Results 2,101-2,120 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The energy (miscellaneous provisions) Bill will be published this session and the national oil reserves agency Bill will be published in the autumn.

Order of Business. (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The legislation will be published this session.

Order of Business. (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I hope the Government's work in this area will be finished before the end of the session but I cannot be certain. I accept I promised the Deputy a debate.

Order of Business. (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I keep them all. We will try to have it finished before the end of the session. As I said previously, I would prefer to have the debate when the proposals have been prepared but if that is not possible, we can debate the reports in any event. I will try to have the proposals prepared before the break.

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Costs relating to the McCracken Tribunal, Dunnes payments, the Moriarty Tribunal, payments to Messrs. Haughey and Lowry, and the Independent Commission of Inquiry have been made from Exchequer funds by my Department in the period to which the Deputy refers. The total cost to 31 December 2004 for each is given in the following table: Year of Appointment Expenditure to 31 December 2004...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Some 42 staff from my Department have applied through the central applications facility to relocate under the Government's decentralisation programme. The breakdown by county is outlined in the following table: County Number of applicants Louth 4 Galway 3 Waterford 1 Wicklow 1 Meath 2 Kerry 2 Sligo 3 Leitrim 1 Kildare 6 Clare 1 Donegal 6 Limerick 1 ...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (14 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I travelled to the United States of America on 15 March for St. Patrick's Day, returning on 18 March. My programme included visits to Syracuse, New York, Baltimore and Washington. I was accompanied by the second Secretary General of my Department, the director of the Northern Ireland division, the Government Press Secretary, special adviser, private secretary, personal assistant and security...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (15 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The bodies under the aegis of my Department are the National Statistics Board, the National Economic and Social Council, the National Economic and Social Forum, the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, the National Economic and Social Development Office and the Law Reform Commission. I am satisfied that no member of these bodies is disqualified from holding a directorship of a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The amount of expenditure by my Department in 2004 for courier services in each of the past five years are as follows: Year Total Expenditure on Courier Services â'¬ 2000 17,078 2001 8,171 2002 12,304 2003 6,357 2004 8,153 Services available through An Post were not used.

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 29, inclusive, together. I travelled to Luxembourg on 2 June at the invitation of Prime Minister Juncker, who was meeting each of the EU Heads of State or Government in advance of the June European Council meeting, to discuss the EU constitution and the financial perspectives for the period 2007 to 2013. I informed Prime Minister Juncker that we will...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will continue to keep the matter of the constitution under review. Deputy Kenny is correct that the referendum will not take place this year. I have made clear that we will publish a White Paper in September. I have made no decision about the Bill but I will consult the Opposition parties before moving on that. It will certainly not be before the summer. The position is that the European...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I answered almost all those questions in my opening reply but I will briefly state again that I fully respect the democratic right of the French and Dutch people just as much as I respect the decisions taken by the ten member states that ratified the constitution for Europe. I respect both positions. The European Council has made a decision to have a period of reflection, clarification and...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: To answer the first question, everybody around the table at the European Council agreed that the constitution remained the valid response to the concerns of citizens and the best available compromise. The situation is difficult because two countries voted "No" by popular opinion — the ballots were very high — but ten other countries, including Spain, voted for the constitution by popular...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I have answered most of the points raised. The Deputy knows he is even out of line with the Socialist Party in France, which had a long debate about the constitution and voted for it. It was the only party that had such an extensive——

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: They are not the Deputy's kind of socialists, who do not exist anywhere. The Socialist Party in France voted strongly for the constitution following a protracted debate. Unfortunately, the "Nos" came from the bourgeois and elites in France, who were most opposed to the constitution.

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am glad Deputy Higgins is associated with such people, which is par for the course. The constitution continues; there will not be any change to it or renegotiation of it. The kind of issues to which the Deputy referred in regard to social dialogue were precisely the issues that the convention debated and got into the constitution for the first time. The European Trade Union Confederation,...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will arrange to send a copy of the constitution and the White Paper to the Deputy so that during his summer break in Kerry, he will have an opportunity to read it closely. He will then be better informed when the White Paper comes out in September.

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the one serious point made by Deputy Higgins, the Pakistani authorities are reported to have on 13 June detained approximately 300 staff of a Pakistani owned telecommunications company following strike threats. I understand the strike was sparked by the announcement that the Pakistani Government, which owns 88% of the company, planned to sell 26% of the company, a move which trade unions...

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I thank the Deputy.

European Issues. (21 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is an analysis in the Netherlands and France of what they perceive to be the main issues. They would rather present the results of that analysis. Obviously Turkey is one of the issues but there is a range of issues. The view of French people whom I trust in the debate is that a coalition of the far-right and far-left came together and in no category did it win. People right across the...