Results 1,181-1,200 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I would simply point to her record in health, a ministerial portfolio that, because of its unique characteristics, contains huge potential for political disaster across every western country.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: In driving a reform agenda, she has taken on vested interests of all kinds. She has taken expert advice to restructure the way in which health services are managed and operated. It is early days in what has been one of the most extensive transformation projects ever attempted in this country. Already, the potential for much more effective and efficient health care is evident from the...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Of course, there are many difficulties in bringing this to completion. Others must answer as to whether they, as stakeholders in our health care system, have been sufficiently responsible in engaging with the Minister in this challenging agenda.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: At the heart of the Minister's concern has been the needs of the patient. This is demonstrated by the dramatic improvements that have come about in waiting times for elective treatment——

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——and in waiting times and conditions for those awaiting admission from accident and emergency departments.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is also evident from the structural changes that have been included in an independent, expert and arm's length overseer of standards and safety. Now getting into full swing, the Health Information and Quality Authority will have an ongoing, proactive role in ensuring that institutions, services and indeed individuals are up to the clinical and caring tasks they undertake. In time, this...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: He stated: "It was not until Mary Harney became Minister for Health and Children——

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——that efforts were made to implement recommendations in a systematic fashion for women with breast complaints."

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Professor O'Higgins stated: She established an expert group to specify quality measures so that the performance of centres could be assessed, compared and judged against the highest prevailing standards. When launching the report of the expert group in May this year, she expressed her determination to develop and designate the centres, a decision that followed shortly afterwards. She has...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is why the Minister for Health and Children has my support and the support of the entire Government.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is why it is right to await the outcome of the inquiries the Minister has put in train to establish exactly what happened, what and who are responsible and what degree of culpability they must carry.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: To do otherwise trivialises the suffering of the women whose anger needs to be respected by proper analysis and proper accountability, not political posturing for the sake of headlines by an appalling Opposition.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That will happen early next year.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: This important Bill will be published this session.

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The media monitoring unit in my Department disseminates a summary of radio and television news headlines. It does not list everything in every newspaper every day. Of course it will always pick up the headlines, major stories and, for that matter, editorial stories.

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It forwards newspaper headlines on a regular basis to a wide range of people across Departments. That is what it does a number of times every day. The Aer Lingus decision on the establishment of a hub in Belfast and the withdrawal of Shannon-Heathrow services was announced by the company on 7 August. The position is no reports of the decision came to the attention of the communications unit...

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I said the northern newspapers and the Irish Examiner.

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: They were not leading articles, and Deputy Kenny knows that.

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: What page was it on?

Departmental Bodies. (28 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It was not picked up by the communications unit. It was not listed as one of its stories of the day, even though it had a long list of stories that day. It was in the Irish Examiner and the Belfast Telegraph. That was seen by the Department but, as we know now from the reports that the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, has, the Department did not believe at that stage that that was a major story....