Results 6,081-6,100 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 7, inclusive, together. There are currently five special advisers appointed by me. The Deputies will be aware that one of my special advisers recently took up office with the Health Service Executive. No decision has yet been taken to replace this special adviser. There has been no increase in their number since I took office. Under the direction of the...

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The position on this has been clear for many years. The contracts for advisers always run to the formation of the next Government. They cease their duties on the night before a Government is appointed, if they are not reappointed, as happened in the last instance. If they involve themselves on a full-time basis in a campaign, they must take leave. They are not allowed to be working in the...

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: When I referred to specific departmental responsibilities I meant that each of them covers a number of Departments. One of them has responsibility for the Departments of Agriculture and Food, Finance, and Health and Children. They would liaise and keep in touch with the relevant issues. Another has responsibility for the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,...

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: No. If they engage in that, it is done in their spare time.

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Katherine Bulbulia, who was a special adviser to the former Tánaiste, left office on 13 September. She was programme manager to the then Tánaiste and was based in my Department. I assume she will be replaced. My adviser has gone to the HSE. My thinking on that at this stage is that I will not replace that position but will reassign work within the Department. Some of the functions which...

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: He would need to be a senior counsel.

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is.

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: If somebody is contracted to a job and takes annual leave, outside of that they are entitled to do what they will, once it is within the law. They have to take annual leave, however, and cannot be involved in their day-to-day advisers' work during an election campaign when they are working on a party political basis. That is the distinction, so if they are working on a party political...

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Saving the hay.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together. The cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and PPPs last met yesterday. The items on the agenda were Transport 21, broadband and the new National Development Plan 2007-2013. The team is scheduled to meet next on 8 November 2006. It has one further meeting planned for the remainder of this year. The team's role is to...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This particular team is not dealing with the Cork Airport issue but it is being dealt with elsewhere. That matter is close to being resolved. If not formally resolved, the parameters of a resolution have been worked out on the structures for the airport so the matter should soon be wrapped up by the various boards. The team worked very effectively during the last few years. Originally we...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is in Transport 21 so it is listed.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On the North-South issues, a sub-group of the cross-departmental team has been examining existing and potential areas of co-operation. Until now it has been mainly on roads, road development and road infrastructure. As the Deputy is aware it has done quite a good job on the Dublin-Belfast Road and the Ballymascanlon-Newry project is well under way. There is also a high level of North-South...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not go into the general issues. The new owners of Eircom are anxious and determined to deal with and get on top of the broadband and other issues. I wish them well on that. On energy policy issues, in recent months the team has considered these and wider energy issues. Its discussions focused mainly on the issues of climate change, energy issues, particularly the overall policy...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A cross-departmental team of all key Departments, not just a group in my Department, looks at the competitiveness report. It takes the report into account and probably feels satisfied when it sees all the areas in which we are top or in the first three or four. There are some areas, and I have mentioned ——

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The reason we are not high in some infrastructural areas is that until approximately a decade ago what we spent in this country on infrastructure was pathetically low. We did not have the money because we were spending our money on the national debt.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I would not like to think that people across Departments, who are trying to see road, waste and other infrastructural projects go through, would spend their time either looking at EU reports or statistical analyses of an academic exercise that is useless to the people. What they are trying to do is to ensure the removal of any administrative, structural or other blocks in the system in order...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not agree with the Deputy's analysis. However I am not allowed discuss it. The Deputy has argued that these projects are not moving well——

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the Fermoy bypass which was opened the other day and is only one of approximately 20 this year. It was completed seven months ahead of schedule and is under budget.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I accept there were difficulties in the past.