Results 30,861-30,880 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Civil Service Management (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: The Government has tried to be practical and prudent in the allocation of resources made available by the people through their sacrifices in recent years. While not every expectation could be met, the Government has, within the resources available to it, tried to prioritise the areas involved in this case. One of the first decisions made by the Government was to reverse the cut in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together. Records in my Department are created and held in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Acts, the Freedom of information Act and the National Archives Act. Minutes are taken of meetings held in my Department where judged appropriate. For example, records are kept of all decisions taken at Government meetings on the basis...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Martin referred to accountability. The issues examined in the interim report by the sole member were referred from the Oireachtas committee dealing with justice and other matters and were included in the terms of reference for the commission of investigation by me, with the approval of the Government. In that regard, I was fully accountable to the commission of investigation and was...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy started off by saying that I was not accountable. I was accountable to a commission of investigation conducted by a sole member who had evidence in person and in writing from all the people who were at the meeting, and I was happy to welcome his conclusions. As I said, on the other matters the Deputy mentioned, outside bodies and organisations always have a departmental note...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Adams is aware that minutes are taken of every Government meeting, of all Cabinet sub-committee meetings and of meetings with outside organisations, agencies, companies and individuals. I am quite sure there are meetings on a regular basis between public servants about issues of progress, and they are probably not deemed to be formal meetings. In the case of the meeting referred to,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: I was happy to-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: I was happy to note the report took account of all of the evidence provided and sets out in detail-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Records (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: -----the sole member's findings and conclusions about the matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 11, inclusive, together. The council has met on 15 occasions during 2015. The last meeting took place on 16 September. The council met on six occasions in April this year. The Governor of the Central Bank has attended a number of council meetings since the Government came into office. As a Cabinet committee, confidentiality of discussions at the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: I thank the Deputy. When the Government was elected to office, the economic position was very precarious. We were blocked from international markets, interest rates were 15% and we were haemorrhaging jobs by the hundred thousand. Unemployment was at 15.2%, with national debt rising and the deficit at €22.5 billion. Given the changes, decisions and sacrifices accepted by the people,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: -----but I would like to see results as quickly as we can. The Deputy mentioned the health area. He knows from bitter experience-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: -----the position since the Health Service Executive was set up. Each year the Minister would approve a budget and he or she would refer it to the HSE, which would then prepare a health service plan. That would come back to the Minister for approval and be sent back to the HSE for implementation. In many cases, as the Deputy is aware, the plan was never followed, either because something...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: Gabh mo leithscéal.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: Could Deputy Adams repeat the last question?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: Deputy Adams raised the point about the Economic Management Council and whether it was assuming the constitutional responsibility of the Cabinet. It is not. The Economic Management Council, if it discusses an issue of financial control or whatever, must present its recommendation to the full Cabinet. It is not the Cabinet. It is not assuming any constitutional responsibility beyond its...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: If there is a room available in Dún Laoghaire for rent and there are 20 persons looking for it, clearly, the owner has a choice who to give that to and, as a consequence, rent rises. If there are 20 rooms to rent and 20 persons looking for them, it is a different situation.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: The point that we made clearly is let us not make matters worse. A lot of the talk that is going on about this is not helping the situation. The Ministers, Deputies Kelly and Noonan, are working on this assiduously to see what practical package of measures can be put together here. There was a report by DKM, which was commissioned by the Housing Agency and the Private Residential...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: If one interferes in the wrong way and one makes it worse, that is not good for anybody.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: That is why the relevant Ministers are discussing a package of measures rather than reduce the supply of rental properties and increase, rather than reduce, the security of tenure available to those renting in the private market. That is an important message.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Economic Management Council Meetings (20 Oct 2015)

Enda Kenny: While commentators have a facile view that simply by doing this everything will be rosy, that is not so. To interfere in the wrong way would be damaging to everybody.