Results 6,361-6,380 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The heads of the defamation Bill have been cleared by Government and the Bill has largely been drafted. Although I have not had an update for a few weeks, it is listed for this session. I will raise with the Government Whip the issue about making time for the McIver report. Deputy Noel Dempsey told me his report on the Corrib gas field will be published in late February or early March but I...

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I support an amended directive that deals with the country of origin issue and hopefully what seems to have the support of all or the majority of groups is something we can work with. We could not work with the original version.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The legislation and its framework are clear. The Minister for Transport has contacted the local authorities. Difficulty arises where a local authority has not implemented the appropriate regulations. It is a considerable time since they were instructed to do so. The Minister's Department will continue to try to get the local authorities to implement regulations. It is a problem at local...

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The critical infrastructure Bill will be published in the next four or five days. The contents are a matter for the Minister.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: This is to implement the commitment to consolidate the Minerals Development Acts and to update the legislation in line with the reform proposals of Delivering Better Government and the legislation is being prepared. The heads are not yet ready but legislation is due this year.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is due this year.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I wish we would get on with it.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Due to a Supreme Court decision that Bill has not made much progress.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: If they can find a resolution to their legal problems, but until then there is not much point.

Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Yes but the great legal minds have not found a way forward.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny cannot deny that huge improvements have taken place since 12 April 2005. New facilities have been opened, for example.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A new accident and emergency department has been opened at St. Vincent's University Hospital.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: New wards have been opened at James Connolly Memorial Hospital and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The development of an extension to the accident and emergency unit at St. James's Hospital has almost been completed. It is scheduled to open in the next few months. A new admissions facility at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital's accident and emergency department opened in December and is now up and running. All of these new facilities have opened. It is not true to say the Tánaiste's...

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: A wide-ranging approach has been adopted by the Health Service Executive to try to improve access to accident and emergency services.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Senior management officials from the HSE have been working on the accident and emergency difficulties since they took office last year.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The officials have improved patient flow through accident and emergency departments and reduced waiting times.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They have freed up acute beds by providing appropriate long-term care for patients outside the acute hospitals system. Their action plan has focused in particular on patients in acute hospitals who have completed the acute phase of their treatment and are ready to be discharged. Some 1,500 patients have been facilitated to leave acute hospitals since the date mentioned by Deputy Kenny.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We announced a range of measures, including the provision of high-dependency beds, intermediate care beds in private nursing homes, additional beds in public nursing homes and home care packages, in the last budget.

Leaders' Questions. (15 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The measures have allowed approximately 1,500 people to leave acute hospitals. We accept that some difficulties remain.