Results 9,221-9,240 of 12,646 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Naval Service Operations: Naval Service Operations (24 Sep 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order rests with An Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, pursuant to their role of rendering aid to the civil power, assist the Gardaí as required. The Naval Service deployed a Naval Vessel to Broadhaven Bay in early September 2008 in response to a request for aid to the civil power from An Garda Síochána. The number of Naval...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (24 Sep 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following table: Year Total Expenditure on Consultants € 1/1/2008 — Date 2,216,047 2007 152,023 The figure for 2008 includes once off expenditure of €2.1m in respect of the public information and awareness campaign on emergency planning. I wish to state also that there is an ongoing capital building programme in my...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the table. Year Total Expenditure on Consultants Amount of Expenditure on PR Marketing/ Advertising Proportion of Overall Expenditure on PR/ Marketing/Advertising € € % 1/1/2008 – Date 2,248,631 630,000 28 2007 149,119 5200 3 2006 46,069 Nil NIL 2005 42,269 NIL NIL 2004 45,659 NIL NIL 2003 137,510 NIL NIL 2002 32,235 12,235...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the table. Agency Position Held Pay Civil Defence Board Director General Civil Service Principal Officer scale i.e. €84,066 – €103,982

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: No funds have been provided by my Department to rural development or Leader programmes.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Both Aer Lingus and the Defence Forces are members of the Public Service Transfer Network, which provides for the reckoning by each participating organisation of earlier pensionable service with any other member of the Transfer Network. Participation in the Transfer Network is voluntary and Aer Lingus decided to become a member of the Network with effect from 1 June 1973. As a result, the...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: During the period from 14 June 2007 to date, I availed of the Ministerial Air Transport Service for official travel as follows: Minister for Defence from 14 June 2007 to 9 July 2008 Aircraft Date Return Date Min. Time on Board Route Learjet 07/11/07 07/11/07 380 Minutes Baldonnel-Lulea-Baldonnel Gulfstream IV 19/11/07 19/11/07 210 minutes Baldonnel — Shannon — Brussels — Baldonnel...

Written Answers — Departmental Guidelines: Departmental Guidelines (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I am satisfied that Coiste an Asgard and the Civil Defence Board comply fully with the Department of Finance guidelines regarding the procurement of goods and services. I have not considered it necessary to seek assurances from, or to express concern to, either agency on any issue relating to procurement.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: As part of the overall savings to be made by Government Departments in 2008, as announced by the Government earlier this week, my Department will be required to make savings of €4.6m in 2008. About €2m of that amount will be met from payroll savings and the balance from a number of subheads of the Defence Vote, including the Administrative Budget. These savings will not affect front...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: A Cheann Comhairle, for some time we have witnessed a number of negative influences on the world economy.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: People on both sides of the House are entitled to express their opinion uninterrupted. We did not interrupt anybody on the other side of the House and the least we deserve is to be afforded the same courtesy.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy's answer to everything is to shout people down.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: There is an international credit squeeze. The effects of the sub-prime crisis in the US are being felt worldwide while increasing worldwide oil and food prices are putting the brake on global growth. A small open economy, like ours, is not immune to what is happening in the rest of the world. The reality, however, is that the fundamentals of the Irish economy are strong. It is a reality...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Despite that, some people still persist, in the teeth of the clearest evidence to the contrary, in insisting that the boom has been squandered. As well as the huge investment in infrastructure, health and education, we have used the surpluses to build up our pension reserve fund to almost €20 billion and to dramatically reduce our national debt from 65% of GNP to about 25%. The reduction...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The underlying strength of the economy gives cause for considerable optimism.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The truth hurts. Unlike any time in the past, Ireland is well positioned to deal with the consequences of an international slowdown. This means the Government is well positioned to get us through the tough times. The responsible course is to take the actions needed now. That is what we are doing. We are taking the necessary corrective actions needed to put our economy on a sustainable...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The operating cost of this State must be sustainable. This means moderating our spending and driving the value-for-money agenda harder. Second, we will continue to invest in the productive capacity of the economy. We will improve our national infrastructures even further by continuing to invest in roads, communications, education and public services. My over-riding priority as Minister is...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I listened to some of the earlier debate, with spokesman after spokesman, particularly those from the main Opposition party, demanding increased current expenditure on health, education and transport while, at the same time, Deputy Bruton contends we are not imposing budgetary cuts severely or quickly enough. Fine Gael must make up its mind. It cannot be at once in favour of general economy...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: In fairness to Deputy Deenihan, his pronouncements, while in favour of increased public expenditure, have been a model of consistency when compared with those of his Front Bench colleagues. Last April, Deputies Varadkar and Kenny launched a document committing Fine Gael to reduce massively the number of State agencies. Unfortunately, news of this important initiative seems not to have...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Willie O'Dea: As I said, Fine Gael cannot be simultaneously in favour of both saving and spending. I have figured out at last why Fine Gael and the Labour Party spend so much time in opposition. It is because they are congenitally predisposed to negativity. I came across a quotation which illustrates this point and which is almost 50 years old. In 1962, in reference to Fine Gael and the Labour Party,...