Results 2,601-2,620 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Northern Ireland Issues. (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I have two questions for the Taoiseach arising from his reply. With regard to the North-South parliamentary forum, my understanding of the communiqué issued on 17 July following the North-South Ministerial Council meeting in Armagh was that the two Governments would take the initiative to contact the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Oireachtas with a view to progressing the establishment...

Northern Ireland Issues. (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I fully understand the position in which the Taoiseach finds himself on this matter. I can understand the various signals and messages he must give in this regard. I was pleased to hear what he said, namely, that he was not reflecting in any way on the character of Paul Quinn when he made his remarks. Will the Taoiseach confirm on the record of the House that, as Paul Quinn's family stated...

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: How will they be described in the school accounts? I wish to raise a different issue with the Taoiseach. Last Thursday, after the Order of Business in the House, the Opposition parties were informed of the Government's intention to introduce emergency legislation in the House this week to protect the legal status of 19 agencies established under one of the Health Acts because the Attorney...

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: That is not an emergency.

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: What is the hurry with the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007?

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I will assist the Taoiseach even more with it. I would be quite happy to reinforce the legal underpinning of the agencies in question quite speedily but the legislation that has been published contains an entire four pages that deal with the legal obstacle that arose regarding the transfer of the lands at Beaumont and St. James's hospitals for the purpose of establishing co-located...

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: When did the Government receive the original legal advice that there was a legal obstacle concerning the transfer of the lands at Beaumont and St. James's hospitals? I have been told it received it early last summer before it concluded a programme for Government with the Green Party and before Deputy Finian McGrath signed up to it. In order to save their blushes this evening over having to...

Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: We will agree on those.

Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: We are dealing with taxpayers' money here. It is wrong in principle that the Appropriation Bill 2007 should be passed without debate. However, dealing with it in circumstances where it has only just been published, if it all, is extraordinary.

Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: This Bill is being introduced in the form of emergency legislation to provide political cover for its real intent, which is to legislate for the transfer of public hospital lands for the construction of co-located hospitals. If it was a genuine emergency, the Government would have acted on it a while ago, since it received advice from the Attorney General on the issue back in October. There...

Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: It is the new parliamentary tactic that when a matter is politically tricky, it is introduced as close as possible to Christmas and rushed through by a guillotine motion in the hope that people will forget about it. The Labour Party will not agree to this and opposes the proposal on the Order of Business.

Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: This morning, the European Court of Justice gave its decision on the Laval case involving Swedish trade unions and Latvian companies which carried out certain public works in Sweden. Many of the issues involved in the case are similar to the issues that arose during the Irish Ferries matter here a couple of years ago. The import of the judgment as I understand it is that the court found...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 104: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of persons on local authority housing lists at the latest date for which figures are available; the steps he will take to reduce waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35141/07]

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 112: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the cost to date of the development, roll out and promotion of the electronic voting and counting system; the cost to date of storage and maintenance of the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35142/07]

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: As this is the season of generosity and goodwill——

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: ——let me draw attention the case of people whose needs have been overlooked in recent years and who do not exercise a great deal of political clout because they do not have a vote. I refer to approximately 6,000 asylum seekers who are in receipt of direct provision. This is the arrangement whereby the State pays for their board and lodgings. They are not permitted to work or claim...

Leaders' Questions (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: The cost to the State of running the Taoiseach's Department has also risen quite considerably since 1999, but it would hardly justify the Taoiseach being paid the same salary as he was paid then. Some of the cost to the State associated with the asylum process was not very prudent expenditure on the part of the State. Hotels were bought that were never used. If we want to go down the road...

EU Summits. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I have a couple of questions arising from the summit. While it may not be significant in terms of the content of the outcome, people are puzzled about the reason the summit was held in two venues, with the signing taking place in Lisbon after which everybody headed off to Brussels for the summit meeting. Why could everything not be done in one venue? With regard to the treaty referendum,...

EU Summits. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I asked about the timetable for the referendum because there was a meeting yesterday.

Order of Business (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree with the comments made by Deputy Kenny. I raised this issue last week and tabled an amendment to the Government motion today in the terms Deputy Kenny has outlined, namely, that we would proceed with the reappointment of Mr. Justice Smith as chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission and that the appointment of the ordinary member would be deferred to allow for...