Results 16,521-16,540 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: No date has been fixed for the eligibility legislation, which is the relevant legislation referred to by the Deputy in his comment.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: There is no change in the operational arrangements of FÁS. The transfer of placement services under social welfare will require the introduction of primary legislation in due course.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: I made the point that this is about augmenting existing schemes which operate from October to March and April. Where exceptional needs or hardship arise during the summer months, we have in place exceptional needs payments, as is always the case.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: In response to Deputy Costello, there is no promised legislation in regard to the first issue raised by him. On the issue of head shops, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is actively involved in urgently bringing forward proposals in this area. As soon as the heads of a Bill have been agreed with the Attorney General, the Minister will publish them.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: I cannot interfere in a court process.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: I will have to get back to the Deputy on the first issue. I am not aware of where that is or when the legislation is being brought forward. I already answered a question on the consumer and competition Bill earlier today, stating the heads of the Bill are being prepared. I understand the sale of alcohol Bill is due later this year.

Order of Business (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: There are no proposals.

Written Answers — Parliamentary Questions: Parliamentary Questions (28 Apr 2010)

Brian Cowen: No parliamentary questions have remained unanswered to date due to staff action in 2010.

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: My position in this matter has been consistent all along, namely, it is a matter for individual persons who are in receipt of such pensions as to what they wish to do. I also made the point to Deputy Kenny last week that the Attorney General's advice is that the immediate and total abolition of pensions for a single category of pensioner would be unconstitutional. As the Deputy is aware,...

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I refute again the misrepresentations the Deputy has made. I make the point that it is not possible to give back a pension and at the same time to give it to charity. People either give it back or they do not. It is not a matter that can be designated by the individual pensioner.

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I have set out the position. One has to return it. One does not have discretion as to the purpose for which it will be used. If one wishes to use it for that purpose, it is a matter of one retaining it and deciding to do something with it.

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: That is a different point of view. I outlined the position for the purpose of setting out the facts. The second point I want to make to the Deputy is that, as I have outlined already, we took proportionate steps on this matter. We were proactive on it. We decided to reduce the pension and from next term have arranged for its abolition. In the meantime if there are people who wish to...

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy will know, regardless of what legal advices he may have, the legal advices a Government - of which he was a member - has to take relates to the Attorney General. The Attorney General has given his view on this matter; he has explained it. We have legislated for it and in the meantime this does not in any way pre-empt people from gifting their pensions if they so wish.

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: We have a mandate to govern. It derives from the Dáil, in the same way as when the Deputy was a member of a Government. That mandate is legitimate, proper and appropriate. On the question of the by-elections, that is a matter for the House to consider at any time. As the Deputy said, there is a matter to be discussed here and at the instigation of Sinn Féin it will be debated in the House.

Leaders' Questions (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: Deputy Gilmore seeks to lecture us again on how we view the situation. I do not regard it as a matter of political patronage. I am elected here on the same basis as the Deputy, perhaps for even longer. To be lectured on those issues is not something I have to consider from him. With regard to the business the Dáil is conducting, the Government has, uniquely in this House, shown the...

Task Force on Innovation (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I appointed the innovation task force on 29 June 2009 to advise the Government on its strategy for positioning Ireland as an international innovation development hub and to assist in making the smart economy a reality. I very much welcome the report, which was launched on 11 March last and provides a roadmap for one of the five action areas...

Task Force on Innovation (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: The task force report made certain proposals and it has outlined what it believes could be the potential of the report in terms of job creation over the longer term. It is not suggesting that this would be done overnight but it talks about change. There will be issues for IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to work through. There will also be issues for the Department of Enterprise, Trade...

Task Force on Innovation (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: The whole purpose of the group which will be working on this is to monitor the implementation of these recommendations with the various Departments and agencies, and that this is in the process of being set up. The net job creation in high-tech firms of the order of 117,000 jobs to which the report refers is to happen between now and 2020. The report believes the implementation of the...

Task Force on Innovation (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy stated, the report only issued last month. It sets out various short, medium and long term initiatives which it advises should be progressed in that manner. We are in the process of ensuring that Departments take up recommendations which apply to them and incorporate them into their plans for this and future years. Also, there have been rearrangements in regard to...

Task Force on Innovation (5 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: It is being set up. It is being finalised.