Results 2,781-2,800 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I am saying to Deputy Gilmore that I do not accept the motivation he is ascribing to the Department of Finance is correct at all.

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I have stated-----

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: Deputy Gilmore has just made certain points about "doctoring" and all the rest of it. There is no question of that. I just made the point that where it is a nationalised bank, the chairman's statement and the draft accounts are referred to the Department of Finance for comment, which is the norm, and they were commented on.

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: They were and they provided a view. The paramount concern-----

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: -----of the Department of Finance and indeed, the Government, at the time of this statement was to do everything possible to protect the stability of the entire banking system. at a time of great fragility. In the context of spring 2009, it was important that any statement relating to the liquidity situation in any bank, particularly a nationalised bank where the taxpayer was directly...

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: That is the simple motivation of the Department of Finance in any of these matters. Any questions the Deputy wishes to refer to the Department of Finance may be referred to it, but I want to make clear that the portrayal, as he puts it, in terms of ascribing such a motivation to the Department-----

Leaders' Questions. (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I am not here to comment on articles, but rather to give the facts of the situation as they are. The facts are as I have outlined, and any suggestion to the contrary is not the case, whatsoever.

Departmental Staff (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: The cost of the communications unit in February was approximately €20,189. The projected cost for the unit in 2010 is €242,269 with €112,220 being a direct cost to my Department and the balance being paid by three other Departments which have staff seconded to the unit. The projected cost for 2010 represents a reduction of 6% on the 2009 cost, 20% on the 2008 cost and 27% on the 2007...

Departmental Staff (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: There are Departments which use external media monitoring services for newspapers and specialist magazines dealing with their particular areas of activity. They use these services for media notifications specific to their Departments. External services are sometimes used for the provision of transcripts where these cannot be obtained from the communications unit because of time constraints...

Departmental Staff (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: A totally separate matter was dealt with by the Minister last week, I understand, during Question Time. If there are issues which are in the national media, such as news bulletins, etc., these are referred through the communications unit.

Departmental Staff (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: No it was not.

Constitutional Reform (12 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, together. I have put it on record before that neither I, nor my Department, is solely responsible for the implementation of recommendations in the Reports of the Joint Committee. As Deputies may be aware, the joint committee has produced three reports to date dealing with freedom of expression; with amending the Constitution; and with the...

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. Total expenditure by my Department from the establishment of the Moriarty tribunal to the end of April 2010 was €39.36 million. Expenditure in January, February and March of this year was €414,962, €259,321 and €200,302, respectively. The sole member of the tribunal, Mr. Justice Moriarty, has not yet addressed third party...

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: An earlier report, on another aspect of the tribunal's work, was produced in December 2006. That was the first report of the tribunal. We are awaiting its second and final report. The tribunal has lasted much longer than was expected at the time of its establishment. In addition to the length and complexity of the tribunal's terms of reference, factors which have contributed to its...

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I just explained to the Deputy that this tribunal was a creation of the Oireachtas and, therefore, it is a matter for the Oireachtas to consider all these points.

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: I cannot deal with rumours and the Deputy should not deal with them. I have just explained that the latest information I have from the sole member of the tribunal is that while he cannot be categoric about the impact of recent developments on the completion of his work, for example, the availability of Mr. Andersen, he is in correspondence with Mr. Andersen's solicitor to clarify that...

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: The correspondence is from the Sole Member, who is the person dealing with the tribunal proceedings. It is not a case of "what is another year?" He stated, "he does not anticipate that any such delay will protract his work beyond a short number of months". It should be acknowledged that is the latest information I have from the sole member.

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: The reply that was given last week on this matter was in line with the correspondence I had received on 23 April from the sole member of the tribunal, when he stated in a letter to me of that date: The Tribunal has always considered that Mr. Andersen would be a valuable witness. It is a matter of enormous regret to me that the prospect of his attendance should have arisen so belatedly in...

Tribunals of Inquiry (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: Although I quoted extensively from the letter, it is marked "Private and confidential" and "Strictly addressee only". The reason I conduct this correspondence is to communicate queries raised by the House. All of my replies simply reflect the contents of the correspondence.

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (11 May 2010)

Brian Cowen: For the period in question, my predecessor, an Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D., attended three scheduled European Councils and one Informal European Council. Since I took office, there have been eight scheduled European Councils and six Informal or Extraordinary European Councils. I have attended all fourteen of these meetings. There were also two meetings of the Heads of State or...