Results 7,241-7,260 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I can prove it because in can be seen in health care, health status, productivity in our hospitals, the number of people going through our hospitals and the number of additional people employed in our hospitals. We know this much even if we will not articulate it and be honest enough in this House. If it was simply a question of resources we would have this problem solved by now.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is about working in a collaborative way to ensure the practices and service delivery mechanisms in the interest of protecting public services are developed. In psychiatric care in recent years we have moved from an institutional system to people with psychiatric illnesses being able to take their place as citizens in the community.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Yet we have this continuing effort to portray the health system as simply an acute hospital system. It is about developing more primary care teams, as we are doing. It is about introducing more GP out-of-hours services, as we are doing and as has helped greatly in Dublin.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I assure Deputy Quinn that I know some of the people involved, many of whom are from my constituency. I do not come in here to say anything untoward about it only to this effect. Of course what happened should not have happened. However, we must take into account that real progress is being made in the development of cancer care services. I was aware and people like the rest of us from...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I can talk about that if the Deputy wants to shout me down about it. It was about the fact that it is a Department where it is possible to get up the next day and something comes out of the left field about which nobody informed the Minister. That can happen and that is what I meant by it.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: That has also been portrayed wrongly because some people want to portray it in a different way. The bottom line is that we have a Minister for Health and Children who is involved in the process of change and wants to bring reform.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Whatever our political differences, the primary responsibility of this House is to represent citizens, not resisters of change or vested interests in the health service who want to hold it back.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 122 together. The 2003 EU Energy Tax Directive incorporated special derogations which allowed specific excise duty reliefs to be applied in a number of Member States. In the Irish context, these derogations allowed for reduced rates to apply to fuel used for public transport services which includes school transport services. While these derogations...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that approximately 978,000 applications for refund were reviewed and that the average repayment made to each of the approximately 750,000 taxpayers who have received a repayment in 2007 is €655. The repayments are for the years 2003 to 2007 inclusive.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is understood that the Deputy is enquiring about PAYE repayments. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that they are not in a position to give the number of people who are entitled to a tax refund for the years 2003 to 2007 inclusive. This is because the onus is on the individual taxpayer to inform Revenue of changes in their individual circumstances which would give rise to a...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Safes and security cabinets are provided to officeholders for the secure storage of papers and effects (including personal effects) as the officeholder may require. The contents of such safes and the access arrangements in their offices are a matter for the officeholder.

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Details of Exchequer taxes for the years 2004 – 2006 are published in the Finance Accounts and the relevant information is set out below for completeness. In relation to data for 2007, the information show in the table below reflects receipts at end-October. I will be publishing my latest estimate for the 2007 Outturn in the White Paper on Estimates and Receipts this coming weekend and,...

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is proposed to take No. 10a, motion on supplementary statement of expenditure for Houses of the Oireachtas; No. 1, Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad] — Second Stage (resumed); No. 16, statements on National Drug Strategy 2001 to 2008 and the mid-term review of the National Drugs Strategy March 2005. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that...

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I have no problem in principle with any arrangement that will enhance the debate and coverage of the House in plenary session, particularly with committee work. Any arrangement that would enhance the House's deliberations is to be welcomed by all Members on all sides. These matters are Whips' issues. On the interjection referred to by Deputy Quinn on statements, I took that to mean that...

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Second Stage of the Tribunal of Inquiries Bill has resumed. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has given full and unambiguous assurances that it has nothing to do with existing inquiries and does not interfere with them in any way, as the Opposition knows.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It continues nevertheless to trot out the same old stuff in the hope that it might get a line in the newspapers. I do not intend editorialising on the tribunal's deliberations although I note that the Opposition does so every day of the week.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is intended to take the nursing homes support scheme Bill in this session. It has been in the public domain for well over a year. If the Opposition had any queries it could have used parliamentary Question Time or Private Members' motion time. It has had any number of opportunities to seek further clarification on it.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Minister for Health and Children has often enunciated the full details of how it would work.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Bill will be debated when it comes forward because the Minister is anxious to proceed with it. The legislation provides for a new nursing home support scheme, the final details of which are being addressed.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Minister proposes to publish the Bill following Government approval and have the legislation in place in time for the new year.