Results 961-980 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Joe Higgins is right. I can only add that the names are known. The names of those people involved are freely spoken about. I will not mention names but I have talked to several people who told me who was involved. It is well known; there is no mystery about it. The issue is to get people who were there to co-operate with the PSNI to have these people charged. This recalls other cases...

Leaders' Questions. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The barbarity of punishment beatings is well-known and this is not the first time we have talked about them. Last year, there was the Tohill case and the previous year people were shot. There have been many cases, and this has even led to suicide among young people who have been threatened. The focus on it arose before now. That is why paragraph 13 is in the declaration. It is still the...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. The costs incurred by my Department during 2004 in respect of the Moriarty tribunal amounted to €3,607,418. The estimated costs for the tribunal for 2005 amounts to €4 million. However, provision of an additional €6.5 million has been made to cover costs such as report publication and some element of award of legal costs in...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: As the Deputy will be aware, I have no control over these issues. When the Minister for Finance announced the new rates, the Attorney General was requested to contact all the tribunals to come to a conclusion time from which the new rates would be applicable. The period agreed in the case of the Moriarty tribunal was 11 January 2006. It is hoped to complete the tribunal by that date. It is...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am subject to correction, but I am not aware of any challenges affecting the tribunal. The Christmas period or early January was the date negotiated before the Bill was passed some months ago. It does not mean the new rates will apply from that date. If everything is not finished by that date, I do not envisage a situation where the Government will say that is it. This is the difficulty....

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There are third party costs in regard to the Moriarty tribunal. The overall assessment of these costs will not be available for some time. Up to the end of December, the total cost to the Exchequer of completed and sitting tribunals of inquiry and other public inquiries was €191.82 million.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Of this amount, €138.92 million was in respect of legal costs and €52.84 million related to other costs. The figure for legal costs includes €60.53 million in respect of third party legal costs awarded to date. In regard to tribunals of inquiry and public inquiries which are sitting at present, the total cost to the end of December last is €154.12 million, of which €107.2 million is...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: In the discussions between the Attorney General and the chairpersons of the various tribunals, numbering six or seven, that was the date that was agreed at that time. I have no other date. The new fees will be applicable after that date if the work is completed. That is still our understanding. I have no particular control over that. If that is achieved, the new fees will apply. It will be...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Additional staff were appointed, although I am not sure if that was in regard to the Moriarty tribunal. As the Deputy will recall, some of the tribunals indicated that they would not finish their work until 2014, 2015 or 2016. To carry out part of their work and having regard to the terms of reference that we changed, additional staff were to be made available at that time, and I understand...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: This House set up these tribunals and we gave them terms of reference. We took on people to serve on them. At the time it was not that easy to get some people to move from their positions to take up that work. The tribunals have gone on for a long time. I believe those on the tribunals would say that under their terms of reference these were matters they had to look into and investigate, and...

National Archives. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together. The evaluating of files for release to the National Archives is carried out by designated officials in my Department. I have no role in that process. It is normal, as files are processed for release each year, that some are certified by the appropriate official for retention on the grounds set forth in the Act. I am informed that...

National Archives. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy is right in that my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is in the process of establishing a working group to advise his Department on that matter. The reason is that a large number of files have been withdrawn or held in that Department. Many of them relate to personal files and other matters. A similar position does not obtain in my Department. In regard...

National Archives. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I received Deputy Rabbitte's letter on this matter and I contacted the Attorney General's office on Thursday or Friday. A reply should be on its way to the Deputy. I looked at the letter carefully and its core point is that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform can direct the registrar of the Special Criminal Court to release the transcripts of that court prepared for an appeal...

National Archives. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is regular dialogue between the historians and the authorised officials in my Department and they have worked out the basis for passing files. There is no problem but I will check it because this arose before. I do not have the information on the 1974 files. I will check and contact the Deputy about this.

National Archives. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There were 92 files related to Northern Ireland released to the National Archives and no files were withheld. Some documents were abstracted but no file was withheld. In my Department, very few files are certified for retention — there were only nine in 2004, five in 2003, five in 2002, 13 in 2001, 12 in 2000 and none in 1999. The numbers are small. I do not have the information here but I...

Decentralisation Programme. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 14, inclusive, together. A total of 45 staff from my Department have applied through the central applications facility to relocate under the decentralisation programme, an increase of one since the expiry of the initial period for priority applications on 7 September 2004. Broken down by grade, there are seven assistant principals, nine administrative...

Decentralisation Programme. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It does not arise for my Department because it is not moving, but there is no truth in what the Deputy suggests. On the question of names, it is a matter for the Minister for Finance to bring names to the Government. Given the enormous amount of work going on, it is important that a new chairperson is appointed. I have discussed the issue but not the replacement. The Minister for Finance will...

Decentralisation Programme. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: No.

Decentralisation Programme. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: From the point of view of my Department, the chairman, to his credit, put in a significant amount of his time. He has many commitments but he was dedicated to moving this forward. He is obviously a loss to the group. However, there are other good and dedicated people on the group. They include the Chairman of the Office of Public Works; the Secretary General, PSMD, of the Department of...

Decentralisation Programme. (23 Feb 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is no review. The work of preparation actively continues. There are priority areas for the first stage. There will be a second report later in the spring. While anticipated numbers have not been achieved in early rounds, there are more than enough to go on with. Perhaps it will be prioritised over a longer period, but work continues.