Results 10,401-10,420 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I state again what I have said many times. In the 53 public and acute hospitals we have provided and continue to provide additional resources.

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: It has not been a question of cutbacks in the service.

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: We have continued to employ more people.

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: We have continued working with the trade unions to deal with the issue of last September's embargo and we have delivered increased capital expenditure into several developments in those hospitals and will continue to do that. Like every organisation the HSE has to live within the budget agreed in its own plan. It has to manage that throughout the year. Last year there was criticism in the...

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: We are continuing to do that. They are in several locations around the country. There is €200 million on the capital programme for this year which has been allocated. We have increased the number of beds. I was answering about the difficulties in the delayed discharges. The reality is we have recently provided 200 contracted beds in private nursing homes, 180 of which were in Dublin....

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the Deputy's first point, I do remember what the rate of inflation was when I took office. I also remember that unemployment was at 11%, single people paid tax on €72 per week, there was no minimum wage, old people received very low rates of welfare and the preceding Government gave them an increase of £1.50, one of the most miserable increases ever. I remember all of these things....

Leaders' Questions (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: As I said, the Competition Authority, the National Consumer Agency, Departments and the social partners, as they have done three times this decade, have been examining individual sectors of the economy where there are pressures. Every month those figures are analysed in great detail. They have used their efforts wherever they believe we need more competition. The Competition Authority has...

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. 13, motion re ministerial rota for parliamentary questions; No. 14, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Council Framework Decision on the organisation and content of the exchange of information between member states; No. 15, Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008 — financial resolution; No. 22, Twenty-eighth...

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The pharmacy Bill is not for this session. No final date has been set for it. May I say a brief word on the WTO?

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the WTO issue, we are unhappy that the talks have proceeded in a very unbalanced way, which we have made clear to the President of the Commission. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is in Germany today to continue her talks on the WTO issues. Until we are satisfied that it is a balanced agreement, we will not support it.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On that Bill, the heads have been prepared. I do not have a date for the Bill's publication. The tribunals Bill is on Second Stage and the position is that it should proceed.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the financial services regulation Bill, the advisory forum is working to assist and advise the Department on the completion of the project. The initial work indicates that the consolidation aspect of the project will involve 45 Acts, 250 statutory instruments and 70 commencement orders. The forum hopes to report on the totality of the position at the end of this year.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The covert surveillance Bill, a relatively short Bill, is to place existing practices by the security forces on a statutory basis in line with the ECHR obligations. The draft heads are being finalised on that legislation. Regarding the confiscation orders Bill, most of the provisions of the framework decision have already been implemented in the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Bill...

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: That Bill will be this session. It will be next year before the first Bill mentioned by the Deputy will come through. I have already answered regarding the pharmacy Bill.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I cannot answer that.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: All of the legislation cannot come from the Department altogether. The adoption Bill, which has about 160 or 170 heads, will be in this session. The child care Bill, which has almost 40 heads, will be in this session. The residential home Bill will also be in this session. The Department cannot just bring forward all of the legislation.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the sale of alcohol, priority is being given to measures to curtail the distribution and sale of alcohol. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, will launch the heads of that Bill tomorrow, as well as the Gordon Holmes report. Discussions with the industry to try to build up protocols to assist in such control will continue, at least for a time, rather...

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: It is worth the effort. As for the health information Bill, there is a detailed discussion paper on the wide-ranging and complex issues involving this Bill. It is being prepared in the Department and has been forwarded to the Health Service Executive and the Health Information and Quality Authority for their comments. It is intended that the document will form the basis of a public...

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: That Bill will come before the House. I will bring the Deputy's remarks to the attention of the Minister.

Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Bertie Ahern: An independent review has been carried out that supports the creation of a heritage fund, which will require legislation. While it will be a short Bill, I do not have a date for it at present.