Results 5,021-5,040 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Members of the public are happy to deal with services provided from regional locations. As a Deputy representing the heart of Dublin, I do not understand what people have against other parts of the country. They are nice places to work and live and good places in which to be based.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I am trying to work out what was the question.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The only question I could pick up was that Deputy Joe Higgins asked if a review is taking place of the rent subsidy for the 60,000 people who are in receipt of it. The answer to that question is yes, such a review is taking place. It is designed to find ways and mechanisms and to encourage those concerned to use many of the schemes in place to obtain home ownership rather than to remain...

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The State pays huge rent subsidies to these 60,000 people.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It would be far better——

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It would be far better to provide homes for these people.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Joe Higgins knows — there is no point in repeating it — that Ireland has one of the highest rates of home ownership in the world.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On affordable housing, we are investing substantial resources in significant numbers of houses. It is envisaged that more than 15,000 units will be delivered under various affordable housing schemes this year, next year and into 2008. I gave the details of the Part V programme and the other programmes last week. The total provision of social and affordable housing was €2 billion last year....

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As Deputy Joe Higgins pointed out, we spend €400 million on rent supplements each year. That money goes to private landlords. The point made by the Minister, Deputy Brennan, is that it would be far better to spend a substantial part of that money on housing, in addition to the €2 billion we are spending on social housing, rather than giving it to landlords and others involved in this business.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The State is spending this money.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This is a very progressive way of bringing about social change——

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——rather than handing out hundreds of millions of euro, year in, year out.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In a five-year period——

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——we would hand out €2 billion to landlords.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: You should listen, Joe.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: What we want to do is to use that money.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Joe Higgins always gets upset when the Government tries to solve some of the problems he raises.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: He never wants to solve the problems.

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: He comes from the category——

Leaders' Questions. (10 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: His business is in keeping the poor poor. That gives him a reason to go on.