Results 9,361-9,380 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (4 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: While my Department has a relatively low level of interaction with the general public and the business sector, we encourage feedback via our Customer Service Feedback form. This is available on the Department of the Taoiseach website — www.taoiseach.gov.ie. This facility offers customers an on-line option for submitting: Business queries; Website suggestions; Customer complaints; and...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (4 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: My Department wipes the information off all hard drives of redundant information technology equipment using a specialist software product. In addition to this, the hard drives are removed from all information technology equipment prior to being sent for destruction. These hard drives are retained in a secure location in my Department at present awaiting supervised physical destruction in the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There are four Press Officers currently employed in my Department. The same number were employed in my Department in 2002. None of the agencies reporting to my Department employ Press Officers.

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (4 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: One podcast was made available to members of the public for download from my Department's main website (www.taoiseach.gov.ie) in May 2007. This dealt with my address to the Joint Houses of Parliament in Westminster and there were 413 downloads in the month following its publication. The Government Press Office continually monitors developments in communications technology and may use...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (4 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Office of Public Works is currently actively engaged in a strategy to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions and the State's dependency on fossil fuels. A major element of this strategy is an Energy Awareness Campaign by the Office of Public Works, which will be rolled out in 2008, in which my Department will be actively involved. During the summer of 2007, the Office of Public Works installed...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: What I said in February was in the context of my statement that all young people should not be portrayed as being involved in drugs. To brand all young people with being involved with drugs would be disrespectful to the huge number of young, responsible people, both teenagers and those of a slightly younger age who are not involved with drugs. Last week, I outlined my view in a very good...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy raised two points. On the first, it is always very difficult to determine how much of the drugs are confiscated by law enforcement agencies and how much of the drugs come into any jurisdiction. I do not have a precise figure. In so far as there is a figure, the UN report states that 40% of the output of cocaine is intercepted. That is the only meaningful figure, 40%, but the...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am talking about the heart of the inner city. I had a problem with the drugs issue in 1984 when nobody else in the country had hardly heard of drugs. I am talking about drugs in communities.

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is not the perception. The perception is that people try to portray that it is far more widespread than it is. It is a problem and we are not denying that.

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Under the strategy, the Garda national drug unit is co-ordinating large-scale operations against drug dealing and trafficking. Additional assistance is being made available from specialised Garda support units. The Government has given considerable resources to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Criminal Assets Bureau because...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Obviously, I will not dispute the figures provided in reply to a parliamentary question. The Deputy stated that the total figure for warrants is approximately 111,000, including some 36,000 bench warrants. I regularly see figures relating to the number of people who evade warrants on a weekly basis, which is a very small number. With regard to the Deputy's figures, I do not know how the...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Anything that tidies up the system would improve it. However, I do not want to give the impression that when bench warrants are issued, a significant proportion of those for whom they are issued do not turn up. From security briefings and from following Northern issues, I know they may not always turn up at the prescribed time but they do turn up. I do not have the figure for those who are...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It also applies to the bench warrants.

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is also the case that many individuals would be subject to multiple warrants, which the Deputy will know from the list. I do not know the precise figure for the number of outstanding warrants that would be acceptable at any stage. Obviously, if there are 14,000 gardaí, there will be an increasing number of warrants. The last Garda Commissioner is on record as stating that steps need to...

Leaders' Questions (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Yes, but the point I am making is how many of those are multiple cases and how many of those people turn up? I am told that bench warrants continue to be issued for a large number of defaulters so they come into the total figure. I do not believe the figure is 36,000.

Freedom of Information. (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. I propose to circulate in the Official Report the information requested by the Deputies on the statistics regarding freedom of information requests received in my Department. All freedom of information applications received in my Department are processed by statutorily designated officials in accordance with the 1997 and 2003...

Freedom of Information. (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The figure for last year was 54, while the projected figure for this year, given that there are just a few weeks left, will be in the order of 60. Most of the applications are either accepted or partly accepted, while others are referred elsewhere. In my Department, however, most of the freedom of information applications concern straightforward issues — they are not quite as complex as...

Freedom of Information. (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the first issue, as I said before, there are not many appeals concerning freedom of information applications to my Department, but there is a large cost involved. First, if it is a personal matter, as with most of the cases we deal with, there is no charge whatsoever. The €15 fee is modest compared to the average administrative cost, which is approximately €425. If the matter goes...

Freedom of Information. (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In my Department, the figure has levelled out at approximately 50 to 60. When the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act 2003 was enacted, there was quite a number of people endeavouring to obtain information and there was a huge surge of applications. Second, companies and individuals were doing trawling exercises with a view to using the information they obtained commercially to the...

Freedom of Information. (5 Dec 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is a matter for the Department of Finance. In any review that takes place, I will ask the Minister for Finance to take on board Deputy Gilmore's views on the matter.