Results 10,541-10,560 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: The mental capacity and guardianship Bill will be taken later this year. The other issue, which is ongoing, is best taken up with the Chief Whip.

Order of Business (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not agree with the rather simplistic premise that suggests that fewer agencies per se will deliver better Government. It must be planned and done properly. For example, the HSE is an amalgamation of 56 agencies. It still has organisational challenges and has not brought harmony in terms of the delivery of services. Major challenges remain. The integration of the public service and...

Order of Business (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not accept Deputy Varadkar's simplistic contention that reducing agencies per se is the solution to the problem. In social partnership we have committed to putting the citizens at the centre and reconstructing how we deliver services on the basis of the life cycle approach set out. We are committed to doing that and must get on with the task. I will set up a task force to report to me...

Order of Business (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I have 15 Ministers and 20 Ministers of State. The Opposition, which is not in Government, has 19 Front Bench spokespersons and 24 deputy spokespersons. What are they at?

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: This is an area I will have a look at in the context of the reform of public services. It is important that procurement plans or procurement policy are not structured in such a way as to cause delay by requiring people away from the organisation to do the procuring when those in front line management positions are in a position to identify prospective suppliers. They would have built up a...

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: As I indicated, effective and efficient procurement policy procedures and practices can have a significant impact on the accountability and value for money aspects of the purchase of goods and services by the State. The potential for real savings from more effective procurement policies is significant. Achieving savings is important as it frees up resources which can be redirected to the...

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: No. The use of public private partnerships is appropriate in certain but not all circumstances. PPPs are also a good vehicle by which we can encourage private sector investment to work with public sector investment to provide much needed infrastructure. Within the system of evaluation of public private partnerships, the use of a public sector benchmark ensures an assessment of the options...

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: We are allowed to smile in the House.

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not believe it is possible to restrict access to the competitive tendering systems in place based on the location of a business. At a certain level of procurement expenditure, one is required to place a notice in the Official Journal of the European Communities and bring the tender to the attention of all competitors within the European wide system. This is good because it ensures our...

Corporate Procurement Plans. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: In fairness to public service procurers, people want to deal with reputable organisations and firms based on the quality of their product and the fact that they can provide it at short notice and the way those seeking the product want it. I do not believe one can place conditions in terms of what trade union is represented and so on. One is dealing with the procurement of a product which...

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, together. These are political agreements that my predecessor entered into as Leader of the Fianna Fáil Party with individual Independent Deputies. I have confirmed to the Deputies concerned that I intend to continue to implement those agreements. As the Deputies will be aware, such arrangements have existed for almost 11 years. The...

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: A respectful reference.

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: The situation is very simple. The Independent Deputies who support this Government came to a political agreement with my predecessor, which I confirmed before I became Taoiseach. I thank them for their support. In fairness to the Deputies concerned, they just want to be kept informed on those areas of policy in which they have a particular interest, on which they have indicated they seek...

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is in terms of their interaction with the Government. Supporters of the Government would, of course, be——

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: On the matter of the Independent Deputy, the Deputy can be assured Deputy Beverley Flynn will continue to give very effective representation to the people of Mayo. The one guarantee we have for the next four years is that she will deliver far more than those who are in Opposition.

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: The interaction of the Deputies is with my office and staff, who deal with all internal issues, the same as with any other Member. There is a specific contact person for those Deputies through my office, which is an arrangement of convenience for them and me in ensuring the lines of communication are open and effective. The people concerned do their general work but provide a specific...

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: Not looking at anyone else.

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I would not think so. Obviously, he knows what is in his agreement, just as I do. I am not like Deputy Gilmore, probably because I have a different background to him, and do not keep tabs on political opponents with quite the degree of detail he does. In the old days that was a much tighter marking job than we in Fianna Fáil would ever bother to operate.

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: We did not have Politburos to answer to so I do not know what degree of detail Deputy Gilmore was asked to supply to ensure he was marking his opposite number as tightly as that. We just go for the ball and let it off. I understand what Deputy Gilmore is doing. He is creating a bit of mischief trying to upset the people who support the Government and suggesting they have no deal. They...

Independent Members. (14 May 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not accept that. Again, Deputy Gilmore is being provocative, so much so that Deputy Finian McGrath returned to his seat. Independent Deputies are not part of the party system in the House. They had an opportunity to speak to those who sought to form a Government to ensure they could find a base by which they could give a level of consistent support while dealing with some of their...