Results 3,301-3,320 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Taoiseach comes into this House and says we can go on and work this system. Is the Taoiseach saying he will spend the extra money to try and find a software system that would meet the requirements set down by this commission? I remind him that when his Minister rushed this through the House the first time, he made it a charge on the Central Fund. The entire €52 million was a charge on...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: To what €500,000 is the Taoiseach referring? He said it would cost €500,000 to improve the software. How did he arrive at that figure? I am glad that Deputy Roche had the opportunity to read the report but that figure is not in the report, nor does the judge say how much it would cost to renovate this system, if it is capable of renovation. I do not know from where the Taoiseach tosses up...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: These were non-partisan who came to offer advice in advance that what was being done was folly——

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: ——but the Government ignored them and ploughed on. Tossing out a figure of €500,000 is entirely misleading. The commission never recommended anything of that kind. It stated that the system is rescuable, but it does not state whether rescuing it has merit. Deputy Gilmore has drawn my attention to a very interesting final report from the returning officers in Dublin West and Dublin...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The terms of reference state: "The Commission, which shall be independent in the performance of its functions, shall prepare a number of reports for presentation to the Ceann Comhairle . . . . . on the secrecy and accuracy of the chosen electronic voting and counting system." The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, may be the Ceann Comhairle in the next...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: That was the cost.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Will we spend another €500,000 to try to get the equipment working?

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: There would be no difficulty in getting rid of them.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: On a point of order, would the Ceann Comhairle be kind enough to explain to the House how the terms of reference for the commission seem to have been abrogated in the manner of the handling-——

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: Was the report not forwarded to the Ceann Comhairle?

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: How did it get to Wicklow, Sir?

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The integrity of the terms of reference seem to have been abrogated and I am merely seeking to establish what is the Ceann Comhairle's view and what he can tell the House.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I will come to back to it, Sir.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: My party has been broadly supportive of this Bill but 240 amendments have not been reached yet and it is proposed to guillotine it in this fashion.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: If we have learned anything, that is not the way to make law but, time and again, this has been repeated by the Government. It is not acceptable and I am also opposed to it.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I am reminded of the correspondence between the Minister and Deputy Sherlock on the matter. The Deputy brought to the Minister's attention the necessity for primary legislation on the issue. The Minister, including in his letter of 11 April, dismissed the idea on the basis of previous advice from the Attorney General. We then find, just as we are about to fold our tents for the summer recess,...

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: I will not. On this matter the Labour Party is opposed to concluding the Bill in this fashion. It is not the way to make law and we are opposed to it.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: According to the terms of reference, the report on electronic voting was to be entrusted to the Ceann Comhairle on behalf of the Members of the House. It emerges that it was given to the Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which helps to explain how it leaked into the newspapers over the weekend. Will the Ceann Comhairle advise me of the redress available to me as a...

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The record of the House will show that the Taoiseach stated that the report was given to the Minister over the weekend.

Order of Business. (4 Jul 2006)

Pat Rabbitte: The Taoiseach just stated that the report was only given to the Department and that the Minister got it at the Cabinet meeting this morning.