Results 4,481-4,500 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On the legislation, will the Deputy remind me which Bill he was referring to?

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Yes. I dealt with that earlier.

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I said there would be a recommittal to Second Stage. Effectively this means it will be a Second Stage debate.

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It awaits an order for Second Stage.

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As the Tánaiste wants to take it soon, an order for Second Stage will be made very shortly.

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not have a date for it.

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: With the completion of the first phase, e-Cabinet became operational in June 2004. Since then, it has hosted some 25,000 electronic transactions a year and has virtually eliminated manual dissemination of Cabinet papers. Further phases, adding functionality and improving user experience, have been deployed since then. Over 5,500 users are registered to the system. The final planned phase of...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In December 2004, the Government approved a memorandum dealing with increasing the use of e-payments by Departments and in the public sector. It was decided that by the end of 2005, where possible, all Departments and offices would use electronic funds transfer, EFT, to make payments. In the case of my Department, EFT has been implemented as a payment method and is used to make payment to all...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (21 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Intense efforts were made by both Governments in the latter half of 2004 to broker an agreement on the key issues to be resolved to finally and definitively assure peace and political stability in Northern Ireland. The Governments communicated their final proposals for a comprehensive agreement, addressing these key issues, to the DUP and Sinn Féin in early December 2004. I received a letter...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will make a couple of brief points first. Deputy Kenny is correct in saying we have provided significant resources for the health services.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I managed to complete one sentence without interruption. The Opposition should stop interrupting and let me speak. We have put in the resources and the staff. There have been significant improvements throughout the health service, in the level of cancer care, in paediatric medicine and in most of the difficult specialties there have been major and growing improvements. I accept the accident...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: My figure is not the Opposition's figure. I get a different figure.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That row goes on every day.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The figure I received for yesterday was 190. Deputy Kenny asked what we are doing about this.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is important that we make steady and substantial progress for patients. It is not acceptable to, or accepted by, Government that people, particularly older people, must wait a long time on trolleys before admission.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This affects their dignity and other issues arise. The ten-point plan, which involves a focussed implementation of actions, is under way. We are helping older people move out of hospitals when they are medically fit to leave. The home care package and the enhanced nursing home subventions——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A total of 530 people have already received the new supports.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Many more will do so in the months ahead. We are working with the HSE to provide more home support to help people avoid admission to hospital.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We are also supporting the HSE's comprehensive flu vaccination campaign. We are providing step-down facilities for immediate care. To date 562 people have moved out of hospitals. The HSE provides 48 high-dependency long-term beds for the more severely ill. We are also putting in place an out-of-hours GP service and as I said previously, we have opened a new accident and emergency unit in St....

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The HSE has got clearance for another 250 private beds which will take long-term public acute patients. That is in addition to the 250 beds provided in November. The HSE informs me that it gets a benefit of about three months when the patients are removed. Older people then fill those beds and the difficulty recurs. Deputy Kenny's last point is valid and the HSE is prioritising it. The HSE is...