Results 17,061-17,080 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Legislative Programme (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Yes.

Legislative Programme (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy knows, the hardest thing to do is to change ingrained attitudes. He is aware that I have more than a passing interest in the issue of whistleblowing, having had to traipse to the High Court and the Supreme Court to protect the rights of individuals to give information to Members of the House on allegations of wrongdoing. I know how stressful this can be. At one stage I was on...

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The context of the Deputy's question is the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, governing the EU-IMF Funding Programme for Ireland, which commits the Government to considering options for the ambitious programme of asset disposal, based on the programme for Government and the report of the review group on state assets and liabilities. In our discussions, the troika emphasised that it views...

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has asked a number of questions and made a number of assertions again. She fundamentally misunderstands, maybe deliberately or maybe not, the Government intention in this regard. We negotiated the programme for Government against the backdrop, as I indicated to Deputy Wallace, of the incredible shortage of capital for investment in new jobs in this economy. We debated how we...

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In truth, we have not fixed on an actual percentage because it is a matter of ongoing discussions. We have not fixed on the full quantum nor on the percentage that can be used for job creation as that is a matter of ongoing discussions.

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: We have agreed on the word "sizeable". That is what I have just indicated.

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: No, they did not, but in my discussions with the troika I proffered several words and that was a word we agreed we would use in relation to that.

Sale of State Assets (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: In the programme for Government, in regard to which I was part of the negotiating team, we said we would protect strategic interests. I regard water as an absolute strategic interest. From the discussions that have taken place, neither party in government would regard water as anything but strategic.

Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Neither I nor my officials have received a request to make an exception to the current annual pay rate of €200,000, established for Secretaries General in Departments generally in regard to the appointment of a Secretary General to the Department Finance. The Deputy will be aware that the rates for new appointments as Secretary General in respect of all Departments were reduced following my...

Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy obviously believes there is political capital in touting out the notion of I somehow defend top level pay when the truth by any objective criterion, it that nobody has reduced top level pay more than I have in one year. No Minister with responsibility for the public service has ever reduced top level pay across the public service more than I have. The Deputy knows she is talking...

Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: That is another sound bite.

Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: There is an implication in the very nature of the question, namely, if the Minister had been requested to increase the salary, that I had been so requested. There was not a request, and it will fall within the pay norms. I did not get a chance to talk about my special adviser, which the Deputy has raised now in three extraneous questions, but I hope we will reach the question so that I can...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Revenue Commisioners have provided me with the information in Tables 1 and 2 in response to the Deputy's question. Officials from my Department, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance are in discussions on how to address critical skills losses that will arise due to these retirements. Table 1 : Staff Serving at 31 December 2011 Age Grade Gender 20-29 30-39 40-49...

Written Answers — Members Allowances: Members Allowances (19 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together. 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. As indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 40637 on 15th December last, I intend to bring proposals to Government shortly...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (19 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Returning Officers are required to submit accounts to the Department of Finance within six months of holding an election. The accounts for the recent by-election have not yet been submitted and an accurate break down of costs will not be available until that time. However, €231,000 was advanced to the returning officer to cover the estimated cost of holding the by-election.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 123 together. The Civil Service participates in the EU Commission programmes allowing for the secondment, on a temporary basis, to the EU Commission of national experts in order to foster the exchange of professional experience and knowledge of European policies. The decision to participate in these programmes is a matter for individual Departments...

Written Answers — Public Service Recruitment Embargo: Public Service Recruitment Embargo (19 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Government is committed to reducing Public Service numbers to 282,500 by 2015. Given the importance of meeting this challenging numbers target, any recruitment will be limited and targeted towards areas of most need. Public Service Organisations must fully use all options for discharging work through reorganisation and redeployment of staff. Only after this will the issue of recruitment...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: The Regulations in relation to free postal facilities for members of the Houses of the Oireachtas provide for monthly allocations of prepaid envelopes for both Deputies and Senators - currently 1,250 and 750 respectively - with additional allocations for party whips. The allocations were reduced in June 2011 from the previous levels as a means of achieving efficiencies. The administration...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (18 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: Apart from instances where statutory rates of pay apply, pay rates in the private sector are generally a matter for negotiation between individual employers and employees. Voluntary bodies are by their nature independent entities, are not public service bodies, do not employ public service staff and are not subject to the specific pay restraint and reduction measures that currently prevail...

Written Answers — State Property: State Property (17 Jan 2012)

Brendan Howlin: While development of policy relating to management of State property is a function of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the delivery of the Property Asset Management section of the Public Service Reform Plan will be under the overall management of the Office of Public Works, subject to the assignment of specific responsibilities to public service property holders.