Results 3,081-3,100 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Such organisations have the capacity to buy in bulk.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I assume they are getting value for money because they can purchase——

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——large amounts of wheelchairs and other instruments to help people with disabilities.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte is right to state that child care is a big issue. It is a big issue because 2 million people are working in our strong economy, which has grown over recent years. The number of women in the workforce has increased from 400,000 a decade ago to 800,000. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 people need child care facilities. The Government increased child benefit payments...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: A number of child care surveys and examinations have been published. The Government has asked an interdepartmental group to examine the matter.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The group raised many issues and finalised seven basic proposals, all of which are in the public domain. I agree with Deputy Rabbitte that child care is a major and significant issue. I do not believe that every single proposal that has been made by every group can be accepted at once. I have noted that many of the organisations have said we need to build on the successes which have been...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Government decided to increase child benefit because agreement could not be reached the last time the matter was examined comprehensively by the various groups. The Government was faced with a decision when there was total disagreement among the main organisations. It decided that changes in the child benefit system represented the best way of making progress. Having listened carefully to...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I made the point that the reason there is such a demand for child care is because there are 2 million people working.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: In this case I am talking about people in the workforce. Some 800,000 people are now working. The reason the Government decided to go the child benefit route the last time was that there was no agreement by the representative organisations as to how this could be done both for people who were in the workforce and for those working in the home. For that reason the Government decided the...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Higgins is aware the Government is dealing with this issue. I accept the points that were raised by him and Deputy Catherine Murphy yesterday. The answer to the Deputy's three questions is "Yes". Sorry, he only asked two questions so I cannot answer the third.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: As Deputy Joe Higgins knows, legislation in any area cannot be applied retrospectively and it would be wrong to give any comfort to people knowing that to be the case. In many areas, management companies which were originally set up to take care of and maintain complexes and to look after environmental issues, such as landscaping, cleaning, painting and so on, have extended their services to...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. My Department has two items of legislation for the current Dáil session — the National Economic and Social Development Office Bill 2002 and the Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004. The National Economic and Social Development Office Bill 2002 is awaiting Report Stage while the Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004 is...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I presume the Deputy is talking about the North-South consultative forum. I will certainly consider that. I do not know how much work has been done but I will check to see if that could be done. I have no objections. As I said before, the fact this Bill has not been passed is not a huge difficulty but it is important in the long term in that it relates to people's pension rights and other...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the second matter, I have asked the Minister and the officials to examine that. I raised it with them last Thursday when I was in the North. We await a response but I have asked the Minister to give it priority. On the Deputy's first question on the referendum on the EU constitution, as of now, it will not arise in the short term. A review and an examination is taking place everywhere. I...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The French election will be in summer 2007. The Austrian Presidency could get agreement that other countries could go ahead. There is now a majority of 13 or 14 countries and all the indications are that another three or four will definitely move. We are moving to a position where we are down to the last five or six next year. The Austrian Presidency might say the others should go ahead with...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I would not rule out constitutional change on issues that are, perhaps, non-constitutional and where referenda are necessary. That could happen at any time following a judgment of the High Court or Supreme Court. There is none currently. Issues have arisen from the various reports of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution, which are being examined by various Departments, and they could...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is every reason for the Forum on Europe to continue its work. I welcome the communicating Europe initiative by the European Commission under which more commissioners and other senior officials will make themselves available to governments. The Forum on Europe is the best way to support dialogue and discussion of the issues and the forum's reports tease them out. The forum was...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That will be another good day in the forum. The sad thing about the constitutional document is that the chairman of the convention insisted on it remaining as it was. A number of us warned that publishing and explaining an enormous document with annexes was fraught with danger, in view of the relatively simple case of explaining the Nice referendum. The French insisted on the framework as the...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: From the Federation of Irish Societies.

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I apologise if I was misunderstood. I stated I had no view other than the report. I attended the committee meeting, spending several hours there.