Results 2,661-2,680 of 2,770 for speaker:Bernard Allen

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Minister is deluding himself now.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Does the Minister want an answer?

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I will answer the Minister.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am quite flabbergasted listening to the Minister. I thought he would come to the House and show a little flexibility towards the views of the Opposition. As I said earlier, I am quite flexible in dealing with some of the major issues. The Minister quoted selectively from the commission's report and I do not know what point he was making. The Minister accused me of looking through the wrong...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: It is an issue as far as I am concerned. On page 23 of the commission's report, it is certainly an issue. The commission says that although they do not fall strictly within its terms of reference, the following observations have a bearing on the successful implementation of the system at elections in Ireland. According to the commission, the system cannot accommodate voters who wish to...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: ——and vote on 11 June? The problem of getting people out to vote is a core issue. Instead of throwing good money after bad, the Minister should ensure the remainder is used in positive way.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Minister is trying to rubbish the commission.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: It is a little like a person with no licence buying a car. He cannot drive it.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: It cannot be used.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: It cannot be used in June.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The system is not being used in June.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Will the Government give it a broader terms of reference?

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I object. I find it incomprehensible that the Minister is moving Report Stage of a Bill which provides for the introduction of electronic voting for the June elections when the Commission on Electronic Voting reported last week and gave a damning judgment on the Minister's judgment in all of this. I cannot understand how he has the neck to press ahead with Report Stage of the Bill when it...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I will not go into details. He did not mention the contents of paragraph (iv) which said that the system could be entered into, interfered with——

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am indicating that I object to taking Report Stage. The Minister has lost all credibility. He has had an arrogant attitude to the issues raised by Opposition spokespersons and the experts who attended the hearing at the request of the Minister and the committee on 18 December last. Following the hearing of 18 December, questions under the 41 headings raised by experts were not answered for...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am about to finish. That afternoon the PDs and Fianna Fáil pushed through a motion accepting the proposal to introduce electronic voting for the elections in June. The following morning——

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Some €51 million of taxpayers' money is gone down the drain.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: Within 48 hours of the committee hearing collapsing as a result of representatives of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, contracts were signed with the Dutch company, incurring huge losses for the taxpayers.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: I am accusing the Minister of negligence and arrogance, and I ask that he consider his position.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Order for Report Stage. (4 May 2004)

Bernard Allen: The Minister had a lot to say, and not only that, but he gave his friends in Fianna Fáil a €5 million contract and in recent weeks they have gone around the country attempting to undermine the commission.