Results 12,201-12,220 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

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

Brian Cowen: I say to those people who want to make this work and ensure we improve our system, there have been real improvements in our health service. The idea that there has been none is a falsehood. There have been real improvements in our health service.

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

Brian Cowen: I can prove it because in can be seen in health care, health status, productivity in our hospitals, the number of people going through our hospitals and the number of additional people employed in our hospitals. We know this much even if we will not articulate it and be honest enough in this House. If it was simply a question of resources we would have this problem solved by now.

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

Brian Cowen: It is about working in a collaborative way to ensure the practices and service delivery mechanisms in the interest of protecting public services are developed. In psychiatric care in recent years we have moved from an institutional system to people with psychiatric illnesses being able to take their place as citizens in the community.

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

Brian Cowen: Yet we have this continuing effort to portray the health system as simply an acute hospital system. It is about developing more primary care teams, as we are doing. It is about introducing more GP out-of-hours services, as we are doing and as has helped greatly in Dublin.

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

Brian Cowen: I assure Deputy Quinn that I know some of the people involved, many of whom are from my constituency. I do not come in here to say anything untoward about it only to this effect. Of course what happened should not have happened. However, we must take into account that real progress is being made in the development of cancer care services. I was aware and people like the rest of us from...

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

Brian Cowen: I can talk about that if the Deputy wants to shout me down about it. It was about the fact that it is a Department where it is possible to get up the next day and something comes out of the left field about which nobody informed the Minister. That can happen and that is what I meant by it.

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

Brian Cowen: That has also been portrayed wrongly because some people want to portray it in a different way. The bottom line is that we have a Minister for Health and Children who is involved in the process of change and wants to bring reform.

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

Brian Cowen: Whatever our political differences, the primary responsibility of this House is to represent citizens, not resisters of change or vested interests in the health service who want to hold it back.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 122 together. The 2003 EU Energy Tax Directive incorporated special derogations which allowed specific excise duty reliefs to be applied in a number of Member States. In the Irish context, these derogations allowed for reduced rates to apply to fuel used for public transport services which includes school transport services. While these derogations...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that approximately 978,000 applications for refund were reviewed and that the average repayment made to each of the approximately 750,000 taxpayers who have received a repayment in 2007 is €655. The repayments are for the years 2003 to 2007 inclusive.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is understood that the Deputy is enquiring about PAYE repayments. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that they are not in a position to give the number of people who are entitled to a tax refund for the years 2003 to 2007 inclusive. This is because the onus is on the individual taxpayer to inform Revenue of changes in their individual circumstances which would give rise to a...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Safes and security cabinets are provided to officeholders for the secure storage of papers and effects (including personal effects) as the officeholder may require. The contents of such safes and the access arrangements in their offices are a matter for the officeholder.

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (28 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: Details of Exchequer taxes for the years 2004 – 2006 are published in the Finance Accounts and the relevant information is set out below for completeness. In relation to data for 2007, the information show in the table below reflects receipts at end-October. I will be publishing my latest estimate for the 2007 Outturn in the White Paper on Estimates and Receipts this coming weekend and,...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy was his party's spokesperson on health for three years and made no impression.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: A moment ago the Deputy said Dr. O'Doherty was a person of impeccable credibility.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I will make my contribution to the debate tomorrow.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I know far more about this issue than does Deputy Reilly.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I look forward to making my contribution tomorrow.

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Personnel Code is issued and updated by the Department of Finance. The Code aims to make the various instructions governing personnel matters readily available to all civil servants. The Code is contained in four volumes and holds relevant circulars, circular letters and letters to heads of Departments and Personnel Officers on terms and conditions of civil servants. The Code covers...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (27 Nov 2007)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 to 143, inclusive, together. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the tax paid on a litre of petrol and diesel selling at the stated prices is as set out in the following schedule. I would draw to the Deputy's attention that excise on both petrol and diesel is relatively low in Ireland compared to our main trading partners, particularly the UK....