Results 2,701-2,720 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Once a person is in the parliamentary party, he or she, like everybody else, gets the briefing on legislation from the Whip and is well informed. When one is not in the parliamentary party, it is not as easy to be briefed on legislation. Most of the briefing in question is on legislation in respect of which individuals would want to be aware of the Government's position or issues that...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I explained, and Deputy Sargent has correctly reported what I said previously and today, there is a small number of Deputies who supported the Government throughout the last term and those Deputies continue to be briefed where necessary even if their support is not as crucial in this Dáil. What happens in future Dáils and what happened in past Dáils is a matter for another day or for...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: First, I welcome Deputy Ó Caoláin back to the House and wish him every strength and success. It is good to see him back working again. The assistance mainly relates to legislative matters or matters that Members from political parties would be briefed on in the normal course of affairs when legislation is before the House. It is no more than that. Sometimes Members might want to see a...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No. The House would not be sitting and no legislation would be going through. The questions that normally arise would not apply. One of the two Deputies who is normally briefed is not running for the next Dáil so it would not arise in that case and I do not believe that Deputy Healy-Rae will come to the House to seek advice on legislative issues during the course of the campaign in south...

Departmental Expenditure. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is another reason I do not think he will come to the House during the interregnum.

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 10, inclusive, together. These questions relate to the findings of the Quigley report which was published in 2005. It highlighted the need for special care in cases where services are procured where there is an element of direct service to a Minister or Minister of State, particularly in the public relations or communications area. As I outlined to the...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the general question of an advertising or information publicity campaign in a Department, clear guidelines are set down by the Department of Finance on what one can do in that regard. Those guidelines have been enhanced and tightened up on a number of occasions in the past six or seven years. A Minister or a Minister of State in any Department cannot simply decide to produce a publicity...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On a daily basis the Government Information Service dispenses information that comes through Departments, from Government itself or from Cabinet committees. It is mainly about reports or documentation approved for circulation for interested parties, whether it be farming, teachers or whatever. That is its ongoing job. There is not a day that it does not put out information either to a...

Public Relations Contracts. (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Normally public relations contracts run for the period of the Government, but the departmental public relations contracts would not be engaged in a political campaign or they would not be involved in a period of election.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Like Deputy Kenny, I hope there will be a good turnout today and that the political process in the North goes well. Preparatory work on the heads of the Bill is ongoing regarding the education Ireland Bill. This Bill will regulate the body dealing with educational services, including the teaching of English. It will probably be the second half of the year before it is published.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I had the opportunity to receive a briefing on the first matter raised. The Government's legislative programme published on 30 January 2007 provides for the publication of the property services regulatory authority Bill. This legislation will give effect to the recommendations of the auctioneering and estate agents review group, including the establishment of the property services regulator...

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: They are all linked.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There is a question about whether it can all be dealt with in one Bill. Meetings were held with the Law Reform Commission which has done some work on this matter. I am informed that one piece of legislation will not be sufficient to cover all the areas; it will just cover a number of them. Work is ongoing on the Bill to which I referred. It is a question of including all the aspects....

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think a complaint was received. The Minister's office contacted me last night. I think the BCI was concerned about the political nature of the commercial because of the petition involved. I have listened to some fairly political advertisements recently which had a ferocious go at me, and nobody seems to worry about it.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I cannot see how anyone would get so sensitive about this.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There are two issues in this regard. First, the Minister some months ago gave a directive to local authorities not to continue that process.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister has given a direction. Obviously, he said if anyone had information——

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I explained to Deputy Rabbitte that a number of aspects are involved. The cross-departmental team is working on the issue but it is broader than what I have stated. On the housing issue raised by Deputy Joe Higgins, the Minister has given a directive for contracts already entered into. That matter must be considered in the context of what the cross-departmental team is doing.

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are spending €33 billion on——

Order of Business (7 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are spending €33 billion on public transport. I thought that was a fair priority.