Results 13,241-13,260 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Departmental Investigations. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Henry VIII or the Taoiseach?

Departmental Investigations. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I see we will deal with 67 questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in two minutes.

Departmental Investigations. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: The courts did not rule that all secondary legislation is invalid. It is merely the case that if the principle or policy is not enshrined in the parent Act, it may be vulnerable. In terms of Deputy Jim O'Keeffe's suggestion, will the Taoiseach elaborate on the possibility of the Dáil addressing the question of secondary legislation in that fashion? Does the Taoiseach see any role for the...

Special Advisers. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: When was the liaison officer appointed? The position is not one traditionally associated with the Office of the Attorney General. Was such a person in place during the term of office of the current attorney's predecessor? Admittedly, the previous attorney would have required a great deal of monitoring as he had a number of other jobs. Did he have the benefit of such a person or did this...

Special Advisers. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I am genuinely not clear on why a person in the Attorney General's office, a permanent officer in the employment of the State, could not perform that task. What is the difference?

Departmental Investigations. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach if the Government has directed an audit of the Statute Book in order to ascertain the number of enactments vulnerable to challenge on the grounds set out in the judgments of the courts in cases (details supplied) as constituting an impermissible delegation of legislative power of the State; if a programme of curative measures is considered necessary; and if he...

Departmental Investigations. (30 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Does the Taoiseach agree that the kind of powers about which we are talking, which, up to now at least, have enabled Ministers to make orders, regulations, by-laws, statutory instruments, or delegated secondary legislation, are littered throughout the Statute Book? This has been the practice. Arising from the cases I instanced to which the Taoiseach referred, and to the subsequent...

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: The lessons of the years since the beef tribunal are that the Oireachtas has frequently had resort to tribunals of inquiry and other investigations at enormous cost and with mixed results; that there are, at the same time, matters of public interest which must be inquired into and should not be susceptible only to a cost benefit analysis; that there is no desirability or obligation that only...

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I cannot call to mind any Deputy who raised issues on the Order of Business more frequently than Deputy McDowell when he was on this side of the House.

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: It is extraordinary that the Minister impatiently looks at his watch when we perform the task of questioning the Executive during one of the few opportunities we have to so do. I appreciate that he may see the world differently since entering Government. I also understand that business must be attended to and that the tight schedule of the House makes it difficult for Ministers to have...

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I am unaware of that but, if that is the case, we ought to examine it. I am not arguing in this instance for compellability in that there are matters connected with the formulation of that deal that do not relate to the legal advice given to Government and on which we would like to examine the senior people in the Office of the Attorney General. The Minister raises an important point,...

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Where an institution like the religious congregations chose not to recognise the oldest committee of the sovereign Parliament and appear before it, it is unconscionable that we are left without any instruments to cause them to come and be examined on a matter of such public interest and which has a scale of exposure for the taxpayer like few we have seen in the history of the State. In that...

Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 Mar 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I wrote a paper on this topic five years ago which RTE undertook to contemplate. However, none of the recommendations were ever implemented. We should have a system like C-SPAN in the United States.

Nally Group Report on Omagh Bombing: Statements. (20 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: On 16 December last year, I said in the House, in respect of the allegations that have given rise to the Nally report: "...there can be no argument but that they are the most profoundly serious that could be made against a law enforcement agency tasked with the preservation of life and public safety". I pointed to the report's firm conclusion that there was no foundation for the allegations...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 158: To ask the Minister for Finance the reason the Department of the Taoiseach was excluded from the decentralisation proposals announced by him in his budget speech; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30745/03]

Written Answers — Non-Resident Accounts: Non-Resident Accounts (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 167: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of High Court orders sought to date by the Revenue Commissioners under the Finance Act 1999 to require financial institutions to supply names, addresses and other relevant information regarding holders of bogus accounts at the latest date for which figures are available; the number of cases in which orders have been granted; the general...

Written Answers — Voluntary Agencies: Voluntary Agencies (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 270: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the dedicated unit in his Department to work with the voluntary agencies at home and abroad will be established; the number of staff it will have; the expertise persons in the unit will require; the way personnel will be selected (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4966/04]

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 308: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of educational welfare officers appointed to date; the schools to which they have been appointed; the further appointments that will be made this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4899/04]

Electronic Voting: Motion (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: I am glad Deputy Kenny tabled this motion, which my party is happy to support. It has already succeeded in flushing out the division and unease within and between the Government parties and has forced a climbdown by the Government. It is, however, only a partial climbdown when the critical issue of the verifiable vote audit trail remains unresolved. When I referred to my support for the...

Electronic Voting: Motion (17 Feb 2004)

Pat Rabbitte: The Labour Party has studied the proposed electronic voting system in depth. We published a detailed report on the Government's proposed system last November. Since then a wide variety of technical experts have all expressed the same doubts about the system. Most of them have focused on the one salient fact on which the Government is silent in the amendment published today, namely, the fact...