Results 12,621-12,640 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is important to be clear that this Bill does not provide the power to the Public Appointments Service, PAS, to establish, in any circumstances, a system under which employees may be compulsorily forced to move. That power is not devolved to the PAS. The Bill is designed to facilitate definitive voluntary cross-sectoral moves. It will not and cannot in itself force such reassignments....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Yes, thank you, Chairman.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Croke Park agreement situation will migrate into the Haddington Road agreement unchanged.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It is expanded, however, because not all sectors were encompassed by the Croke Park agreement. The Croke Park arrangement dealt with health, education and local authorities. Now all sectors will have an appeals system.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in pressure on public service organisations to maximise the use of scarce resources and do more with less. Mechanisms are already in place to make heads of organisations accountable in that regard. In that context, it is clearly in the best interests of public sector organisations to ensure their staff are adequately trained for the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It would be worth going down to see it in Clonskeagh.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: They could just be very good.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: We want to facilitate mobility as far as possible. There has been extraordinary mobility in recent years under the Croke Park agreement. More than 10,000 staff have moved. Needless to say, however, it can be complicated where there are pressure points and surplus staff. For example, I dealt with one case over the summer where there was pressure on the Garda vetting unit in Tipperary....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: That can sometimes be problematic, but we will try to work those out as best we can.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: When we are setting up a new agency, if one is doing a shared service, one would apply to the new management of that shared service to say that one is available. The person would then apply to his or her own line manager to be released to it. That happens. There is no formal structure or clearing house.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: No.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I indicated on Second Stage that I would be tabling amendments on Report Stage. These relate to small textual changes required in respect of section 2, namely, the replacement of references to vocational education committees, which have been abolished, with references to education and training boards; the replacement in section 6 of the word "that" on line 27 of the relevant page with the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Staff of the Houses are included but political staff appointments are not included.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The appointment of the Clerk of the Dáil is governed by independent law, originally the 1959 Act, as amended by the 2003 Act. As I have indicated previously, it is my intention to introduce further amendments in this regard. There will be legislation to allow for the open advertising of a public competition in respect of that position into the future.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: We can debate the matter when we come to deal with the relevant legislation.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The matter is not germane to this Bill. We will have an opportunity in the near future to debate the issue under separate legislation. In response to the Deputy's general point, the top level appointments committee or TLAC has been reconstituted. The majority of that committee are independent outsiders, not Secretaries General. The chair is an independent outside appointee. In any...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Order for Second Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome the opportunity to introduce the Freedom of Information Bill 2013 to the House. In line with the Programme for Government commitment, the primary purpose of the Bill is threefold - it will restore the substance of the access to information regime put in place in the 1997 Act; it will extend freedom of information, FOI, to all...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Semi-State Bodies (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The additional €100m in dividends from State companies, provided for in Budget 2013, is in addition to the normal dividends expected of State companies. In general, dividends of 30% of profits after tax have been sought of State companies in recent years. My Department, working with other relevant Departments and NewEra, which has been established to advise Government Departments on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Semi-State Companies (2 Oct 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The information sought by the Deputy is available in the Annual Report and Accounts of the bodies in question. These Reports and Accounts are public information and can be seen on the websites of the companies.