Results 1,821-1,840 of 2,156 for speaker:Tom Parlon

Written Answers — Public Service Recruitment: Public Service Recruitment (19 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: One position of general operative will be filled shortly at the JFK Arboretum near New Ross. A proposal to fill three positions based at the OPW's south-eastern drainage office in Castlebridge is under consideration. Guides or information officers for built heritage sites such as Ballyhack Castle, Ferns Castle, JFK Arboretum and Tintern Abbey are recruited annually for the relevant visitor season.

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (19 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: The principle governing the management of the Phoenix Park is its conservation and presentation as a national historic park. The issue of traffic is a major problem with more than 30,000 cars using the park each day. While recognising that the elimination of all through traffic is not a realisable objective in the short to medium term, measures have been or are about to be put in place to...

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (19 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: The Deputy is aware that following severe flooding in the late 1990s in Clonmel, a flood alleviation scheme was developed by the OPW which was publicly exhibited, as required under the Arterial Drainage Acts, in December 2001 and January 2002. Concerns were raised by Waterford and South Tipperary county councils that there might be contaminated material in the river bed which was due to be...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme. (13 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: I thank Senator Finucane for raising the issue. I will start by stating that the Government is firmly committed to the full implementation of the decentralisation programme and is very pleased with the progress which has been achieved over the past ten months. However, a Government office cannot be relocated overnight. In order to do it correctly, the relocation of all or part of an...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: A number of sites have been shortlisted as possible property solutions for decentralisation to Athy. The process of evaluating these sites is at an advanced stage. When this process is completed, formal negotiations will commence with the respective owners of the sites. As of 7 September 2004, 134 people had applied to move to Athy under the central applications facility.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Oct 2004)

Tom Parlon: A site has yet to be identified for a decentralised IT facility in Kildare town. As of 7 September 2004, 33 staff had applied to move to Kildare under the central applications facility.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (29 Sep 2004)

Tom Parlon: I join Senators in their praise for the integrity and history of the Civil Service. I thank the House for the positive contributions made during the passage of the Bill. It was an excellent debate. I also thank the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners. I wish the new bodies to be established by this legislation well. They have big shoes to fill which I am sure they will do.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: I thank the Senator very much for that information.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: I thought the Senator was going to say that he now stocks the series in his new DVD shop in Carlow, but he did not go that far.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: The amendment proposes arrangements for benchmarking of management operations in the public service. This subject matter is entirely outside the remit of this section, which deals with the board of the PAS. It is also outside the remit of a Bill dealing with recruitment in the public service. I will not repeat the advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel about wording and best practice.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: I have dealt with this matter before. In this case we depend on the actual gender of the ex offico members. In practice, it works out at 40:20, which, in effect, is two to one. We are not in a position to dictate what the gender of the ex officio members would be. As the Senator knows, the current Ombudsman is a woman and things may change as regards the other ex officio members. In the case...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: Section 17 provides that the commission may inquire only into the recruitment practices of public service bodies prior to making a report on whether certain posts should be subject to the remit of the commission. There is no impediment on the Minister making an order under section 6 to bring any professional post in the public service within the remit of the commission. Amendment No. 13 would...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: That is correct.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: The Secretary General of each Department will be the recruitment agency and will choose. It is the case that it will be the normal interdepartmental competition.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: Yes.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: The amendment would regulate promotions in the same manner as recruitment. The Bill provides in section 6(1) for the possibility that the commission may regulate promotions at some point in the future in that it allows the Minister to make orders extending the remit of the commission to posts in the public service, including recruitment posts. The Minister will consider whether to make such...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: Section 6 provides for the extension of the application of the Bill by order. Subsection (3) provides that every order made under section 6 must be laid before each House and each House then has the opportunity to pass a resolution annulling such an order within 21 sitting days of the order being laid. Subsection (3) is more efficient than the system proposed in the amendment because it...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: The section empowers the Minister for Finance to make an order to extend the application of the Bill and it would be intended to extend it to local authorities, health boards and vocational education committees. The Minister in that case may make an order after considering a report by the CPSA into the recruitment practices of the body concerned and after consulting with the relevant...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: Initially I see the PAS doing something similar in terms of central recruitment; it is only where flexibility is needed. If a Department in Portlaoise needs to recruit 20 civil servants, be they specialist or otherwise, it would make more sense for it to do its own recruitment locally rather than finding 100 people who are scattered throughout the country and who do not want to go there....

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Tom Parlon: The local authorities, health boards and VECs are spread throughout the country. Whether it is under a central recruitment agency or the PAS, that would seem to be an obvious option. While the Bill does not provide for any further roll out, the areas to which I referred would seem to be the most obvious ones to which it would be extended.