Results 13,821-13,840 of 18,736 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is the year in which Deputies Kenny and Rabbitte collectively will be 50 years sitting in this House. I have attended meetings throughout the country and asked audiences to name one achievement by either Deputy at any time in those 50 years. Nobody can give me an answer.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: Not merely are they an underachieving combination but they have no achievements to their name.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: When asked on RTE radio last Sunday what he could point to in his career in politics that was an achievement for the Irish people, Deputy Kenny said he had improved the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: If we had to wait 20 years for that, God knows how long we would have to wait for any other achievement.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I am loath to interrupt that babble. It is because I am follically challenged that I can say the Deputy is having a bad hair day.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: In regard to the specific ethics provision, which I understood the Deputy would raise on the Order of Business, that has been approved by Cabinet and will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: It will be brought forward as soon as may be and the House will have an opportunity to debate it. The Deputies should relax, it is coming.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Cabinet approved the text of the Bill and Deputy Kenny knows it is coming. He has merely rattled out a series of assertions. There are questions he does not want asked — his only direct question to me was when this ethics legislation will be brought before the House. It is the next legislation that will come before the Seanad shortly and it will come to this House thereafter.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: As the Deputy knows, one of the functions of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is to take charge of the promotion in these Houses of the legislation which was necessary to deal with the disability area. The Deputy will be aware that last year the Minister of State with particular responsibility for disabilities, Deputy Fahey, and I put in place the sectoral plans to deal with...

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: If one looks to the amounts of money spent, €1 million extra was provided for disability in 1996 when the Opposition was sitting in that high chair. That was the extent of the munificence of that highly successful Government.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Opposition left the disabled children of Ireland high and dry.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: One would be ashamed——

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Opposition would be ashamed collectively if it was reminded of how many special needs teachers there were when its party members sat at the Cabinet table.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: This year we have announced a five-year disability plan with an extra €900 million going into that area. Under the disability legislation, each child is entitled to have an individual education plan put in place.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: Each child is entitled to an independent appeal if that child's parents regard the plans put in place as inadequate.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The simple fact is that when Deputy Burton held office in my Department nothing was done by the Labour Party or Fine Gael for people with disabilities in this country.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: For stunts the Deputy has no equal. He comes in here——

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy should turn off the moral outrage, it does not suit him. He comes in here and asks me from memory whether I read individual letters a number of years after the event. I cannot give him a truthful answer on that because the volume of correspondence in my Department is such that if I did answer that question one way or the other, the file could show that I did see it or that I did...

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I did not say that.

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I did not say that. I am careful with what I say unlike Deputy Stagg.