Results 23,061-23,080 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: ——are the legal advice, extending to more than 80 pages, and a shortened version of it in the form of a memorandum. The other two documents are in the report. Mr. Travers found that no Minister had been appropriately briefed. I went to the Department of Health and Children on 30 September and was not briefed about this matter. It was only after the intervention by Deputy Kenny that I...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: A substantial investment has been made in education in recent years. The priorities have been resource teachers, special needs teachers and areas of disadvantage. When all those teachers are included, the overall national average has fallen from 22.2:1 in 1996-7 to 17.44:1. If a school has a class of more than 30 pupils, it means it has many fewer——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Yes, but overall in the school there cannot be those averages. It means there are low numbers in some classes. That is how some schools——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The Department of Education and Science appoints and pays for a teacher for 29 students; that is a fact. We must do more but we must have a sense of priority.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Over the last seven years, 4,000 extra teachers have been employed.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Contrary to what the Deputy said, there is no embargo on teacher recruitment. If we did not have multiple classes, many of the rural schools would close. We will strive to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio for all students but the priorities will clearly continue to be special needs and areas of disadvantage.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: There are students in classes of 15 and apparently the literacy levels are no different so it is not just about more teachers, it is about new teaching methods.

Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: It is proposed to take No. 7, motion re referral to select committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the terms of the Convention on Social Security between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; No. 8, motion re referral to select committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the accession by Ireland to the...

Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: There would be a more in-depth and thorough discussion in the committee.

Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: On behalf of the Government, it gives me great pleasure to welcome our two new Deputies to Dáil Éireann. Although I do not anticipate that either of them will be supporters of the Government, I wish them well. It is a great day for them and their families. In the case of Deputy McEntee, it is a great day for his party, Fine Gael. It is always refreshing to have another female Member of this...

Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I genuinely congratulate Deputy Murphy on her election in Kildare North. I hope she enjoys her time in Leinster House. We will not always be as civil to them as we are today. We should remember the two Deputies whose resignation from the House caused the by-elections. Former Deputy John Bruton is now the EU ambassador in Washington, while former Deputy Charlie McCreevy is the EU Commissioner...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: My Department is currently involved in drafting new legislation which will amend the Nurses Act 1985. The new legislation will modernise the regulatory framework operated by An Bord Altranais for nurses and midwives. Work on the draft Heads of the Bill is at an advanced stage and all stakeholders will have an opportunity to comment on the draft legislation. It is my intention that the new...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I presume the Deputy is referring to a series of inspections being undertaken by officials of the Health and Safety Authority to address occupational health and safety concerns in emergency medicine departments of acute hospitals. The authority recently announced that it would launch a programme of inspections this week and that it hoped to inspect 11 emergency departments by 8 April 2005. It...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive, HSE, which was established on 1 January 2005, has responsibility for pension arrangements for staff of the former health boards. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief officer for the executive's north eastern area to investigate the matter raised and to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Under the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001, any employee whose normal hours of work constitute at least 20% of the normal hours of a comparable full-time employee is entitled to access to a pension scheme. My Department has been informed by the Health Service Executive that pension arrangements for home helps employed in the health service are currently being discussed as...

Report on Long-Stay Care Charges: Motion. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I accept Ministers have enormous powers and resources, and I accept the principle of political accountability, as I said in my earlier comments.

Report on Long-Stay Care Charges: Motion. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: No, I only know what I was told, or what I was not told, and I will be accountable for myself. I was appointed on 29 September and I went to the Department on 30 September. I was briefed extensively and so on. This issue arose in the House, for which I have given credit to Deputies Perry and Kenny, and that is how I got to make inquiries of the Attorney General. I have acknowledged that many...

Report on Long-Stay Care Charges: Motion. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: There were no records apparently in my Department, according to Mr. Travers. He got these records from the Department of Finance. He got the two memoranda to Government. It is a fact that in the report that on 5 February the late John Boland took a memorandum to Government. A memorandum was put to John Boland, who was the caretaker Minister as the Labour Party had withdrawn from Government,...

Report on Long-Stay Care Charges: Motion. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I will answer those questions in reverse order if that is agreeable to the Deputy. Special advisers are responsible to me to give me outside independent advice. They are not to supplement the advice I get from civil servants, they are to help me come forward with alternative views or perspectives. They are not a substitute for the Minister. It is not the case that it is appropriate that...

Report on Long-Stay Care Charges: Motion. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: It is about organising the money as well and having certain priorities. It is not always about getting more and more money. We all know the health budget increases by approximately 10% a year, and that is the case this year. On the cost of this measure — we know what the parameters of the cost could be — there is no sum of money sitting around that we can take and say, "there it is". I...