Results 16,821-16,840 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Ministerial Remuneration (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I had never heard of it.

Ministerial Remuneration (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I can inform the Deputy that in my own case, the dual abode allowance does not cover a fraction of the cost of my accommodation in Dublin. I am not complaining about this fact. If I were entitled to claim as a Deputy I would be able to cover the costs. I would be very happy to-----

Ministerial Remuneration (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: -----take the Deputy's allowance instead. I will happily abolish the dual abode allowance. With regard to the issue of laundry as raised by the Deputy, I cannot find the reference but if the Deputy can provide me with same, I would like to hear it or see it. I suggest she sends me the details.

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 82 together. Following my announcement of the programme of State asset disposals last week, work is progressing on plans for the disposals. All of the relevant Departments will participate, overseen by my Department and with the assistance of NewERA. The objective is to identify by the end of March any remaining policy, regulatory, legislative and-or...

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Detailed analytical work commenced immediately following the Government decision with regard to Bord Gáis Energy, the ESB and the Coillte proposal, which is being considered. The process will examine the regulatory and legislative difficulties, the best placement procedures and how to obtain best value. These matters are currently under consideration. I am required by the Government...

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As Deputy Fleming is probably aware, there is an ESOP scheme already in Bord Gáis Éireann. A little over 3% of the company is owned by the employees and that will be part of the things which will be addressed now because, as Deputy Fleming knows, the company is well on the way to being disaggregated into the transmission and the generating elements of it. The transmission elements of it,...

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: It is very hard to take lectures about sound bites from Deputy McDonald. She is the master.

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I say that as a compliment. She used four sound bites in the question, including representing it all as a fire sale when not only the decision but the memorandum of understanding with the troika makes it crystal clear there will not be a fire sale. If we do not get a fair price for these, we will not sell them. It is as simple as that, so that will ensure there will not be. I refer to the...

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We want to achieve real and better competition in the energy market. I refer to the notion that it is somehow a bad thing to get a good price for them and that we will get a good price for them because they are valuable assets. Of course, we want to get the best price because we need to pay down some of the State's debt. That is not a bad thing of itself, that is, to take some of the...

Sale of State Assets (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: That is worthy of a long debate and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine would be delighted to have it. The percentage of land under forest in Switzerland is of a different magnitude to the percentage under forest in Ireland, if the Deputy had not noticed. We need more forestry and this Government has given clear attention to it in the programme for Government. Managing...

Flood Relief (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has, on a regular basis, raised the matter of management of the River Shannon catchment, which includes the Shannon Callows area and that extensive responses have been provided. The information I am happy to provide remains much the same as that provided previously. In addition, a full corpus of updated information on both the national and Shannon catchment flood risk assessment...

Public Sector Pay (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 73 together. The implementation body established under the public service agreement 2010-14 is charged with driving the implementation of the agreement to maximum effect. The body also undertakes an annual review of the sustainable savings generated from the implementation of the agreement. The first review by the implementation body was published in...

Public Sector Pay (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I have made it clear that this is the first Government ever to take serious proactive action to deal with hope in the public service. We reduced pay by between 5% and 30%. A 30% reduction was taken by the Taoiseach. That should be acknowledged. I also placed a pay ceiling on the public service so that no one in the Civil Service or public service should be paid more than €200,000. That...

Written Answers — Local Authority Remuneration: Local Authority Remuneration (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has no function in relation to the remuneration of city and county councillors. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is responsible for providing, by way of regulations, for the payment by a local authority of remuneration to its members and for the payment of allowances for expenses incurred by its members. I...

Written Answers — Public Procurement Contracts: Public Procurement Contracts (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The guidelines on public procurement which are issued by my Department to public bodies specifically address the use of turnover as a qualifying criterion for potential tenderers for public contracts. Contracting authorities frequently use the ratio "tenderer's turnover : contract value" as a measure in deciding whether a business has the financial capacity and strength to perform a...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received by my Department in 2011 was 61. My Department has no record of the number of FOI requests for which a search and retrieval fee was sought but we have statistics on the number of fees paid. The total number of search and retrieval fees paid in 2011 was 6. Again, my Department does not have a record of the maximum fees sought but...

Written Answers — Public Service Staff: Public Service Staff (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The estimated public service pension cost for 2011 is €2.75 billion. The reduction in public service numbers will lead to overall payroll savings rather than losses or further expenses. As the pension-related deduction (PRD) is a measure designed to reduce expenditure, it would not be correct to categorise the fact that the PRD will not apply to salaries no longer being paid as a loss....

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The figures sought by the Deputy are set out below. Gross Exchequer Pay€bn Gross Exchequer Pensions€bn Total Gross Exchequer Pay & Pensions€bn 2008 17.2 2.1 19.3 2009 17.5 2.6 20.1 2010 15.9 2.7 18.6 2011 15.6 2.8 18.4 2012 15.4 3.0 18.4 2013 15.0 3.0 18.0 2014 14.7 3.1 17.8 2015 14.6 3.1 17.7 2008 – 2010 figures inclusive are taken from the Appropriation Accounts 2011...

Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Sinn Féin nua or continuity Sinn Féin?

Finance Bill 2012: Financial Resolutions (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I move the following Resolutions: THAT Part 18D of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides for the universal social charge, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT Part 18D of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides for a universal social charge, be amended in the manner and to...