Results 9,221-9,240 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: What we are trying to do——

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Will the Members opposite listen? It is a case of the old rant.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: A few Members who are hardly ever here have been sent in this morning with an instruction to keep interrupting the Taoiseach. People who never read a report——

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——and who do not care what it is about-——

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: If they were asked what we are talking about they would not know.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We are publishing the report shortly.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will deal with the issue. We already dealt with the legislation yesterday. We will have to pay back a considerable amount of money to people because we had not got a legal basis. There are lessons to learn.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will also have to check other regulations and we will do all that. For Members to come in and simply jump up and quibble about things is not necessary.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I hope when we debate this issue that some of these Members will say something constructive.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: There are a number of brief points to be made. I have answered questions on this issue.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: In fairness to Deputy Kenny, since the House resumed after the summer recess, he probably raised this matter ten times, and I have answered questions fully on it, although obviously I did not have all the information at that stage and some of the information I had has been proved to be incorrect. I readily acknowledge that. I also answered Leaders' Questions on this matter yesterday from the...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am sure I will answer them again. I will make myself available on a daily basis inside and outside the House to talk to the media on any issues of the day, and I will make that a practice. What has been said in that regard is hollow political criticism. In whatever debate we will have on this matter, I have no doubt the Minister, Deputy Martin, and others will have the opportunity, which I...

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I also think it was known in the summer of 1986.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I think it was also known in the summer of 1994 and in other times when colleagues of mine were in power. Action was not taken and the process did not provide the legislative base required. That is what happened. We can jump up and down——

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: ——and say it will cost us a great deal of money, and it will. The Minister for Finance will have to solve a difficult budgetary problem in resolving how he will pay back an unquantified sum of money.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will have to do that.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will have to develop a process to do that.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We will resolve the issues that have existed for 28 years but have not been addressed, for whatever reason. People can study the reports and come to their own views. This Government will now resolve those issues.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Government will be responsible for doing that.

Leaders' Questions. (9 Mar 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I accept Deputy Rabbitte's point that he can make political points about some people and not others. I will accept that. It is the right of an Opposition leader. He can say that in a democratic assembly. The fact is that we are where we are.