Results 3,881-3,900 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: The defence (amendment) Bill will be this session.
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: To which Bill does the Deputy refer?
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: If the Deputy puts down a question to the Minister, he will explain the position.
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: It will go to Government either next week or the following week.
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: A question can be put down on that matter. The heads of the building societies amendment Bill are completed. The legislation is almost complete and it will be before the House this session.
- Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Not yet, but I will do so.
- Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (1 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: My Department did not engage public relations consultants during 2005 on behalf of either myself or my Department. Three contracts were engaged by bodies under the aegis of my Department. Two contracts were engaged by the National Centre for Partnership and Performance and one by the National Forum on Europe, the details of which are set out as follows. Caden Communications, 4 York Terrace,...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. I propose to circulate in the Official Report the information requested by the Deputies on the statistics regarding freedom of information requests received in my Department. In 2005, a total of â¬780 was collected in fees in respect of 52 applications. A further â¬225 was collected in respect of internal review fees for three...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: To the best of my knowledge, it is the other way around. I do not know whether the change has yet occurred, but another long list of bodies was to be made subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1997. Regarding health and safety issues, I am not aware of any change. Whatever was the position remains such. The Health and Safety Authority, if it was ever on the list, remains so. It has not...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: As I said, I will check for the Deputy whether there has been any change in processing health and safety queries from the inception of Act. I do not believe that there has been. If someone asked regarding health and safety in my Department, I cannot imagine why he or she should be refused the information. My reply to the next question will contain information on what is covered by health and...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: The Information Commissioner produces an annual report which is examined in detail by the Department of Finance and by an interdepartmental group. I am not involved in the process. The Deputy asked a question concerning section 24 of the Act which provides protection for records whose disclosure would reasonably be expected to damage the security of the State, defence of the State,...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I have raised the issue of fees before and we have examined the matter in other jurisdictions. There is a range of fees in other jurisdictions, particularly for appeals. If it concerns a personal matter there is no fee here, otherwise a fee of â¬15 applies, which is a modest sum. It is estimated that the average administrative cost of processing an application is â¬425, so the fee is small...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: The Deputy has misunderstood the Act. As I said in my earlier reply, I have no role in the processing of individual applications. I am not consulted on applications that come to my Department, nor am I consulted on replies that emanate from it. It would not be appropriate therefore for me to comment on any individual cases or on specific matters.
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: No, I have noââ
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: They are not. As political head of a Department I have no role whatsoever. The whole purpose and objective of the Freedom of Information Act is that I am neither consulted on what comes in, nor am I consulted on what goes out. That is the way it has been since 1998.
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am not aware of any change in how health and safety issues have been dealt with. Whatever way they were dealt with in the first place, I understand they are dealt with in the same manner now. I am not aware of what was in the 1997 Act regarding health and safety but if a freedom of information question was asked regarding health and safety, to do with lifts or stairs, or other related...
- Freedom of Information. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: There is absolutely nothing on the file. However, as I said to Deputy Kenny, I will check to see whether there has been a change, but certainly I am not aware of any change in regard to health and safety issues.
- Disability Act 2005. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, together. My Department is fully committed to ensuring that the spirit and the letter of this legislation are honoured in the way the Department provides its services. We have for many years been conscious of our duty to ensure access to our buildings and services by people with disabilities. At the time of the adaptation of the...
- Disability Act 2005. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: My Department does not have an overarching role with regard to the Disability Act. My Department is one of the Departments which tries to implement aspects of the Act â every Department has been given responsibilities under the Act. My Department was not one of the sectoral areas. The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Fahey, works on this issue...
- Disability Act 2005. (7 Feb 2006)
Bertie Ahern: The personnel of my Department continuously try to be helpful in assisting and recruiting people with disabilities. Whenever they get the opportunity they try to be helpful in terms of mobility within the Department and its accessibility for people with disabilities. The definition is set out in the 2005 Act: "[D]isability" in relation to a person means a substantial restriction in the...