Results 14,001-14,020 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Estimates for Public Services 2013 (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move the following Revised Estimates:

Leaders' Questions (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: He got off the sinking ship.

Leaders' Questions (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: That is after the Deputy's party made cuts.

Leaders' Questions (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together. The capital allocation for my Department for 2012 was €0.500m. None of this budget was used for current expenditure. The capital allocation for my Department for 2013 is €0.500m. Please see monthly profile in attached table: Vote 11 - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Capital budget 2013 Month Profiled spend...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Procurement Service Savings (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I can confirm that the National Procurement Service (NPS) has no contracts with Viking. Furthermore, as the NPS has no contract with Comdex Technology (County Meath), I am not in a position to comment on their prices and service provided.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Issues (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware the Government stated its intention to require public service pensioners with pensions in excess of €32,500 to make a further contribution to the budgetary consolidation measures, in conjunction with the contribution being sought from serving staff. That was noted in the Labour Relations Commission proposals for a new public service agreement. Following...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Property Valuations (24 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the exercise of his duties under the Valuation Act, 2001 and the making of valuations for rating purposes is his sole prerogative and the statute does not accord the Minister any function in this regard. The position is that the Valuation Act, 2001 provides for the exemption from rates of land that is developed for sport such as playing pitches....

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion [Private Members] (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “acknowledges:— that public servants have made a substantial contribution towards the necessary reductions achieved in public expenditure since 2008, including through the unilateral imposition by the then Government of the pension levy and pay...

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion [Private Members] (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Thankfully, things have improved somewhat since Fianna Fáil were run out of office. This Government has reduced the deficit to 7.6% of GDP. In the year before Deputy Martin, Deputy Fleming and their colleagues opposite left office, the deficit was over 30% - in fact, 32.4% - the highest deficit on the planet at that time.

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion [Private Members] (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The contrast does not end there. This Government approached the issue we are debating very differently from its predecessor Government.

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion [Private Members] (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: This Government afforded trade unions the opportunity to ameliorate the budgetary challenge facing their members in the public service. On two occasions, Deputy Martin's Government cut the pay of public servants unilaterally - no negotiations, no votes, just cut. There is no doubt, and I say this honestly, that I would prefer to be standing in front of this House this evening defending the...

Public Sector Pay and Conditions: Motion [Private Members] (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I would like to share time with Deputies Nash, Connaughton and Dowds.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Simply, it does not mean that there is a fall in income. It is moneys due yet to be paid.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The committee will know, subsequent to the enactment of the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012, that the remit of the Ombudsman has been greatly extended. That has been managed by the Ombudsman in a controlled way and there is not an enormous increase in funding for the enormous volume of additional oversight that will arise.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Not only has the office been given a significant range of new powers and a new range of bodies to oversee, but it now has been given a direct portal of reporting into the Dáil through the Joint Committee on Investigations, Oversight and Petitions. In the past, there have been situations where reports of the Ombudsman were not acted upon or did not even get a platform to be debated....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The sum is relatively small. The provision in the Estimates is €104,000. The provision last year was €114,000. It is less than was provided. The outturn figure was only €75,000. If one compares the outturn figure to the revised estimate, it looks as if it is a significant increase but it is a significant reduction on what was provided last year.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Subhead B7.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I should comment on subhead C8, the significant increase in legal fees. It goes up, from the voted figure last year of €178,000 to €230,000. There is an entirely new focus on environmental information. I was certainly of the view that it is an area on which the Information Commissioner needs robust legal opinion and legal support because there will be more appeals on...