Results 15,561-15,580 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Multi-annual Budget Plans (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to developing multi-annual budget plans across a three-year time horizon. In keeping with this commitment, the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014 introduced a range of budgetary reforms including a Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), published in December last year. The key features of the MTEF include multi-year aggregate...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Numbers (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There are no staff members in my Department or in the agencies under the aegis of my Department who are on Secondment from the private sector or from publicly controlled financial institutions.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Fees (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy may wish to note that the average search and retrieval charge in 2011 for a non-personal Freedom of Information request was €7.42, just over one third of the hourly rate of €20.95, a fee which has been unchanged since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 1997. The Deputy may be aware that in the statement I issued on 11 July 2012 communicating the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was set up in July 2011. In 2009, 2 members of staff, who were at that time Department of Finance employees and subsequently became employees of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in July 2011, availed of the special civil service incentivised career break Scheme. The staff were reflected as a reduction in our numbers. The cost...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Career Breaks (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There are currently 7 members of staff on career break from my Department. No staff were hired temporarily to cover these staff on career break. There were no costs arising in 2011 from these staff members being on career break. In the case of the offices and agencies under the aegis of my Department the following is the position: Name of Office or Agency Number of staff on career...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In my Department there are currently 7 members of staff on career break from my Department. No staff have been hired temporarily to cover those on career break. The breakdown of staff on career break from my Department by grade is as follows: Number of Staff Grade 7 4 Assistant Principals 1 Higher Executive Officer 1 Executive Officer 1 Language Teacher In the case of the offices and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The cost in 2011 to my Department of implementing the Official Languages Act 2003 was 4,870.98. With regard to the Offices and Agencies under the aegis of my Department the following is the position: Ombudsman The cost to the Office of the Ombudsman, Office of the Information Commissioner, Standards in Public Offices Commission and the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Parliamentary Party Allowances (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Party Leader’s Allowance is provided for in the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) Act, 1938, as amended by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act, 2001. The allowance is paid to the parliamentary leader of a qualifying party in relation to expenses arising from the parliamentary activities, including research, of the party. Payments...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Allowances Review (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The review of public sector allowances and premium pay was announced in my address to Dáil Éireann on Expenditure Estimates 2012 on the 5th of December 2011. In order to keep the cost of the Review to an absolute minimum, the Review was carried out within my Department using existing staffing resources. As these staff conducted the review along with their normal role, no...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Building Regulations (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Clause 2 of the standard form of the public works contracts, which were introduced in February 2007 as part of the Capital Works Management Framework, states that the contractor and his personnel are required to comply with all legal requirements (sub-clause 2.2). The Works Requirements which are a key part of the contract documents set out in detail the form the project is to take but more...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Allowances Review (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 282 together. As part of the next steps of the Allowances Review process, my Department has written to sectoral management instructing them to immediately engage with staff interests with a view to securing their early agreement to the elimination of those departmental allowances payable to current beneficiaries, where no business cases exists to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Banking (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The following table shows the details of the bank account used by my Department: List of Accounts Purpose of each account Financial Institution Total Interest Charged/Fees Incurred 2011 (bank fees) Total Interest Charged/ Fees anticipated for 2012 % of payments issued electronically Any special arrangement regarding bank charges/fees Current Account For payment of invoices to suppliers...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (16 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: No proceedings have been initiated against the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform arising from the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal in the area of Ethics in Public Office and the wider Government Reform Programme.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I am under a time constraint, unfortunately, as I have to be elsewhere at 11.30 a.m. I referred to the incident in question only because it had been raised by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald. My perspective, looking in at it, is that in the context of the extraordinary economic crisis facing the country, it is vital that the committee - the flagship committee of the Oireachtas in terms of its role...

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We do not go to the Government Whip; the Chairman should not worry about that.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We will make that clear to them.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: With no training or expertise.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We said that we will write.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Our only objective in this regard is to get the best value and if that is available locally, then that is excellent.

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: If I may, I will conclude on the other points. I am sorry Deputy McDonald has left the meeting. Unfortunately, she always makes the same presentation, that we do not need any of these changes and it is all a matter of cutting top pay. She regards top pay as anyone earning over €100,000 a year. I explained in some detail yesterday that the number of people in the public service -...