Results 4,361-4,380 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Departmental Staff. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Saving the hay.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together. The cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and PPPs last met yesterday. The items on the agenda were Transport 21, broadband and the new National Development Plan 2007-2013. The team is scheduled to meet next on 8 November 2006. It has one further meeting planned for the remainder of this year. The team's role is to...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This particular team is not dealing with the Cork Airport issue but it is being dealt with elsewhere. That matter is close to being resolved. If not formally resolved, the parameters of a resolution have been worked out on the structures for the airport so the matter should soon be wrapped up by the various boards. The team worked very effectively during the last few years. Originally we...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is in Transport 21 so it is listed.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On the North-South issues, a sub-group of the cross-departmental team has been examining existing and potential areas of co-operation. Until now it has been mainly on roads, road development and road infrastructure. As the Deputy is aware it has done quite a good job on the Dublin-Belfast Road and the Ballymascanlon-Newry project is well under way. There is also a high level of North-South...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will not go into the general issues. The new owners of Eircom are anxious and determined to deal with and get on top of the broadband and other issues. I wish them well on that. On energy policy issues, in recent months the team has considered these and wider energy issues. Its discussions focused mainly on the issues of climate change, energy issues, particularly the overall policy...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A cross-departmental team of all key Departments, not just a group in my Department, looks at the competitiveness report. It takes the report into account and probably feels satisfied when it sees all the areas in which we are top or in the first three or four. There are some areas, and I have mentioned ——

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The reason we are not high in some infrastructural areas is that until approximately a decade ago what we spent in this country on infrastructure was pathetically low. We did not have the money because we were spending our money on the national debt.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I would not like to think that people across Departments, who are trying to see road, waste and other infrastructural projects go through, would spend their time either looking at EU reports or statistical analyses of an academic exercise that is useless to the people. What they are trying to do is to ensure the removal of any administrative, structural or other blocks in the system in order...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not agree with the Deputy's analysis. However I am not allowed discuss it. The Deputy has argued that these projects are not moving well——

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the Fermoy bypass which was opened the other day and is only one of approximately 20 this year. It was completed seven months ahead of schedule and is under budget.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I accept there were difficulties in the past.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: By the end of this decade, the targets will be achieved for the Cork, Limerick and Galway roads. I acknowledge the Waterford road may be behind. The bus capacity and the rail targets are way ahead. They are not way behind. It shows a negative attitude to concentrate on one among many projects. Huge progress is being made in this area. I acknowledge that difficulties exist in some areas,...

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I thank the Deputy.

Public Private Partnerships. (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: To be helpful to Deputy Durkan, this group is not dealing with this matter. However, a ministerial group dealing with energy is working on the biofuel, biomass and bioenergy issues. In answer to Deputy Rabbitte's question on the M50, there will be three or four phases. I have attended meetings on this issue. Work has commenced on phase one. Phase two is to be a public private partnership...

Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. a1, Road Traffic and Transport Bill 2006 [Seanad] — Second and Remaining Stages; No. 17, Patents (Amendment) Bill 1999 — Order for Report, Report and Final Stages; No. 2, Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006 — Second Stage, resumed; and No. 3, Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. It is proposed,...

Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I normally answer questions on the Order of Business on the area of justice, as we are trying to complete Bills. We have introduced an enormous amount of legislation. The legal costs Bill and the property services regulatory authority Bill are due. There are the immigration and residence Bill and the judicial council Bill. In this session, we will have the enforcement of fines Bill....

Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In every session we passed many Bills in the justice area. All the Bills I mentioned are coming through the system in the coming months.

Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Bill is ordered for Second Stage in the Seanad.

Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Privacy Bill.