Results 14,121-14,140 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy should tell the truth.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: That is completely untrue.

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is well briefed on the Wexford situation.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (18 Apr 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. The competition will involve an upfront payment by the operator of the next licence to the State, a portion of which will be used to help build the new National Children’s Hospital. The National Lottery Bill was published in December 2012. The Bill was debated...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, this issue was discussed in depth during the debates in the Dáil on the National Lottery Bill 2012. At Committee Stage, I gave a formal commitment that when the competition for the next National Lottery licence is concluded and the Exchequer is in receipt of the upfront payment, which will be payable by the successful bidder, I will revert to the Committee in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: On 8 February 2013 the European Council reached agreement on the EU’s budget for 2014-2020. The budget has to be agreed with the European Parliament and discussions are now taking place with the Parliament under the aegis of the Irish Presidency. In line with reductions to the overall EU budget, Cohesion funding across Europe is expected to be reduced from €347 billion to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014, published in December 2011, introduced a Medium Term Expenditure Framework which set out multi-annual expenditure ceilings on a rolling three year basis. It was envisaged that this reform would facilitate Dáil Committees in engaging in constructive dialogue with Ministers and Departments and input their views on which areas of spending...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In July 2012 the Government approved the drafting by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel of a Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) on the basis of the General Scheme of a Bill. The General Scheme was also published at that time and was submitted to the Oireachtas Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Committee for a pre-legislative scrutiny process. As the Deputy will be aware the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Proposed Legislation (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: My Department is currently finalising the General Scheme of a Bill which will provide for the statutory regulation of lobbying. It is my intention to present these proposals to Government shortly and to submit them to the Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Committee thereafter for pre-legislative scrutiny. The aim of regulating lobbying activity through registration and reporting...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Issues (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together. I reiterate some of the points I have already made in response to Deputy Wallace’s priority question on a similar topic today. As I have already said, following Congress’s decision not to accept the Labour Relations Commission’s (LRC) proposals, the Government is reflecting on the outcome of the ballot and the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Adviser Pay (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As I have advised in previous Parliamentary Questions since I appointed Anne Byrne and Ronan O’Brien as special advisors no salary increases have been requested in respect of either appointment. However, on appointment, Ms Anne Byrne was placed on the second point of the PO Standard non-PPC scale with effect from 10 March 2011. In accordance with the normal practice Ms Byrne has...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 23 together. In relation to improving access for small and medium sized enterprises my Department has issued guidelines (Circular 10/10) that require public bodies to promote participation of such enterprises in the award of public contracts. The guidance does not distinguish between micro-enterprises and other SMEs, and the approach set out is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Travel (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, I this year visited Luxemburg and Belgium as part of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day Travel Programme. I visited Luxembourg on 14 March and engaged in a full programme of activities, including a visit to a promotion of Irish food and drink at a local hypermarket, a courtesy call on Luxembourg's Minister for Finance, Mr Luc Frieden, and a meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies Establishment (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I can confirm that no new State Body has been created by my Department since February, 2011. It is expected that a new regulator for the National Lottery will be created when the legislation is enacted.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Under EU law, public contracts above a certain values must be advertised EU-wide and awarded to the most competitive tender in an open and objective process. The aim is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers value for money. It would be a breach of the rules for a public body to favour or discriminate against particular candidates on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I would like to confirm that excess costs have not been incurred in payments to former civil servants interviewing candidates for public service jobs. The Irish public service has a long history of fair and open recruitment. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) took over the mantle of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, I agreed with the Troika in May 2012 that all of the proceeds from asset disposals will be available, in the short term, to be used in one shape or another to support job creating initiatives in the economy. Half of the proceeds will be available to fund employment enhancing projects of a commercial nature. The other half, while destined eventually to pay-down...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Performance Management Systems (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Government’s Public Service Reform Plan contains a commitment to strengthen performance management across the public service. Good progress in this regard has been made in the various sectors. In the Local Authority sector, a performance management and development system (PMDS) has been operating since 2005 and periodic reviews of the system have been undertaken. In line with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Departmental current expenditure ceilings for 2014 were first 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: Ministerial Travel (18 Apr 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In order to promote Ireland over the St. Patrick's Day period, I led an ambitious programme to Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines from 13 to 21 March 2013. The visit included the first senior Ministerial visit to Manila, the first in over a decade to Jakarta and the first ever Ministerial call on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) HQ. Over the course of my visit I will...