Results 30,901-30,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Fiscal Policy. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: The Chair has a function in disallowing a question. The disallowing of my question was incorrect because the Government has a crucial role in deciding how——

Fiscal Policy. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I will.

Prevention of Corruption. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I am surprised the Minister's main concern appears to be that legislating for whistleblowing on a broad basis would undermine Ministers' policies. This is a new argument. I find it hard to believe it is beyond the wit of parliamentary draughtsmen to draw up provisions that would provide for whistleblowing while ensuring they have no basis for undermining ministerial policies. Notwithstanding...

Fiscal Policy. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the Minister's reply but, given that he has provided for the ex-ante evaluation of projects costing more than €30 million, does he agree that PPARS as it was originally envisaged would not have been evaluated under that rule? Punchestown would not have been evaluated, even though it was a notorious project and cost a great deal of State money. E-voting as it was initially brought...

Fiscal Policy. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: A lot of white elephants start as baby elephants.

Fiscal Policy. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: Have the responsible individuals been appointed?

Tax Collection. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the progress made in this area. There is an issue of proportionality. Under the Revenue powers group recommendations the Minister was to come in with some recommendations on the gradation of powers. This related to the powers moving from audit to investigation to prosecution, and that there would be some test of reasonableness along the route. Is that coming through? Apropos of...

Tax Code. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the Minister's opposition on the issue, and it appears this is the thin end of the wedge. We recently had the Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Mr. László Kovács, speaking in the restaurant of Leinster House. It seemed to me that this was a Trojan horse in their view, and once the proposal was inside the tent it would mount enormous pressure on those who, like...

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on the implications of the Labour Court ruling that the FÁS management move to confine promotions in head office only to those willing to decentralise is in breach of existing agreements and in conflict with the voluntary nature of the decentralisation programme; and the options he plans to make available for staff in State agencies who...

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: In the context of FÁS, what specific offers are being made to staff who, in almost 99% of cases, wish to remain in Dublin? What is the offer on the table in terms of the options for those who clearly wish to stay in Dublin? What negotiations are ongoing between the Department of Finance and SIPTU, which represents the vast majority of the workers involved, with a view to trying to find a...

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: The Minister is ignoring the issue. Nothing he said addressed it. He has not suggested meeting SIPTU, for example, in respect of FÁS, although I read in the local newspapers that the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, stated he would love to meet SIPTU to deal with FÁS. There is nothing on the table for FÁS workers in this industrial dispute. In any industrial dispute there must be some...

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: Government is the central body that will say what is going to happen.

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: What is the Minister offering in this creative leap?

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: Offaly would not be higher in the Minister's mind than any other location.

Decentralisation Programme. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: The Minister is not doing badly.

Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: I want to express sympathy on behalf of the Fine Gael Party to the families of those who died in the boating tragedy off Wexford. I want to raise two matters on the Order of Business, the first being the matter raised earlier in the House by Deputy O'Dowd, which is that is that we find ourselves facing a major change in respect of Sellafield. The present legislation under the Freedom of...

Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: My question is concerned with freedom of information. The position is that Deputies have been refused information on Sellafield by the Department on grounds of national security. We have issues of intimate concern to the security of our people about which Deputies are very concerned being denied under alleged freedom of information exemptions. There is also the situation whereby the...

Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: We were promised legislation three times in 2005 on the inspection of private nursing homes and that has failed to be delivered each time. Will the Minister say when we will see this legislation? We are increasingly reliant on these nursing homes. We have also learned today that a hospital has had its operations suspended. When will we see the medical practitioners Bill because there is...

Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: My question was about the House not being able to get information which is being denied under the Freedom of Information Act.

Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

Richard Bruton: It is because the Minister must by order change the freedom of information coverage, for example, as it pertains to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.