Results 12,221-12,240 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Other Questions: Official Engagements (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 12, inclusive, together. On 9 October 2013, I had an informal meeting with former US President Bill Clinton, who was visiting Dublin to attend an event organised by Philanthropy Ireland. The President is a very good friend of Ireland and is keenly interested in our progress, so I took the opportunity to update him on a range of issues in which he...

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: The Central Bank is the client’s own bank. Obviously, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, has made quite a number of significant changes to the way we are dealing with the live register. The extent of mortgage interest payments - a figure of 50,000 comes to mind - was so high as to keep people out of work, despite the fact that getting them into work is the...

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 9, inclusive, together. In the past 12 months the Cabinet committee on health met nine times and has met on three occasions since the October budget. It last met on 20 January and is due to meet again next Monday, 24 February.

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: On 24 February.

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I remember when I used to sit where Deputy Martin is now and I would get no answer at all from the Government as there is no requirement to make any answer about Cabinet sub-committees. It is an important issue and I have indicated to Deputies that there can be a series of priority questions regarding particular issues. With regard to Deputy Higgins's contribution, we are talking about the...

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I am more interested in taking decisions and action rather than just having meetings. We tend to meet on a monthly basis and devote one Monday in the month to seven or eight Cabinet sub-committee meetings. They start at eight in the morning and go through the day. That is why the committee will meet again in March. It is sometimes interfered with by requirements to attend meetings...

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: In addition, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, announced a new €20 million fund to allow local authorities to offer the mortgage to rent scheme to local authority mortgage holders with unsustainable mortgages. Deputy McDonald also mentioned arrears. The total number of mortgage accounts in arrears has fallen by 5,833 between August and...

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: The Government has set out its priorities for this year in the sense that the action plan for jobs and driving forward the Government's priorities to grow our economy constitute the real priority in terms of creating jobs. As the Deputy is aware, following the exit from the bailout, the Government published its medium-term economic strategy. That indicates a 2% growth this year, 2.5% next...

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I do not accept the Deputy's assertion of auction politics. We have set out this clearly for the preparation of the budget for 2015. The discussion on tax cuts is part of a jobs plan to grow our economy and to provide employment. Research shows that is the best way to reduce the tax burden on people. The Minister for Finance has made it perfectly clear that is a priority for us. I know...

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on mortgage arrears and credit availability met on 20 January 2014 and has met on nine occasions since January 2013. I anticipate that it will meet again in March.

Other Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: That is correct.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: Surely Deputy McDonald is not questioning the independence and objectivity of a High Court judge. I do not expect she is insinuating that in her comments here. The High Court judge will be appointed shortly. The terms of reference will be drawn up by the Minister for Justice and Equality with the advice of the Attorney General.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: Of course, those terms of reference will be published. It means the High Court will have access to all of the documents and all of the technical reports. With regard to the requirement for clarity about the sophisticated technical issues in those documents, he will have the opportunity to have expert personnel explain what those complex technicalities might be. These can be difficult for...

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: Deputy McDonald's point about balanced judgment is fair, and I expect that the decision taken by the Government here is a decision in the interests of finding fact and truth from all the documents, comments and statements, some of which have been quite confusing. It is important that that clarity brings the issue of the integrity of both GSOC and the Garda Síochána right into play...

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: No.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: The Government will not be supporting the Sinn Féin motion, aided and abetted by Fianna Fáil, in this matter. The Minister will introduce a clear set of amendments to Sinn Féin's motion which are in the interests of bringing about clarity, transparency, fact and truth.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: It is typical of Deputy McDonald to play the old political football in all of this. This is not an inquiry under the 2004 Act. The terms of reference are being set by the Minister for Justice and Equality as advised by the Attorney General. Is Deputy McDonald insinuating that the Attorney General is in any way complicit in something that might not be fair and objective?

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: Nor do I accept that the Minister for Justice and Equality was trying to distract people's attention from the basic issues at stake here.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: The Minister was given a written brief by the chairman of GSOC.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2014)

Enda Kenny: The Minister reported to the Dáil on that. He goes before the committee tomorrow, where Deputy Mac Lochlainn, who is beside Deputy McDonald, can ask him any question he wishes in regard to this matter. I quite sure Deputy Shatter will deal comprehensively and at length with all of this for Deputy Mac Lochlainn.