Results 8,141-8,160 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: These schemes will address any remaining inadequacies in the current infrastructure.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The European Commission has identified Ireland and the United Kingdom as the two member states in which improvements in drinking water quality are significant and obvious. That is the overall position.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I do not understand Deputy Kenny's complaint regarding what was said by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. A range of approximately six measures were agreed at the meetings. First, it was agreed that efforts by the engineers in the area to identify the source or sources of the outbreak will continue.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Second, the water supply from Tuam will be increased to augment the city supply and the additional supply from this source will come on stream incrementally during the next two months. It was agreed that the old water treatment plant in Galway will be phased out — we hope by the middle of June — as additional supplies are delivered from the Tuam system, and that the installation of a...

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There is also a longer term commitment to fast-track the advancement of the new treatment plant in Galway at a cost of more than €21 million and to provide €27.4 million for increased storage of water and conservation measures in Tuam, which will allow for additional water to be made available to the city. A range of other issues is being considered but those are the main points.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will try to reply to Deputy Kenny's questions. Since 2000, we have invested €1.75 billion in more than 100 waste water treatment schemes, including major new treatment plants in Dublin, Wexford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Drogheda, Dundalk and Westport.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The water services investment programme for the period 2005-07 contained 899 projects at various stages of development, the full cost of which was €5 billion. I do not believe there was a lack of investment. The answer to Deputy Kenny on the decline in the figures is that Ringsend, the most significant single water scheme carried out in Europe, was included in the base figures. When that...

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I want to give a factual answer to Deputy McCormack's party leader. A sum of €21 million was given to Galway City Council to deal with the scheme and it could not agree on it.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Department cannot be blamed because the money was allocated but was not spent. I am more interested in helping people in Galway than in talking. I do not want to get into that.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have outlined that the water supply from Tuam will be increased to augment the city supply, and that can be done fairly quickly. The old water treatment plant will be phased out fairly quickly. I hope the Tuam system will deliver more supply from the summer.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is being worked on. We are aware of all the issues surrounding that too. The installation of a water treatment package plant at Terryland will provide 18 million litres per day and should come on stream towards the end of the year. We can fast-track on two issues. These are the new treatment plant in Galway, which will now cost €21 million — that money has been allocated for a...

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy is right. I felt embarrassed a few evenings ago when I watched a country with a population of more than 60 million people receive the results of its highest poll ever — 85% of the population — within two hours.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That was only a few hours behind the timeframe in India with its population of 1.2 million.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I had to apologise to the people of Meath a few days ago that, despite this being a modern technologically driven country, with one of the biggest exporters of software in the world, we are reverting to the peann luaidhe.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: With a bit of luck our election results will be available within about five days——

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——as we count and check the bins and buckets to see if a vote blew off the file. It is an embarrassment. I hope that in the next Dáil we will be able to rid ourselves of the horrendous difficulties we experience in trying to be a modern country.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: He might be.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am getting confused——

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——with Deputy Rabbitte who said this morning that he would like the election to be held on 17 May, but I note all his constituency offices have issued letters stating they are reliably informed that the election will be held on 24 May. I will have a word with him later to find out on which date he would like it, but we can work that out.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On a serious note, we are spending more than €50 billion. I genuinely believe that, in terms of staff, health, education and infrastructure, this money is spent as efficiently as possible. There is always room for improvement, as is often highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General and internal audit departments.