Tag Archives: Brendan Howlin

Labour will this week press for an early Cabinet commitment to legislate for limited abortion amid party concerns about Minister for Health James Reilly’s ability to implement a new legal framework.

The expert group on abortion’s report will be brought to Cabinet tomorrow. It says legislation consistent with the Supreme Court ruling on the X case is required and this should be followed by ministerial regulations.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin yesterday said the Government would act “speedily” and insisted the Coalition would not be the seventh administration to fail to act on the 1992 judgment.

Oh?

An early statement of intent by Cabinet this week would provide cover for Labour backbenchers who will come under pressure to vote for former Socialist TD Clare Daly’s revamped abortion Bill on Wednesday night.

Ah.

Carry on.

Labour To Seek Assurance On Limited Abortion (Mary Minihan, Irish Times)

(Laura Hutton/ Photocall Ireland)

When more than €3m is too much.

On the Personal Insolvency Bill, Michael Noonan (left) said the cap on people using the insolvency legislation of debts of €3m would remain. He said the ECB thought the figure was too high, while the Department of Justice said it was too low. But Minister Brendan Howlin commented that the Troika was happy with the figure.

 

Talks held With Troika On Bailout Programme Exit Assistance (RTE)

 (Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)

 

To recap (via yesterday’s Irish Independent):

TDs were on average managing to spend only two-thirds of their “unvouched” (that is they didn’t have to produce receipts) annual expenses of €25,700. The logical response from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to this situation should have been to cut the unvouched expenses allowance to the amount that TDs were actually spending.

Instead Mr Howlin has allowed TDs to spend the money they were unable to spend on unvouched expenses on hiring an extra secretaries and public relations consultants instead.

S.I. No. 37/2012 — Oireachtas (Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has backed Cabinet colleague Joan Burton’s comments that the Government has to review its contact with businessman Denis O’Brien.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Mr Howlin said: “There should be a consequence for those well-known people or not against whom adverse findings are adduced by a tribunal of inquiry”.

 

Howlin Backs Comments On O’Brien (Maire O’Halloran, Irish Times)

Yesterday: Bringing Denis Down To Size

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

Privatisation of public services is “the road back to autocracy” that will leave a hollowed-out state bereft of anything to attract the support of citizens, President Michael D Higgins declared in London last night.

President Warns Of Privatising Assets (Irish Times)

The Government is to announce a list of State assets to be sold later today and outline how much will be raised.The announcement will be made by Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin.The list of State assets for sale is expected to include parts of ESB and Bord Gáis.

Govt. To Announce Sale Of State Assets (RTE)

Independent TD Stephen Donnelly said that some senior public sector workers were receiving double the pay of their European counterparts.
In response, Minister Howlin accepted that many were being paid too much.
However, he said there was a process in place for public sector reform and one cannot take the ground from people overnight.
In relation to tackling high wages in the public sector, Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said she had lost confidence in the minister’s commitment to tackle the issue, seeing, she said, that he breached his own ceiling cap in relation to his own special advisor’s pay.

 

Retirements To ‘Test’ Croke Park Deal – Howlin (RTE)

 

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland) 

Brendan Howlin wanted to pay his own special adviser a salary of more than €133,600 but was advised not to award such a high wage.

[Officials] cautioned the figure of €133,605 “could set an unwelcome precedent for future requests for exceptions” and pointed out Mr Howlin himself had recently argued against allowing the special adviser to Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton a wage exceeding the limit.

The guidelines stipulated special advisers should usually be paid €80,051, bringing them into line with the first point of the salary scale applying to standard principal officer positions in the Civil Service, although they could be paid up to €92,672 – the highest point on the principal officer scale – if they had been earning more than the minimum previously.

Mr O’Brien’s salary was eventually settled at €114,000, still well above the recommended €92,672 cap.

Officials Cautioned Howlin Not To Pay His Adviser €133,600 (Mary Minihan, Irish Times) 

Ronan O’Brien (LinkedIn)
(Photocall Ireland)

No. Not ‘brave’. What’s the word?

Brendan Howlin at yesterday evening’s press conference after presenting the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012 – 2014 and cuts of €1.4 billion across a range of State services to the Dail.

The gurnathon continues at 3.45.

Health, social welfare and education face bulk of cuts (Irish Times)

Budget 2012: No hiding place as Howlin reveals €1.4bn cuts (Independent)

(Photocall Ireland)