Results 36,461-36,480 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

National Development Plan. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Could the Minister answer my question?

National Development Plan. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: I will repeat my question to the Minister.

National Development Plan. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: I am sorry. I thought you were calling me.

National Development Plan. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Does the Minister propose to borrow for the national development plan, and what scale of borrowing does he envisage? I refer to borrowing for investment as opposed to borrowing for current consumption. How does he propose to rate the different proposals in the national development plan? I have likened these before to a big soufflé. Now the oven door is open and soufflé is sinking...

Appointments to State Boards. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: The Minister spoke about diversity with regard to appointments to political boards. Does the Minister agree that after 11 years of Fianna Fáil in government, what most people think of in terms of diversity in State boards is the diversity of Fianna Fáil cumainn represented by many of the board members? That is, unfortunately, what people have begun to see. Historically, that may be a...

Appointments to State Boards. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: It certainly helps to be a member of Fianna Fáil.

Value for Money Initiative. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Given the development of Government bodies — quangos — does the Minister believe it would be possible in current form for Dáil committees to examine public bodies seriously? I will give an example to which the Minister referred. The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland issues regular reports and its representatives appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on...

Value for Money Initiative. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: They were also questioned on previous occasions about what they were doing to ensure the stability of the banking system and, in particular, asked to ensure we would not be overexposed to risky practices in lending to developers to purchase land. We received the vaguest answers to very specific questions such as what was the accounting treatment of the interest payments on loans to...

Economic Competitiveness. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: In the context of preparing for the budget, has the Minister taken the opportunity to look at comparative costs for public services in other countries? For example, one can visit a doctor in France and expect to pay €20 or €30 and proportionate amounts, perhaps, €70 or €80 to visit a consultant, whereas in Ireland the cost of a visit to a doctor, unless one has a medical card, would...

Economic Competitiveness. (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Has the Minister used it? How many of his consultants use it?

Unemployment Levels (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Does the Minister agree, as has been publicly announced, that unemployment is already over 6%? This is the most recent figure. I do not know who wrote the brief for the Minister today but things have got worse since July. We have figures regarding unemployment that relate to the end of August and early September and these show 6.1%. Does the Minister share the analysis of the ESRI that...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed). (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: That sounds daunting. I will begin my observations by referring to a paragraph in the first chapter of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, which was published recently and is highly pertinent to both today's topic and the economy. The Comptroller and Auditor General disclosed that during the Dáil and Seanad elections of 2007, An Post delivered almost 26 million items of mail to...

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: The chickens are coming home to roost.

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Before the summer recess, the Tánaiste was kind enough to say she was prioritising the issue of management companies. As she knows, tens of thousands of young people are paying very high management company fees. She said the legislation would involve three Departments. The Law Reform Commission has reported with its own draft Bill for owner managed companies. When can we expect this...

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Does that mean no legislation has been prepared or that the law reform legislation has not even been looked at? The Law Reform Commission took two years to prepare the legislation.

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: With due respect, the Minister's fast method sounds like a snail method. It sounds like they are still having discussion on it.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Question 122: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if it is intended to effect any reduction in staffing levels in the private or constituency offices of herself or her Ministers of State arising from the requirement to achieve a reduction of 3% in payroll costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30909/08]

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Question 157: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way it is intended to achieve the reduction of 3% in payroll costs for her Department as announced by the Minister for Finance in July 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30908/08]

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (24 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Question 184: To ask the Taoiseach the expenditure by his Department on consultants for each of the past six calendar years including to date in 2008; if he will provide a breakdown of these figures in order to show the amount and proportion of expenditure on consultants which relates to expenditure on public relations, marketing or advertising consultants; and if he will make a statement on...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Sep 2008)

Joan Burton: Question 192: To ask the Taoiseach the total payroll and the total financial package including basic salary, performance, other bonuses and pension entitlements of the chief executive officer of every public agency or quango under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30618/08]