Results 18,501-18,520 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Order of Business (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Bill is due for publication on 24 July. The points raised by Deputy Heydon have been raised by many others and will be relevant to the Bill.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: No, we will not reverse that decision; we will take a different course. Many schools are still operating alternative schemes to the pilot programme to which the Deputy referred. It is a fact that learning the Irish language is compulsory in this country. It is also a fact that our students go to our own schools, go through the language course for up to 14 years and still cannot speak it...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: Our children are no less intelligent than they ever were. The surveys I carried out myself many years ago in the Department of Education showed that the Irish Celtic route is actually more favourable to learning languages than many others, and I suppose many students come here to learn English because of the quality of the language spoken by our young people in particular. We need to start...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I will speak Irish if the Deputy wants.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: There was.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy wants to restore a pilot programme he introduced when he was Minister for Education and Science.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I respected that for what it was worth.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: Many schools teach a second and third language, and teachers are committed to doing that. I am saying that when we look at what we have done as a country, in the context of teaching our own language, it leaves a great deal to be desired.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I appreciate the value of young children learning a second and third language. Many of them do that outside school hours-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: -----as they do in other subjects now.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy is asking me to restore the pilot programme introduced many years ago, which was of benefit but which-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: -----in my view does not meet the needs in terms of where we are headed for the future. The Minister for Education and Skills is reflecting on that because the matter was raised during Question Time previously. Modern languages are critical for the economic development of the country.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: We signed strategic partnerships with China-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: Students in some schools are starting to learn Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and some of the Middle Eastern languages because of the explosion in economic development that will inevitable follow in the years ahead. The answer to the Deputy's question on whether we are restoring the pilot programme that was abolished is "No". The Minister for Education and Skills is reflecting on the best...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I read the comments arising from the recent symphysiotomy court case. This practice belongs to the dark ages. I was struck by the words of the woman involved who said that while it happened many years ago, she still goes to bed at night with that pain and wakes up with it every morning. I understand there are several hundred people involved who may wish to take recourse to the courts. In...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I will not be pushed around by a threat from Sinn Féin to introduce legislation.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The reason we changed the rules in the House is to ensure that people can introduce legislation if they wish by way of a Private Members' Bill. The Deputy should understand that. I am not a medical person but it seems to me that the breaking of a pelvis for the purposes of child birth was a practice that belongs to the dark ages. That has been replaced by much more modern treatments for...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Minister will reflect on the court judgment and will respond to the Deputy in due course.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I am not sure the Deputy's figures are correct-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: -----that 10,000 people earn more than €500,000 a year. The Social Justice Ireland report is a good one. Much work went into it but it is based on figures from 2009 and 2010.