Results 2,361-2,380 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Social Partnership Talks. (24 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Under social partnership agreements we have 600,000 more people working in the past decade. One third of the housing stock consists of new houses, and almost half of that went to first-time buyers. Deputy Higgins' analysis does not add up. There will always be people who experience difficulty purchasing a house. The Government has put an enormous amount of resources into social and...

Social Partnership Talks. (24 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Ó Caoláin asked about the work of the anti-inflation group. In the past few months, it had a detailed assessment prepared by the Central Statistics Office on contributors to the consumer price index and associated trends. It has been exploring the inflation drivers from a competitiveness perspective and was assisted by a detailed presentation given by the Competition Authority with...

Social Partnership Talks. (24 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. As I indicated in my reply in the House on 13 February last, the inaugural plenary meeting with the social partners under the new social partnership agreement Towards 2016 took place on 15 February in Dublin Castle. The Government was represented by myself together with my colleagues, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice,...

Social Partnership Talks. (24 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The normal agreements of recent years have led to a decline in the number of industrial disputes. The figure for last year was one of the lowest since the foundation of the State. There are always groups of workers who are not satisfied or do not believe their issues will be addressed in a way which they consider reasonable. It is inevitable such cases will arise from time to time. There...

Social Partnership Talks. (24 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We have had a number of discussions and meetings on inflation. The figure is higher than we projected in the late months of last year. There are a number of actions and issues under discussion. Primarily, the figures are coming through under two headings, energy costs and interest costs, which account for half the rate of inflation. One cannot exclude consideration of those two headings...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together. The average annual salary of lawyers in the Office of the Director of Public is currently approximately €81,210. The current average salary of other staff is approximately €36,870. I propose to circulate with the official report tables which detail all salary scales of professionally qualified legal grades, i.e. solicitors and...

Written Answers — Equality Issues: Equality Issues (4 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 91 and 92 together. The process of structured dialogue between the Government and the churches, faith communities and non-confessional organisations in Ireland was inaugurated with a gathering of dialogue partners at Dublin Castle on 26 February, 2007. This will soon be followed a series of bilateral meetings with the dialogue partners. I believe that we...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (4 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the following tables. Title Year Male Female National Statistics Board February 2006-to date 5 2 February 2004-February 2006 4 3 August 2001-February 2004 3 4 Title Year Male Female *Law ReformCommission 2007 2 3 2006 2 3 2005 2 3 2004 2 3 2003 2 3 2002 2 3 *Denotes position at year end. Title Year Male Female...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (4 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In respect of the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), nominations have been sought from the social partners and appointments to the constituent bodies (National Economic and Social Council [NESC], National Economic and Social Forum [NESF] and the National Centre for Partnership and Performance [NCPP]) will be made once that process is complete. Appointments to the newly...

Written Answers — Equality Issues: Equality Issues (4 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Statute Law Revision Bill 2007 is currently before the Oireachtas. The Bill will repeal more than 3,000 statutes enacted before 6 December, 1922. Included in the statutes for repeal are many statutes which differentiate between people on the basis of their religion. This Bill is a statute law revision measure. As such, it repeals only statutes which are appropriate for repeal, namely,...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: One staff member of my Department has been on sick leave for a month or more. Given the small numbers in my Department, the Deputy will appreciate that giving salary details would identify that person.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: One member of staff in my Department (Press Officer) has two phone lines, one for remote access to the Department's network and one as a dedicated fax line provided at his home.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Since CMOD's relocation in July 2006, the Training Officer in the Department of the Taoiseach travelled to Tullamore on one occasion to attend a Training Officers Network Meeting held in their Offices. The travel and subsistence cost totalled €180.46. The relocation of CMOD to Tullamore has not had an impact on the work of the Training Officer or on the work of those who attend courses...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There were no travel and subsistence allowances paid by the Department of the Taoiseach in respect of attendance at pre-retirement planning courses prior to the relocation of the Civil Service Training Centre to Tullamore. Staff nearing retirement attended retirement planning classes in the CMOD Offices in Dublin. Since the relocation of the Office to Tullamore in July 2006, the total travel...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No staff who transferred to my Department under the decentralisation CAF or DCAF schemes made further moves to another section within six months of their Departmental transfer. The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Finance is responsible for the overall decentralisation programme. The Deputy will also be aware that there are no proposals to decentralise my Department or any of the...

Order of Business (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No.14, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Council decision on the establishment, operation and use of the second generation Schengen information system; No. a22, statements on the nurses dispute — on the Supplementary Order Paper; No. 1, Foyle and Carlingford Fisheries Bill 2006 — amendments from the Seanad; No. 22,...

Order of Business (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There is more than enough legislation and as everybody can see we have been trying to get it through in the past few weeks. We have announced several infrastructural initiatives. We included €1 billion in the national development plan following the arrangements made between Chancellor Brown and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen. In recent weeks we added more than €400 million and...

Order of Business (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am told there is no legal difficulty.

Order of Business (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The heads of the criminal justice (trafficking in persons and sexual offences) Bill have been approved. It is close to final drafting and was due in early summer 2007. The Water Services Bill will be taken after Easter.

Order of Business (3 Apr 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Government cleared that Bill last week or the week before.