Results 3,481-3,500 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy should declare his vested interest.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The level of spending on the GMS has gone up dramatically.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I will not stand here and allow the Deputy to accuse this Government of not doing its level best for the people who deserve it most. When we decided to give medical cards to people over 70, the organisation formerly headed by the Deputy was against it.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I am here to deliver this speech on behalf of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, who unfortunately is at the funeral of a colleague who died tragically. This year's budget was agreed within more challenging financial circumstances than those of recent years. The package of €900 million for social welfare measures clearly demonstrates the Government's commitment to protecting the...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: If we had a lot more money from the entire scheme, we might be able to divide it up better.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The average payment to a GP on the medical card system is €220,000.

Written Answers — Departmental Meetings: Departmental Meetings (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: My Department has a Management Advisory Committee (MAC), comprising the Secretary General of the Department and the Heads of all Divisions in the Department. The MAC meets regularly, approximately once a month. To date, this year, there have been eight MAC meetings, and further meetings are planned before the end of the year. I attend a number of the MAC meetings, together with the two...

Written Answers — Departmental Meetings: Departmental Meetings (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I convene specific policy meetings on a regular basis with officials of my Department. Their frequency and content varies having regard to the challenges and priorities that arise at a given time. The main difference between these meetings and the meetings of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) which I attend are that the former are usually one subject agendas, dealing, for example with...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The core staff number authorised for my Department is currently 1,576. This figure includes approximately 300 staff who are recruited locally to work in our Missions abroad but excludes clerical staff employed on fixed term contracts to work in the Passport Offices during the peak season. It excludes a limited number of interns engaged on fixed term contracts to work in the Department's...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 139 and 141 together. With reference to the Deputy's query regarding St. Patrick's Day, I, along with an official party of four, travelled to Washington from 14 March to 16 March 2007 to join the Taoiseach in a programme of events and ceremonies designed to both celebrate St. Patrick's Day and to promote Irish interests in the United States. The total...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: While it would not be possible in the time allocated to check the files for earlier years, it is my understanding that the Department of Foreign Affairs has not provided any funding to the institution in question.

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Reaching out to and strengthening links with the Irish community in Britain and with those of Irish ancestry is a cornerstone of Government policy. The establishment and operation of the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs has greatly enhanced our capacity to develop and implement more responsive policies in this regard. Government funding to assist our community in...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (6 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: There are significant Kurdish minority populations in Turkey, Iraq and Iran, and a smaller population in parts of Syria. There are 15 million people of Kurdish ethnic origin living in Turkey, mostly in the south east of the country. The Government's concerns about the human rights situation in Turkey, including the situation of people of Kurdish origin, are raised on a regular basis in our...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I am deeply concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe. The Government of Zimbabwe's disastrous economic policies have led to severe hardship for ordinary people, and those who seek democratic change face enormous obstacles. Politically motivated violence is reported to have increased throughout 2007. Many opposition activists and supporters, including those from the Movement for Democratic...

Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland is a long-standing and active proponent of a negotiated two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the central element of a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. The Government has argued consistently within the EU and internationally that the restoration of a credible peace process is an urgent necessity if further conflict in the region is to be avoided. I...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The establishment of the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2004 has greatly enhanced our capacity to develop and implement policies aimed at building relations with, and providing practical and financial assistance to, Irish communities overseas, across a wide range of important issues. Reaching out to and strengthening links with our communities abroad, and with...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: To date in 2007, 87% of this Department's energy budget has been spent on electricity. According to Eirgrid's latest figures, at least 9.3% of the electricity supplied comes from renewable sources, mainly wind and hydroelectric. The remaining 13% of the Department's energy budget is attributable to oil and gas, which are non-renewable sources.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393, 394, 395 and 410 together. The figures set out in the table include all costs for all mobile phones assigned to personnel at Headquarters in my Department. 2006 2007 to 31 October € € Total (excluding VAT) 165,667 120,369 Data charges 14,112 8,580 Roaming charges 37,893 35,280 For operational reasons, I have two mobile telephones. There is...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 396, 398 and 400 together. There is one press officer and three other officials in the press office of the Department, together with a Press Advisor, whom I personally appointed in 2004. The Press Advisor is at the level of Counsellor/Principal Officer, with a salary scale of €82,016 to €101,446. No Press Advisors were employed at the Department between...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I have provided, for the benefit of the Deputy, a tabular statement setting out details of the newspapers purchased by my Department on a daily and weekly basis. In order to achieve value for money, my Department has an agreement with certain suppliers to allow it to vary the number of newspapers provided on a weekly basis to provide for changes in staff requirements and to avoid partially...