Results 7,961-7,980 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It continues to do that. With regard to medical cards, funding was provided this year to allow the HSE to introduce 30,000 additional medical cards and income assessment guidelines to assess these medical cards.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation have been completed. The Department and the HSE are reviewing the operation of the income assessment guidelines. Funding has been provided to allow the HSE to introduce 200,000 new GP visit cards. The issues that delayed this process, of which the House is well aware, were successfully clarified and finalised last week, on 29 September....

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——the House would complain about that. The Tánaiste has continued all this year to implement the ten-point plan for accident and emergency services. Most of those initiatives are well under way. All of them are assisting in improving accident and emergency services in hospitals throughout the country. An improvement is apparent in many accident and emergency departments in regard to...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I stated that funding had been provided and that the income assessment guidelines used to assess medical card applications had been increased by 7.5% to achieve 30,000 additional cards. New cards are being issued every day.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Some people have moved beyond the income guidelines. If salaries increase, some are no longer entitled to cards and do not get them. However, those who are entitled to cards get them. That is how the system has always worked. Some 1,149,000 people are covered by medical cards, a situation which improves day by day. Moreover, the Tánaiste has made changes never before made by any Minister for...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——on mortgages and on net pay.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: These changes were very helpful. They allow people who would not have got them before to get medical cards. The Deputies protest because they do not like to see excellent reforms introduced by the Tánaiste to improve the net position of people on medical cards. The Tánaiste has achieved that.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I dealt with this last week. As the Deputy knows, the flag of convenience has been used on the seas generally for many decades. It has been exploited far beyond Irish Ferries. In fact, Irish Ferries made the point to its workforce for the past number of years that it was one of the few companies not engaged in this practice and the reason it was arguing about its cost base was that so many...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am trying to help to resolve a situation in Irish Ferries and not to create a problem in other companies. Government policy has always been that Irish seafaring employment is maximised for its own sake so that Ireland can develop and grow its maritime sector. The loss of significant Irish seafaring employment in Irish Ferries would be a significant blow. That is why we are trying to avoid...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is not a sham. The old days when the Deputy was inciting people to such actions was when we had high unemployment and high emigration. While sometimes I feel the Deputy is joking, other times I feel he honestly believes that going back to 20% unemployment rates and high emigration is progress.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It has much to do with it. Social partnership addressed this and moved us away from the old rant that the Deputy and others had 20 years ago.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We went down the tubes when we followed that line. It was when we turned that around that we made this country a success. Talk about closing down the Irish seas and stopping exports from exiting is the most stupid thing I have heard Deputy Joe Higgins say in a long time.

Leaders' Questions. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: These matters are nonsense. The Deputy should be advising those who listen to him, although they are not many, that social partnership is right and that they should be engaged and active in it.

Order of Business. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. 13, Supplementary Estimate for public services [Vote 31], back from committee; No. 14, motion re membership of committees; No. 15, Railway Safety Bill 2001 — instruction to committee; No. 20, statements on Corrib gas field; and No. 21, Railway Safety Bill 2001 — Order for Report, Report and Final Stages. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing...

Order of Business. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The heads of the health (nursing homes)(amendment) Bill have been approved by the Government.

Order of Business. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is hoped the Bill will be introduced in this session. However, the Tánaiste made it clear last week that it will not be finished in this session.

Order of Business. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It will drift into the new year.

Order of Business. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It will be published but we will not have finished it. Regarding the Bill establishing the health information and quality authority, last year the Tánaiste decoupled it, so to speak, from what is now the Health Act 2004 and it is now due next year. Work is under way on this legislation.

Northern Ireland Issues. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the arms issues, the only report is that the totality of the arms have been given up. This was confirmed to me when I met General John de Chastelain and his colleagues last week. There are no other arms and that is the position. No understandings exist on the part of anyone about any arms being held back. I have no information on the source of that assertion. It was certainly not General...

Northern Ireland Issues. (4 Oct 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Garda will deal with that.