Results 41-60 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Seanad: Waste Management: Statements (Resumed). (5 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: I thank the Senators who contributed to this debate. The debate has been both important and interesting and gives an opportunity for people to focus on what is a very important and major national environmental problem facing us.

Seanad: Waste Management: Statements (Resumed). (5 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It is Government policy that people pay by weight. It varies in Dublin, for example, in Fingal one pays with a tag, whereas in the city council area there is an annual charge. If there was a great system and a public acceptance of the need to pay, then paying with a coloured bag or by tag would be the way to do it. However, when there is no acceptance, the wheelie bin and the city council...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: I am happy to speak on this motion on behalf of the Government and to have the opportunity to refute categorically many of the claims made by the Opposition this evening. Whoever is in the Fine Gael research office is extraordinarily negative and can quote and misquote statistics to beat the band. Admittedly, a recent UN report was compiled from the data of the European school survey project...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: I am sorry, but that is incorrect. The allocation for the local drugs task forces increased by 16% in 2003. Inflation is just 3%. I think the Senator will agree that there was a considerable increase. The Estimates, which will be published tomorrow, will show that all our programmes are more than properly funded.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: Fine Gael's spokesman in this area received a document on the matter during the year, which he unfortunately continues to misread. It is obvious that he has passed it on to his colleagues. Fine Gael keeps misreading things.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It is extraordinary.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: I have answered questions asked by Deputy O'Dowd on this issue several times, but he continues to give inaccurate information. He has got six months out of it, so fair play to him, but the publication of the Estimates tomorrow will necessitate an updating of his speech. The local drug task forces facilitate the delivery of a targeted response to the drug problem. They bring together the key...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It was launched last May. A great deal of money is being spent on it.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It is sad that the campaign does not seem to be registering with some of those on the Fine Gael benches, including Senator Feighan. I am sure other people have seen it.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: The first phase of the campaign was very general but the second phase, which is due to be rolled out in the coming months, will specifically target parents. Guidelines to assist schools in developing a drugs policy have been developed and were issued to all primary schools in May 2002. A great deal of progress has been made in other areas, by the Customs and Excise and others. Good progress...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It is important—

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: It is important that we keep the training college at full strength. I understand that 690 Garda trainees have been taken into the Garda college this year and that a new Garda recruitment competition is under way. I was in Norway recently and I asked how many policemen were in the country. I was told that there were only 8,000, yet it has a population of 6 million and a land mass that must be...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: As I was saying, drugs task force activity, child care service provision and projects in RAPID areas are prioritised at present.

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: I sincerely hope that the good work being done under many of those schemes will be retained. The Estimates will be available tomorrow and we can only wait to see how circumstances evolve. There are many interdepartmental committees looking at different aspects of CE schemes at present. We all recognise that there was some fat some years ago but it is almost gone. I wish that the positions...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: The Government is very much aware of the important contribution CE schemes and the jobs initiative have made to the development of services for local communities over the years. In this context, some reviews are currently under way. Senator Henry spoke about community groups and CE schemes and mentioned one body in particular. Opposition Members can be very selective. We announced what we...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: Equally, the sums available from the Criminal Assets Bureau might vary from year to year and might not be certain. Frankly, I do not care where the money comes from once it is given to us by the Department of Finance. If one builds up an ELS or a programme, one can count on the funding received year after year. Relying on a source like the Criminal Assets Bureau might be dicey and might not...

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: What about the overdoses?

Seanad: Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages. - National Drugs Strategy: Motion. (12 Nov 2003)

Noel Ahern: My concern would be the "pull" factor. Would a large number of people from outside Dublin and the State not come here? Would we really want to cater for such people?

Seanad: Report on Dublin and Monaghan Bombings: Motion. - Local Authority Funding: Motion. (10 Dec 2003)

Noel Ahern: The charities receive Government funding.

Seanad: Report on Dublin and Monaghan Bombings: Motion. - Local Authority Funding: Motion. (10 Dec 2003)

Noel Ahern: The Opposition motion seeks to criticise the Government's record on three separate but related areas, local government funding, development contributions and housing and I will deal with these separately. Senator Bannon was all over the place when he introduced the motion. He spoke about the poor who need housing but in the next breath was more worried that developers would have to pay a...