Results 23,581-23,600 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

North-South Ministerial Council (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: There was no discussion at the formal meeting about parades. I expect this issue to arise at the sectoral meetings with Ministers and members of the Executive. My apologies for not bringing the comprehensive note on the incidents which occurred last night. I would be pleased to share it with Deputies Micheál Martin and Gerry Adams in the House during Leaders' Questions if they come back...

North-South Ministerial Council (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: It is an issue of concern. I encourage Ministers to engage fully and comprehensively with their counterparts. Deputy Micheál Martin and I and Deputy Gerry Adams and others have discussed the matter on numerous occasions. Clearly, there is a need for continuous vigilance and involvement in communities that are pressurised and fragile on both sides. We all share this common purpose: having...

North-South Ministerial Council (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: Yes, I agree. The Deputy can take it that I encourage Ministers to actively pursue such contact. I intend to travel to Northern Ireland in the near future and engage in activities, projects and so on represented by the different parties and communities. As the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister pointed out recently, having gone through a process of conducting normal elections in...

Interdepartmental Committees (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: The interdepartmental groups on which my Department is represented are listed in the following table, which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. Inter-Departmental Groups on which the Taoiseach's Department is represented Inter-Departmental Groups which the Taoiseach's Department Chairs Marine Coordination Group Senior Officials Group on Economic Infrastructure Interdepartmental...

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together. The procedures for dealing with freedom of information requests in my Department follow the guidelines set out in the Department of Finance's Decision-Makers Manual. The functions of general examination, primary decision-making and internal review are carried out by statutory designated officials, as envisaged in the Acts, and I have no...

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: I thank the Deputy for his observations. I would be grateful if he conveyed to me examples of where he has found the Department restrictive in publishing information that would normally have been available. As a general principle, the changes we are making in the way business is done in this House are designed to ensure Deputies who ask questions are given thorough and full information....

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: Bhíodh mé.

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: As for the Freedom of Information Act in general, the programme for Government states the Government intends to restore it to what it was before 2003 when changes were made to it. While sitting across the floor in the seat now occupied by Deputy Martin, I often asked questions about how, even when cases were referred to the appeals process, the charge on them always applied, even when the...

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: No, not at all. My point is the proposal in the programme for Government to restore the Freedom of Information Act to what it was before 2003 cannot be dealt with as expeditiously as I would wish, simply because of the pressure arising from the requirement to introduce other legislative items that are timelined. In other words, they must be introduced by a certain date to comply with the...

Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: No, it deals with neither the Order of Business nor with freedom of information.

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: The ESRI is a private limited company with charitable status – it is not publicly owned. It is an independent body which operates in a commercial environment. Therefore I have no policy or administrative responsibility for the ESRI. Whilst the Department of Finance provides the ESRI with Grant-in-Aid to cover the public interest aspects of their output, I understand that it is not the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General audits the accounts of my Department. Under Article 33 of the Constitution, the Comptroller and Auditor General is defined as the person who shall, on behalf of the State, control all disbursements and audit all accounts of moneys administered by or under the authority of the Oireachtas. In addition I have an internal audit unit in my...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: There are 5 staff working in my constituency office, three are based in Dublin, one of whom is a Civil Servant, and two are based in Mayo. Their total annual salary is €280,882. IT equipment to the value of €1,200 has been supplied to my Constituency office in Castlebar. Phone charges of €23.61 have also been incurred to date. No rental or leasing costs accrue to my Department in...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: My Department has a travel policy which is based on the guidelines laid down by the Department of Finance. It is applicable to all staff in my Department. The aims of the travel policy are to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties. An officer is authorised to use his/her...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: I am informed by the Chief State Solicitor's Office as follows. There are currently 27 Junior Counsel on the Asylum Panel. Junior Counsel are nominated off this panel for each case. There are currently 15 Senior Counsel on the Asylum Panel. Senior Counsel are nominated off this panel when required. In major cases and cases involving constitutional challenges, counsel are nominated by the...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: Earlier this year members of the Green IFSC Steering Group, a sub-committee of the IFSC Clearing House Group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, were tasked with developing a detailed business plan for the delivery of an Initiative to secure a leading position for Ireland as the world moves towards a low carbon global economy. This Initiative seeks to build upon the reputation of the...

EU Summits (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: The ambassadors from the European Union countries were called in by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and were given a very clear message that this country is open for business, that there is a new Government with a different set of priorities and that it is making decisions, which had been left in abeyance for years to the detriment of our people and our country, to repair the...

EU Summits (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: I accept that.

EU Summits (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: I will meet and speak with the person who determines the agenda, Mr. Van Rompuy, on Friday. I will discuss a range of issues with him when he has clarified his proposals for the final agenda. I am concerned about the matters we have discussed here previously, such as Europe's stance towards countries that face a challenge and how best to deal with that. Obviously, I expect there will be...

EU Summits (15 Jun 2011)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy's entire career has been based on resistance. His three questions ask whether I will consider conducting a fact-finding mission to Greece, if I will raise the agenda for the meeting with my European counterparts and if I will have a fringe meeting with the representatives of Portugal, Greece and Spain at the Council meeting. I have enough to do in terms of getting in there and...