Results 4,681-4,700 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (29 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The legislation is being drafted and is listed for publication this year.

Order of Business. (29 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Legislation will be introduced during this session.

European Council: Statements. (29 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I attended the European Council in Brussels on 23 and 24 March 2006. The Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance, Deputies Dermot Ahern and Cowen, accompanied me. The conclusions of the Council have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This spring European Council was the first since the mid-term review of the Lisbon Agenda last March. It was a timely opportunity for European...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. As agreed with the social partners, the negotiations are being conducted on a strand-based approach. The first strand within the negotiations on a new pay agreement has focused on the issue of employment standards. A great deal of time and energy has been devoted to this but it is important for all of us that we get the right...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As for the first question regarding time spans, at the initial plenary meeting of the social partnership discussions in February I proposed that our approach to the negotiations should be based on the shared vision for the country outlined by the National Economic and Social Council. NESC put forward the ten year concept, thus reflecting the need for a medium to longer term policy, planning...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On low-paid workers, the position always depends on where one places the benchmark. People make their cases in negotiations, but generally the low-paid workers about whom Deputy Ó Caoláin is talking are not on the minimum wage, which is untaxed. In terms of take-home pay, those on the minimum wage are in a much better position than their international competitors in most industries....

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As always on these issues I do not agree with the perspective taken by Deputy Joe Higgins. Workers in this country have not done badly out of social partnership. Their job security and ability to get the same employment and proper standards have been dramatically improved every year for the past 20 years. That continues. There have been individual cases of exploitation and I have referred to...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In regard to Aer Lingus, as Deputy Joe Higgins is aware, security of employment was far from certain when it was in the State sector. Thousands of jobs were lost when the State had total control. As I have said previously, I am in favour of private equity being invested in Aer Lingus. I am in favour of the company growing, expanding, developing, increasing employment and gaining strength in...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As I stated, the major issue in these talks has been getting agreement on an enforcement system and new arrangements to deal with workers and employers and the issues that came to light in some of the disputes the Deputy mentioned. Discussion on this issue has been long and arduous over a period of several weeks. There is always some big issue in every social partnership agreement, and this...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I would not describe the talks as bogged down but it is a difficult issue to resolve. It means getting a balance where both sides can be satisfied that they have enough in substance and in terms of protection to ensure there is proper regulatory and legislative compliance. As much as anything, inspectors are there to police and investigate. Employers and, in particular, trade unions would...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked about some other area; it will come back to me. I hope not. The Minister has been engaged and continues to engage with the trade unions. He is conscious of their concerns. In allowing the sale of Aer Lingus to proceed we hope the concerns highlighted by the trade unions in numerous meetings, as late as last night, can be dealt with. There are obviously concerns about...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I would always prefer that everyone stayed within the centralised arrangement and it would be negotiated on that basis. As the Deputy knows, with practically every agreement some large group, for one reason or other, pulls out. However, MANDATE workers and lower paid workers are the big winners when one looks back over the years on positions maintained in this country as against other...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: No, it is not.

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy will always move to something else. When people were unemployed and working in England, there was no worry about the price of a house, and that is the position the Deputy would like to return to, but it is not what I would like to do.

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Joe Higgins was always happy when there was 18% or 20% unemployment because he had more to argue against.

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That is not the attitude to take. The question of the INO is a different one. It has made a strategic decision because it believes its case can stand up better on its own. It believes that rather than trying to complete a centralised agreement, it can put forward its own case. Unions sometimes take that view and we have to deal with that in the ongoing negotiations. To be frank, however, I...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: First, I express the sympathy of the House to the family, relatives and community of the 15 year old person who was killed in this tragic accident. This is a sad and black day for them and I pass on the sympathy of the Government and all Members. We wish a speedy and full recovery to the 12 people who were brought to hospital and understand the shock experienced by all others involved. This...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Some, if not all, of those well made points are under examination — I will ensure all of them are considered — following last year's events. As the Deputy noted, although the safety check for roadworthiness takes place under the authorised test centres, the same level of safety standards that apply to public buses, be they CIE buses or Bus Éireann buses, do not apply to privately...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputy Rabbitte was busy over the weekend, therefore, he would not have read my full speech. If he did so, he would have seen the balanced way I presented my speech. I even got thunderous applause from Deputy Bruton and members of the Green Party who were in the audience.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Apr 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Unfortunately, members of the Labour Party were elsewhere. Otherwise I would have received the same applause from them.