Results 6,201-6,220 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Official Engagements. (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There will be some pressure on the Russian authorities regarding recent events. There has been a series of such incidents, and not only regarding journalists. Several high-powered members of the banking and business fraternity, among others, have been assassinated recently. The Presidency will be making a formal statement with unanimous support. I believe that it has already made two such...

Official Engagements. (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We always raise human rights issues in our discussions with the Chinese at all levels. At the same time we acknowledge the efforts and the progress they are making on the rule of law. We continually raise these issues. We have had good success over the years in making representations regarding Falun Gong. I have raised the issue with the Chinese Premier, the President and others. We...

Official Engagements. (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have published our Green Paper and we will go along with that. The broader issue under discussion and one of the reasons President Putin is going is the difficulties that occurred after last Christmas in regard to supply. The aim is to try to create a better understanding with Europe. Chancellor Merkel has rightly put as the big initiative for her Presidency to try to get a European...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The prices that came into force on 1 October this year, including the 33.8% increase, will be fixed for one year until 30 September 2007. The Commission for Energy Regulation will review prices again during the summer of next year for the gas year starting on 1 October 2007. Under the Gas (Interim) (Regulations) Act 2002 responsibility for the regulation of tariffs is delegated to the CER,...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The system in this country allows for increases once a year, as agreed in legislation passed by this House. The position is examined over a year and the regulator makes a decision that applies from operable dates. This provides consistency of policy for industry and is designed as a model that gives certainty. We have experienced one increase but in the UK this year there have been 13...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Throughout Europe and internationally prices are going up dramatically. We, like most countries, import most of our gas from the one location in Russia. We do not have a North Sea gas resource to protect us from price rises. The same applies to industry in every country. We cannot have a regulator who keeps the situation neutral when times are good and ask him or her to stand down an...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have no control over them because they are internationally traded and our model is set in legislation. We have kept prices down for years, during which there has been no increase whatever. The regulator has made its judgment and recently provided figures based on its calculations over the year. Deputy Kenny asked what we proposed to do. We took immediate action. Some 70% of generation...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The second report of the Commission on Electronic Voting was one of the most comprehensive official reports ever produced on the matter. The overall conclusion of the report was that the system chosen for our country can potentially enhance and deliver real efficiency in the administration of elections.

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The commission concluded that it could recommend the voting and counting equipment for use in elections, subject to further work that it recommended and it set out the nature of that work. Deputy Rabbitte correctly said that we established a Cabinet sub-committee, chaired by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to consider the reports in detail and to report to...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In response to Deputies Rabbitte and Jim O'Keeffe, in Holland the anti-electronic campaign group, of which Deputy Rabbitte used not be a part——

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Our Scottish friends would find it amusing to know Deputy Rabbitte was totally in favour of electronic voting until the results of the last election.

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The anti-electronic voting campaign group in the Netherlands physically hacked into a machine to demonstrate security flaws. If one hacked into a ballot box one could do that too. It is important to note that the Commission on Electronic Voting made recommendations on how the physical and electronic security of the system could be improved. I understand the Dutch Government has stated...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The commission offered an overall validation of the investment in the machines——

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——and the associated hardware and the most negative conclusion in the report related to the management of the software which it could not recommend. It recommended what should be done to correct this and that is precisely what the committee is endeavouring to do.

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not take seven minutes to reply. The commission concluded that the main hardware components in the system, including the voting machines are good quality in design, robust against failure and well-suited to their purpose. That was the view of the commission on the expenditure. It was quite satisfied that the hardware that cost the money can work and operate effectively. They are not...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Some €500,000 has been spent on the election management software. The commission gave its views on how we could improve that. That is what the committee is doing. Our Dutch colleagues and others have studied this position. An editorial in a Dutch newspaper this morning stated: "A return to the system of paper and red pencil sounds romantic, but it is only a spurious solution, since fraud...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As Deputy Rabbitte knows, thousands of votes in our elections that are not stamped take away the democratic franchise of the electorate, which proves that our silly old system is outdated.

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have to correct the software, which will cost €500,000 and try to move forward. Otherwise, this country will move into the 21st century being a laughing stock with our stupid old pencils.

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This matter will be further debated in the House tomorrow. I thank our Scottish colleagues for the facilities they made available to us and particularly thank the Scottish First Minister, Mr. Jack McConnell, for his courtesy and the time he afforded us on our arrival on Wednesday last. We had a successful meeting with the Northern Ireland parties and appreciate the valuable contributions...

Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In response to my earlier letters to party leaders and based on the 2001 all-party committee report, there seems to be a basis to allow representation for Northern MPs in some form. It must be done with co-operation of Members but, for my part, I will bring it forward. We have already engaged with the British Government at ministerial and official levels regarding the peace dividend. There...