Results 3,821-3,840 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There are too many hardened criminals at large, regardless of the number of cases. We have told the Garda time and again that we are prepared to provide the resources in the special units, through additional gardaí and overtime, to break these gangs.

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Garda have been successful in some of these cases. I agree these people need to be locked up with lengthy sentences. Although I have seen some briefings on some of these cases, I am not sure whether those involved are criminal gangs or individuals. That, however, should not stop us. We must make an example of some of these hardened gangs or individuals who act for their own reasons...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte met the workers yesterday and a number of my colleagues met them in the past week. They have been engaged in briefing sessions. They were with the Minister for Foreign Affairs on Sunday morning. A number of Deputies from my party have raised the issue with me also. I wish to make three points I have previously made on this issue. Greencore did extremely well from the...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The company is doing well at home and abroad. It has been well dealt with under EU rules and by the Government. I accept some legal issues are outstanding with which I am not familiar. As I understand, the Minister for Agriculture and Food has asked the Attorney General, or at least her own legal experts, to examine these matters. However, this does not take away from the fact the workers...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: What the workers asked everybody else was whether we would look at the legal issues in regard to some of the money that has not yet been paid. I mentioned the Minister is doing this, but I do not know the legal certainties of doing that as it is EU money. It is a private company but it has been through the Labour Court. Because the factories are closed it wants to develop the sites and it...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Garda, through the report we received today from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is doing everything it can in that area to track down the murderer and also the individual involved in the abuse of children. In a few other cases in the region last week the Garda investigation is continuing. I am not sure if the Deputy is aware that a substantial number of gardaí not...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner. We have made it clear to him on a number of occasions, including last year, that any resources required would be provided. We fast-tracked a number of gardaí through Templemore, including special units, and €1.3 billion has been spent on overtime. We will continue to do this.

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Clearly, the population has increased. Commuter belt communities, traditionally areas of small population operated with part-time Garda stations, need extra resources. At all times when that has been brought to the attention of the Minister for Finance he has been supportive of providing extra resources to the Garda to deal with such areas.

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy knows that where the Commissioner decides to deploy gardaí is an operational matter over which I have no control. If I said I was moving gardaí from one place to another, he knows what would be said. In terms of what the overall numbers are, we need to get to 14,000 gardaí, resource the special units and give additional overtime where the Garda requires it — we are giving...

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——increase the equipment of the Garda and increase the hours. We will continue to do this.

Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: How the Commissioner divides that is a matter for him and the management of the Garda.

Constitutional Amendments. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In respect of the St. Andrews Agreement, one party insisted that an election should take place and that it should take the form of a full election in respect of the Northern Ireland Assembly. All the other parties were satisfied that the main matters with which the new agreement deals — consent, equality, etc. — are covered in the Good Friday Agreement and that an election would not be...

Constitutional Amendments. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It would be far better to engage in meaningful consultations rather than trying to fix wordings and dates and I thought the Deputy would have welcomed that move.

Constitutional Amendments. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I reiterate my comments about the St. Andrews Agreement. Subject to the legislation being passed and the Attorney General being happy that nothing will happen over the next week or so, there should no reason to hold a referendum here. On passage of the legislation, as I understand it, the Assembly will cease in its transitional form at the end of January and an election will be held on 7...

Constitutional Amendments. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have said on two occasions that it is unlikely a referendum will be required on the St. Andrews Agreement but until the legislation is passed in Westminster — because in its draft form it can be amended, as can any legislation — the Attorney General cannot be asked for a definitive answer. If it passes in its present form it is unlikely to require a referendum.

Constitutional Amendments. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The need for a referendum can arise at any time, such as following a court judgment. There will not be a referendum until the Cabinet decides there is to be one, which was my answer in June. The Government's aim is to obtain agreement on an all-party basis as early as possible, which is always our aim with such an important issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has made a...

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. The authorised staffing complement of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions stands at 174. Three vacancies in the office are in the process of being filled. I propose to circulate in the Official Report the information requested by the Deputies on the number of staff, classified by grade, employed in the Office of the...

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The matter is receiving attention in my Department. My officials are broadly supportive of this. As it is a resource issue, my officials are dealing with it with the Department of Finance and the DPP. There are no staff dealing with legal policy in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. This has proved to be an enormous drawback, as the director pointed out. The Department of...

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The DPP has stated that he might be asked for his views on legislation dealing with prosecution. He has set out his view on that issue in several speeches. The present DPP has been forthcoming on these issues. It is clear from his scripts that he views the amount of angst caused to families, other relatives and friends when detail is not supplied as a worrying trend. He argues equally that...

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (21 Nov 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not get into a discussion on policy areas and why or how the DPP makes decisions. He is an independent office holder under the 1974 Act and it would be entirely wrong to discuss issues relating to his administration or staffing. He put forward a case where his present staff complement should be increased, especially in the policy unit. Where a trial has taken place, it is not the...