Results 2,261-2,280 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——having consulted the Director of Public Prosecutions on foot of the Attorney General's request to see the Garda file, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions noted that it would be difficult for persons reading themselves into the case to make sense of the issues without sight of these papers. That was a long time after that particular period. The full Carty report was not...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: He had written asking for advice and looking for the options and that issue was dealt with. Six months after this was done, the Director of Public Prosecutions was still raising the issue of the doubt.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Since Deputy Rabbitte is intimating that there were divisions between the Minister, me and the Attorney General when everyone knows that was not the case, I will again repeat that it was this Government and not the Opposition which identified the solution to the impasse which existed during this period, namely, the enactment of legislation to enable a tribunal to hold part of its proceedings...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——brought forward that amending legislation to facilitate this. That is why we passed in this House the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence)(Amendment) Act and that is why we have the Morris tribunal today. Those are the facts.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy is again raising the issue of the delay. As I have already stated, the reason for the nine-month delay was that the DPP was considering the file over that period. Even in November 2001, a long time after that period, the Office of the DPP——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——remarked that it would be difficult for persons reading themselves into the case to make sense of the issues without sight of the papers. That was the position. The Director of Public Prosecutions, the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform were all concerned, but there were cases pending and this could not simply be ignored. That was the issue. In the...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: He did not say that.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is a pity, just to try to confuse issues, that Members of the House——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is no confusion in my mind about this. The Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda Commissioner and the assistant Garda commissioner, Mr. Carty, knew there were cases pending.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Director of Public Prosecutions was dealing with those cases. The Attorney General was not prepared to give the options and the DPP was not prepared to go to finality until they saw the full report. That is what happened and no amount of bluster will change that position.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Statutory officers of the State have stated they were not proceeding until they got the full report. Neither did they——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——and when they did, this Government acted. Those are the facts.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I should not have to, but I will, remind Deputy Sargent that the Attorney General does not prosecute criminal cases. Since 1975 it is the Director of Public Prosecutions. That change was made 30 years ago, so the basis of his argument is incorrect. This is the second time in this debate today that Members have stated what the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, did at the time. They know that, on...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is on the record of the House to be read.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister said that he had not seen the Garda file.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions of the time all stated that they could not proceed until they saw the full Carty report.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I have just given the references.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I have just given the references but I will give them again. In light of the growing controversy in June 2001, the then Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, sought a preliminary opinion, in writing, from the Attorney General about the options open to him to have the matter inquired into. The Attorney General replied in June 2001. The reply cited the full Carty report. That is one reference. In...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I do not why the Deputy is justifying himself. He seems worried. I am just giving facts; I am not blaming the Deputy.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We have had approximately 20 interruptions. I am just giving facts and the Deputy is trying to twist them.