Results 3,041-3,060 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——the figures are extremely good across all the teaching hospitals, as well as other hospitals. I see the figures every day because I get the chart from the Minister for Health and Children. Of the 52 acute hospitals, about six have difficulties. The others are managing very well and the HSE is actively assisting them. A range of areas around Beaumont Hospital operate the HSE d-doc...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The number of flu patients is up this week. I have given the figures for Beaumont Hospital. This House should at least acknowledge the huge commitment, effort and success of the staff in the field every day doing a very good job and getting us through the winter with an excellent service.

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The HSE has published the results of its national survey on the experience of patients using accident and emergency departments. The survey was carried out by the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare with the RCSI and MORI Ireland. Some 76% of patients were satisfied with their experience in accident and emergency departments and 86% of patients with a choice of service would...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: A further 25% were seen within three hours. While there might be problems on a daily basis and we can all run around waiting for the day to go to a hospital when it is experiencing problems, thousands of staff are on the ground doing an excellent job and I commend them for it.

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: They are doing their best.

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have been fair, frank and open about this. I would be very glad to hear the Deputy's conclusions. He stated last week that if we published the legislation, he would examine it with legal and other advisers and give his view on it. The outline of the legislative proposals lists four areas of legislation which can be addressed under the particular amendment, with legislation relating to...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have listened to the arguments and I will not get into an argument on this because I want to try to get agreement on it. It did not start last summer. Some of the other issues were raised in the Judge Catherine McGuinness report of 1993, moved onto the constitutional review of 1996 and into the debate on the Children Acts between 1996 and 2001. Other issues formed part of the adoption...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The answer to the Deputy's question is that, yes, several years ago, we increased both the staffing and fee levels of the tribunals. In 2004 we introduced new legislation to increase the number of judges and to attempt to speed up the modules. We did this when the tribunal indicated it would not finish its work until 2016. At that stage we introduced a new regime which ends at the end of...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Government is dealing with a number of the tribunals as regards costs. We must reach a conclusion because the dates are up shortly for some of these. The date for the planning tribunal is 31 March, and it is clear for a variety of reasons that its work will not be finished on that date or for a long time afterwards. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,...

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As regards the issues last year and whether I was given paper cuttings, rundowns, etc, on what was involved, the answer is "No". Regarding the Deputy's first question on what they do, there are press officers in all Departments across the Civil Service at various levels and in different units. They naturally have an interest as regards what is going on. The unit deals with press officers...

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: They have no connections whatever with Deputies. They are civil servants who could be in any place — I do not know where their office is based. They are simply doing their jobs as civil servants in an apolitical way; it is no more than that.

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No, Deputy. If I thought it did for a minute, I would accept the Deputy's point, but I do not accept it. As the Deputy is aware, I have no control——

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No, over the tripe that is written in some newspapers by people whom I reckon are in Doheny & Nesbitt's having a few pints who decide to write a story without any basis and get paid for it.

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: No, I am not. I would not dare say that because the Deputy would not give such a stupid story. I assure the Deputy that if he asks a question I will give him an answer. During that period, I did not receive any transcript or tape of a report from the communications unit, nor did anyone on my behalf.

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I was doing my work and I had to keep moving. Whatever information I received, it would not be coming from the communications unit. I have to get on with my job, rather than worrying about these things. Probably 99% of the work done in the unit is released to press officers in Departments, who are civil servants. They are not political animals. They deal with information relating to the...

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The editors of the newspapers determine the policy. All they do is take down what appears on the newspapers.

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: They try to take something from a good number of the newspapers. The civil servants in my Department that are responsible for the unit will always provide an open invitation to the Green Party, Sinn Féin or to the other parties to look at their work. They have never been anything other than courteous to all parties in the House, regardless of who is in power. Freedom of information...

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The salaries of six civil servants have to be paid. We cannot go back to the old system, whereby this information was supplied by outside companies and huge costs had to be paid by the various Departments. We are always talking about achieving value for money and avoiding waste in expenditure when we can do so.

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Some people seem to think it would be grand for every Department to spend €100,000 to avail of the services of outside commercial companies, but then have problems when they learn that six civil servants are doing the same work in an efficient manner. That work is done on a non-political basis. Great references to political slants or spins are not made during election campaigns or at any...

Departmental Bodies. (20 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The unit does not cover the provincial newspapers or the local radio stations, other than the Dublin stations. Deputy Morgan asked a fair question. There are two advantages to the work of the unit. The press offices in the Departments and a wide range of public and civil servants get information sheets outlining the main issues on the news early in the morning and again during the day. The...