Results 8,761-8,780 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I do not accept that——

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will not retract——

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The National Roads Infrastructure Bill is being prepared. It will take time to draft but should be ready some time this year.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Two issues arise. The details of the decision made today will be published tomorrow. Legislation will be required to bring in the scheme to process all the applications. That will take some time to prepare. I do not think it will be before the House this session but it will be ready by the summer.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I have just answered that but I will do so again. Many of the sections could be implemented without legislation but given all the aspects and the many complex areas, we believe it is better to bring forward legislation. The Bill covering all aspects will be brought forward, although it will not be in this session. I hope it will be published in the summer or, if not, early in the autumn.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: A Bill is being prepared.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The draft heads are being considered before they are resubmitted but the Bill will be brought forward.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The draft heads of the Strategic National Infrastructure Bill are being considered before resubmission to Government. The Minister must decide what he resubmits. He is reconsidering the heads. The National Roads Infrastructure Bill, which will modernise the legislation on roads, including reform of the National Roads Authority, is now called the Roads (Miscellaneous) Bill and it is being prepared.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister is reviewing the heads put forward previously and he will bring the Bill forward in a different form. We will have to wait to see what form it will take.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It will be introduced in this session.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I understand it is not needed.

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I understand those clinical trials cannot go ahead due to judicial decisions. The Disability Bill is before the select committee. What was the other question?

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: No legislation is promised.

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together. The membership of the community and voluntary pillar of social partnership was expanded following on from ratification of Sustaining Progress. The pillar now has 15 member organisations, which have endorsed Sustaining Progress, six on an individual basis and nine organisations in the strands of older people, disability, housing,...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I disagree with the Deputy that the unions would have taken a separate view because the initiative was that the Government would provide up to 10,000 sites for affordable housing. Nobody involved in social partnership believed they would provide and build the houses and get it all finished. As we know it takes a developer, who owns the land, almost six years from start to finish. So nobody...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On the affordable housing initiative, Part V has always been taken with the lands and social partnership. On the broad area of social partnership, this year 3,000 affordable units are projected under various affordable schemes, but in the social partnership context, Part V was taken with the housing initiative. On the Deputy's question regarding the other schemes not being taken in, I agree...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The value of social partnership is that those within the process can bring forward their own ideas and initiate change in areas where they desire it. All the other social partners, based on the necessary consensus that has operated for almost 19 years, try to have a major input into policy. Across a host of areas, including the national anti-poverty strategy, social housing, legislation and...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will refer the Deputy's last question to the Minister, Deputy Roche, as I do not have a breakdown of the figures. Some €2 billion is being allocated this year to fund the housing needs of approximately 13,000. On education, while some 5,000 additional posts have been provided, the main issue in Sustaining Progress has been the attempt to improve education in the areas of disadvantage and...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I do not have details on that question. I will pass on the Deputy's remarks to the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, who is dealing with that, but I think I replied to correspondence the organisation sent me some time ago. Most such organisations which receive funding would, in some way or another, be critical of and would make submissions critical of the Government, so I do not think that is the...

Programmes for Government. (10 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: What is it?