Results 5,861-5,880 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: That is the track record and it does not augur well for the future. How he conducts the business of his party is entirely a matter for Deputy Martin. However, as far as a new agenda is concerned it seems to me that there is very much an old agenda and nothing has really changed. A number of points were raised. Deputy Pringle wanted to know whether the Government would demonstrate good...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: It was not enacted and the Government sent poor former Deputy John Gormley away without one of the trophies he had promised his people. It was an admirable objective on his part but one which he failed to implement, I presume because of obstruction by the other party in that Government. Given what has happened in politics as I understand it - Deputy Martin can correct me if I am wrong -...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I was under the impression that Deputy Martin wanted to ask me some questions.

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I am present. I advise Deputy Martin to contain himself in respect of Fine Gael. I am sure the Taoiseach is on his way.

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Martin was incorrect in describing what was decided at Cabinet. Back in March 1995, the Cabinet decided, in accordance with best practice in Europe at the time, there ought to be a competition to decide this issue. The protocol that Deputy Martin thought applied at Cabinet on 2 March 1995 never happened. Once established, the project team, comprising the Departments of Finance and...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: There is not much difference in numbers between the Opposition parties.

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I agree entirely with Deputy Ó Caoláin that the public interest ought to be the primary concern. Legal proceedings are under way and their purpose is to seek to ascribe responsibility for the wrongdoing of others to the State. In the process, this will run the risk of exposing the taxpayer to paying the bill. That is why my ministerial colleagues on these benches have stressed that they...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to share time with Deputies Eoghan Murphy and Mary Mitchell O'Connor.

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this very important debate. The Moriarty report presents an unedifying picture of politics and public affairs in Ireland. One of the foremost challenges facing Dáil Éireann is to respond to the report's findings in a forthright and honest way and implement the recommendations for reform. The Government is determined to give a lead,...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: That is the entire point. We were not to have a role. It was an independent competition and it would have been entirely improper if we had interfered.

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The outcome of the competition was reported to us. If we had second-guessed it, it would have been entirely improper.

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland has progressively increased consumption of electricity from renewable sources - from 4.3% in 2003 to 13.4% in 2010. This increase came primarily from the development of onshore wind resources. Ireland's National Renewable Energy Action Plan, NREAP, (available on the Department's website) sets out how Ireland's binding national target under the EU Renewable Energy Directive will be...

Written Answers — Offshore Exploration: Offshore Exploration (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland's fiscal terms are tax based and do not include royalty payments. In 1987, Ireland followed the lead of other countries such as the UK and Norway in moving away from a royalty based payments system to a tax based system. Under the tax based system the return to the State is linked directly to the profitability of the individual oil or gas field, as compared to a royalty system where...

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Grants for roof insulation are included under the Home Energy Saving Scheme, which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). While chimney insulation and solid fuel cooker stoves are not currently eligible for grant-aid, my Department and the SEAI keep all potential energy efficiency measures under ongoing review.

Written Answers — Fishing Vessel Licences: Fishing Vessel Licences (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Salmon and eel fishing licences are issued by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in accordance with the Fisheries Acts 1959 to 2010. I am advised that the numbers and types of licences that have been issued by IFI (and the former Eastern Regional Fisheries Board) in Dublin from 2006 onwards are as set out in the following table: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 (to date) Salmon - Commercial...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The analogue TV services both in Ireland and in Northern Ireland are due to be switched off at the end of 2012 and my Department has been working closely with its UK counterparts to facilitate a co-ordinated approach on both sides of the border in respect of the roll-out of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and analogue switch-off. In this regard, in February 2010, a Memorandum of...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: In general, all civil servants are eligible for superannuation benefits provided they satisfy the qualifying conditions outlined in the Superannuation Schemes. Civil servants who resigned on or after 1st June 1973 are entitled to have their Superannuation benefits preserved and these become payable on reaching minimum retirement age, i.e. age 60 or 65 depending on which Scheme they are...

Order of Business (29 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: It is tough over there.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (24 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the warmer homes scheme (WHS) on behalf of my Department. The scheme aims to provide energy efficiency improvements to homes in, or at risk of, energy poverty. The scheme, which is delivered through a combination of community-based organisations (CBOs) and a panel of private contractors, is available nationwide and was delivered...

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (22 Mar 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: As set out in the document Government for National Recovery 2011 – 2016, it is proposed to establish a New Economy and Recovery Authority (New ERA). New ERA is envisaged to have an ambitious agenda with a particular focus on management of investments over the next 4 years in Next Generation infrastructure by streamlined and restructured Commercial State Companies. The precise structure and...