Results 1,681-1,700 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to return to the Seanad. I am aware that this matter has been debated twice in the past 12-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I understand that it is outside the Chamber. Will I get the Senator a copy?

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: As I was saying-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: This matter has been extensively debated recently in this and the Lower House. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, and the Government welcome such debate. It gives Members of the Oireachtas the opportunity to put on the record their views and concerns regarding Government proposals. It also facilitates the in-depth discussion of issues and allows time to clarify...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: The third objective is to provide a new national lottery regulator, which shall be funded by the national lottery operator and be independent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Fourth, it will set out certain principles regarding the regulation of the national lottery, such as the circumstances in which a licence may be amended or revoked. A number of amendments were made to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Projects (24 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: A site in Macroom has been identified as a suitable location for a new Garda Station. The proposed site also has the capacity to cater for a new Fire Station and it is intended that the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Cork County Council will jointly purchase the site. Officials in OPW and the Council are actively engaged in the drafting of an agreement, which will govern the purchase and...

Topical Issue Debate: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. He will be aware of the Government’s announcement on 13 March which coincided with the Central Bank’s announcement of additional measures to address mortgage arrears, including the publication of performance targets for the main mortgage banks. The objective is that 50% of distressed borrowers will have received potential...

Topical Issue Debate: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I am too.

Topical Issue Debate: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I will give a commitment to raise the issue with the bank. It is in the banks’ interests to make progress on it. If they are bringing forward solutions that will offer no support to people, we are not going to hit the ambitious and exacting targets we have set in terms of mortgage resolution. As we are so heavily involved in the banks, there is a responsibility on us to make rapid...

Topical Issue Debate: Banking Sector Remuneration (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I fully understand the frustration of my colleagues concerning this issue. The firm intent of the Government is to make sure the new banking model that will be operated in this country will be sustainable and responsive to the needs of the economy. That is clear. The taxpayer has put enormous funds into the banks and it is crucially important that they are the engines of growth in the...

Topical Issue Debate: Banking Sector Remuneration (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: The primary focus of the issues raised by the Deputies appears to be the voting intentions of the Minister for Finance, as a 15% shareholder on behalf of the State, on resolutions concerning remuneration and election of directors at the impending annual general court of the Bank of Ireland, which is to be held tomorrow, 24 April. In that regard, it might be helpful and useful if I outline...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: The reason for this is that we have taken over responsibility for maintenance of all Departments. Up to now, there was an amount contained in their Estimates which they spent on maintaining their own buildings. We recently got a decision of Government, in consequence of which we are going to maintain their buildings and they have given us this money to do so. They put us in funds for that...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: One of the areas we highlighted in public sector reform is the putting together of a new procurement service. That requires bringing in new people who have specialist knowledge of individual markets and categories within them. That is the reason for the increase; there is an additional staff complement.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: We look at any assets we have and how we can get rid of them. My understanding is this refers to a piece of work we have been doing for the zoo, mostly relating to an elephant house on which the OPW has been working with the Zoological Gardens. I understand it is now completed and the money is finished.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is a fair point.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: We are in charge of elephants but not rhinoceroses which apparently are a matter for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, and come under his jurisdiction.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: I suspect so. We are in charge of bull elephants.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: There is an extra element. The Chairman may remember that in my opening remarks I mentioned the energy efficiency campaign, the optimising power at work campaign. We have been given €1.7 million to run that programme and that is the reason the figure has increased from €1.2 million to €3.1 million.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: My thinking is twofold. First, we must work out practical issues between the OPW and the insurers in terms of a flow of information. The Irish Insurance Federation must be confident that the information we give its members is the full picture and that it would disseminate the information to its member companies. There is, however, a wider issue. We will be in a better space when we have...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised) (23 Apr 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is a fair point. We should examine that approach. This process is new to us as well. It is an output of the office. In fairness, the Office of Public Works has been leading on the issue and I have been pushing the insurance industry to accept our maps and the standard. I fully accept the Chairman’s point.