Results 4,561-4,580 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Dublin-Monaghan Bombings. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Or they have been sent to the archive. Everything from my Department goes to the archive.

Dublin-Monaghan Bombings. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On that question, I do not believe anybody is saying they are missing. I am aware of them because I know that Justice for the Forgotten found the records in the British archive. Data and information in my Department, even if redacted and amended under the 30-year rule from 1974-75 are now in our archive. It is available for public use and historians have already gone through much of the data...

Freedom of Information. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, together. Following is the information requested by the Deputies on the statistics regarding freedom of information requests received in my Department. In my Department, the number of staff allocated to deal with freedom of information requests is one higher executive officer, who is the freedom of information liaison officer and is...

Freedom of Information. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny did raise the first issue with me. As he will recall, I was not aware of it either. I understand the situation was changed in that regard to facilitate litigation. Action has been taken since then to highlight the matter. A further process exists through which aspects of legislation that curtail freedom of information are examined by the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The driver-testing backlog is totally unacceptable and must be eliminated as quickly as possible. Each additional month that it takes has a negative impact on road safety. Driver-testing and road safety are directly linked as we have said time and time again and I have said it here. The problem is not just an industrial relations one. It affects people's lives as well. As Deputy Kenny knows...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As I have said previously, if just one person dies on the roads, that is one person too many. Some 399 people died on the roads last year, which is several hundred less than the number of people who died when there was a fraction of the current amount of vehicles on the roads. That does not detract from the Government's desire to minimise the number of people dying on the roads. It is not a...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As regards the incident, at 4.30 a.m. on 26 March a shooting occurred between the M50 motorway and the Lucan road. A car containing five passengers, two male and three female, had several shots fired at it. Two of the passengers were wearing bullet-proof vests. The driver of the car received a flesh wound to the elbow and was brought to hospital. He was reluctant to stay and discharged...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That does not seem to be what happens, however.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked why I gave the Garda figures. He said the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was responsible to this House for what the Garda did. I was giving him the factual position from information the Garda had given us. I thought that was what he required. I agree with the Deputy that it was a miracle nobody was killed. If it had not been 4.30 a.m., there would have...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: With a population of 3.6 million, there were 29 crimes per thousand of the population.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Now with a population of half a million more people——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——there are 24.6 crimes per 1,000. They are the figures.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputy Rabbitte would like to point out, as he did last week——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——the cumulative figures for the past few years. I looked back at that because it was a good point.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte said it is terrible that there are 100,000 headline crimes. That was the point made here by the Opposition last week. I found that in 1995 there were 100,785 headline crimes and in 1996——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I listened carefully to a whole lot of misinformation but as soon as I try to give any information Members try to shout me down.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I purposely did not raise the figures because I do not think that is the point. There was more crime when Deputy Rabbitte sat at the Cabinet table, when there was a population of half a million less, and there were fewer gardaí.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy opposed——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: No, the definition was not changed. Far more crimes are now recorded because the PULSE system is recording them, as Deputy Rabbitte knows. I accept there is too much crime. I am glad Fergus McCabe is going to another job — Deputy Rabbitte is aware of that too. I am glad we are still pumping resources into dealing with the drugs problem.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputy Rabbitte was in a different position then, but I am glad that if he had the chance again he would not oppose the referendum on bail, cancel the prisons programme, be against extra gardaí or vote against our proposals on minimum sentences. They were all wise decisions that he would now make if he were in that position.