Results 1,881-1,900 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Cabinet has not yet dealt with the strategic national infrastructure Bill. I hope we will deal with it over the next week or two. I promised the Deputy we will have the debate on housing so I will check on a date for that debate.

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That topic was the subject of a long question during Priority Questions today, if I heard the debate correctly.

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That was the question. There is an order for Second Stage so it is a matter of when it can be taken in the House. It is ready to be taken.

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Bill is to be published in this session. It is almost ready. It is in the final stages of drafting and will be published soon.

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The heads of the national monuments Bill have been approved. Revisions and a new round of consultations were required following the enactment of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004, and the reorganisation of some of the heritage responsibilities.

Order of Business (Resumed). (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Bill is to be ready next year. The diplomatic relations and immunities (amendment) Bill will be circulated in this session.

Written Answers — Dublin-Monaghan Bombings: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Government has established a commission of investigation to look at certain aspects of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974 and we continue to press the British Government for action in providing further information that would shed light on the atrocities. These actions are in keeping with the recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Womens'...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (24 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Consideration of special commemorative events has regard to the unique status of the National Day of Commemoration each July being the sole, annual event organised by the State. It is dedicated to the memory of "all those Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations." It was introduced with a specific purpose to be inclusive and all embracing. The...

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I can return to the figures in two minutes. Deputy Kenny is giving a list of statistics across some of the areas which is not compatible with the overall figures for the last few years.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will come back to that. More importantly, the Deputy has asked what the Government has been doing in this area. We have put additional resources and numbers into the Garda, particularly into some of the areas mentioned such as Blanchardstown, where there has been a particularly difficult crime situation over the last few years. The Garda Síochána, using all its specialist resources, has...

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The number of community gardaí has been increased. The number of headline crimes recorded in 2004 compared to 2003 has decreased by 4%, and by 14% overall. These are the figures from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Perhaps somebody else is doing a separate set of statistics, but these are the official figures.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The latest figures expose the lie from the Opposition benches that crime rates have increased. They have not.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The 2004 figures show that despite more precise and more accurate recording of crime by the PULSE system which now includes all statistics, that crime has fallen from about 28.4 incidents per 100,000 of the population some years ago, to 24 per 100,000. It is still too high, but the Garda, in terms of its resources, overtime, manpower and special units, including Operation Anvil, which was...

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We have never had more gardaí on the streets than at present. That is a statistical fact.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The overall figures I am giving are factual. Deputy Kenny can take individual areas and I have already raised the issue about Blanchardstown but that does not take from what I stated, namely that even though there are 400,000 more people in the country, an increase from 3.6 million to 4.04 million, headline crime is down 14%.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Murder and manslaughter is down 13%, sexual assault is down 28%, aggravated burglary crime is down 14%, the figures for theft from the person are down 14% and the figures for robberies from the person are down 14%.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There are individual areas where crime is still too high. I do not want to go into the statistics because as long as there is one crime it is a crime too many.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny cannot come into the House and give figures for the overall position that shows that crime levels are up when the overall figures are down.

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Government will continue to increase the number of gardaí on the street. We have provided for additional overtime, additional resources for specialist units and more prison places for those who are convicted. We have far more prison places now than we had previously, and they are all full. Detection rates cannot be down when that is the case. A criminal justice Bill with tough provisions...

Leaders' Questions. (25 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the first issue, there is a major review of all the tax shelters and tax allowances under way. It is my view that as part of that review they all should be looked at. Specifically, in respect of the measure the Deputy raised, as I said yesterday, that has been on the Statute Book for 11 years. Regardless of whether it is working well, it seems that now is a good time to review it. The...