Results 15,681-15,700 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

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

Brendan Howlin: Several measures have been taken in recent years which serve to reduce pension awards and pensions in payment to retired public servants, including retired senior civil servants. The pensions of former civil and public servants who retire or have retired from February 2012 onward are reduced in line with the substantial pay reductions applied under the Financial Emergency Measures in the...

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

Brendan Howlin: In November 2011, the Government published its comprehensive Public Service Reform Plan, which outlined key commitments for change across the Public Service. The actions set out in the Reform Plan are accompanied by specified timescales for completion and Departments and major Offices have also devised their own high level Integrated Reform Delivery Plans dealing with all aspects of service...

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

Brendan Howlin: The Government is making good progress on achieving all of our targets and priorities. We are bringing public expenditure back to a sustainable level 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. In determining policy, the Government has to take...

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

Brendan Howlin: I did not attend any meeting with Secretaries General of Departments, other than with the Secretary General of my own Department, in relation to the review of allowances. Interaction between all Departments and my own Department in relation to the allowances review was at official level.

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

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to reducing the size of the Public Service and to creating, a leaner more efficient Public Service. At mid 2012 Public Service numbers were 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 maintained, and in fact increased in some areas, notwithstanding these...

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

Brendan Howlin: Under Paragraph 1.16 of the Public Service Agreement, the Implementation Body is required to undertake an annual review of the sustainable savings generated from the implementation of the Agreement and of the agreements in each sector. Two such reviews have been carried out to date. In the course of these two annual reviews, the Implementation Body has found that €810m in sustainable...

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

Brendan Howlin: Public Service pay peaked in 2009 at €17.5bn and is estimated to be at €15.37 by the end of this year, a gross saving of €2.1bn. This saving was achieved through the implementation of a number of ongoing cost saving measures across the public service. The pay and pensions savings from 2009 to 2015 are set out below. Pay and Pension Savings 2009-2015 . 2009 2010...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Cross-Border Co-operation (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I remain committed to implementing the elements within the Good Friday Agreement that further North South cooperation and I continue to pursue areas of collaboration that could deliver cost savings during bilateral contacts with Northern Ministers and through NSMC meetings. At meetings of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), Ministers North and South have re-iterated their...

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

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 113 together. The profiling of capital expenditure is carried out by individual Departments on the basis of the likely timing of payments related to capital projects and programmes which they deliver. Job creation is not a factor in the profiling exercise. Queries in relation to the profiling of capital allocations are a matter for individual...

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

Brendan Howlin: The five year capital Exchequer framework was published in "Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016: Medium Term Exchequer Framework" last November. There are presently no plans to revise the capital Framework further. 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...

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

Brendan Howlin: On 17 July 2012, the Government announced its plans for an additional €2.25 billion investment in public infrastructure projects in Ireland. The stimulus package comprises a new Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme which includes projects from the education, health, transport and justice sectors, and also additional Exchequer capital projects and other commercial and publicly...

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

Brendan Howlin: I refer to my reply to Question No. 1 of 4 July 2012. The estimated full year cost of increments for 2013 in the public service (excluding the Local Authority sector) is some €170 million.

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

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 to 117, inclusive, 119, 122 and 123 together. As the Deputy will be aware a Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) exercise was carried out by all Departments in 2011 to identify ways of reducing expenditure, in line with commitments under the Joint EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland, while minimising the impact on service delivery. ...

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

Brendan Howlin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this Government has already surpassed the number target of 294,700 set out in the Memorandum of Understanding. The 28,000 staff reduction achieved since 2008 has been largely delivered through natural retirements and normal staff turnover. The Government is committed to reducing public service numbers to 282,500 by the end of 2014 as part of its Reform...

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

Brendan Howlin: The extent to which the working of extra hours has been used in the State and semi-State sector, as well as any savings arising, is a matter for each relevant Minister and their Departments in the context of progressing their reform agendas. As such, details in respect of any specific sector should be sought from the relevant Minister and their Departments.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of State Assets (10 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: None of the potential receipts from the State assets disposal programme are to be used as a means of achieving the budgetary targets set for the coming year. Instead, as the House will be aware, it has been agreed with the Troika that all of the Government’s proceeds from the programme will be available, in one shape or another, to support job creating initiatives in the economy. Half...

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

Brendan Howlin: I fully agree that Department’s and Office’s should do all in their power to contain and reduce all administrative costs including both insurance and procurement costs. This is in keeping with Government’s overall reform and efficiency agenda. In light of the need to accelerate the reform agenda, my Department published the Public Service Reform Plan in November 2011....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Agencies Issues (9 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 299 and 300 together. The proposed measure is one of 46 critical reviews of State bodies which are being undertaken as part of the Public Service Reform plan, published in November last year. TheDepartment of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently considering the reviews received by Departments. In relation to critical review No.19 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (9 Oct 2012)

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....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Programme for Government Implementation (9 Oct 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question in the table below I have provided an update on the status of my Department's commitments under the Programme for Government. As can be seen from this update significant progress has been made in my Department. The progress identified to date clearly shows that the Government has focused its attention on the decisions and reforms needed to achieve...