Results 6,761-6,780 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: They did not, nor did I request one.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: I always give them Friday nights off.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It must be. We do not take offence as easily as the Labour Party. Larger parties can hack this far easier.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: I could never understand that democratic centralism Deputy Gilmore espouses and which he is very adeptly bringing into the organisation he leads. Fair dues to him. I have been watching very carefully how he has been able to do that. It is a good operation.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: Not at all. I am watching with interest the little backwash that is coming against him in certain respects as he seeks to pull his party back into the centre.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It was a good effort on Deputy Gilmore's part and I wish him well.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: The embargo applies across all areas of the public service subject to the consent of the Minister for Finance.

Departmental Staff. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: I would not think so. The Labour Party gives us plenty of food for thought.

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 18, inclusive, together. On Sunday 5 April I travelled to Prague to participate in the EU-US Summit. I was accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin. This meeting, attended by President Obama, took place against the backdrop of the London G20 Summit on 2 April and the NATO Summit on 3 and 4 April. The EU-US relationship is of...

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: I cannot anticipate the date of the referendum. It will depend on how everything ends up at the June Council meeting. I take the general point that it would be important thereafter to try to come to a conclusion on the best time to hold the referendum and have everybody behind a "Yes" campaign who was behind it the last time. People are examining that as we speak. There is no great...

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: No, I was being appropriate in not presuming on agreement until agreement and approval is provided. The Council meeting is the format in which a formal decision will be taken in that respect. In the meantime much preparatory work is being undertaken. We are working with the Presidency, which has had its own difficulties in terms of the Czech Republic's domestic politics. The Minister for...

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: Obviously, I do not agree with the analysis of the Deputy in many respects, regardless of the specific report which I have not seen and on which I cannot comment. A more benign interpretation of the situation might be to say that unless we have a socially inclusive Europe, the relevance of Europe to ordinary citizens is not as obvious as it is to those who see the benefits of the economic...

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: While I do not wish to be argumentative, I do not accept that we have not been listening. We have been involved in an all-party initiative on trying to come up with constructive proposals that move us forward while at the same time upholding our national interests. Ultimately, the people will be the arbiter of these decisions. That is part of the democratic life of the country. I do not...

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It is very naive in my view.

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: That is my view and the Deputy has a different view. That is fair enough and we will accept that.

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It is absolutely sustainable in its own terms, but it has no political consequences that would add to our position. That is the problem. It just brings everything to an end and leaves us there.

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It absolutely does and it suggests——

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It is a new beginning without us at the centre. That is the problem.

Official Engagements. (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: More relevantly, on the Deputy's question, obviously the deliberative process is ongoing. When the texts are agreed and become available, we can discuss them and argue them out. However, while discussions are taking place, there is a deliberative process in train which has to be gone through. We are engaged with the Presidency and legal services on these issues. On Deputy Bruton's point,...

Order of Business (29 Apr 2009)

Brian Cowen: It is proposed to take No. 3, Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage; No. 21, Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 — Second Stage (resumed); and No. 22, Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009 — Second Stage (resumed). Private Members' business shall be No. 68, motion re infrastructure stimulus package (resumed), to conclude at...