Results 9,801-9,820 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Order of Business. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I am not much in possession as this is the third time Deputy McManus has interrupted me. However, at least it is giving me an opportunity to state that the Deputy has had the Bill for over a week and she has had the proposals for 18 months. If Deputies are asking me to withdraw the Bill today and to take it only tomorrow and Friday, we can look at that.

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. As outlined in a reply to a written parliamentary question on 29 September 2004, no legislation has been drafted for my Department outside the Office of the Attorney General so the matter of approval does not arise.

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I draw a distinction between statutory instruments and Bills. The Office of the Attorney General is not opposed to statutory instruments being sent out for drafting. It has recommended a list of people who are appropriate for Departments to employ in that regard because there is much drafting to be done and the statutory instruments are regularly handled in this way by Departments. It is very...

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I do not disagree with the Deputy but we should be clear about it. There are three areas to be considered. There is no problem with regard to the drafting of statutory instruments being done outside the Office of the Attorney General, provided the drafting is done by people recommended by that office and who are seen as competent to provide the quality of drafting desired. The Office of the...

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I do not wish to be repetitious but I have been told there were only two Bills outsourced in the past five years, and not too many before that. In a period when the House enacted 226 Bills, only two were sent out. Those two Bills were sent to a former official of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel so, in effect, someone who did not understand the system did not draft a Bill. Statutory...

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The two Bills were the Adventure Activities Standards Authority Bill 2000 and the Official Languages (Equality) Bill 2002. These were the only Bills in the past five years that were drafted outside the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. Both were drafted by a former official of that office.

Proposed Legislation. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The point is that we are not outsourcing. One cannot simply advertise for positions in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and get people with sufficient competency to fulfil that role. Such people are recruited whenever they become available. There is usually a vacancy or two in the office and some excellent staff who are beyond retirement age are continuing to provide the service. From...

National Security. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together. The national security committee, which is chaired by the Secretary General to the Government, comprises representatives at the highest level of the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Defence and Foreign Affairs, and of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The committee meets as required and will continue to do...

National Security. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy is aware, as I pointed out shortly after the events of 11 September 2001, that the Government set up the Office of Emergency Planning to co-ordinate the work of the various emergency services in preparing contingency plans. The task force on emergency planning is chaired by the Minister for Defence. It meets frequently to assist and consider these issues. I will not comment in...

National Security. (23 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: Since 11 September 2001 everybody is conscious of the level of terrorism in a range of countries for a variety of reasons. The arrangements that have pertained here for the past 45 years are not new and do not add anything to the precautions that are being taken. Those precautions would be taken in any event. We are all aware there have been a number of concerns about what international...

Written Answers — Dublin-Monaghan Bombings: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: Following receipt of the transcript of the proceedings of the inquest into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974, and on the recommendation of the inquest jury, I forwarded a copy of the transcript to the Secretary of State, Paul Murphy. Following its consideration of the final report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights on the report of the Independent...

Order of Business. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The Book of Estimates will be published on Thursday. The Minister for Finance was reported as saying that because the public private partnership aspect of the capital programme was not up to the level that it was, he intended in the budget to use additional resources to make up the capital programme. The day-to-day Estimates will be published in the normal way on Thursday afternoon.

Order of Business. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The health Bill will be before the House shortly.

Order of Business. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The Bill has been ordered for Second Stage. I will raise with the relevant Minister the issue of moving the Bill forward.

Order of Business. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: It will be early next year.

Departmental Bodies. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The projected total cost of the communications unit for 2004 is €299,921, of which €122,990 is a direct cost to my Department with, on average, €35,386 being borne by the five other Departments that have staff seconded to the unit. The cost for the unit in 2003 was €288,737. The unit provides a media information service to Ministers...

Departmental Bodies. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs issued a statement yesterday. The only statements were media reports.

Departmental Bodies. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: The only news I heard was what was on the headlines and the report that the car was burned out. I did not hear any more on it. In the normal course of events, the unit merely reports the headlines of the main national news, the larger Dublin local news stations, Independent Network News, INN, which is broadcast throughout the country, and the morning newspapers. It merely provides a list of...

Departmental Bodies. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: If I may take the next question, I can answer the Deputy's question with it.

Departmental Appointments. (16 Nov 2004)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, together. The role of the advisers is to keep me informed on a wide range of issues, including business, financial, economic, political, administrative and media matters. Under the direction of the programme manager, their primary function is to ensure effective co-ordination in the implementation of the programme for Government. Each of the...