Results 4,901-4,920 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We probably all agree the issues surrounding the electoral register need to be addressed urgently. Those issues, including the over-statement of people on the register, have been around a long time. It was early in my political life when the register was properly dealt with by local authorities and the political system. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny asked a number of questions. I spoke of census enumerators or other temporary staff being used and ring-fenced resources used for overtime or weekend work. Therefore, it is obviously a matter of additional bodies to help. Every local authority has its own system. The problem is that while people such as rate collectors and others are involved in collecting the information, there...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That is very difficult since these houses are supposed to have only four or five bedrooms. There was an extraordinary voter turn-out in some of those houses in the last general election. The only way we can tidy up this is by having census enumerators or other temporary staff doing the leg-work. It is not an easy job, since not everyone now lives in the old terraced, semi-detached or detached...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I accept that, and we had a similar problem years ago with the welfare offices and unemployment register offices. There is a job to be done on this and we will see what the enumerators can do in a short period on the census. It needs the same amount of time. The old job that used to be done on this, for various reasons — and this is not a criticism — has not worked and has not been...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: For good reason.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte seems more concerned that I might call an autumn general election and if that is his concern, I will not. The legislation is clear on this issue. I am always amused when somebody in the House comes up with a new issue that has been around for years and says it is terrible. Deputy Rabbitte knows how the system operates. The Electoral Acts, over the years, have given the power...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They have not even debated these issues.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte listed his complaints about the register. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, has actively tried to improve the register. The best way is to get people to check the register. The best way of doing that, as was the case with the census, is by putting people on the street to do it. We can have any number of bland ideas about this...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The census people made it absolutely clear they would not do the two together.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They made it absolutely clear they would not do the two together.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They made it absolutely clear that they could not, and would not, do the two jobs together. We must be serious about this, which I thought Deputy Kenny was, although I have grave reservations as to whether Deputy Rabbitte is. Looking back over several elections, there were always between 300,000 and 400,000 additional people on the register. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not go back over the points I already made. Deputy Rabbitte understands that when we put forward the issue of the census enumerators taking the two forms together — a suggestion with which I had no difficulty — they stated they were governed by separate legislation, the time in which it was put to them was inadequate as the census form was a separate operation for which they had...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The work will be done by 1 November, but the final register is due on 15 February.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The enumerators are tied up with their census work until mid-June or the end of June. They will not do it in July and August. I do not believe July and August would be the best months to carry it out. Deputy Rabbitte knows that would not be practical. Work on the issue of dealing with deaths is on-going. It does not require people to call to the houses. The local authorities must step up...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have covered the ground for this. There will be an early start to the local authority register for this year. If we can we will use census enumerators or other temporary staff. We will make available a budget for local authorities. The next register will be published in draft form on 1 November. Clearly the work must take place up to that date and up to the final register on 15 February....

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Eighteen year olds are always highlighted in the advertising campaign and that should be the case this time also. All political parties do their utmost to ensure that 18 year olds are on the register. Everybody who is legally entitled should be on the register. Deputy Ó Caoláin is missing the point. In the last election in 2002, well over 3 million people were on the register whereas the...

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I accept that. The Minister has been running a campaign based solely on getting people on the register.

Leaders' Questions. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The entire campaign so far has been based on trying to get people on the register. It has been highlighted in the Dáil and the Seanad in recent weeks that a large number of people are on the register who should not be there because they have moved on or they are listed twice or several times. In some cases, people on the register may not exist at all.

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and public private partnerships last met on 4 April. The agenda included a presentation on broadband, which gave an overview of the impact of broadband, our objectives and challenges for the future. An overview of developments in the management and delivery of public private...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Under the national development plan we have seen unprecedented investment in both our economic and social infrastructure. To build on that we are now working on the next national development plan and have initiated a consultation process involving the same range of organisations and groups which were involved in previous plans. There must be consultation and the documents to which the Deputy...