Results 6,741-6,760 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Nobody said that.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There are two issues. The first is what happened in the Rotunda Hospital the weekend before last and what led to this issue being highlighted, correctly, in the media.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The facilities of the sexual assault treatment unit there were available, but there was no doctor. We are spending €14 billion on the health service. The facts relating to what happened are disputed. I am not responsible for rostering doctors, as I said. Given that the unit was on call, it should have been operational. The resources which are needed are provided in a number of units....

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I appreciate the support of the Deputy and all the leaders in the House for the Good Friday Agreement. I regret the actions of Michael Stone on Friday. There could have been a real disaster and I commend those involved. What we agreed at St. Andrews was a significant breakthrough from the old view of the parties that they would not move towards setting up an executive. In April, Prime...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I would love matters to be perfect, and Deputy Rabbitte's analysis is fair enough in that it is not all perfect. There are a number of major difficulties. The biggest one is that the DUP has taken the view it will not have face to face talks with Sinn Féin in the first place. If such talks did take place, it could resolve a lot very quickly, but it will not happen in the circumstances we...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I accept that, but that is the position. At least we have moved to the Programme for Government Committee. Dr. Paisley's intention is clear. Perhaps it was not quite clear on the day. I said it was not and in fairness to the good man, he clarified it three hours later. Policing has to be dealt with. Let us be frank: if policing is not resolved, Dr. Paisley and his party will be gone, as...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy has asked what can be done in the short term to cope with the enormous amount of additional traffic we have had in this city — about 800,000 more vehicles than we had some years ago. The Government has approved funding of €30 million for the purchase by Dublin Bus of 100 additional buses. A large number of them will arrive in January, which is in the short term. There will be...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Some of the stations, such as the one in Adamstown, will open in March. The number of trains on the route has already been extended this year and is due to be extended next year.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Operation Freeflow helps at key junctions. The Deputy is correct to state it is not as successful as it was a decade ago because of the volume of traffic. This is particularly true in the Deputy's constituency because of the construction under way on the M50. The Deputy is aware the M50 work is being conducted at a flat out pace and is well ahead of schedule. However, while it takes...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: These are some of the things that will happen in the short term.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Joe Higgins has ignored what I told him about the additional buses. In recent years, he has asked in particular that the Government should try to deal with this issue. Almost 1,000 new buses have been brought into service by Dublin Bus. It is an——

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Almost 1,000 new buses——

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Almost 1,000 buses have been brought in by Dublin Bus.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: If Members——

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Higgins asked me specifically what the Government was going to do. I am trying to answer him.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Almost 1,000 new buses have been brought into operation in the past few years.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There will be a further 100 buses brought in by the end of January and this, along with——

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I was trying to get silence for Deputy Higgins. It is unfair that everyone interrupts on his question. I will try to move quickly in order that other Members will not keep interrupting. There will be 100 new buses by the end of January.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As for the bus corridors, Dublin Bus and CIE continue to increase the number of corridors. The port tunnel will open and while it will put more traffic onto the M50, it will remove dramatically thousands of vehicles from the streets that use them for rat runs at present.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Members should never forget that one reason for the port tunnel was to remove five-axle trucks from the streets and residential estates. They were trampling through residential areas and through where the hard-pressed working people were buying houses.