Results 18,721-18,740 of 36,764 for speaker:Enda Kenny

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising a matter of serious import, which is very sensitive to people who have to deal with it. I was proud to wear the T-shirt for cystic fibrosis in Kerry last weekend. Sometimes when the political process makes decisions that things should happen, political personnel expect to see them happen. I do not know what the problem in St. Vincent's hospital is...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: Long before this current situation arose, the decision was made to have a cystic fibrosis unit in St. Vincent's hospital. It is very badly needed and whether it is a minimum or a maximum is an issue for medical people to make a judgment on. I spoke at the AGM of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland in Westport and said the unit was on time, on track and on budget. When moneys are...

Office of the Attorney General (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I have been advised by the Office of the Attorney General that, as of 30 June 2012, the number of staff serving in the office was 122.2. Two competitions are under way to fill essential legal positions, so it is expected that the staffing level will increase to 129 in the coming months. The number of staff serving is regularly reviewed with...

Office of the Attorney General (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The point the Deputy makes is not directly relevant to the question he asked about the number of staff currently employed in the Office of the Attorney General and whether or not assessments of staff numbers and efficiencies have been carried out. I have answered both those questions. There are matters relating to the issue raised by the Deputy that I do not wish to discuss in public. I...

Office of the Attorney General (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: As Deputy Adams is aware, the Government publishes a list of proposed legislation to be drafted, adopted, published and dealt with in the House. The vast majority of that legislation comes through the Department of Justice and Equality. The staff of the Attorney General's office is in two sections, the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the legal advisory section, serviced by a common...

Employment Rights (10 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together. As I have stated on many occasions, while this Government does not support a return to the social partnership model, we recognise the value of constructive dialogue with representatives of all sectors of society as we continue to work through the many difficulties facing the country. Since the Easter recess, I have met with representatives of...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: It is unbecoming of the Deputy to accuse the Minister for Health of being dishonest in the presentation of the Estimate for his Department for the budget for 2012. That is not in keeping with the Deputy's normal behaviour. Clearly, the HSE is facing a serious challenge this year. Its performance report for April shows a net deficit of €200 million, of which hospitals account for €106...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: When the Deputy had the privilege of serving as Minister for Health and Children, the answer on every occasion there was a difficulty was to throw millions into the maw of the public health service.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy was not able to deal with the matter because he never had the courage to face up to what needed to be done. That is the long and the short of it.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: In tackling the real problems the Minister has brought about a reduction of 20% in the numbers of patients on trolleys. There were 10,000 fewer in the first five and a half months of the year.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: We are now in a situation where more people than ever before, 1.8 million, are covered by medical cards.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: We have an effective front-line service. The catastrophic consequences about which the Deputy spoke at the end of February when significant numbers left the public service as part of the voluntary redundancy scheme did not materialise because clinical and medical teams and managers on the front line signed up for their individual programmes and plans. These are being implemented.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: In so far as front-line services are concerned, the Deputy can take it that the Minister for Health is working with all his people.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: Cork University Hospital is now one of the best performing hospitals in the country because of the changes that have been made.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I do not accept the Deputy's assertions regarding falsehoods, dishonesty or hard work on the part of the Minister.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: I am taken by the Deputy's new-found concern for the Garda, law and order and the welfare of our citizens and I commend him on his comments. He will be aware that rostering arrangements have changed in the Garda for the benefit of everybody. The evidence from the implementation of the changed rosters is that there is greater connection between officers and members of the force and...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: -----and the local chief superintendent to ensure every citizen in his constituency and elsewhere in the country receives the best level of attention and service from the Garda.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The Deputy welcomed the closure of 36 PSNI stations in Northern Ireland, a move with which his party was strongly associated. I reject his assertion that the Minister for Justice and Equality is in denial about his Department. Few Ministers for justice have shown the prodigious output of work and involvement of the current Minister. I am sure the matters raised are being discussed by the...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: The issue raised by the Deputy is important in the sense that the quality of life for the persons involved is what is central to the entire argument. The purpose of the value for money report to which the Deputy referred is to ascertain the effectiveness of the expenditure of taxpayers' money in looking after persons who suffer from challenges because of disability. When one speaks to...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2012)

Enda Kenny: A number of legislative items must be dealt with before the aforementioned United Nations convention can be addressed. However, I must tell the Deputy that the other day, I spoke to someone who is wheelchair-bound and who must write by using a mouth-based instrument. The point that person made to me was the cost of facilities or additions to wheelchairs, for instance, for those who are...