Results 5,741-5,760 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In the normal course, not like this particular case but in any other——

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is not normal. However, it is not that abnormal either, unfortunately, that the Supreme Court strikes down law we pass in this House. We could have a long debate about who is right and wrong.

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In the normal course, I have to accept the position and that is how it operates. I would not normally know the results of any of these cases. Even when my inquisitive mind might know it, it is not the easiest way to find out information on these cases. The reason there was a delay in finding even this information — I know perhaps some people thought it was peculiar — was because it had to...

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy will appreciate that following a case such as this, the Attorney General's office advised me on every case for a few weeks. It gave me 1,000 pages on every case to read over the weekend. It is clear there is a huge number of cases——

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Not if I was to read them all. A substantial number of complex cases go through the system all the time and, in fairness, of literally hundreds of cases, whatever case goes wrong will be a huge one. There is a vast array of cases and while procedures are in place to ensure every issue goes through the Attorney General, and it should under the protocols, people probably just follow a system,...

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I was never known or never purported to be a legal wizard in any form. I always had great difficulty grasping or understanding the law.

Office of the Attorney General. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That was not a breach of the law. It was trusting people maybe more than I should have. At least we have followed the procedures and there are new measures. I will, as I promised Deputy Rabbitte some weeks ago, publish that report this week if I can.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is the old story. The report came out at 2.30 p.m.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The report came out at 2.30 p.m., experts have spent two years preparing it and the Opposition is an expert on it in half an hour and issues statements that are totally at variance with what it says, even on the courtesy remit.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Howlin is worse than Fine Gael. The only co-operation between the Labour Party and Fine Gael is when they keep making noise whenever I stand up to speak.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: After only a quick look at the report, we are an hour debating it here. I hope people study and examine this report and give it comprehensive consideration. Off the top of the head remarks, which are possibly based on reading just the first few pages, are an unsatisfactory way to deal with it.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On behalf of the Government, I thank the chairman, Mr. Justice Matthew Smith and the members of the commission for their thorough work and the resulting second report on the Nedap-Powervote electronic system. The report is, undoubtedly, one of the most comprehensive official reports ever produced on the matter of electronic voting. I am particularly pleased with the commission's overall...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The commission's overall validation of the €46 million investment in the electronic voting machines and the associated software is very pleasing and I hope Deputy Kenny will acknowledge that is the view of Mr. Justice Matthew Smith's report. That is clear to be seen. The commission concludes that the main hardware components of the system, including the voting machines, are of good quality...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A Cheann Chomhairle, there is no interest. I hope the national media that attends here will take more interest than the Opposition which is not prepared to look at an independent report produced over two years.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I hope that a responsible media will see the cynicism of an Opposition that is not prepared to consider it. This is the usual outrage of an Opposition that will read nothing, understand nothing and put forward nothing. The machines have been validated beyond question by an international commission, but Deputy Kenny will not recognise that. I want to give him the opportunity to recover himself...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: My colleagues allowed Deputy Kenny make his point, so I hope the Opposition will allow me do the same. The Deputy said there was a negative conclusion in the report relating to the election management software. We have removed some €46 million out of the equation for the machines, and I am grateful to him for acknowledging that.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The commission states it is unable to recommend the election management software. However, it goes on to say that alternative election management software compatible with the existing voting machine and other hardware and software components for the system could be developed at a reasonable relative cost.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The overall cost of the entire software component——

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny, please be serious for two minutes, if you cannot do it for any longer. The total cost of that software is €500,000. So, the Deputy has now acknowledged that the hardware is acceptable. He quoted the commission——

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Sorry, I thought the Deputy said it was of sound quality. The commission says the main hardware components of the system, including a voting machine is of good quality and design which is robust against failure and well suited to its purpose. Let us move on to the commission's criticism, which relates to the election management software. It states that election software to be used with the...