Results 4,181-4,200 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy's point seems to be that those who use VHI and BUPA and those public patients in neither but who benefit from the National Treatment Purchase Fund should not be entitled to do so. That is a wrong analysis. We may still have some problems to deal with, but that analysis is a nonsense.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. The information sought by the Deputies concerning the names of persons appointed by me to State boards under my Department's aegis — the National Economic and Social Council, the National Economic and Social Forum, the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, the Law Reform Commission and the National Statistics Board —...

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Appointments to boards are made on the basis of the knowledge, expertise and experience that an individual can bring to such boards' work. In many cases, appointment is on the basis of nomination by relevant groups, such as the social partners, and the individuals involved agree to serve out of a sense of public duty rather than any monetary consideration. Appointment of the limited number...

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have many friends who, with the greatest respect, lack the knowledge, expertise and experience to serve on boards. The number of those people whom one would appoint is limited, and there is none in my Department because I would not have people involved in certain technical areas such as statistics. However, there are people whom I consider friends with knowledge, experience and expertise...

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Any people I appointed or nominated to a State board when another Minister was making an appointment were people I believed to have the knowledge, expertise and experience required. I put forward names of many people of all party political persuasions and of none whom I believed had the required knowledge, expertise and experience. I do not agree with the Deputy with regard to advertising...

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not try to get into the business of what happens before or after elections in this regard because it would lead to us trading abuse across the House. There are a few hundred people on boards related to my Department. I probably know most of them, but none of them are close friends. They are there because they had the right to be nominated. All of them are consumers.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: With regard to boards generally, not just recently, but for a long time the position has been that Governments have had to try hard to get people for them. These people are from organisations and professions and are known. The Government has not been partisan about appointing boards and packing them with supporters as can be seen if one looks at the range of people on the various boards....

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I believe it. I could name a number of chairmen of State boards who support Deputy McGinley's party, but that is not the point. Board members are doing a good job as best they can. The days of just naming people and getting them to take positions on State boards are no longer easy.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Anyone I asked any Minister to appoint, a limited number over the past decade or during my ministerial career, would not have had any material interest in the appointment. They took the position from a sense of duty and responsibility, not because of a material interest. I would not make a board appointment to someone for a material interest.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: If no material interest relates to an appointment, that is the governing point. If there was a material interest and a person was appointed for the sake of some beneficial interest to him or her, one would have to declare it. If not, one would not have to make a declaration.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I did not. It did not apply in those circumstances.

Appointments to State Boards. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There was not any conflict of interest, nor was there any material interest. I would not appoint somebody to a board under the remit of my Department, or another Department, that would be in conflict with that legislation.

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, together. The code of conduct for office holders was published by the Government in July 2003 pursuant to section 10(2) of the Standards in Public Office Act 2001, following consultation with the Standards in Public Office Commission. On two occasions since the code was launched, I have provided office holders with additional guidance on it...

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: If one receives a gift in a personal or any other capacity, one would have to check with the Standards in Public Office Commission. Otherwise, one could not accept anything. The code will have to be designed in the same way. The Deputy is correct about retrospective legislation, but I should say to Members following my recent experiences that even though the code of conduct relating to...

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That point will have to be worked out in the legislation.

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It could be made a criminal offence but it will have to be worked out. The bottom line is that there must be some penalty. It will have to be examined. We discussed the first issue previously. The point made by the Standards in Public Office Commission is that civil servants should not be used in a political fashion, but that the age old tradition of civil servants being able to brief...

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The very near future.

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The point was made that the loophole in the legislation should be closed off. If a Member of the House receives a part of a property or land from a relation in future, will he or she be able to accept it? The amendment will create a mechanism to check that. It is a good idea. I would not like to see the House turn into the greatest purist in the world, which it is fast becoming. We would...

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I am not aware whether the recommendation was made officially, but if the commission has made it to the Minister for Finance, I am sure he will consider it. If I could put myself in the position of a Member as distinct from Taoiseach for a minute, why would the commission want this power? Why would the commission want to pick on a Member about whom no complaint has been made? What would the...

Standards in Public Office. (18 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This was a power——