Results 14,541-14,560 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

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

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 to 119, inclusive, together. Discussions have taken place between public service employers and the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions regarding the Government’s stated intention to reach agreement on securing the required overall savings from the public service pay and pensions bill by 2015. Following intensive...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (28 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question the following is a list of members or former members of the judiciary that have, in the past five years, acted as chairperson or member of any body or inquiry, or have performed functions including arbitration, mediation, conciliation, patronage, advisory or law reform functions or any other role in or in any body under the aegis of my Department: ...

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As I informed Deputy Mick Wallace, if we are to maximise the number of hours, we must place a value on it. In embarking on the negotiations I was concerned that we would drill down to workplace level in order that the availability of extra hours would represent a real cost reduction in dealing with the contracting in of agency staff, bringing an end to unnecessary overtime or keeping people...

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The teachers were very effectively represented at the talks. Their unions negotiated very well on their behalf. SIPTU, one of the unions representing nurses, tabled very good proposals which we are examining to see if we can address them in the context of the new agreement.

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I am sure the Deputy's knowledge of teachers is extensive and that he probably represents more of them than the officially elected representatives of their unions. However, I have my doubts about that.

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Those who are elected to represent teachers should be allowed to do so. None of us should purport to speak authoritatively for people in a casual way and state we know many of them. One of the issues which has given rise to most annoyance among people is that of teachers retiring and then returning to work as substitutes. The Minister for Education and Skills is very keen that this should...

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I do not know the answer to the Deputy's question. When an agency is contracted to provide staff, I do not know whether it is possible to identify the individual workers involved and-or whether it is legal to state a certain person cannot fill a particular position. In general terms, there is a disallowance in respect of persons who retire to formally return to the Department in which they...

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I do not disagree with the Deputy. He makes a very fair point. I am accountable for my own Department. The Public Appointments Service and the Office of Public Works are the only bodies that have engaged such people. The Public Appointments Service needs experienced people with high status to make evaluation decisions. In general terms, there has been a laziness in some quarters -...

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In reply to Deputy Boyd Barrett, the most effective way of getting that information is for the Deputy to table a parliamentary question to all my colleagues. I should not be encouraging that sort of thing but I will write to my colleagues as this information would be useful. Each line Minister would be able to answer that question. In reply to Deputy Wallace's question about agency...

Other Questions: Departmental Staff Numbers (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In respect of my own Department, there are currently 42 contract staff employed. Each business case is carefully examined and the Department complies with the guidance on starting pay in all matters to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum. There are no agency staff directly employed in my Department. The information with regard to the Office of Public Works is as follows: Number of...

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: To clarify, we are ratcheting up to €1 billion.

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I hope I am clear.

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As I indicated, this agreement has just concluded. As the Deputy can imagine, the latter phases of the discussions were fairly intensive so some analysis will be done. In advance of it, we did a considerable amount of work on drilling down into the workplace on a sectoral level to ensure that unlike Croke Park I, the savings will manifest themselves in real terms in the workplace. For...

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: We need to get €300 million this year in gross pay and pension savings. All the ancillary things like procurement are separate and additional to that. Incrementally, we will get a significant part of €1 billion next year and the full €1 billion in 2015 annualised as it ratchets in if workers vote for the agreement which is a draft agreement - I do not want to be...

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I will deal with Deputy Boyd Barrett's question first because it is important. There are two levels to it. I was trying to answer in detail a set of questions from Deputy Sean Fleming which differed from Deputy Boyd Barrett's. They will require further analysis. We have obviously carried out an analysis of the impact of taking €1 billion out of the economy in general terms but the...

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy's question, the Public Appointments Service, PAS, in the course of running recruitment competitions for the public service, avails of trained and experienced individuals from the private and public sectors. Those assisting in this that are in receipt of a public or private sector salary receive no payment whatsoever. A fee per day is paid to retired individuals and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Legal Costs (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Again, I agree entirely with the Deputy. The way to go is not so much to have a cap because, in a way, it is a stab in the dark, but to have true competitive tendering. I know competitive frameworks are being devised in order to do this. I have looked, for example, at how some of the big American companies do it. They have an open on-line tendering competition to avail of reduced legal...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements for the appointment of State board members. Under the new arrangements, Departments now invite on their websites expressions of interest from the public in vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis. It is open to all members of the public, regardless of gender, political affiliations or geography, to apply...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I was delighted to see this question because we need a debate on these matters. This is a small country. I read the published list of the 60 people mentioned. While I was not going to mention names, I will mention one. Ms Adi Roche who was appointed to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland is regarded as a crony. How could someone who has spent most of her life championing the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (27 Feb 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I do not disagree with that and there is probably a meeting of minds on this issue. We need to get away from the notion that to be political is somehow unworthy because that is hugely damaging. However, we need to make sure people who have something to contribute and are not involved in the political system in any shape or form also have a path to serve fully. We have to strive to have...