Results 7,321-7,340 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: My Department does not subscribe to this programme.

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The company in question has not been granted any programme by my Department. However, we do have a research service agreement with the company. The company publishes independent research and provides one to one customer advice, on all aspects of ICT using in excess of 1,000 analysts and consultants who advise executives worldwide. Subscription to this service gives the Department access to a...

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: No contracts awarded by my Department between 1995 and 2004 over-ran financially as a result of jobs being incorrectly specified. The practice in my Department is to engage consultants at agreed fixed fees, resulting in fixed price contracts. It sometimes happens, however, that the need arises to perform additional pieces of work, which could not have been anticipated at the outset and which...

Order of Business. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The middle of next year.

Order of Business. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That is a priority Bill and we hope to introduce it next year.

Order of Business. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It has been withdrawn and there is no other legislation.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: As Deputy Joe Higgins knows, legislation in any area cannot be applied retrospectively and it would be wrong to give any comfort to people knowing that to be the case. In many areas, management companies which were originally set up to take care of and maintain complexes and to look after environmental issues, such as landscaping, cleaning, painting and so on, have extended their services to...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. My Department has two items of legislation for the current Dáil session — the National Economic and Social Development Office Bill 2002 and the Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004. The National Economic and Social Development Office Bill 2002 is awaiting Report Stage while the Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004 is...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I presume the Deputy is talking about the North-South consultative forum. I will certainly consider that. I do not know how much work has been done but I will check to see if that could be done. I have no objections. As I said before, the fact this Bill has not been passed is not a huge difficulty but it is important in the long term in that it relates to people's pension rights and other...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the second matter, I have asked the Minister and the officials to examine that. I raised it with them last Thursday when I was in the North. We await a response but I have asked the Minister to give it priority. On the Deputy's first question on the referendum on the EU constitution, as of now, it will not arise in the short term. A review and an examination is taking place everywhere. I...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The French election will be in summer 2007. The Austrian Presidency could get agreement that other countries could go ahead. There is now a majority of 13 or 14 countries and all the indications are that another three or four will definitely move. We are moving to a position where we are down to the last five or six next year. The Austrian Presidency might say the others should go ahead with...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I would not rule out constitutional change on issues that are, perhaps, non-constitutional and where referenda are necessary. That could happen at any time following a judgment of the High Court or Supreme Court. There is none currently. Issues have arisen from the various reports of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution, which are being examined by various Departments, and they could...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is every reason for the Forum on Europe to continue its work. I welcome the communicating Europe initiative by the European Commission under which more commissioners and other senior officials will make themselves available to governments. The Forum on Europe is the best way to support dialogue and discussion of the issues and the forum's reports tease them out. The forum was...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That will be another good day in the forum. The sad thing about the constitutional document is that the chairman of the convention insisted on it remaining as it was. A number of us warned that publishing and explaining an enormous document with annexes was fraught with danger, in view of the relatively simple case of explaining the Nice referendum. The French insisted on the framework as the...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: From the Federation of Irish Societies.

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I apologise if I was misunderstood. I stated I had no view other than the report. I attended the committee meeting, spending several hours there.

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I gave my views and these are reflected in the report. I support the report and believe reform is necessary in the Upper House, as do my esteemed colleagues in the Upper House. We could get far more out of the Upper House through some of the reform measures in the report, which I support.

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Stagg does not ask me too many questions. At his behest, I raised this matter last year with the RTE authority and discussed the matter with it when I opened the new offices in Millbank, in the United Kingdom. The members of the authority raised two issues, the cost and the legislative element. I understand the legislative matters can be resolved in the broadcasting Bill. This leaves...

Legislative Programme. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The report already published is the basis of the discussion.

Cabinet Committees. (9 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 11, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on social inclusion and the Cabinet committee on children last met on 5 October 2005. The next meeting of both committees is scheduled for tomorrow. I chair both the Cabinet committee on social inclusion and the Cabinet committee on children. Their membership includes the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and...