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PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MINISTER Brendan Howlin has defended his progress in reforming public sector pay and allowances, after facing criticism for last week’s review of public allowances which resulted in far less savings than had previously been forecast.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Howlin said the €75 million target for savings from allowances had been based on hopes that the €1.5 billion budget for such allowances could be trimmed by 5 per cent.
Last week’s review resulted in only one allowance being cut immediately, meaning an annual saving of €3 million – less than one twentieth of the amount Howlin had first indicated.
“I set out a target, as I said, of a 5 per cent reduction in allowances. We’ll get more than that over time, there’s no doubt about it,” Howlin insisted.
“We can’t solve all of the problems in 18 months, [but] we have gone a long way to address them all,” he added.
The minister added that there were many significant but separate issues within the public service that needed reform, such as leave entitlements, sick pay and procurement – a mesh of issues he described as “a complete patchwork quilt that I am now pulling together”.
Much of the criticism Howlin had faced was “based on a lack of understanding for what this job is about,” he said.
“One external commentator said we’ve done more in 18 months in terms of reform than in the last 20 years,” he asserted.
Howlin explained that most of the allowances had been discerned as part of “core pay” and therefore could not be cut – saying any moves to the contrary could mean Gardaí would lose up to 20 per cent of their wage, for example.
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Never in all the years I’ve been on medication for depression has it made me covertly film me having sex and then upload it to the internet. Depression doesn’t make one a sex offender so stop blaming it.
@DaisyChainsaw: just thinking that. Coward of a man.
@DaisyChainsaw: I have never had either so wouldn’t know. But regardless, it’s a fairly cruel act, he’s a very lucky boy to get off like that!
@DaisyChainsaw: He is not a sex offender!!! He has been convicted under s10 of the Non-fatal Offenses Against the Person Act 97, which is harassment. You have just defamed this person and The journal.ie has published this defamatory comment. As they take, and respond to, complaints they are acting as more than a mere conduit. Let’s hope they don’t get sued.
@Darren Gray: Don’t worry Darren – I’m guessing that whoever posted that comment has a whole heap of perfectly reasonable excuses to explain their actions.
@Darren Gray: Glad to see you’re on the side of the pervert Darren. Says a great deal about you. Not a word about the poor woman. He uploaded the video twice. He got lucky. Should have been jailed in my view. I hope she’s sues him and gets everything. Pathetic human being and you defend his “reputation”. You’re a disgrace.
@Darren Gray: I imagine that filming someone without their consent, engaging in sex with them presumably on the basis that it was not being filmed and then putting it out there for the world to see could arguably be considered sex offending.
@Noirin Kavanagh: It is not a offence that is covered by the Sex Offenders Act 2001. You do not get put on the sex offenders register. Saying that someone is a sex offender is a serious accusation, especially with the level of stigma that is attached. Of course if feel for the complaint but people have to be very careful when they comment about criminal justice, especially when they don’t know what they are talking about.
@John R: Well, if you think that I’m a disgrace, then you are a coward. If you are so sure of your convictions, why do you hide behind a fake profile?
“Defence counsel said the 26-year-old offers no excuse for his actions.”
After which, the defence counsel proceeded to give a large number of excuses for his actions. Also, the whole totally out of character thing could not be forgiven, seeing as he did it twice!
Disgusting crime. Can’t imagine the torment and shame this woman has experienced. Hope things improve for her.
He should be jailed. Disgusting act.
The fact that he uploaded it twice shows how malicious his actions were. Total lowlife!
@Yvonne Nic Gabhann: to be sure, to be sure.
“had a profound affect”? I think mean effect!
@Rui Firmino: God I love a nice bit of irony on a Thursday afternoon
@Rui Firmino: Not to mention “The victim…. wrote a letter to Judge Dermot Dempsey to explain the untold damage..” How can it be ‘untold’ if she has just told him?
The defense council would have you believe the victim was wrong for abusing a vulnerable adult.
Pathetic justice system
Bit of a dope
Hysteria always goes into overdrive on here. It was poor form and has been dealt with accordingly. If he does it again he should be dealt with in a harsher fashion.
@Flip off: He did it twice
@Flip off: “poor form”. Words elude me. I hope you don’t have a daughter, a wife or sisters. Poor form! Yours so up your own ass you should live there.
I’m sure that sentence has really taught him a lesson. Complete bull$hite. No deterrent for future tools.
Ha ha ha, only ten minutes? Scarleh for him!
Define Porn
@_doesnotcompute: it says sexual intercourse (f#cking) not hugs and kisses!
@Clare Maurer: Nope, try again
@Steve Hardy: When a man and a women love each other very much….
@Steve Hardy: Why do you require a definition of porn? Doesn’t say offender made “porn”. It states he uploaded a video onto a porn website.
@Clare Maurer: Didn’t realise I’ve been a porn star all these years!
That poor woman. You trust someone enough to literally let them inside your body and then they do something cruel and humiliating like that. Hope he feels 100 times what she must have felt now that everyone knows he’s such a creep.
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