Results 2,541-2,560 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is an annual budget of €60 million. At all stages the HSE advised that the hospital would be opened on a phased basis and would be fully operational by the end of this year. The Cork University Maternity Hospital was due to open last Saturday. Deputy Ó Caoláin is correct in that regard. Some 128 of the 144 beds were ready and due to open on that day. The HSE, consultant staff and...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is the old story, is it not? One day it is that there are not state-of-the-art facilities and the next there are state-of-the-art facilities and people think up some other reason.

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is the HSE, consultant staff and the midwifery management, not people out on the streets or any individual member of staff, who are the people who make the call. The HSE, the consultant staff in the hospital and the midwifery management were completely satisfied, and that is the issue. It is not Deputy Ó Caoláin's function or my function. The people with responsibility, the people in...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together. My sole responsibility as regards the Tribunal of Inquiry into Payments to Politicians and Related Matters is in the facilitation of its budget from my Vote. The first report of the Moriarty tribunal was made to Dáil Éireann in accordance with the terms of reference under which it was established by the House. I have no...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Regarding the completion of the work, I understand the entire work of the Moriarty tribunal, including the report, will be completed in the calendar year of 2007. As we have done in some of the other tribunals, on that basis it will be allowed to complete its work under the existing arrangements. I understand the public hearings are finished. I have been told by my officials it is possible...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: According to the rules covering the tribunals, we have seen already that in some cases costs have been issued by some of the other tribunals. If a tribunal is of the view that somebody has not co-operated — I think that is the word they use because people are legally entitled to challenge it, therefore such a challenge would not be considered a delay in terms of not co-operating because...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is not for me to judge whether you got value for money. I have already congratulated Mr. Justice Moriarty on his work.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will answer both questions. I have dealt with the matters in the report which relate to me in answers to questions from the tribunal and that is the appropriate manner. I am happy the tribunal accepted my evidence and was satisfied that I had no reason to believe the leader's account was operated otherwise than in an orthodox fashion. I am also pleased the tribunal stated in a report...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is a separate tribunal and it is not covered. I can, however, inform the Deputy that those matters remain under discussion. While my Department was not represented at official level, there was representation from the Office of the Attorney General, which comes under the aegis of my Department.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: However, the parliamentary questions with which we are dealing relate to the Moriarty tribunal.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not answering questions on the Mahon tribunal because it does not come within my Department's remit. In the interests of being helpful, however, the matter to which the Deputy refers is still the subject of discussion. The three officials dealing with it are from the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Finance and the Office of the Attorney General, which...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I stated that those matters are ongoing.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There has not been a deferral.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not providing answers in respect of the Mahon tribunal, however, there has been no deferral. The original date given in respect of the Mahon tribunal was 31 March 2007.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Any of the recommendations of the Moriarty tribunal applies in every Department. I do not think there is a recommendation that all political parties are to account in any further way for their expenditures between the elections. They are already audited accounts, and the leaders' accounts now——

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——are dealt with in an entirely different way from previously and the statement goes to the Standards in Public Office Commission. I do not recall seeing a proposal such as that to which the Deputy refers that all of these controls for political parties, which are in place during the course of an election, should be in place all year round, and I do not think that is a recommendation. I...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If you want a view on that, a Cheann Comhairle, all records of the party were given comprehensively to the tribunal in its investigations and, therefore, anything on which the tribunal would have reported would have been on all the records the party would have had. On the first question, any submission on data or reports that the tribunal may have had or used would have been made to the sole...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The full recommendations of the tribunal and a full report have been sent to every Department. I do not think many actions are necessary because most have already been acted upon, particularly those pertaining to public moneys and how they are to be audited and moved to the Standards in Public Office Commission. Most of these things are already in place but any other recommendation that has...

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: To every Department.

Tribunals of Inquiry. (27 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: What I have stated is that during the nine and a half years of work on the Moriarty report, many issues came to light that required legislative change and they have already been legislated for during the course of the tribunal. It is probably true to say that a lot directly related to its work. I am not aware of any further legislative issue but changes were made over the years to Finance...