Results 281-300 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Commissions of Inquiry. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: Is that issue dealt with in a separate part of the report?

Commissions of Inquiry. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I will bring attention to that, if it is not part of the process. My understanding is that the full report will be debated in this House and in the Seanad and will then be considered by Government. I assume all of it, including that part, will be discussed.

Commissions of Inquiry. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: That is as I understand it.

Commissions of Inquiry. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: On the debate in the House, it is a matter on which we must agree. There needs to be a debate which presumably will be based on the committee's report either to support or amend its recommendations. There was an agreement that the matter would be debated prior to bringing it to Government for final consideration and action on it. This should take place as early as possible. We will try to...

Freedom of Information. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. There were 11 freedom of information requests received in my Department for the first three months of this year as compared with 80 requests received for the same period last year. All requests for the first three months of this year have been acceded to. Eight freedom of information requests were received during February 2004 compared with...

Freedom of Information. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: As the Deputy knows, the numbers were in decline. The areas of the Act with which we thought there might be difficulties, namely, sections 19 and 20, have not presented any. As can be seen from the total figure of €435 which I gave, it cannot have had much effect on the personal applications. As the Deputy knows, there is no cost for cases or appeals in which people seek personal...

Freedom of Information. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: That is the point. Any meetings will be between the Information Commissioner and the Department of Finance. We based the Act on the experience in other countries and when one compares the charges in those other countries against those here, they are still very low. Admittedly, it is a great deal if someone spends €3,000. I do not know the circumstances of that case but even though there is...

Freedom of Information. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I can answer for my own Department because it is easy to do so. The answer is "yes". Companies have stopped using the Act even though the costs are low. Due to the practice being highlighted so much in the debate and in various discussions, it is not being used by commercial interests. Some companies were using it as a service to gather the information but that practice has ceased.

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 16, inclusive, together. The constitutional amendment concerning the entitlements to Irish citizenship of children of non-national parents will be held on 11 June 2004. The Government has no further proposals at present to hold any other referenda in 2004. The position will continue to be held under review in the light of developments including the...

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The matter of legislation on the property issue is being discussed by a number of Departments. I note what the report states, although I have not read all the documents on the property issue. The National Economic and Social Council report on housing is also due out shortly. That will be important and should be read along with the report of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. I also...

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I am not sure if that will solve the problem, but perhaps legislation is the way to proceed and then we will see what happens. On the issue raised by Deputy Ó Caoláin, many of these issues are subject to discussion before a decision is finally taken. The rule is that one cannot prejudice Government decisions and one has to avoid making public statements or commenting on policy proposals...

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The voting machines will be used in any event because there will not be a separate machine.

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: On the second issue, in so far as this matter was covered in Oireachtas report, there was a clear view of what should happen in the 1996 Oireachtas review report. It thought we should legislate to amend the Constitution.

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: On the first issue raised by Deputy Kenny, I do not agree with any of the points he made about the citizenship referendum. This issue was highlighted eight years ago. We tried to operate a particular system but abuses of the law in some respects were being practised more frequently. This will be a minor change. It will not have that great an effect on most people. It will have the effect of...

Constitutional Amendments. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: A fortnight. He asked for two weeks from today and he has been allowed two weeks from today to reply to the Government.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The commission on electronic voting, which reported to you, a Cheann Comhairle, last Friday confirmed that the selected system for electronic voting could accurately and consistently record voter preferences. The commission also stated that experts retained by the commission confirmed that the system accurately and consistently counted votes at the pilot elections, which have already been...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: It is six weeks to 11 June, and I am sure not even Deputy Kenny would argue that delaying its use beyond six weeks would affect a machine with a lifespan of 20 years. I do not think he is saying that. The accurate recording and counting of votes are fundamental to the operation of an electronic voting system. The commission's report points to the capability of the Nedap-Powervote system to...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The investment in the system is, therefore, not in any way compromised. The commission emphasised that its conclusion against recommending the system in June is not based on any finding that the present system will not work, but on the desirability of allowing time for further testing and quality assurance, and we will provide that time.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny contends that the commission has stated that the system is flawed and cannot carry out electronic voting, but the commission has not stated that.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bertie Ahern: It stated that more time should be provided to carry out further pilot studies at which point we will see if there is anything wrong with the system.