Results 7,781-7,800 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Departmental Bodies. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Data prepared by civil servants in their normal course of work are not made available to Members of the House and this case is no different. The information provide by the communications unit is a summary of daily news bulletins. Members may access this information themselves. The advantage of this is that transcripts and other information are available; that is the service that is provided...

Departmental Bodies. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: If the Deputy is suggesting that a summary of what is contained in the morning newspapers and on radio equates to propaganda, I am not sure who benefits from this propaganda. That is a point of view worth debating. This unit points out what is in the newspaper and radio headlines.

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, together. There are six special advisers appointed by me and there has been no increase in their number since I took office. Under the direction of the programme manager, the primary function of the advisers is to monitor, facilitate and help secure the achievement of Government objectives and to ensure effective co-ordination in the...

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The advisers are governed by the Public Services Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. They are governed by ethics legislation from 1995 and 2004 and they also have written contracts. Difficulties occurred some years ago and procedure was tightened as a result. Advisers in other Departments are also governed by these measures. Each year these people must fill in a full range of...

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The advisers are focused on individual areas. They do not duplicate effort and are designated to individual Departments because that is the sensible way to do things. Some work on foreign affairs issues, on Northern Ireland issues or on health or education issues and they liaise with people in those Departments. The Deputy's view is that some of these areas are not well run. I am glad to see,...

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I listed the individuals and their salary scales in the answer to the original question. The special advisers are linked to Civil Service grades. The Department of Finance set these scales when the advisers are taken on. My programme manager is allowed a top-up, but all the salaries are linked to Civil Service or Department of Finance scales, such as assistant principal and principal officer.

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: None of the six appointees is a civil servant. They all must leave when I leave.

Ministerial Staff. (18 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Secretary General in my Department made a speech about that over the weekend. He put forward the circumstances and the case as to how it could be done on the basis of public service reform. I had a chance to read half of his speech. As far as bringing in expertise from the private sector is concerned, he made the point that while it has been carried out in a limited way for many years and...

Seanad: European Union: Statements. (13 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I welcome this opportunity to address the Seanad on European issues. The European Union is currently going through a period of uncertainty. The rejection of the draft EU constitution in the French and Dutch referenda marked a setback for the process of European integration. This was compounded by the failure in June of the European Council to agree on the future financial perspectives of the...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Details of all contracts awarded to outside consultants by my Department in respect of each year since 2000 are listed in table 1. Details in respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department are listed in table 2. Table 1: Department of the Taoiseach Year of Contract Supplier Description Estimated Cost Total Expenditure â'¬ â'¬ 2000-2002 PricewaterhouseCoopers eCabinet...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Civil Service posts at the levels of assistant secretary and deputy secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. The operation of the scheme is overseen by the committee for performance awards. The funding for awards is based on 10% of the payroll for the posts covered by the scheme. Within this overall limit, payments of up to 20% can be made to individuals. Details of...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Details of consultancies awarded by my Department to Deloitte & Touche since 1 July 1997 are given in the following table. Description of consultancy Overall cost Date Business analysis and review of financial management function â'¬46,691 1999-2000 Value for money audit of mobile phones â'¬7,618 2001

Leaders' Questions. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy will appreciate that in most instances where money has been spent to try to improve systems, it is because they are not effective and need to be enhanced. PPARS and other projects were aimed at integrating systems to make them more efficient and so we have more timely information and can provide a better service to the public. That is the reasoning behind them. Regarding the...

Leaders' Questions. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy is aware that the Children First national guidelines for the protection and welfare of children are being implemented nationally. This is a scheme to help those who suffer disadvantage and those on the margins, right across the range of services. The National Children's Office and the various Departments are actively engaged in meeting the needs and requirements of children. This...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. There are no specific plans to hold referenda during the lifetime of the 29th Dáil. The Government remains committed to ratifying the EU constitution. However, following the discussion at the European Council, we will not at this stage set a date for the referendum or progress the referendum Bill. We will, however, continue to...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will give my views and those expressed by leaders in other member states. All participants at the European Council agreed the constitution remains a valid response to the concerns of citizens and the best available compromise. We have given ourselves time to reflect on this difficult situation. Some 13 or 14 countries have now ratified the constitution, comprising a majority of member...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is no referendum envisaged at this stage. Perhaps some urgent issue may arise but none is envisaged. Based on the recommendations of the all-party committee we have a good record. We have dealt with the issue of abolition of reference to the death penalty, the issue of judicial oversight was not passed, the abortion issues, local government recognition, the constitutional amendment and...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Work is continuing on Seanad reform. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, has been liaising with the Leaders in the Seanad and it is intended to bring forward a report, as I understand it, based on the initial report and the hearings that took place in the Seanad two summers ago. On the disabilities issue, we have the legislation and have made our...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am on the record as having said that I am against that idea. I do not agree that the age limit should be 18 years. The European constitution contains an article and protocol on structural co-operation in defence. Under the arrangements, member states could choose to enter into binding commitments on the provision of military capabilities to be used in undertaking the more demanding tasks of...

Constitutional Amendments. (12 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Let us be fair.