Results 11,441-11,460 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Leaders' Questions (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: The Taoiseach's answer is not good enough at all. Telling the taxpayer, who has to pay for this, about circular letters is not an adequate answer.

Leaders' Questions (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: The Act which was passed by the Oireachtas, the representatives of the people, which set up FÁS, says without any doubt or ambiguity that it is the job of the Minister to approve the expenses regime in FÁS.

Leaders' Questions (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I will read it for the Minister. Section 7(2)(a) states, "Such remuneration and allowances for expenses incurred by him . . . [this means any member of staff] . . . as An Foras or the subsidiary, as the case may be, with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance". It is explicitly clear that the approval of expenses regimes in FÁS, as established by this Act, is a job for...

Benchmarking Awards. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: In the Taoiseach's reply on the pay agreement that has been concluded, I understood him to say that it is the Government's intention to honour the terms of the agreement. I would like the Taoiseach to pursue the logic of this. No money has been provided by the Government to honour the agreement's terms. On the contrary, as he has confirmed to the House, there is a requirement on...

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach when it is intended to publish the progress report on the implementation of An Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29623/08]

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: The Taoiseach has made a very significant acknowledgement to the House this morning that while the programme for Government exists on paper, it no longer exists in reality because it was negotiated and agreed on the assumption that there would be a 4.5% growth rate, which is clearly not the case. Despite the commitments in the programme for Government to reduce tax and class sizes, they are...

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: There is a commitment in the programme for Government that VAT on certain environmental goods and services will be reduced from 21% to 13.5%. The budget recently increased VAT to 21.5%. Does that commitment to reduce VAT on environmental goods and services still apply? Does the Government have any plans to reduce the VAT rate, particularly following this week's announcement by the British...

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I do not understand how this Government works.

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: Normally in a coalition Government certain commitments in the programme for Government have a particular resonance for different parties in that Government. Let us say there is something in this programme for Government which the Green Party sought to have included in it. If the Green Party says it wants that commitment to go ahead because it is agreed in the programme for Government, will...

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I just want to know.

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: It appears they will take anything. That is the point.

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: If there is no functioning programme for Government, how does a minority party operate in Government?

Programme for Government. (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: That is a cosy little arrangement.

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: No. The Labour Party will not agree any Order of Business because of the way in which the Government proposes to abolish the Combat Poverty Agency. As I said yesterday, the Government has done this in the sneakiest and the most underhand way by including it as an amendment to the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. The agency is being dissolved and taken back into the social...

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: Many issues come before the House and when Members or members of the press or people with considerable power and influence or people who are well organised identify with them, there is a great racket about them but not many people in or around the Chamber have experience of poverty and perhaps do not identify as much with it as they should. If an agency dealing with any other area of life...

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: It does not.

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I wish to pursue the issue raised by Deputy Kenny, namely, the matter of the Bill which will result in the withdrawal of the medical card from pensioners.

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: The Bill has not yet been published and we have not been told when it will be published.

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Minister for Transport; that is very helpful. I understand the Government also intends to have the legislation enacted before Christmas. Including tomorrow, some ten Dáil sitting days remain until Christmas. It is clear what the Government intends to do and we know its form. It will try to introduce this legislation at the last minute, slip it through and then guillotine it...

Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Ceann Comhairle.