Results 4,761-4,780 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We must wait until the agreement is ratified. None of these measures will be implemented if it is not.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The issue of a democratic deficit comes up continually and I have answered the question several times. The social partnership process is not anti-democratic because it is based on a recognition of the proper and distinct roles of Government, and the legitimate contribution to public life of the social partners who, in their own right, exercise significant influence over the broad economic and...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Yes, everyone will abide by it and——

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Public sector reform is a hugely important issue which has been referred to in every agreement this Government has been involved with, certainly since 1992. We have been seeking further progress, further productivity and more streamlined, efficient and effective ways of doing things. Public servants, under every agreement, have given something as part of the change process. There has been...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have no problem with the current agreement, which has already been debated in the Seanad. In fairness to the Seanad, which perhaps does not have the same pressure of business as——

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Yes, I would be very glad to accommodate that. The Seanad, in recent years, has given much attention to the social partnership process. It has had very good debates on the issue because Members of that House come from the employers, trade unions and social pillars. For that reason, the debates tend to be very good. I have no problem with laying the report before this House in the new term,...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy raised a number of points. As I said to him in my reply, the Department of the Taoiseach does not monitor NESF reports, whose proposals go to the line Ministers. The Deputy's overall question had two aspects, international comparisons and our model, which he contrasted against those of other EU countries. We have half the rate of unemployment in those countries. Our levels of...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is the case. The latest reports show that 250,000 people have moved out of consistent poverty. There are still people in poverty, but we have moved a large proportion out. Our flexible workforce has led to strong job creation and we are able to expend resources to assist the less well-off through tackling educational disadvantage. Those reports also show the strong literacy levels in our...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There is the minimum wage. The Deputy quotes European figures, but when I give him the facts in that regard, he abandons Europe.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That is the case. The Deputy's job is that of an Opposition Deputy, and he quotes Europe at every Question Time, but when we go outside to discuss its benefits, he is against the EU. Does he never wake up in the morning and think that there is a great contradiction in that?

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I listen to the Deputy all the time.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The research shows that there are good things about Europe, but the Deputy is against the whole concept.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have just answered the question.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I wanted to answer the Deputy's question on the workplace agenda. The Government said that it would deal with several such issues concerning the displacement factor and protection of workers and their rights. In the agreement, we have listed a host of areas where we require legislative changes. We must enforce the existing legislation, but it is also a matter of new legislation. There are...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy knows my view, namely, that what we have done since 1987 in Governments in which I have been involved has been to cut taxes from their former high rates. We continued to do that until we reached the current position. The only years in which we missed out on that were those of the rainbow coalition, which stopped cutting taxes in 1995 and 1996.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have continually said regarding the lower-paid——

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The answer to the question is that I do not think that we should ever stop trying to improve the tax position of the less well-off. That is why there was a considerable reduction in taxes for the less well-off in the last budget, keeping the minimum wage out of the tax net.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is good that VAT went up, since we were able to redistribute that money. As the Deputy knows, in this country we do not impose VAT on food, clothing or other goods important to low-paid people.

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Other countries do that. The Deputy may wish to include those goods and redistribute the money in another manner, but our way is more effective. To answer Deputy Rabbitte's question, I believe that reductions from now on should be at the lower end. There is no case for reductions at the top end. Obviously, the bands and allowances must be kept in line, as the Minister achieved in the last...

Social Partnership Agreements. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I thank Deputy Rabbitte for his support. In reducing taxes and, in particular, helping those on lower incomes, we have followed our programme for Government very faithfully. It is incorrect to say that the benchmarking process will fall through if the new social contract falls through. I said that the benchmarking process for next year has already commenced. A preliminary report on it has...