Results 21,141-21,160 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Unlike my penultimate predecessor, the handball is returned to Deputies by me, sometimes with more than they bargained for. I assure Deputy Higgins that Deputies are not playing against a haystack in my case. I recognise the Deputy's strong Kerry tradition and roots in the basis of the questions he asks. When the Minister for Social Protection spoke, she was addressing 1,000 members of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: She was referring to the potential of the Eurogroup to help deal with Europe's problems, which are many and include the problems of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Greece and, of course, Ireland.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Ireland is making its way through challenging times with modest projections for growth for 2013 and 2014, whereas many other countries are in negative positions with real difficulties ahead. That is the context in which the Minister for Social Protection was speaking. I do not accept that Government set out with anything other than a programme to rectify our problems and restore our...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Other Departments can assist by making decisions to allow the resources and talents to be used and accessed for everybody's benefit.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: What Deputy Higgins wants is for everybody to get what they want by entitlement and to pay for nothing. He does not want to pay for water or services to properties and wants to increase taxes on some mythical figure as if there were a small number of wealthy people who could sort out this country's ills. It is absolute nonsense. I remember joining Mayo County Council as a young fellow back...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: In the fair and equitable negotiations with the 21 unions which took place, the result was that 87% of workers - those who earned less than €65,000 - would not have had their core salaries affected. I do not agree with Deputy Higgins that I should make an announcement to abandon ship. The Government has set out its position very clearly. There is a requirement as espoused by the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: When the crisis hit Ireland, we were required to borrow €64 billion. In recent days, some people have been talking about this being all due to bankers and that no one besides them had any impact on it. Let us not forget why the crash happened or why it was allowed to happen. There were extraneous circumstances-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: -----but there were people at home who could have done something about it. They did nothing about it and they deny all responsibility for it since.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The prayer we learned at school was mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. We have had side excuses about who was responsible but the people know because they are paying.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The Government is trying to rectify problems in a way that people have the opportunity to come back, create employment, create jobs, grow the economy and provide opportunity for their children. I disagree with Deputy Joe Higgins fundamentally. The Government's programme is one of change, expansion, economic reform, restoring credibility of our economy and getting people back to work. It...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: The real problem is with the 330,000 people genuinely unemployed. Our focus will be, unremittingly, on giving opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises to employ two, five, ten or 20 people. That is the challenge and where our focus will be.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: We do not get question and answer, we get filibuster and the filling of time so other questions are not answered. However, that is the system and we only have one day because the Taoiseach does not want more than one day a week answering questions.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Martin said that two thirds of the reforms in dealing with the public finances had been put in place by the previous Government.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Some 100% of the 250,000 people who lost their jobs in the private sector did so on the watch of the previous Government. Some 250,000 private sector jobs from all over the country were lost in three years. That is the message. On more than one occasion, I heard Deputy Martin say during those tumultuous times that there was no need for a bailout in Ireland. His colleagues at the time had...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I am making the point that instead of the two thirds, 100% of those who lost their jobs did so on the Deputy's watch. What I said to Deputy Higgins was that I had no intention of introducing a different programme for Government. There is more than enough work for everybody to carry through in the lifetime of this Government. The future health roadmap for universal health insurance was...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I will give them to the Deputy in due course.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I have not yet decided on the number of referenda. Obviously, there is the court of civil appeal, the question of the single patent and the issues recommended by the Constitutional Convention, which we have to consider. The budget will be on 15 October and it will be followed by the finance and social protection Bills. The local government Bill must go through by the end of the year....

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Programme for Government Review (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Martin need not worry about that. I am sure he keeps report cards on his own squad to see how it is doing. It is a matter for every Minister to apply himself or herself diligently to his or her cause and the portfolio for which he or she has responsibility and to see that his or her elements of the programme for Government are implemented fully and with due vigour and enthusiasm to...

Order of Business (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: It is proposed to take No. 8 - motion re: proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the terms of the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of South Africa, back from committee; No. 9 - motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the terms of the Framework Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea, back from committee; No. 10 - motion...

Order of Business (23 Apr 2013)

Enda Kenny: I said last week that it was intended that the heads of the Bill would be completed by Government and that they would then be published and sent to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children for its deliberation and analysis. The Government had a discussion on this matter today but it was not concluded, so the heads of the Bill have not yet been approved by Government. The...