Results 5,541-5,560 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will ask about it. I have no reason for the delay. I will ask to be given a response.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The voluntary agreements have been reached with the industry. The Department wishes to hold off on the introduction of the Bill pending the outcome of those voluntary agreements. I am not aware of the length of time they have been given to do that. The Deputy might raise that with the Minister by way of parliamentary question. The heads of the Bill have been approved by Government and the...

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Immigration and Residency Bill is a large Bill with 70 heads. Work on the heads of the Bill is ongoing but they are not ready yet. Work is at a preliminary stage on the enforcement of fines Bill. It is not possible to say when it will be introduced.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Stagg raised the first issue yesterday. My office has been on to the Department of Education and Science and we hope to get a reply to the Deputy as quickly as possible. It is hoped to publish the heads of the broadcasting Bill shortly and bring it to the committee to allow us move on with it.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The heads of the Bill were approved at the beginning of April. The legislation will be published this session.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will check them all for the Deputy and drop him a line.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think it is scheduled for this session.

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I answered a question on the first one earlier. The heads of the Bill are being prepared. On the register, it is not possible to give an indication on that. The Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children are in discussions on the establishment of a pre-employment consultancy service. Those discussions are not yet complete. We were unable to proceed with what we were...

Order of Business. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Dublin transportation authority Bill is due later this year. It will provide for the establishment of a transport authority to oversee the implementation of Transport 21. The postal Bill has been dropped from the lists at this stage.

European Council: Statements. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The European Council took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 June. In advance of the meeting, I informed Chancellor Schüssel of Austria, the President in office of the European Council, that I would be unable to attend as the State funeral of the former Taoiseach, Mr. Charles Haughey, coincided with the European Council. Before the European Council, I spoke with the Chancellor, and also with...

Seanad: Social Partnership Agreement: Motion. (21 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion welcoming the draft social partnership agreement, Towards 2016. I congratulate the House on its early discussion of the new agreement, following its earlier debate on the negotiations in the context of the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and National Economic and Social Forum, NESF, reports which preceded them. Before turning to...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. There was no meeting of the cross-departmental team during May. The team last met on 13 June. The items on the agenda were water supply, airports and ports. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government presented an overview and update of the water services investment programme. The Department of Transport gave...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will try to cover all the points the Deputy has raised. Airports were discussed at the last meeting, particularly all aspects of airport development. There was no particular discussion about Cork Airport where the issue is not confusion but that the airport authorities want to get the best deal they can for development in the overall structure. The airport authority must consider the whole...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will bring the issues to the attention of the line Ministers as it is a matter for them to answer in detail. I will bring the Deputy's views to the cross-departmental committee. It has set out what it will do in all these areas. It is for the responsible Ministers to deal with them through parliamentary questions. They are well aware of these issues. The main issue is affordability which is...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The public capital programme deals directly with that area. We are now spending the better part of €6.5 billion on infrastructural deficits and new infrastructure in areas, be it water, sea ports infrastructure, airports or road investment. All local authorities have area development plans and these take account of the facilities that are necessary. As Deputy Higgins is aware, as he was...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Schools come under the capital programme. While, once a year, the team reports on the schools programme, it is separately handled by the Department of Education and Science. The dramatic increase in resources at primary, secondary and third levels is due to the increased population numbers. We are now at a stage where more projects are being developed in one year in primary and secondary...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Sargent's question relates to the details of a specific project.

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy should put down a question to the relevant Minister on the details of this matter. On energy and waste issues, the cross-departmental team has focused its discussions in recent months on climate change and the overall policy direction to be given to the Environmental Protection Agency in preparing the second national allocation for the emissions trading scheme. The deliberations of...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——on that occasion the team was concerned with water supply, airports and ports. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources recently launched an initiative to increase the use of renewable energy. I am sure Deputy Sargent has put down questions to him on the details of that programme, which aims to more than double the contribution of renewable sources of electricity...

Interdepartmental Committees. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That is in line with the EU directive on the promotion of electricity production from renewable energy resources and our aim to increase the total capacity of renewable energy technologies to 1,450 MW. Responsibility for water services lies with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and work is ongoing in this area by the cross-departmental team. In particular, it...