Results 5,861-5,880 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As I have said previously, if just one person dies on the roads, that is one person too many. Some 399 people died on the roads last year, which is several hundred less than the number of people who died when there was a fraction of the current amount of vehicles on the roads. That does not detract from the Government's desire to minimise the number of people dying on the roads. It is not a...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: As regards the incident, at 4.30 a.m. on 26 March a shooting occurred between the M50 motorway and the Lucan road. A car containing five passengers, two male and three female, had several shots fired at it. Two of the passengers were wearing bullet-proof vests. The driver of the car received a flesh wound to the elbow and was brought to hospital. He was reluctant to stay and discharged...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: That does not seem to be what happens, however.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked why I gave the Garda figures. He said the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was responsible to this House for what the Garda did. I was giving him the factual position from information the Garda had given us. I thought that was what he required. I agree with the Deputy that it was a miracle nobody was killed. If it had not been 4.30 a.m., there would have...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: With a population of 3.6 million, there were 29 crimes per thousand of the population.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Now with a population of half a million more people——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——there are 24.6 crimes per 1,000. They are the figures.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputy Rabbitte would like to point out, as he did last week——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——the cumulative figures for the past few years. I looked back at that because it was a good point.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte said it is terrible that there are 100,000 headline crimes. That was the point made here by the Opposition last week. I found that in 1995 there were 100,785 headline crimes and in 1996——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I listened carefully to a whole lot of misinformation but as soon as I try to give any information Members try to shout me down.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I purposely did not raise the figures because I do not think that is the point. There was more crime when Deputy Rabbitte sat at the Cabinet table, when there was a population of half a million less, and there were fewer gardaí.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy opposed——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: No, the definition was not changed. Far more crimes are now recorded because the PULSE system is recording them, as Deputy Rabbitte knows. I accept there is too much crime. I am glad Fergus McCabe is going to another job — Deputy Rabbitte is aware of that too. I am glad we are still pumping resources into dealing with the drugs problem.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I know Deputy Rabbitte was in a different position then, but I am glad that if he had the chance again he would not oppose the referendum on bail, cancel the prisons programme, be against extra gardaí or vote against our proposals on minimum sentences. They were all wise decisions that he would now make if he were in that position.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We will do all we can, with the Garda, with the powers under the latest criminal justice legislation, to deal with this matter to the best of our ability.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I think Deputy Sargent will acknowledge and accept that the biggest issue we face is to make sure we get the correct balance in our country between economic growth and prospects——

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The most important thing we can do is try to get the right balance between our economic competitiveness as a modern economy and our environmental responsibilities. That is the crucial issue on which we have been working as we have been growing as a country. We have effectively doubled the entire economy in the past nine years.

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have trebled the economy since the late 1980s. We have to continually work and strive to achieve that balance. We have to take account of all the sectors. I do not fundamentally disagree with the points made by Deputy Sargent in that they are crucial issues for the future, but they cannot be dealt with at the expense of crucial industries that generate huge economic activity and create...

Leaders' Questions. (28 Mar 2006)

Bertie Ahern: No, it is not a question of them supporting Fianna Fáil.