Results 13,801-13,820 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: That is what I thought. Deputy Lawlor talked about the costs associated with the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals and posited the view, one with which few would disagree, that they were very large and excessive. That is one of the reasons we need to have a cost-effective system of conducting inquiries. I believe the framework we are putting in place will do that. Deputy Harris commented on...

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I thank colleagues on all sides of the House for the informed and thoughtful range of contributions on a Bill that is of particular interest to Members of this House. As many speakers observed, the legislation will allow the House to conduct inquiries into matters of general public importance in an effective and efficient manner within the well structured and well understood constitutional...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clause (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The matter of social clauses in public contracts is something that I have been examining closely recently. Social clauses can be used in public procurement in cases where they are targeted at factoring into the procurement process consideration of social issues such as employment opportunities, equal opportunities and social inclusion. In order to be compatible with EU law, they must be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Office of Public Works addresses flood risk under the following main programmes: 1. Major Capital Works Programme 2. Minor Works and Coastal Protection Scheme 3. National Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme 4. Drainage Maintenance Programme 5. Hydrometric and Hydrological Programme The total allocation included in the OPW's Vote in 2013 for these programmes is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Issues (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the public service pension schemes listed in the Occupational Pension Schemes (Funding Standard) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 which were signed by the Minister for Social Protection on 18 April 2013. These schemes are exempt from the funding standard provisions of Part IV of the Pensions Act 1990. Consolidation of particular public service...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Banking Inquiry (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government, at its meeting on 14th May 2013, approved the publication of the text of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013. The aim of this Bill is to establish a comprehensive statutory framework for the Oireachtas to conduct inquiries within the current constitutional framework. The Bill envisages a central role for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, I announced in April 2012 that there will be a competition for the next National Lottery licence. A document inviting Expressions of Interest from parties interested in participating in the competition was published by my Department on 8th May 2013. It is envisaged that the competition will commence shortly. The robust regulation of the National Lottery during...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Costs (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In the normal course, my Department uses the services of the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Chief State Solicitor in dealing with its own legal business. In addition, my Department, in line with its general statutory responsibilities, has been engaged with the State’s law offices, who are critically involved in the engagement of legal services, with a view to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 19 together. The House will be aware from my announcement in February of last year of the overall shape and scale of the State asset disposal programme that is being pursued. In brief, the disposal programme that the Government has agreed consists of: The sale of Bord Gáis Éireann's energy business (but not including BGÉ's gas...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Tenders (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 28, 32, 35 and 36 together. Reform of public procurement is one of the major projects of key strategic importance in the Government’s Public Service Reform Plan, which was published in November 2011. Procurement of supplies and services accounts for around €9 billion of current spending by the State per annum. This represents a very...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The public service currently employs some 290,000 employees across individual Sectors, Departments and Agencies each with a diversity of terms and conditions of employment, skills, professional backgrounds and expertise. They are represented by a wide variety of individual representative associations and unions. Accordingly public service wide negotiations on pay and conditions are inevitably...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My Department's eGovernment Policy Unit is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of eGovernment policy. The Government's overarching approach to eGovernment is set out in the eGovernment Strategy which is available online (egovstrategy.gov.ie ). The eGovernment Policy Unit also fulfils an important role researching and investigating international best practices in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Statistics (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Departmental current expenditure ceilings for 2014 were set out in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014 , published in December 2011, which first set out Departmental expenditure ceilings on a three year basis. Updated 2014 ceilings, taking account of pressures and adjustments, were set out in the Expenditure Report 2013 (published in December 2012) together with an aggregate...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coillte Teoranta Harvesting Rights Sale (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 25 together. On foot of the Government’s decision last year that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests be considered for sale, an inter-Departmental Steering Group was established, comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine and NewERA, to progress the proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget Measures (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 29 together. With regard to budgetary matters, when focusing on the primary objectives of reducing the deficit and returning sustainability to the public finances, it has been of vital importance to the Government to spread the burden of the adjustments in as fair and equitable a manner as possible, while also seeking to minimise their negative impact...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Presidency Expenditure (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The cost to date to the Office of Public Works of Ireland's EU Presidency is €9,616,404.21. The expected total cost is €12.2 million.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The drafting of the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013, which provides for a comprehensive legislative framework for the protection of persons who are penalised by their employers following the reporting of wrongdoing in the workplace, is at an advanced stage and I expect to seek Government approval for the publication of the Bill shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Programme Expenditure (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Public infrastructure is funded in two main ways - Exchequer financing and Public Private Partnership (PPP) sourced-funding. My Department is responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and information in relation to expenditure at project level is a matter for individual Ministers and their Departments. As regards PPPs, the Deputy will be aware that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Flood risks within the Shannon basin are being addressed by the River Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment & Management (CFRAM) Study which is a comprehensive assessment being carried out for the Office of Public works (OPW) by Jacobs Engineering. The work on the CFRAM study is progressing well. Details of the CFRAM Study and regular updates can be found on www.cfram.ie or...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Open Government Partnership (23 May 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I wish to advise the Deputy that following the completion of the assessment, which included consultations with a number of civil society organisations, I recently secured approval from Government for Ireland to participate in the Open Government Partnership (OGP). A letter of intent confirming the Government’s commitment to the principles underlying the OGP and the intention to...