Results 7,481-7,500 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: The then Minister, Síle de Valera, successfully obtained a derogation of ten years when the directive was announced.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: I am just about to bring it to the Deputy's attention; I was giving some background information because there are others who are not as acquainted with the habitats directive as the Deputy and me. Correspondence has been forwarded to Deputies in the House who have raised the matter by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, stating the Department, in consultation...

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: It depends on the weather. We will see how it looks in the morning.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: The heads of the Bill are being worked on but there is no date for its introduction. A lot of health legislation has been introduced in the House, apart from this Bill.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: That is what the Tánaiste would like to achieve in terms of the legislative timeframe she has in mind for the legislation. I am not aware of the stage the purported consolidation of labour law Bill has reached.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: It was probably made before him also.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: It would not be realistic to expect legislation on the first issue to be enacted before the referendum. A consultation process with the social partners is necessary. We have a voluntary industrial relations policy in the State and trying to secure agreement between the partners on the issue would be an important consideration.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: No legislation is promised.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: Not to my knowledge but the Deputy can table a question to the Minister concerned.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: I do not have the detail on the eel fisheries. I will come back to the Deputy.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: I will have to come back to the Deputy on this matter. I do not have any detailed knowledge of whether there is legislation involved in this issue.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: There were standards sought in this House for the purpose of ensuring that we had adequate provision for people who are held under care or supervision. We have to apply those, obviously.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: We apply those standards in a pragmatic way but I also acknowledge that they were brought in for a purpose, to try to ensure that basic conditions were adequate. The Deputy raised another matter relating to the health services. The fact is that an allocation of €14.7 billion has been made for a service plan that was adopted.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: There are issues arising in relation to the deteriorating economic situation and its effect on funding the health service, including these health levies and the increased cost of providing medical cards and drugs in demand-led schemes. This has to be managed. Is it the contention of the Labour Party spokesperson that all health services should simply be demand-led and that we should just...

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: She also said she wanted a debate on it because she wants to complain about the fact that it is their job statutorily, under the law——

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: ——and agreed unanimously by everybody in this House at the time, that the service plan provision was the best way in which we could try to build year-on-year a health service that was sustainable in terms of its budgets. Every time an issue arises, however, people wish to oppose that which is the fundamental basis of the legislation that was introduced in the first place.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: No one is suggesting otherwise but we are also saying that we cannot have it every way.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: That will be next year.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: The call to regulate this sector was practically uniform in the past.

Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Brian Cowen: I am aware of that but maybe if I get to the second sentence I will be able to follow the Deputy's thought patterns.