Results 3,381-3,400 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Employment of People with Disabilities. (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There is not too much on that.

Northern Ireland Issues. (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 36, inclusive, together. The last 12 months have seen significant and welcome progress in the peace process. The St. Andrews Agreement, which the two Governments published on 13 October, is built on the twin pillars of power sharing and support for policing. It contains an explicit timetable leading to the restoration of the power sharing Executive on...

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny asked me three questions. Our figures differ a little. On his first question regarding patient waiting times, the HSE, which has responsibility for all 50 hospitals, continues to report significant improvements in the numbers of patients awaiting admission compared to the same period in previous years. The average number of patients awaiting admission during the December to...

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Figures released by the HSE show that in the first six months of last year, 10,368 operations were postponed, not cancelled. That figure represents 2% of the total number of 527,000 patients who were treated in acute hospitals in the first six months of last year. While it always regrettable to postpone operations, they are postponed for a variety of reasons, including emergency cases...

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny will continue to make those points but we are spending a lot of money in this country.

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are paying 140,000 people in our health service to work hard and they are working hard. Deputy Kenny is correct in that the spare capacity in most acute areas of the health service is very tight. That always has been the case and I would say it will continue to do so. As we increased bed numbers by 1,500 and used the National Treatment Purchase Fund——

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am answering Deputy Kenny. We have used the National Treatment Purchase Fund to treat many of the people on waiting lists. Opposition Deputies should not try to paint the picture that the people who were on the waiting list five years ago are still waiting. There will always be people on waiting lists.

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As long as people——

Leaders' Questions (31 Jan 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——are ill, people will be on waiting lists, so do not paint the picture that it is always the same people. A person may be in for an operation today and somebody else will be on the list tomorrow.

Written Answers — Dublin-Monaghan Bombings: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: At the request of the Sole Member of the Commission of Investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings, Mr. Patrick MacEntee SC QC, I have granted a further extension of the timeframe for completion of the Commission of Investigation's report to 14 February, 2007. On each occasion, that the timeframe has been extended, Mr. MacEntee has written to me and provided an interim report, as...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The amount spent on consultants in each year from 1997 to 2005 and to end of November 2006 is as follows: Year Expenditure € 1997 328,825 1998 637,336 1999 149,811 2000 304,012 2001 779,673 2002 771,098 2003 313,694 2004 435,861 2005 147,155 2006 (to end November) 48,576 These consultancies in the main related to the modernisation of the Civil Service, both as it relates to my...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Currently there are 117 staff (from an authorised complement of 120) in the Office of the Attorney General, which includes the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government. Of these, 44 are barristers and 11 are solicitors.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The education Ireland Bill is due in 2007. As we have not seen the heads of the Bill yet, I cannot give Deputy Kenny a date in this regard. As there is a commitment to debate the Harris report, I will ask the Government Whip to arrange it. As for the sitting during the week in which the House will return, its purpose will be to discuss legislation and to deal with the legislation only.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will do so gladly. What I said to the Deputy last week remains the position. While the Government will deal with the second issue shortly, the position is still that if we can get agreement, we will proceed. Just because I noted last week that people are entitled to express a view, that should not mean that I have changed from the discussion that took place at the committee. The...

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Hopefully we will have a referendum in the spring. That is the answer.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This session.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I certainly do not want to mislead Deputy McCormack, but the legislation is due this session. As I have stated on many occasions when legislation is promised to be published this session, the session runs until the day before the next session starts.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is an old rule from 1930.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The officials, the Tánaiste and I are dealing with that matter. It is more important that we get the response right, rather than meet the deadline, but we will do it.

Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have just been dealing with a report which I told the House would be ready approximately two months ago and I stated this morning it will be extended until 14 February. It is better to get these matters right. We are dealing with something that occurred a quarter of a century ago.