Results 7,761-7,780 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On a daily basis the Government Information Service dispenses information that comes through Departments, from Government itself or from Cabinet committees. It is mainly about reports or documentation approved for circulation for interested parties, whether it be farming, teachers or whatever. That is its ongoing job. There is not a day that it does not put out information either to a...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Normally public relations contracts run for the period of the Government, but the departmental public relations contracts would not be engaged in a political campaign or they would not be involved in a period of election.

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I do not accept that Ministers breached the public procurement guidelines and the various rules in the handbook prior to the last general election. Ministers must follow the guidelines. There were a few cases outside of election times that were brought to the attention of the Standards in Public Office Commission, which were looked at. I do not believe informing people about the FIS system...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In regard to any contract in a Department, there is the criteria set down by the Department of Finance, the Cabinet book and directives that cover what Ministers or departmental sections can do in the promotion of any campaign. There is also the Government contracts committee. All of these lay down the rules. The issue in the Quigley report dealt with a PR communications area where there...

Departmental Staff. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 16, inclusive, together. Mr. Loughlin Deegan, a qualified solicitor, was appointed on 29 July 2002 to the position of special assistant to act as a liaison between the Attorney General and myself and other Departments on items relevant to the programme for Government. His duties also include briefing the Attorney General on items arising in the Dáil...

Departmental Staff. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That was the issue to which I referred. Following the completion of the work, the Attorney General's office found an error in the chronological tables. The office has been seeking to correct the error in that work. As I stated in the reply, two possible options have been identified to correct the errors that have occurred. The first would not take too long. It involves seven weeks of...

Departmental Staff. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I said in my reply, some 15 additional staff have been taken on. We have some very able Irish drafters, but there are difficulties when someone is on maternity or special leave as, unlike many other posts, one cannot easily find experienced people. I agree that we should at all times endeavour to have our own draftspeople, and it is to be hoped that the extra staff will help. I will not...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the general question about a world-class health service, we have made real progress in the health service. We have over 100,000 dedicated professionals treating over 1 million patients in our public hospitals alone. There are 38,000 new staff, including 2,700 medical dental personnel and 9,000 nurses. Some 8,700 specialists were recruited in the past ten years and almost 1,000...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: However, the Deputy cannot assert that all those things are true while acknowledging all the staff are great. On the antenatal outpatient clinic at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, the HSE has confirmed that, because of the increased number of births therein, it has been very hard pressed to get the waiting list in line. There is no doubt that this is a real problem and I will not defend the...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I understand the agenda of the Deputy, who has visited all the hospitals in question. We are tracking each other in that I have been to most of them also. I have heard the negative comments but have also heard an endless number of positive ones. People who have been in for major cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplants, maternity care or other kinds of treatments, including people who...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I know there are Members of the House who believe we should hold on to all of those hospitals, something we cannot do. This plan, which is costly and which the Government supports, will ensure the north east will get a modern, integrated and safe hospital and patient services. Deputy Kenny knows that whoever is in Government for the next number of years, that plan will be unveiled. It is...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I refer to the last day when we debated this issue when I said to Deputy Rabbitte that I did not know of any contract negotiations and that he should table a question. He obviously did the right thing the following day and asked the people directly involved. The Minister for Health and Children has answered since and answered again today in an interview. The Deputy knows the answer to the...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte should listen because if he listened he might know the position. I said clearly that the Health Service Executive will issue the invitation to tender to the selected bidders at the end of this week or early next week. Is that clear to the Deputy?

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: What do you think? The sites.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked me about private hospitals.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked me about co-locating.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I know the Deputy appears stupid at times but he cannot be that stupid.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the second question——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If the Deputy would listen. On the second question——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have answered it.