Results 6,501-6,520 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It will create problems and Members of this House will hear people giving out about it, as they already do about some of the new provisions. We will deal with that matter.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have told the Garda to enforce in numbers and enforce the law. It will create its own difficulties but I agree we cannot allow a situation where 50 people have died in the first five or so weeks of this year.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I appreciate Deputy Rabbitte's acknowledgement of my support for and knowledge of this group. Debts were cleared in the 1980s and the group was given a clean bill of health.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was given the go ahead to redevelop a number of their hotels. Subsequently it set up new hotels, including the Great Southern Hotel at the airport, which is now the flagship hotel. They were given permission to invest in the Derry and Cork hotels and to refurbish the Corrib, Eyre Square, Parknasilla and Killarney hotels. Despite these efforts the group has...

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Great Southern Hotels Group has had every opportunity over the past 20 years and support from various Governments to assist it. At a time when we have the highest number of tourists in the country, 6.5 million last year, the hotel group unfortunately lost between €7 million and €8 million. Accumulated losses amount to €40 million. The hotel at Dublin airport, which is coming under...

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Labour Party will realise that at the peak of tourism business, when there are more tourists than ever in the country, and a business is losing €8 million per year, with accumulated debts of €40 million, it cannot go on.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The decision was taken by the board of the Great Southern Hotel Group.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Dublin Airport Authority, which is doing a very good job, believes this is the correct decision.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I hope most of these hotels will continue to be hotels as I have always thought they have much potential.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Hopefully they will generate the same interest as the huge number of hotels we have seen built in Killarney, Dublin, Cork and Wexford, so they will be able to continue.

Leaders' Questions. (8 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: In the meantime, the Government will work with the trade union interests and the workers to try to make the best decisions for their interests and protection in the future.

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: My Department did not engage public relations consultancy firms or individuals, media advisers or other non-established civil servants for the purpose of seeking advice either on behalf of myself or either of the Ministers of State in my Department in the period 2003 to 2005. My Department has, however, engaged public relations consultants within this period to promote specific issues or...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The 150th Anniversary of the Great Famine was commemorated by the Government in 1995. I am satisfied that the famine is commemorated on an ongoing basis in many different ways, for example, in the Cobh Heritage Centre, in Rowan Gillespie's Famine Memorial at Custom House Quay and in many other localities. In addition, in the context of State and official visits to countries with large Irish...

Written Answers — National Disability Survey: National Disability Survey (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The national disability survey, NDS, will be undertaken by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in September 2006. The sample for the survey will be selected on the basis of the responses to the two disability questions in the April 2006 census of population. The survey will broadly follow the definitions and principles outlined in the World Health Organisation's international classification...

Written Answers — Public Sector Employment: Public Sector Employment (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The CSO's quarterly release on public sector employment and earnings includes information on numbers employed and weekly average earnings. The information on numbers employed relates to all sectors within the public service, while the statistics on average weekly earnings are available for all sectors except health. Owing to the lack of suitably-structured and comparable earnings data across...

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have no difficulty with such a debate. Deputy O'Shea indicates he will agree to a debate of two hours and the Minister will also agree. Tá mé i bhfábhar na díospóireachta.

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I have requested that progress on the Martin report be checked and for Deputy Kenny to be informed.

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Is the Deputy referring to the infrastructure Bill?

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: There is promised legislation on freeflow on the M50, which will come forward in due course.

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The answer to the first question is 2006 and, regarding the second question, I am keeping the vacancy open for Deputy Rabbitte.