Results 17,901-17,920 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: An established civil servant with less than 40 years service may avail of the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act, 2009 and retire before the end of the February 2012 so long as he/she fulfils the following provisions: (i) has completed a qualifying service of a minimum of two calendar years and (ii) has attained a minimum preserved pension age of...

Written Answers — Construction Contracts: Construction Contracts (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce new legislation to protect small building subcontractors that have been denied payments from bigger companies. In addition, you may be aware that the Construction Contracts Bill 2010 was introduced by Senator Feargal Quinn and passed Committee and remaining stages in the Seanad on 8 March 2011. It is now before the Dáil. In...

Written Answers — Parental Leave: Parental Leave (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The statutory entitlements to Parental Leave are set out in the Parental Leave Act 1998 and the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2006. All employers have to provide access to up to fourteen weeks unpaid leave for employees with children under eight years of age. The fourteen weeks can be spread over eight years by agreement, but the employer can insist that they are taken in blocks of at...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I take it that the Deputy is referring solely to public relations costs and not to advertising costs that would be incurred by my Department in the normal course of business, such as entries into telephone directories, the placing of advertisements in national newspapers, recruitment advertising, advertising associated with the national development plans, e-tenders etc. The table below...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I am telling the House what the legal situation will be.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Any Minister and any Member can ask at the committee. Every Member of the House, whether Minister or otherwise-----

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: He might well be very persuasive on that basis.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I thank all Members for their contributions. It has been said that the legislation is rushed, but people have been thinking about this for a long time. We have had a commitment to do this since we negotiated the programme for Government. We said we would do it on the basis of the report of the all-party Joint Committee on the Constitution, which has been in the public domain since January....

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I see.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I am afraid the Senator did.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I think it was an assertion. I hope I do understand the complexity of the issue, as I have been engaged with it for a while. There are various solutions that the Senator came up with. There are some people who, honestly and legitimately, do not believe that inquiries are at all the proper function of Parliament. That is fine. If that is their view, it is a principled position. However,...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Let me quote from the report of the all-party committee. Senator Bacik already did so, fairly. This is the nub of the issue that we tried to grapple with. She said, "A robust amendment would include some constitutional ordinance allowing for reHaughey rights to be balanced against the public interest in the facilitation of effective parliamentary investigations". Nobody wants to oust the...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: "Chilling effect" was the phrase used by the Senator.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Virtually all the focus on the debate has been as if somehow the inquiry system would be some sort of investigation into individuals. I believe it would rarely if ever involve an investigation into individuals. It would investigate all the matters that cause controversy in the health services or whatever. People would be involved and that is why we must have the potential for findings that...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Yes. It could make findings that might inform future policy or law.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Yes. If someone is derelict in their duty and that is found by the investigation and the evidence adduced is clear, should that not be shown? Is the problem in this country not that all the failures are said to be systemic and no one is responsible for anything? I was going to entice myself to talk about financial services but I will resist. It is clear that in certain activities in the...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The word "findings" is an all-embracing phrase. The word captures whatever findings are made. One need not specify "adverse", "positive" or anything else. "Findings" can be whatever they are.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It is, but I will not suggest what the Supreme Court had in mind. However, the intention is to be able to make findings which could be good or bad. I do not believe I have left out anything else. I thank Senator Mullen for his contribution and his amendment. I genuinely believe the amendment I have fits the policy as intended from the year long deliberation involving some of the best legal...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I confess it was the Dáil.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Sep 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I am obviously not going to have a meeting of minds with Senator Mullen and I daresay it will not be the first or last issue on which we will have a different view. I hope we will leave respecting each other's differences. The issues are well rehearsed. The correct balance is in the proposed wording. I reject the amendment because it upsets the fair balance and would bring us back to a...