Results 4,141-4,160 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have one special adviser, a programme manager and four others. One of the advisers liaises with the Ministers of State. That adviser's role relates to them, given that Ministers of State do not have advisers. The total salaries of all advisers is €974,122.

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I am satisfied with the work. Between them, they cover the entire range of Departments, with three or four each. They liaise with Ministers and Ministers of State as well as groups inside and outside the various Departments. This involves a range of meetings and I am satisfied with the work they do.

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I agree with Deputy Kenny that reports should be published quickly where issues of confidentiality are not involved, as is normally the case. There was an urgent reason the report he mentioned should be published quickly because it was holding up the decision on the release of the development of the hospital. It was correct that it was published immediately to allow for consultation and the...

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: One of the special advisers is a programme manager and another co-ordinates directly with Ministers of State. Each of the special advisers has responsibility for a number of Departments and liaises with them on items of the Cabinet agenda and issues that are working through sub-committees of Cabinet. They also deal with groups that wish to make representations to me and with areas where there...

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They do not all come from north Dublin.

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There is no overlap between advisers and constituency office staff. Practically all the people in my constituency office, with the possible exception of one junior person, are civil servants. Quite a few of the staff in a constituency office work on personal computers and carry out filing work so they would not be engaged in constituency work in terms of contacts. There is no overlap between...

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, there are far fewer advisers and programme managers now than was the case previously. Both numerically and cost-wise, the numbers involved are now much lower, but I will not go into that matter. The people who remain in my Department co-ordinate the work which would have been carried out by advisers and programme managers in each Department. They deal with a number of...

Ministerial Staff. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In a given period, legislation must be prepared across a range of Departments and there are ongoing meetings of Cabinet sub-committees with various items on the agenda. For example, on the cross-departmental team dealing with infrastructural issues, an adviser would work with the Minister and the officials in my Department to try to co-ordinate efforts on items on the agenda, including...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, together. The cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and public-private partnerships, PPPs, is scheduled to meet next on Wednesday, 1 March. While the agenda remains to be finalised, it will include Transport 21 and housing. These meetings are generally held on a monthly basis and there are eight more meetings planned for the...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny raised the first issue on a previous occasion at which time I told him the Minister for Finance was working on an initiative. That is now complete and I will give some details of it. It is aimed at accelerating PPP projects for key capital infrastructural projects in central Government areas. A new centre of expertise will be established under the National Development Finance...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not agree with the Deputy's thinking on this matter. Public-private partnerships here and elsewhere are designed to involve the private sector more efficiently and speedily because it has expertise in undertaking such projects and to try to complete projects more quickly. There is a cost effect too because the State will always be able to make better loan arrangements than anyone else,...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This committee does not deal with that particular issue but the committee on social inclusion deals with the housing and infrastructural programme for Travellers. The Deputy should put down a question to the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Fahey. There have been several discussions over the past six months not only at the Cabinet committee on that issue but...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is the centre for expertise.

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will answer the question on broadband. The issue regarding the directive is being discussed and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, will shortly bring forward proposals on that matter. The Government is totally opposed to nuclear power and has no proposals on that.

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I note that many of the Deputy's European colleagues, the Greens, are beginning to press for nuclear power.

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: However, I will resist it and hope that I can hold off the pressure as best I can from the Greens to bring nuclear power to Ireland——

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——since it has been strongly forced by them. On Deputy Rabbitte's question concerning the centre for expertise, Departments still have responsibility for identifying the project. The difficulty is that all of them went to different locations to get advice, with no co-ordination. It is brought together around the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure but, by and large, officials and...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is part of the agency but involves an extension of the powers of the NDFA. Until now, the NDFA was able to give advice on the financing of the project, including relevant issues such as how best to finance it and the timescales involved. Now it will have a role in procurement. In some cases it has expertise but in others it will be able to bring in expertise and source the best place to do...

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The initiative has delivered over 1,100 units to date, including those through Part 5.

Interdepartmental Committees. (21 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is estimated that over 2,000 houses will be provided under the initiative this year and 3,000 in 2007. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a way where one can hand over State land on Monday, get planning permission on Wednesday and build them on Friday. We have not yet found that mechanism.