to be placed on the Principal Officer (standard) scale: €75,647-€78,670-€81,676-€84,706- €87,25 (Scale as amended by the Haddington Road Agreement). Appointments should be on the first point of the scale, except where the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Tenders (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Under EU Directive on public procurement contracts above certain thresholds must be advertised on the Official Journal of the EU and awarded on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria. For works contracts the threshold is €5 million. The aim of European and national rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Peace and Reconciliation Programme (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Preparations for the new Structural Funds programming period have been underway over the past eighteen months. The SEUPB is currently drafting the Operational Programme for the PEACE IV Programme in close consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland. The first consultation with stakeholders across...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: North-South Implementation Bodies (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Five of the six North/South Implementation Bodies, including Waterways Ireland, along with Tourism Ireland, operate the North/South Pension Scheme (NSPS). The Scheme is unique in covering public sector staff employed on both sides of the border; staff of the affiliated employers in this jurisdiction are automatically members of the Scheme. The Chief Executive Officers of the relevant NSPS...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2012 had its second stage reading in Seanad Éireann on 11th October, 2012. The Bill provides for a number of initiatives to accelerate the overall revaluation programme, such as the piloting of a self-assessment scheme of valuation in one local authority area, which if it proves successful could be extended to other areas. There is also provision...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Receipts (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The surplus for good causes achieved by the National Lottery in each of the past 10 years is set out in the table. 2012 €225,287,000 2011 €231,898,000 2010 €243,742,000 2009 €263,501,000 2008 €267,756,000 2007 €245,480,000 2006 €217,526,000 2005 €203,205,000 2004 €191,125,000 2003 €186,702,000 The upfront fee...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Decentralisation Programme Expenditure (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My Department was established in July 2011 and at that time there was a small number of my staff working in Tullamore who had decentralised to Tullamore with the Department of Finance in 2006. As of end 2013 there will be 9 staff in total working in Tullamore in the Training Policy Unit and the Internal and EU Audit Unit. We are currently identifying the number of trips and the travelling...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I can confirm that no exemptions were granted to any staff in my Department, or agency under my remit, in accordance with the “one person one salary” (OPOS) principle whereby additional payments cannot be made to public servants for undertaking other duties in the public service.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Consultancy Contracts (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The total amount spent on external IT consultants by my Department since its establishment in June 2011 is as follows: Year Amount 2011 €0 2012 €30,750 2013 €139,078.56 Based on current plans, the estimated spend on external IT consultants for 2014 is €1,035,169. This does not include any spend that may be required in the Office of Government Procurement.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Costs (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy s question I can confirm that no costs were incurred for legal action taken against my Department since the formation of this Government. The cost of legal action against the Office of Public Works was €596,583.87 in 2011, €6,535,497.35 in 2012 and €3,785,300.43 in 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (17 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My Department awards contracts for IT consultancy following requests for tenders advertised on the public procurement website, These are typically awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous of the tenders received. My Department was established in June 2011. While no contracts for external IT consultants have been re-negotiated since then, all new contracts have been...

Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 16:In page 11, between lines 37 and 38, to insert the following: “Insertion of Part 7A in Principal Act. 7.—The Principal Act is amended by inserting the following Part after Part 7: “PART 7A SICK LEAVE REMUNERATION58A.—(1) In this Part— ‘condition’ includes, if the Minister so determines and makes (whether in respect...

Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 17:In page 11, to delete lines 45 to 49.

Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 18:In page 12, line 5, to delete “PART 6A” and substitute “PARTS 6A and 7A”.