Results 81-100 of 2,770 for speaker:Bernard Allen

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (30 Mar 2004)

Bernard Allen: Question 481: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason EU nationals who are not Irish citizens and who are claiming a vote in the local and European elections have to pay a minimum of €10 to claim a vote in Ireland, when they get their statutory declaration signed by a notary. [9924/04]

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: That is 20 years unused. They should be stored at Punchestown.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Government should not be allowed to buy dishwashers.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Did the Taoiseach read paragraph 4 of its report?

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Minister said that two months ago.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I object. I find it incomprehensible that the Minister is moving Report Stage of a Bill which provides for the introduction of electronic voting for the June elections when the Commission on Electronic Voting reported last week and gave a damning judgment on the Minister's judgment in all of this. I cannot understand how he has the neck to press ahead with Report Stage of the Bill when it...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I will not go into details. He did not mention the contents of paragraph (iv) which said that the system could be entered into, interfered with——

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am indicating that I object to taking Report Stage. The Minister has lost all credibility. He has had an arrogant attitude to the issues raised by Opposition spokespersons and the experts who attended the hearing at the request of the Minister and the committee on 18 December last. Following the hearing of 18 December, questions under the 41 headings raised by experts were not answered for...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am about to finish. That afternoon the PDs and Fianna Fáil pushed through a motion accepting the proposal to introduce electronic voting for the elections in June. The following morning——

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Some €51 million of taxpayers' money is gone down the drain.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Within 48 hours of the committee hearing collapsing as a result of representatives of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, contracts were signed with the Dutch company, incurring huge losses for the taxpayers.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am accusing the Minister of negligence and arrogance, and I ask that he consider his position.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Minister had a lot to say, and not only that, but he gave his friends in Fianna Fáil a €5 million contract and in recent weeks they have gone around the country attempting to undermine the commission.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I object to the taking of Report Stage of this Bill and I ask the Minister to do the decent thing, resign and give some satisfaction to the taxpayers who have been taken for a ride on this matter.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I will be brief.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: When I opposed the taking of Report Stage, the Chair continued to interrupt me. I hope I get some order at this stage.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Chair intervened continuously and interrupted me. I agree with what Deputy Gilmore has said. The Taoiseach said earlier that the commission had further work to do. That may be so but its work will be ineffective because the Taoiseach should realise that the narrow terms of reference of the commission makes it impossible for it to deal with a number of issues, one of which is the question...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Taoiseach is compounding the litany of errors in which the Government has involved itself by expecting the commission to continue its work, despite its narrow terms of reference.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I want to pay tribute to the commission. I asked how it could carry out its work in the short time span and narrow terms of reference that it had. Yet it did an effective job and upheld many of the reservations raised by Members and experts outside the House. The Minister should make some apologies. He got an opportunity on Committee Stage to apologise to the people whom he described as part...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: It was then followed by negligence. The amendment should be accepted. It is incredible that the Government decided to press ahead with Report Stage in spite of all that happened. It is now time for reflection and to figure out how best to go forward. I thought the Minister should have learned his lesson last Friday following the publication of the report. He should have insisted that we work...