Results 641-660 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: That is what is happening and it is important that it be understood. ABA, therefore, is available.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: No.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Let us not mislead people. There are 12 pilot schools but the ABA service is available in mainstream schools. Therefore, one does not have to have a pilot school. I know what Deputy——

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Please, I am responding to Deputy Kenny. I heard Deputy Kenny state he does not believe the placing of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools is suitable in all cases. Eight years ago there would have been no more than a few hundred teachers fully involved with special educational needs. Subject to correction, I believe there were approximately 300 or 400. The view of...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: One of the fundamental reasons is to give children an opportunity to get into school. I accept that there was a poor approach to assessments in the past and that it will take time for us to have assessments for everybody — I am not arguing about that. However, when we held the discussions on the Disability Act 2005, with which I was deeply involved, we proposed a new entitlement in the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: To the best of my knowledge, the report by Cork University Hospital was acted upon. The individual involved is now out of the jurisdiction and there has been contact between consultants in Cork and the international medical organisations. I am not sure whether there was to be a written report in that case.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Following concerns raised by staff in the breast service, the HSE set up a clinical review last autumn of all breast radiology diagnoses in the Midland Regional Hospital from November 2003 to August 2007. That review was led by Dr. Ann O'Doherty, a consultant radiologist at St. Vincent's University Hospital and with BreastCheck. The HSE has advised that this review is complete. Nine women...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: It will be published by the end of February.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: As I understand it, it will be published.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I will check the position on the Cork case. As I understand, the report on that was prepared. The clinician involved was only in Cork for a short period before he was suspended and then left the jurisdiction. I understand Deputy Gilmore's question relates to how this person was appointed in the first place. I will raise that point. The HSE has informed me that there are two aspects to the...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The total allocation for my Department in the Estimates set out in the budget book for 2008 is €45.394 million. This is an increase of 4%, or €1.658 million, on the 2007 Revised Estimate allocation. I look forward to addressing specific issues relating to the Estimates provisions when they are considered in the usual way by...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: In fairness to him, John Bruton put a considerable effort into this project. It was the one thing he asked me to keep going. At the time, we brought it back to my Department and we put in place a dedicated small group which drives it. It is very active and it has been built on from that time. There is a considerable amount of collaboration. It has developed in many areas and there is...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: That is it. Most Departments use it on a daily basis and several hundred people receive the news format everyday. If they want transcripts or information, they get that as well. I do not see why any of them are using anything else, particularly for audio and written information. What happened previously was that every Department and agency had contracts with these organisations. The only...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I think the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was monitoring the rural media. The communications unit does not monitor any of the non-national newspapers.

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I do not have the breakdown of the commemorations. Last year the big event was the commemoration of the flight of the earls. The remaining part of the commemoration of that finishes in the middle of April. There are usually commemorations North and South for which funding is applied. They are mainly historical events, depending on the anniversary. Historical societies receive this money...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the organisational review programme, two years ago we asked the implementation group of Secretaries General to develop proposals on four interlinked initiatives on the next phase of modernisation of the public service which comes within the remit of my Department. This includes a series of organisational health checks. It is known as the organisational review programme. Organisational...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: A couple of Departments were picked out, which I believe were the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Health and Children. The examination will take everything into account. It is trying to figure out where these Departments will be over the next number of years. The senior civil servants such as Secretaries General will look at how they can improve their...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: There is a nominal figure put in for some of these subheads that are coming to the end of their natural life. The subheads are kept in the Estimates process for a while because if they are closed, they cannot be paid. Therefore, these small nominal amounts are put in for technical financial reasons until it is quite clear that the subhead is defunct. No activity is envisaged for the Forum...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The Department has been very active in helping to co-ordinate the events commemorating the flight of the earls, which runs to April. Obviously there are people in my Department already engaged in activity for 2016. A cross-departmental group is being co-ordinated by my own officials, who also helped out the group commemorating Admiral Brown. Every year a number of smaller groups look for...

Departmental Expenditure. (6 Feb 2008)

Bertie Ahern: This is an important issue and I agree with Deputy Sheehan. The mandate of the European Union as enunciated a few years ago is one I have defended all the way through. Deputy Sheehan is referring to the efforts now being made as regards the WTO talks. It appears that attempts will be made to have movement on this over the spring period. It will be about the fourth or fifth time...