Results 8,161-8,180 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There has been an enormous increase in spending on essential services in recent years, be it in respect of the elderly, health, education or improved infrastructure.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte knows the answer to that question. A comprehensive report produced by an independent group highlights what needs to be done to make the machines workable. We can do that only through agreement in this House.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If the House did not want to play politics with it, we would not be the laughing stock of Europe and have 2 million people vote in an election using pencils.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is ridiculous. As I stated, I was embarrassed the other night when I watched how the French——

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It was the Opposition's fault because it objected to using it.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Opposition should have taken a mature attitude to a voting system that worked particularly well in the last two elections. The voting worked perfectly. All the analysis showed the voting system worked perfectly, but politically the Opposition would not agree to it and it took off on a political exercise engaging people from around the world to find flaws with it. That is a disgrace....

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We have spent vast amounts of money on improving our road and rail network and on the Luas.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Let us be honest, Deputy Rabbitte and a group of his party members protested in Merrion Square a few years ago when we put the Luas on show.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy said then that we would never see Luas on the streets of this city.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That was his campaign. Some 26 million people have travelled on Luas. I predicted in this House that as soon as Luas was introduced everyone would stop giving out about it and ask for more lines and so on, and that is precisely what has happened.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Luas is being extended, a new metro system is being planned and carriageways are being built all over the country.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are becoming a modern country with modern infrastructure thanks to the excellent programmes introduced by this Government.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I visited the Deputy's area on a few occasions recently and attended the opening of the new school in Hartstown. I spoke to teachers from a number of schools in the area and am aware of the pressures and the school needs of communities in rapidly developing areas, particularly Dublin West and mid-west where the population is growing dramatically. Whatever about setting up a special unit, I...

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: First, to correct the Deputy on a factual point, we currently have the largest school building programme in the history of the State. If one looks back on recent years, in the 1994 to 1999 period, €659 million was spent on the school capital programme, whereas in the past six years we have spent more than €2 billion.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Please, Deputy.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The population has increased——

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——by 16%.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In the six-year period to which I referred, €659 million was spent, while under my watch we have increased that to more than €2 billion.

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That represents more than 6,500 new and modernised school buildings. We used to build——

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputies do not want to hear this——