Results 8,781-8,800 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Written Answers — Dublin-Monaghan Bombings: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Joint Oireachtas Committee which examined the Barron report into the 1974 bombings last year recommended the establishment of a commission of investigation to examine matters relevant to this jurisdiction including specific aspects of the Garda investigation at the time and missing documentation. The Government has established a commission of investigation in accordance with that...

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Order of Business is No. 15, Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004 — Report Stage (resumed) and Final Stage; and No. 16, Land Bill 2004 [Seanad] — Second Stage (resumed). It is proposed notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders that Private Members' business, which shall be No. 43, motion re suicide, shall also take place tomorrow immediately following the Order of Business...

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is the intention to implement all the regulations and to try to stop these kind of public order offences. The Garda currently have powers to investigate these matters. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has already spelled out in detail the action which he intends to take in regard to amendments to the legislation. I do not have details of any particular amendment which he...

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will formalise them as soon as possible.

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think it requires legislation. The work in setting up the procedures to deal with this issue are moving forward. Regular discussions take place on an almost daily basis to try to bring forward the scheme. I am sure the Tánaiste would be glad to answer questions on it.

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The charities Bill will be brought forward next year. The Planning and Development Act was enacted three years ago.

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There is no provision for a Supplementary Estimate.

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will have to ask the Department.

Order of Business. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It is not possible to indicate a date at this stage but legislation is being prepared to alter the corporate status of the VHI. I understand it is not likely to come forward in the immediate future.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: As Deputy Rabbitte knows, the point I made concerned why the team acted as it did in the first place, not after the court case. According to my note, the provision of the multidisciplinary team service together with all the other service elements is dependent on the service of a case manager to co-ordinate and complete service delivery. An experienced case manager was employed in early 2005...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: However, as a result of verbal abuse received by telephone from Ms O'Hara, the case manager resigned. Following his resignation, Ms O'Hara visited his house and was asked to leave by the case manager's spouse. However, Ms O'Hara returned and this violation of privacy has had a further distressing impact on the staff member whose family and home have now been inappropriately involved in the...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: My note also goes into all the family's needs. The case has been in court but the point I made was that when the people acted in the first instance, before the court case——

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Yes but why does the Deputy say that the staff were vindictive when they were acting? I do not know if they were or not, but they were professional staff.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The court decided professional staff were doing what they thought they should do in the first case. Does that mean that these people should never take action in any case?

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: They formed a judgment and it went to court, although fortunately not every case ends up in court. They had put in place a range of services for family needs. The case was in court. As Deputy Rabbitte said, the Tánaiste has met the family and I know that the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, has also met them. Deputy Rabbitte asked me whether a...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will ask a competent person to do so.

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked me about two issues. His first question concerned the statement by the Minister for Agriculture and Food that 1% of agricultural land is being made available for the market. That is a matter for the market. I cannot force people who own agricultural land to sell it. If they wish to use it for agricultural purposes, that is a matter for them. If I were to bring proposals to...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte would not support me on that measure if I, or anybody else, brought it to the House. On the Deputy's second question, it has long been pointed out that we need prison accommodation to replace Mountjoy. It has been highlighted by many reports over many decades, not to mention Judge Kinlan's recent report. A long process was entered into, which included the examination of...

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Perhaps some land costs €200,000 per acre and other land is worth far more. We have seen sites in this and other cities——

Leaders' Questions. (4 May 2005)

Bertie Ahern: In general, land prices have gone up from under €5,000 per acre ten years ago to about €14,000 per acre now. That is the going rate rather than the prices which have been mentioned. Sometimes trying to relocate a prison is difficult while at other times relocation is welcomed. I was Minister for Finance some years ago when a prison was opened in Roscommon. People were very glad to see the...