Results 8,121-8,140 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: The Government has a working group working on that at present. I will come back to the Deputy.

European Council Meetings. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: The EU is trying to facilitate talks between the parties concerned to see if this matter can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction peaceably and in line with international norms. The only point I would make to the Deputy is that a country having a dim view of another country applying for membership of an international organisation, to which it does not or has no intention of subscribing,...

European Council Meetings. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: No, I have not addressed it. I have many other issues to address.

European Council Meetings. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I have not addressed it. If it is part of the talks that are taking place, that is fine. I am giving the Deputy my view of it and what I believe the Government's view should be, should the matter arise.

Northern Ireland Issues. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 7, inclusive, together. I attended the commemoration ceremony on Friday, 15 August, held to mark the tenth anniversary of the Omagh bombing. The ceremony, organised by Omagh District Council, was a moving tribute to the victims and their families and to the emergency and medical services who assisted on that terrible day. At the new memorial garden I...

Northern Ireland Issues. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: With regard to the second matter, as the Deputy said, the conclusions of the Gibson report, which were published last week, do not support the allegations made in the "Panorama" programme that at the relevant time vital intercept evidence which might have prevented the bombing or help bring the perpetrators to justice was not passed sufficiently promptly to the police. That was not the...

Northern Ireland Issues. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I have not raised the matter of surveillance evidence with my counterpart. If a question is put to the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the relevant line Ministries may be able to shed further light on that matter. Regarding the second matter, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has made his position clear. It should not be...

Northern Ireland Issues. (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: The way justice is achieved for the families is to bring the perpetrators to justice. That is the purpose of criminal law, procedure and investigation. That is the issue. There is still a criminal case before the courts relating to this matter. The Garda will continue to work with others to establish in what way it can bring the perpetrators to justice. The contention or idea that the...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I reject the Deputy's contentions. The Government does have direction and has taken decisions as a result of the end of year Exchequer returns which saw a deterioration in the public finances beyond those provided for in the budget. The Government decided to submit a five year stabilisation plan to the European Commission which requires savings of €2 billion this year, €4 billion for...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: On the one hand, the Deputy asks me whether I will take on his suggestions, and I will take any constructive suggestions because this is a national effort. However, I will not take the criticism that the Government is floundering around what it wants to do. The Government is determined——

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy can make his remarks and snigger later. The Government is determined to pull everyone behind this national effort. It will not be done without engaging with those who have a stake in this society. I remind people that when we faced a difficult situation in 1987, we pulled together even though not everyone agreed that was the approach. I believe in this approach.

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I will answer the question put by the Deputy's leader. When he becomes leader, he can ask the questions. I believe in this approach as a problem solving approach. The first and immediate objective, as set out by the Government, in terms of its obligations internally and in terms of maximising internal confidence, bringing internal confidence to our own country and ensuring that there is...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: ——is to bring forward savings of €2 billion in the immediate term. We will do that. We will do it on the basis of the social partnership approach in which we are engaged. We will use the course of this month to achieve that common approach. I believe that progress is being made. I cannot say tonight that we have agreement on those issues, but I believe that the process of...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: We tell them first of all that the Government will discharge its responsibility and will do so in as inclusive a way as is possible for us to do so.

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I make no apologies to anyone for doing that. When the Government makes its decisions in the coming days, we will report to this House the decisions we have taken. We can debate them here if we so wish. I have no problem with democratic accountability, but as long as I am running this Government, I will run it as I see fit and as I believe, based on my philosophy.

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: If Deputy Kenny has another way of suggesting how to run the country, that is a matter for him and I respect him for it. However, I will run the country on the basis of how I see it.

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: This is a huge challenge facing the country. We will discharge our responsibilities and we are going about that in the right way. As we proceed with these measures, we will gain and maximise the support for the actions that we must take.

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I assure the Deputy, in response to his introductory remarks, that I am not suggesting I run this House other than by the authority of the Dáil. When I was arguing my case in response to Deputy Kenny, I made the point that I have a responsibility to do this job as I believe it should be done, for as long as I hold it. That is a prerequisite for, and the prerogative of, anybody who holds...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: The task we face is made more difficult by the fact that social costs are increasing and revenues are decreasing. It is clear that if we are to bridge the gap, or reduce the deficit that has grown, expenditure savings and taxation changes will be required in the years ahead. We will need to strike a balance to protect as many jobs as possible, while putting in place the basis on which...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jan 2009)

Brian Cowen: I refer, for example, to companies in labour-intensive sectors such as the food sector. If we had to contend with just one of these serious challenges, that would be enough difficulty for us, but we must deal with many challenges contemporaneously, and we must deal with them.