Results 15,721-15,740 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Order of Business (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The unions have made their decision. I am disappointed that it was not approved, but the Government must now consider the outcome and nature of the ballot and how we intend to deal with the requirement to achieve €300 million in savings this year. We will keep the House updated as the Government makes its decisions on that matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I can state to Deputy Higgins that the Economic Management Council meets on a regular basis. Moreover, it deals with issues in a preparatory sense before they go to the Cabinet for its approval. While I am aware of the decision taken here, as I told Deputy Mattie McGrath earlier during Leaders' Questions, the Government has set out its figures for this year in respect of €300 million...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: It restored the minimum wage and reduced the rate of VAT, which sustained and increased employment in the hospitality sector by 10,000. Moreover, the Government has made available a range of opportunities in order that small and medium-sized enterprises can grow in Ireland. The latter is an issue on which the Government will concentrate because I recognise that were one to bring in 1,000...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: It is not going to happen through the mechanism of someone coming in and saying: "There you are, here is more money for you, here is another cheque". Yes, austerity is difficult to deal with and yes, fiscal discipline is difficult to deal with. However, in comparison with other European countries, which face far more difficult situations at present, our position is difficult but yet our...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: We will reflect on the decision now.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: We did not actually discuss that element of a stimulus package but we will. What I intend is that the Government should have regular specific meetings focused on jobs and job creation. We identified 17 particular actions that could and should be taken to stimulate growth in the indigenous economy and to create jobs. We will follow through on that and if the House so wishes, we can discuss...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I understand the difficulty the Ceann Comhairle has here. Deputy Martin raised three issues, namely, health, mortgages and jobs. The role of the Cabinet committee on health is to provide for political oversight on the development and delivery of the major health service reforms in line with the commitments in the programme for Government. It has met twice so far in 2013, on 14 January and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The Minister for Health expects to bring the heads of the Bill before Cabinet next week. The Government will consider those, publish the heads and send them to the committee. That does not mean it cannot be finalised and enacted before the summer. I would like to see that happen, but as I have made clear before I do not want a perception of there being pressure for the legislation to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I know that is not an issue that concerns the Deputy. I expect the Bill to be published in this session. It will go before the committee following which the Bill will be prepared and then debated here. We will have to see how we get on with that debate and give everybody their opportunity to have their say because it is obviously a sensitive matter. It needs to be dealt with within the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 28, inclusive, and 173 together. Three Cabinet committee meetings were held in January - economic recovery and jobs, health, and mortgage arrears and credit availability. So far this year there have been 16 Cabinet committee meetings. The committees on economic recovery and jobs, social policy, and mortgage arrears and credit availability have each...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Martin raised a number of matters. In respect of pluralism, when I met Archbishop Diarmuid Martin shortly after I was elected Taoiseach, one of the issues we discussed was the wish of the Catholic Church to hand over a number of schools because there are so many schools vested in the Catholic Church and the archbishop made it perfectly clear that there would be schools retained by the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: It depends on the nature and extent of the debate. I would like to think that it might be enacted by the summer recess but I do not want to impose any undue pressure on this. Obviously, there is a time lag required between the sending of the heads of the Bill to the committee and the committee considering them. I expect the Minister will bring the heads of the Bill to Government next week,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The Bethany homes are not the subject of this question. As I stated in reply to Deputy Mac Lochlainn, the Magdalen laundries and the Bethany homes were not the subject of a discussion we had with the cardinal and the bishops. Following the publication of the McAleese report and the full-scale debate in the House, we appointed Mr. Justice Quirke to look at the findings of the report and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. Like public representatives generally, I meet church leaders informally from time to time in the course of attending public events, funerals, etc. Also, like my predecessors, I receive a Christmas greetings courtesy call from the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. In addition, the House will be aware that the Tánaiste and I...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The meeting took place with the bishops and Cardinal Brady, Bishop Colm O'Reilly, Bishop John Buckley and Bishop Brendan Kelly all attended, as did Monsignor Gearóid Dullea, executive secretary of the Bishops' Conference, Fr. Drumm, the director of Catholic schools, Dr. Rooney from the Bishops' Council for Justice and Peace, Mr. Casey, the executive administrator of the Bishops'...

Leaders’ Questions (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Deputy McDonald is wrong. As I said, the arrangements for communication with the Judiciary, including informal and appropriate and formal and appropriate measures, will continue.

Leaders’ Questions (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I am very happy to facilitate that through the Office of the Attorney General. As I stated in a letter to the Chief Justice on 8 March, following a meeting between the Chief Justice and Attorney General, the effective operation of the judicial system - in which independence is a cornerstone - is recognised as being indispensable to the State and its citizens. I am very happy to maintain...

Leaders’ Questions (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Deputy McGrath is aware of the programme set out by the Government to factor in a €300 million saving for this year and €1 billion by 2015. The Deputy is also aware of the challenges faced by many people. The alternative, as Deputy McGrath is aware, would be to have to consider the implications of the issue for front-line services. For that reason, the Government set out its...

Leaders’ Questions (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The Government will reflect on the implications of that decision, with the bottom line being that the inclusion of €300 million this year stands. The Government will reflect on the outcome of the ballot as declared.

Leaders’ Questions (16 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy is well aware that given the circumstances inherited by the Government when it entered office-----