Results 4,801-4,820 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will try to be helpful and move this important issue on by repeating that it would not have made any difference if the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Attorney General or the rest of the Cabinet had known anything about this matter in advance. It would not have influenced the Supreme Court decision in any way and no more preparatory arrangements would have been made. We...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not want to get into a debate. This issue holds the record for the longest Leaders' Question of one hour and 28 minutes several weeks ago. There is not much point in repeating myself. Deputy Rabbitte knows the Supreme Court made a decision striking down an Act in a case which the State lost. As he correctly stated the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Director of...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Issues arise under section 1 of the 1935 legislation for those who have been convicted before the courts of statutory rape and those in respect of whom prosecutions are pending. In the CC case the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional section 1 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act. In addition, the Supreme Court ensured that Mr. A, who had been convicted of such an offence, remained...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The reason for this is obvious because it creates a real and extra burden for the victim of unlawful carnal knowledge. It means the victim can be subject to rigorous cross-examination by counsel for an accused who may transpire to be a sexual predator. The idea of an 11 or 12 year old girl being grilled in the witness box as to her make-up, perfume or style of dress or the manner in which she...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That was because the Supreme Court made a judgment.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The answer is——

Written Answers — Legal Proceedings: Legal Proceedings (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Following is the information requested by the Deputy. 1. The Number of Extant Cases There are in the order of 664 cases extant where challenges have been made to the constitutionality of acts of the Oireachtas or to Statutory Instruments. This figure includes 85 cases pending where the Road Traffic Act legislation, providing for the use of intoxiliser equipment, is being challenged as being...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The information requested by the Deputy is given in the following schedule: Title of Report Year Report was commissioned Internal Reports Reports carried out by Consultants Cost of Report Consultation document 'Towards Better Regulation' 2002 Yes — with some input from Consultant €31,665 of which €6,692 was in respect of consultant's input ...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Disability Act 2005 gives legal status to a previous positive action measure which set a 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the public service. Whereas the Act sets the 3% target as a minimum employment percentage, it does not restrict Departments or public bodies from surpassing that target. The percentage of persons with disabilities currently employed in my...

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I wish to correct Deputy Joe Higgins on one point. We are now spending €7.5 billion on education. In his area five new schools were built recently, dealing with the difficulty——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There are five new schools dealing with the issue. We have put enormous investment into the area to which the Deputy refers. The Deputy said there was a problem but it has been resolved. His constituency has more new schools than any other in the country. I accept the population has been growing but people have to live somewhere and I do not think the Deputy has an objection to that. Good...

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The position is the same all over the country. In Laytown, where the Deputy was this morning, the number of schools that have been built there is enormous and the school buildings programme——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Under the largest school building programme——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have the largest school building programme in the history of the State——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We are spending nearly——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: When this Government took office in 1997 approximately six school projects were being built per year. Several hundred schools are now being built. The Deputy should come into the real world. We were spending a handful——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There are not hundreds of children——

Leaders' Questions. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We are spending money on hundreds of projects and an enormous amount in Deputy Joe Higgins's constituency, and he stands up and says that is not the case. On the latest list, five schools have been built. Enormous resources from the €1.5 billion are being put into transport infrastructure. A sum of €500 million is being spent on education. Such spending is reflected in individual schools...

Order of Business. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. 12, motion re leave to introduce Supplementary Estimate, Vote 40; No. 13, motion re referral of Supplementary Estimate, Vote 40, to select committee; and No. 19, Criminal Justice Bill 2004 — Order for Report, Report and Final Stages. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders that the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. tonight and business shall...

Order of Business. (27 Jun 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We understand the agreement to which Deputy Stagg referred has been finalised. On that basis, it will go to and be debated in the committee, following which it will return here and there will be a short debate here.