Results 7,741-7,760 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are spending €33 billion on public transport. I thought that was a fair priority.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Yes, we will.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: This session.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy should table a question to the Minister.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If he told the Deputy it was at an advanced stage, it must be at an advanced stage.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Bill is almost ready. It will be published shortly.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The student support Bill will be published this session. I do not have a date for the adoption Bill but the student support Bill is nearly ready. It is due this session.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will have to check with regard to the second convention — I do not have it listed. Was the first question on the adoption Bill?

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will check with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on that. On the Hague Convention, the adoption Bill will be published this session.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The social housing Bill is listed for early summer. The Deputy should put the other question to the Minister.

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. Several Independent Deputies offered invaluable support to the previous Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government. While in regard to this Administration, their support is not as critical to the Government's majority, given the support they have provided in the past, I have tried, and will continue to try, to be as helpful as...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: A staff member in my office assists the Government Chief Whip's office in liaising with these Deputies. This official meets with these Deputies on a regular basis and arranges to keep them briefed on issues as they arise. I want to confirm that there is no additional cost to the taxpayer in dealing with these Deputies. One assistant principal officer deals with the Deputies and assists the...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is well known that four Independent Deputies continuously supported the last Government. The two remaining Deputies in that category are Deputies Healy-Rae and Fox. Contact with them is as required. In the last Dáil there was regular contact because the Government did not have the numbers between its two parties without their support, so they were kept in touch with on a regular basis....

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Once a person is in the parliamentary party, he or she, like everybody else, gets the briefing on legislation from the Whip and is well informed. When one is not in the parliamentary party, it is not as easy to be briefed on legislation. Most of the briefing in question is on legislation in respect of which individuals would want to be aware of the Government's position or issues that...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I explained, and Deputy Sargent has correctly reported what I said previously and today, there is a small number of Deputies who supported the Government throughout the last term and those Deputies continue to be briefed where necessary even if their support is not as crucial in this Dáil. What happens in future Dáils and what happened in past Dáils is a matter for another day or for...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: First, I welcome Deputy Ó Caoláin back to the House and wish him every strength and success. It is good to see him back working again. The assistance mainly relates to legislative matters or matters that Members from political parties would be briefed on in the normal course of affairs when legislation is before the House. It is no more than that. Sometimes Members might want to see a...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No. The House would not be sitting and no legislation would be going through. The questions that normally arise would not apply. One of the two Deputies who is normally briefed is not running for the next Dáil so it would not arise in that case and I do not believe that Deputy Healy-Rae will come to the House to seek advice on legislative issues during the course of the campaign in south...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is another reason I do not think he will come to the House during the interregnum.

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 10, inclusive, together. These questions relate to the findings of the Quigley report which was published in 2005. It highlighted the need for special care in cases where services are procured where there is an element of direct service to a Minister or Minister of State, particularly in the public relations or communications area. As I outlined to the...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the general question of an advertising or information publicity campaign in a Department, clear guidelines are set down by the Department of Finance on what one can do in that regard. Those guidelines have been enhanced and tightened up on a number of occasions in the past six or seven years. A Minister or a Minister of State in any Department cannot simply decide to produce a publicity...