Results 13,741-13,760 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It allows the Minister to adjust payments in the context of the consumer price index, CPI. That was the only course I could take. However, there is no intention to reduce.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: If the CPI was in vogue now-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: -----there would be an increase.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Whereas now they are frozen.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I would not rule out a collective agreement yet. It is still possible that we will achieve one.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I met them at length yesterday and my officials met them last Friday. Perhaps the Deputy will ask them.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: We have identified that proportionate contribution as a further reduction of some €1 billion, or 7%, in the cost of the pay and pensions bill. Otherwise the existing significant burden of adjustment falling on services and social transfers rather than pay would be untenable. In short, if we seek to exclude public service pay and pensions from further consolidation efforts, the burden...

Topical Issue Debate: Teachers' Remuneration (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I will certainly pass on the Deputy's request to the Tánaiste who I know has a personal interest in the matter. For clarity, I should tell the Deputy and the House the leaving certificate examination will go ahead. For security reasons, it will be held once again in a centre in Malta. I know Deputies will recognise it would be completely unjust to the students involved, who are not at...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Order for Second Stage (28 May 2013)

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

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Order for Second Stage (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: It was agreed earlier on the Order of Business.

Topical Issue Debate: Teachers' Remuneration (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who the House will appreciate is in Brussels today. I thank Deputy Kirk for raising this issue, which is I know of great concern to the individuals involved and their families. I understand that the teachers' dispute with the International School of the Martyrs, ISM, in Tripoli...

Topical Issue Debate: Public Sector Pensions Issues (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I fully appreciate the case being made by Deputy Mitchell, and it is a fair and reasonable one, but it is very difficult to disaggregate pensions into the proportion that is transferred-in. As she is aware, because of the vulnerability of many private pensions, for example, in academia, most of them have now been transferred into the State and most of them are in deficit. Should somebody...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I trust the Deputy understands the context in which corrective measures have been and are being introduced. There is a very serious disturbance in the economy and a serious crisis in revenue. Ireland is availing of financial assistance programmes provided by the IMF and the EU and has undertaken to meet spending targets in that regard. As the Deputy will be aware, the then Government...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: School Accommodation (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The size and provision of capital allocations, both annual and multi-annual, for the Department of Education and Skills are a normal and regular subject of engagement between my Department and that Department. However, decisions and determinations about the project selection and prioritisation from within the overall pipeline of school projects for funding from within the overall allocations...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 307 to 309, inclusive, together. The surpluses transferred from the National Lottery Fund to the Exchequer in each of the years referred to in the Deputy’s question were as follows: 2008 €265 million 2009 €275 million 2010 €250 million 2011 €230 million 2012 €220 million The next licence to operate the National...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Ombudsman Reports (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together. The Office of the Ombudsman undertook a major organisational review in 2011 to improve the efficiency of its service and to enable it to deal with the extra bodies that were to come within its remit under the terms of a proposed Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill. The structural and process changes that resulted from that review will now assist...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Ombudsman Expenditure (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The following table gives the expenditure on the Office of the Ombudsman for the period requested. - Amount    Year  '€000 2000 1,476 2001 1,739 2002 2,483 2003 2,788 2004 2,741 2005 2,983 2006 3,326 2007 3,568 2008 4,722 2009 4,796 2010 4,537 2011 4,432 2012 4,174

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Ombudsman Staff (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I am informed by the Office of the Ombudsman that it is not its practice to re-engage staff members who retire. The Office has also indicated that it has succession planning and business continuity practices in place to ensure that the retirement of officials has no negative implications on investigations carried out under its auspices.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My Department is currently monitoring the implementation of the agency rationalisation programme of the Public Service Reform Plan on a quarterly basis. The latest tables which detail this progress to end Quarter 1 2013 can be found at: http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Public-Service-Rational isation-Measures-end-Q1-2013.pdf In summary, the tables show that significant progress has been...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (28 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government has set out an ambitious public service reform plan that aims to transform the quality and cost effectiveness of public services in Ireland. As part of that plan we are undertaking a steady and managed reduction in public service numbers. There is not a wholesale embargo on recruitment, indeed there is quite significant recruitment in targeted priority areas such as health...