Results 15,661-15,680 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Review (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is making good progress on achieving all of our targets and priorities, as set out in the Programme for Government. We are bringing public expenditure back to sustainable levels and driving forward the public service reform agenda to ensure that efficiencies and reformed work practices play a full part in contributing to the overall budgetary consolidation effort. As part of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, I announced on 4th April 2012 that the Government has decided to hold a competition for the next National Lottery licence and that the licence will be for a 20 year period. In July, my Department published a Request for Tenders (RFT) for Financial and Commercial Advice to the Department in relation to the next National Lottery Licence. The process of evaluating the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware, the Special Civil Service Incentive Career Break Scheme was introduced as a once-off measure that was included in the Supplementary Budget on 7 April, 2009. A copy of the relevant Circular, 13/2009, can be viewed at the following link: It is clear from the Circular that an officer who took a career break under this Scheme may have to wait up to 12 months...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Costs (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The expected total legal costs to be incurred by my Department in 2012 are estimated to be in the region of €88,600.00 In order to reduce the costs incurred where possible legal advice is sourced through the Attorney General’s office and the Chief State Solicitors Office. The Deputy may also be interested in the fact that officials in my Department are undertaking a review...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy is aware we are currently going through very challenging economic and fiscal conditions. During this period officials in my Department are rigorously monitoring all current and capital spending on a month by month basis to identify potential overruns. The end-September, 2012, issues figures indicate that there are some pressures, most notably in the Social Protection and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates Publication (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014, published in December 2011, introduced a range of reforms to the processes for settling the annual Estimates of expenditure. In particular I introduced a Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), with fixed multi-annual current expenditure ceilings clearly set out for each Ministerial Vote Group. The expenditure ceilings introduce greater...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Allowances Review (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 23 and 41 together. The immediate savings arising from the recently announced reforms in 2012 are expected to be in the order of €3.5 million. Of this amount, Government Departments identified savings of some €1.5 million, the majority of which is related to the abolition of qualification allowances in Education. Further to this, the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Two pension schemes are taking part in the PensionsInsolvency Payment Scheme (PIPS). These are the Waterford Crystal Staff and the Waterford Crystal Factory schemes. The trustees of the two schemes paid €40.8 million in total to participate in PIPS. The State has now taken over responsibility for making future pension payments to those persons who were already pensioners of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Programme Expenditure (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The actual roll-out of capital expenditure is a matter for line Departments, operating within the delegated sanction arrangements issued by my Department that cover not only capital investment this year but contractual commitments for the next three years. The end-September Exchequer returns show that capital expenditure by line Departments is running at 13.6% behind profile overall so far...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The matter to which the Deputy refers is provided for in the Valuation (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2012 which was approved for publication by the Government on 3rd August and the primary purpose of which is to introduce amendments to the legislation which underpins the rateable valuation system on which commercial rates are collected. Among the new features in the Bill, the circumstances...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Issues (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 29 and 34 together. The Government is committed to reducing the size of the Public Service and to creating, leaner more efficient Public Service. At mid 2012 Public Service numbers were around 292,000. This is 28,000 below the peak numbers level of 320,000 in 2008 and is comparable to the 2005 staffing levels. Service levels have been largely...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The estimated full year cost of increments for 2013 in the public service (excluding the Local Authority sector) is some €170m. The following information was provided under Standing Order 40A I refer to my reply to Question No. 32625/12 of 4 July 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Issues (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: A number of reforms have been introduced in relation to Public Service pension entitlements which affect Ministerial pensions. Under the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, Ministerial pensions are not payable to new Oireachtas Members (as defined in the Act) before 65 years of age and, under the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Grades Review (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Under the Public Service Reform Plan my Department is reviewing the grading structure of the Civil Service. The review will examine the number and distribution of management grades across the Civil Service, the percentage of the pay bill accounted for by such grades and taking account of organisational needs and best practice, assess the scope to reduce the number of management grades....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Croke Park Agreement Issues (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Following the publication of the Second Annual Report from the Public Service (Croke Park) Agreement Implementation Body in June last, together with the Taoiseach I met with the Body on 11 July. The Deputy will be aware the Body's membership includes representatives from the Public Services Committee of ICTU. We took the opportunity to emphasise the need to accelerate the implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Expenditure (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will be aware, in October 2011 the Government significantly revised the TLAC terms to apply to Secretaries General newly appointed thereafter. The terms in place prior to that revision still apply to currently serving Secretaries General who were appointed under those terms. As I said in previous replies on this matter, the advice of the Office of the Attorney General is that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Programme (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Protected Disclosures in the Public Interest Bill 2012 is included in the Government’s Legislation Programme with an expected publication date early in 2013. The specific definitions to be included in the propsed legislation are currently being considered by my Department in consultation with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel taking into account submissions made on the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Teachers' Remuneration (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government policy on the payment of qualifications allowances to new entrant teachers arises because of the need to constrain public service pay costs in face of the extremely difficult national financial position. It should be noted however that the Government has decided that new entrant teachers who will no longer be in receipt of qualifications allowances will commence on a salary...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Ombudsman Remit (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The main purpose of the Ombudsman Amendment Bill is to extend the remit of the Ombudsman to an additional 140 bodies. As the Deputy will be aware there are a number of specific categories of public bodies which are longstanding exclusion from the Ombudsman's jurisdiction on account of the specific characteristics of the bodies within these categories and the assessment following consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Expenditure (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I am very aware that public procurement can be an important source of business for local enterprises. Current guidelines (Circular 10/10) issued by my Department require public bodies to promote participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the award of public contracts. These guidelines set out positive measures that contracting authorities are to take to promote SME involvement...