BETA

Activities of Inés AYALA SENDER related to 2014/2078(DEC)

Plenary speeches (1)

2016/11/22
Dossiers: 2014/2078(DEC)

Amendments (24)

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas, in accordance with the usual procedure, a questionnaire was sent to the Parliament administration and ~~replies were received and~~the majority of replies were discussed by the Committee on Budgetary Control, in the presence of the Vice-Presidents responsible for budget, the Secretary-General and the Internal Auditor; taking into account the fact that, for the first time, a series of questions from Members did not receive any reply, either in writing or orally, thus preventing Parliament from having the relevant information and being able to make an informed decision as to certain important aspects relating to the discharge of Parliament;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Takes note of the written answers to the 2012 discharge resolution provided to the Committee on Budgetary Control on 28 October 2014~~; welcomes~~ and of the presentation by the Secretary-General to the various questions and requests of Parliament's 2012 discharge resolution and the exchange of views with Members that followed; regrets that some of Parliament's recommendations did not receive the appropriate follow-up;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Takes note that after five years of implementation of the new Statute for parliamentary assistants anthe evaluation should have been ~~prepar~~submitted by the end of 2014, as the Secretary-General had undertaken to do in his oral replies and in writing concerning the follow-up to Parliament’s recommendations for the 2012 discharge; calls for the evaluation to be carried out in association with the representatives of accredited parliamentary assistants (APAs) of the previous parliamentary term who are still working in Parliament, for it to be submitted by 30 June 2015 and for the Committee on Budgetary Control be informed of its results; points out that as of 31 December 2013 there were 1763 accredited parliamentary assistants employed within Parliament; ~~asks that its Committee on Budgetary Control be informed on the evaluation results;~~

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Acknowledges the quality of~~Notes the exchange of views between the Vice Presidents responsible for the budget, the Secretary-General and the Committee on Budgetary Control in the presence of the Member of the Court of Auditors and the Internal Auditor, on 26 January 2015;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Criticises, in that connection, the fact that the Secretary-General has failed to answer a series of questions put by MEPs; emphasises that effective monitoring of the implementation of Parliament’s budget has always called for and will continue to call for close cooperation between Parliament’s Administration and the Committee on Budgetary Control; calls, therefore, on the Secretary-General to complete the questionnaire by answering the following questions in writing: Strategic Execution Framework for the European Parliament 150 - When presenting the Strategic Execution Framework (SEF) for the European Parliament on 3 June 2014, the Secretary-General stated that the SEF is based on an academic theory developed at the Stanford School of Engineering in Palo Alto (California). Can the Secretary- General explain how Parliament came to choose this theory as the basis for the SEF? Were other theories developed by other universities or specialist establishments, in particular in Europe, or other international institutions considered, studied and compared before Parliament opted for the Stanford theory? If so, why was the theory developed by the Stanford School of Engineering chosen? How was the decision taken, and by whom? 151 - Can the Stanford theory be used free of charge, or is Parliament required to pay a fee of some kind? If so, what is the fee involved? 152 - When the SEF was being developed, did Parliament staff have to undergo specific training at Stanford or any other academic institution? If so, which staff members (grades and posts) underwent training and how much did that training cost for each person? Will further training be required in the future ? If so, how much will it cost? 153 - Are there plans to hold interdepartmental discussions or discussions with the Staff Committee and trade unions about the SEF? How and when will the SEF be implemented and what is the likely cost? Strategic Documents 154 - In recent months the Secretary- General has submitted to the Bureau a series of strategic documents on the functioning of Parliament which will have a decisive bearing not only on administrative life, but also on Parliament’s approach to EU lawmaking and policies; Given these documents’ importance for the organisation and future development of our work, why has no provision been made for a discussion and decision-making procedure which involves all the parties concerned, and not just Parliament's Bureau? Resource Efficiency Measures Strategy 155 - Before the new time slots for meetings were proposed and introduced, was the impact of the changes on the organisation of Members’ work assessed? (restricted time slots for meetings, working meetings, meetings with organisations and members of the public, etc. outside official meetings)? Why were Members not consulted on a decision which has such a clear bearing on their work? Members of the European Parliament 156 - Now that it has been operating for several months, how effective has the one- stop shop for the provision of parliamentary services to Members been? Directorate-General for Communication Communication strategy and preparation of the information campaign for the 2014 elections 157 - The European Youth Event held in May 2014 as part of that campaign brought 5000 young people to Strasbourg. When that event was being prepared, was due account taken of the economic situation in Europe and of the way in which the expenditure involved in holding an event on such a scale might be perceived by young Europeans? 158-Is the concept 'ACT, REACT, IMPACT' generally considered to be a success? What are the performance indicators to measure this success? How is the concept used after the elections and was any assessment/evaluation report made after the EP legislative and value campaigns? Please provide the Committee on Budgetary Control with a copy of the evaluation. 159-What assessment/evaluation has been made of the multi-annual grants programme 2012-2014 aimed at raising awareness on the role of the European Parliament and can such evaluations be made available to the Budget Control Committee? Accredited Parliamentary Assistants (APAs) 160 - Has the effectiveness of the recruitment tool for APAs, APA- PEOPLE, introduced at the start of the parliamentary term already been assessed? 161-What was the reason for a delay of several months for some APA to be included in the relevant mailing lists of EP (Assistants 8th legislature, Bruxelles) which has impeded them from receiving information concerning their work? Have some measures been taken? Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics Catering services 162-Would like to know the reason for the prices in the SQM building are 25% more expensive that in the ASP canteen and if this doesn't hamper the intention to drive out customers from the overcrowded ASP canteen. Directorate-General for Security and Safety (DG SAFE) 163-Which measures have been identified to increase security after recent breaches notably on 7 of October 2014 by Kurdish protesters? Will the New Global Security Concept be updated? 164-Did the parliament acquire an electronic recognition system for car's number plates? What was the cost? Was this system installed and used at the entrances of the garage to check if the number plate corresponds with the information on the entry badge?

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Recommends, in the interests of the greater transparency and effectiveness of Parliament’s political and administrative activities, that all Members, Parliament staff and the general public be informed, immediately and generally, of all agendas and minutes of meetings and decisions taken by Parliament’s decision-making bodies; recalls the usefulness of the old Committee on the Rules of Procedure as a forum for discussing and improving, in a transparent and public manner, both the regulatory process and Parliament’s internal affairs; recommends in this regard that a neutralised Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Internal Affairs be established, to enable all these matters to be dealt with and subsequently legitimised by Parliament in plenary session;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recalls the establishment of the new Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research which will provide independent scientific advice both for political bodies of Parliament and for individual Members; expresses its concern about the possible confusion that might be caused among the public due to the exponential growth and proliferation of documents concerning the widest-ranging topics and published in Parliament’s name, compared to the texts that are adopted under the ordinary parliamentary procedure, which constitute the legitimate opinion of the European Parliament; recommends that the Secretary-General submit proposals with a view to restoring the predominance of the essential political activity of the European Parliament so that maximum resources are used to further strengthen the parliamentary work of Members, political groups and parliamentary committees;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes the cooperation agreement ~~with~~between the European Economic and Social Committee ~~and~~(EESC), the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Parliament, which was finally signed on 5 February 2014 and which began with a transfer of important staff from both committees to the new European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS); is of the opinion that effective interinstitutional cooperation should be improved; and believes that pooling expertise and purchasing power in areas where the institutions require assistance of a similar nature should improve delivery and may reduce overall costs; hopes that the development of this agreement between the three institutions will achieve these objectives, be balanced and be of equal benefit to the three institutions; calls on each of these institutions, once this collaboration has been implemented for a year, to conduct an individual assessment of the impact of this agreement from the point of view of human resources, expenditure, synergies, added value and substance;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Is concerned ~~with~~about the lack of parity in the administration whereby women accounted for 29 % of heads of unit, 34 % of directors and 33 % of Directors-General as of 31 December 2013; calls for the implementation of an equal opportunities plan, especially with regard to management positions, in order to remedy this imbalance as soon as possible;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35a. Interparliamentary delegations - takes the view that it is a matter of importance and urgency to develop and increase the substance of the websites of the interparliamentary delegations; also considers it vital that, budget permitting, public meetings of the delegations should be broadcast live via webstreaming, as parliamentary committee meetings are;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 c (new)

40c. Parliament logo (subtitle) Notes the change of the European Parliament logo; stresses its disapproval that yet again it was not informed of a decision in a timely manner; calls on the services responsible to explain why they implemented this change, what the decision-making process was and what the costs of this change were;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 d (new)

40d. Info Point (Subtitle) Expresses its concern about the decision by Parliament’s administration to definitively close down the Info Point as from 31 March 2015; stresses its disapproval that yet again it was not informed of this decision in a timely manner; emphasises the importance of the Info Point, which makes it easier to provide documentation to EU citizens, in all the official languages, about the work we do, especially to groups of visitors supported by Members of the European Parliament; calls for the documentation and services provided by the Info Point to continue to be maintained in an accessible manner and with the same visibility and accessibility that it has had so far and expresses concern over the fate of the temporary staff of the Info Point; calls on the Secretary-General to keep it informed about these matters;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 b (new)

42b. Notes the high cost of away days and similar events for the staff in the year 2013 (EUR 140 730 for eight events); considers that, at a time of crisis and budgetary cuts in general, the cost of away days for staff at the EU institutions must be proportionate and that they should, where possible, be confined to the institutions' own premises, given that the added value derived from them does not justify such high costs;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43

43. Parliamentary assistants (new title) Voices its support for the measures taken to organise the management of the termination of the contracts of some 1 700 accredited parliamentary assistants (APAs) in preparation for the end of the seventh parliamentary term and the beginning of the new one; and in particular the implementation of APA-People; considers, however, that more administrative staff should have been assigned to APA recruitment in certain areas to ensure greater speed and efficiency; points out that staffing and technical resources were insufficient to avoid delays in the signing of contracts of assistants, interruption of contracts, and delays in the payment of expenses, allowances and hence salaries; acknowledges nevertheless that the process has improved significantly compared to 2009, while noting that the EP must persevere in its efforts to improve the speed and efficiency of its recruitment procedures;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)

43a. Regrets that the 2013 EP social report - like its predecessors - contains scarcely any information regarding accredited parliamentary assistants, although they make up 29.4 % of EP staff; calls on the EP to rectify matters, given the fundamental importance of this document in improving its staff management;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)

43b. Regrets the Civil Servants Tribunal Decision of 12 December 2013 in Case F- 129/12 and deeply regrets the fact that Parliament was condemned for being unable to help accredited parliamentary assistants in cases of harassment and irregular layoffs; notes the Bureau decision of 14 April 2014 setting up the Advisory Committee for the prevention of mobbing at the workplace , so as to avoid APAs being exposed to this; is concerned, however, about the imbalance in the composition of this committee, which is composed of three Quaestors, one representative of the administration and one APA representative; notes that, up to November 2014 at least, in three cases before the committee 'the Quaestors ruled that there were no grounds for further action' (answer to question 108); calls on Parliament’s Bureau therefore to review its decision regarding the composition of the committee so as to ensure more balanced representation with at least two APA committee members;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 c (new)

43c. Notes with concern the high language course dropout rate among APAs, amounting to 32% compared to 8% for other staff; calls on Parliament to ensure that language courses are tailored more closely to the specific working conditions of APAs;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 d (new)

43d. Calls on Parliament to investigate the possible reasons for the wide disparity between APAs and other staff regarding the taking of sick leave;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 e (new)

43e. Points out that, at the end of this parliamentary term, a considerable number of APAs may together become eligible for retirement, having contributed to the EU pension scheme for ten years, thereby placing Parliament before a new set of circumstances; calls on Parliament, in order to avoid potentially serious last- minute problems for APAs of retirement or pre-retirement age, to set up an administrative working group to anticipate and resolve in advance such new and sometimes complex situations; calls for APA representatives to be involved with the working group, which must keep APAs promptly informed; calls for the working group to address and attempt to resolve problems, including those arising from any maladministration by the institution, for example delays in signing contracts at the beginning of the parliamentary term, interruption of contracts, the implications of early European Parliament elections for minimum contribution periods, etc;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 f (new)

43f. Points out that subsistence allowances received by accredited parliamentary assistants travelling to Strasbourg are 30-45 % less than those of other staff; points out also that APA themselves are reimbursed under a three- tier system, which means that, in certain cases, no mission expenses may actually be payable for travel to Strasbourg; calls on the Bureau to take the necessary measures to remedy this inequality and bring APA entitlements in this respect into line with those of other staff;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 g (new)

43g. Calls on Parliament to consider ways of bringing its APA grading system into line with that of its other staff and to make proposals accordingly;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 h (new)

43h. For ensuring the representation of Accredited Parliamentary Assistants (APAs) within the EP as to avoid problems of addressing the APAs rights of protection the Secretary General should guarantee, in cooperation with the APAs that have been members of the former APAs Committee and are still working as APAs in the EP, the organisation of the first elections in every new parliamentary term;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57 a (new)

57a. Welcomes the launch some years ago of the very useful and successful at4am application for tabling amendments; considers it necessary to improve and update it, particularly with regard to such useful functions as self-correction and back-up;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT

Inés AYALA SENDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57 b (new)

57b. Calls, for the sake of transparency and equality regarding document availability, for all MEPs, and not only full or substitute committee members, to be given access through ePetition to all petitions submitted by citizens to the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions;

2015/03/09
Committee: CONT