Results 3,281-3,300 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As regards the services I accept Deputy Kenny's point that their roll-out in the private sector, as in the Whitfield Clinic and in Limerick, can be done at enormous speed. To say at the start of 2007 that they cannot achieve a strategy by 2011 is just not acceptable. Given the huge resources and the staff they have been given, they should be able to do it by 2009. I do not accept that and...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In reply to Deputy Kenny, we are preparing a cervical screening programme which will start later this year. It was not the case that we have not got a programme. There was no programme a few years ago. As regards the staff involved now, there are 110 new specialist posts in cancer treatment, giving 300 new cancer specialist posts. There is a cancer control strategy. It is neither...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will not defend, condone or stand over developers, auctioneers or agents of any type who engage in this. Regulation of the property services sector, which is vested in the new property regulator services authority, as already outlined in the House in the last session by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, will license and regulate management agents, who are often the source...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We have already got the heads of the Bill in place. In terms of the matter raised by Deputy Rabbitte, it is the seller who pays the auctioneer, not the buyer. For once I agree with him that there is no argument whatsoever to be made or any justifiable case for auctioneers to have any increase, having worked on the basis of 30,000 to 35,000 a year, while they are now selling in the range of...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy does not want me to legislate.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If I give a long answer, the Deputy gets confused, so I will give a short answer.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I said to Deputy Rabbitte that the heads of the property services regulatory authority Bill were published before Christmas. The Bill will be responsible for auctioneers, estate agencies and management agencies. That is precisely the issue that the Deputy raised today. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform set up a working group on the regulation of auctioneers. I understand...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I commented on the management fees because that issue is also relevant. The Bill will protect management companies that also affect young people, which was a part of these proposals.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not too sure what question the Deputy wants to ask me. If he wants the——

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Health Insurance Act 1994 and the Health Insurance (Amendment) Act 2003 provide for the regulations, whereby new entrants can participate in the health insurance sector. The Government wants to see Quinn Direct's proposals which will be examined by the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. We will have to see the arrangements in the contract drawn up when Quinn Direct purchased...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: A number of important issues arise in this regard. The 400,000 who use BUPA Ireland's service want to continue to avail of private health insurance and have their policies protected. We should consider the staff of BUPA Ireland and the position of VHI Healthcare which expects to receive resources from the private health insurance operators under existing legislation which did not envisage...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Actually, it has not been doing it since last July. The first I heard about Quinn Direct taking over was in the House last Wednesday. It only came into the equation a few days before that, as I understand it. I did not know of its interest until last Wednesday. I have no brief for Quinn Direct which employs 6,500 people. I do not know if it is right for Deputy Higgins to feel it...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We have to resolve some issues relating to the Health Insurance Act. The Attorney General is examining the matter and we are getting some outside advice. I do not think we can resolve the matter before the ongoing work of the Barrington group has been completed. We need to examine precisely how Quinn Direct intends to compose its corporate entity. We have to deal with such issues and will...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It does not require a referendum. The Department is proceeding on the basis of what we set out. Considerable work was done in the Office of the Attorney General, the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in June, July, August and September. Following an enormous amount of thought and action, meetings took...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked a number of questions. With regard to the referendum, there are merits in having more than one question to deal with the five issues; there will probably be two questions. Subject to consultation, the Government would see merit in doing that again. We will see what happens in the consultations but we have not ruled it out. As I said to Deputy Higgins, it is not a good...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I did not conveniently forget any referendum. I was referring to referendums which have already been held and I tried to get consensus on that issue as well. The people will make the final decision. If the Government and the Oireachtas agree on something and put it to the people, we have to accept their decision as the final arbiters. We should not be upset one way or the other as to...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I stated half an hour ago, it was discussed at the Cabinet meeting today. The format was put to the Cabinet and the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is ready to finalise his discussions with the parties. There is not much point in me asking the Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan to have discussions with the parties and then put forward proposals before that happens. If there is no...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I stated early on, the Government has a preference but we would like to get political agreement. The Government format is based on our current thinking, subject to the deliberations with the other parties. I emphasise it is open to amendment, based on those considerations. If it is clear that other parties are unwilling to agree or want a longer period and will not agree to a referendum...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have no ulterior agenda other than to try to be helpful on the matter. If the Opposition parties prefer that the Government brings forward its full proposals in public, we could do so. I would prefer if the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, had private consultations with the parties and we awaited their outcome. Otherwise we might as well make the entire proposals public and say...

Legislative Programme. (6 Feb 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. My Department has one item of legislation, the Statute Law Revision Bill, which was published on 1 February 2007 and is at Order for Second Stage in the Seanad. This Bill will continue the process of modernising the Statute Book by repealing 3,188 ancient statutes, dating from between 1200 and 6 December 1922, that are now...