Fifty years ago, almost to the day, on 30 January 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered his first state of the union message, noting that the members of the Congress were “among [his] oldest friends, and this House is [his] oldest home.” These words resonate with me here today. I have made many friends in this House and this Parliament and its traditions will always have my deepest respect.
There are enduring friendships that go beyond politics and any debates or disagreements that we may have had about the issues of the day. It was for that reason that I decided to come to the House so that the Thirtieth Dáil should conclude in plenary assembly. It has been a privilege to serve the people of Ireland in our Government. In every Department that I have served, my overriding objective was to do my best by the Irish people. Politics is public service and it is an honourable profession. I say this with sincerity, conviction and from experience. I have no time for the cynics who talk down or belittle people in public life.
Members will be aware that I announced my decision yesterday not to contest the forthcoming election. It has been my immense privilege to represent the people of Laois-Offaly in this House for the past 27 years. I will be forever grateful for their loyalty and support during good days and bad in my political life. I also want to express my gratitude on this, my last day here, to my late father, who gave me a great grounding in the values of community service and a love of politics.
I entered this Parliament as a young man of 24. I have been privileged to learn much since from many fine public representatives on all sides of this Chamber. I know from those years of experience that the vast majority of the representatives in this House from all sides do their utmost to serve the best interests of the people honestly and unselfishly.
The time is once again close at hand for the people to decide who to send here to represent them in the next Dáil. This election will define our economic future and decide whether Ireland moves forward from this recession, prolongs it or succumbs to it. The choice, in many ways, is that fundamental. I urge the people to examine the policies being advanced by each of the parties and to cast their vote accordingly. This election should not be about personalities but serious debate, reflection and the solemn business of democracy.
I hope that over the course of the campaign we will conduct a mature and responsible debate, where we show respect for each other and the democratic process. All parties bear a responsibility to be honest with the people about the solutions proposed to continue on the path to recovery. We all have a duty to give confidence to the people and not talk Ireland down for short-term political gain. This is especially true as there are still plenty of reasons for confidence in Ireland’s future, our potential and what we can achieve over coming years.
Ireland’s economy retains very significant strengths. We are the fifth best country in the world, as measured by the United Nations human development index, which ranks 169 nations in terms of health, education and income as a composite measure. We have the highest proportion of graduates in the European Union among the 25 to 34 years age group. Our exports are performing better than ever. United States investment in Ireland is greater than what it has invested in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. Ireland’s stock of direct inward investment is five times greater than the OECD average. Our competitiveness has significantly improved and we have clusters of the world’s leading international companies, including household names such as IBM, Google, e-Bay, Intel and Facebook. Ireland is consistently in the world’s top ten places in which to open, start and grow a business. Our investment in science, technology and innovation is increasing productivity across the economy and in our own companies, helping to create the jobs of the future. These are just a few reasons the real Irish economy, which is an open, flexible, trading economy, will prosper in future if responsible policies continue to be pursued.
Peace on this island is another foundation on which we can and must build. The achievement of peace in Ireland has always been a collective, cross-party endeavour in this House and we must continue to work collectively to protect it. The institutions of the Good Friday Agreement established by all of the people of this island in 1998 are now working as people intended. The successful conclusion of the Hillsborough Agreement on the devolution of policing and justice, which I was proud to play a part in negotiating, ably assisted on the Government side by Fianna Fáil’s new party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, ensured that we will now see the longest ever unbroken period of power-sharing government in Northern Ireland when the Assembly elections are called in May this year.
I have always said that the genius of the Good Friday Agreement is that we agreed as a people to go on a journey together without predetermining the destination in advance. We must continue to take this journey together in the new and renewed spirit of friendship, reconciliation and respect that is the essence of the Good Friday Agreement. Imbued with that spirit, the forthcoming decade of centenary anniversaries will be a time of reflection and renewal across this island, not a time for dwelling on a divisive, internecine past but one for shaping a better future with deepening political co-operation across all major policy areas to our mutual benefit on this island.
Today is not a day for me to list achievements or engage in contentious debate. While the past two and a half years since I was elected Taoiseach have been a time of great trials and tests, we have worked hard to correct past failures and secure the future recovery of our country. I know some of the decisions my Government had to take were not popular but they had to be taken. In making judgment, people should remember that sometimes it is not just the content of a policy that defines a political decision but its context too. More than anything, a political decision is defined by the motivation that inspired it. Politics is about serving the interests of the people first and last. That was my motivation starting out in public life and I stayed true to it right to the end. In every decision I took as Taoiseach, I can honestly say the common good was my overriding concern and loyalty to this country and its people informed every choice I made.
I wish to quote the wise words of a man I came to know through his friendship with my late uncle, an tAthair Andrew. I refer to the poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue, whose book, Benedictus, contains a poem called “For a Leader”. I commend it to all in the House and particularly to those who will be in positions of leadership in the Thirty-first Dáil:
May you have the grace and wisdom to act kindly, learning to distinguish between what is personal and what is not.
May you be hospitable to criticism.
May you never put yourself at the centre of things.
May you act not from arrogance but out of service.
May you work on yourself, building up and refining the ways of your mind.
May those who work for you know you see and respect them.
May you learn to cultivate the art of presence in order to engage with those who meet you.
May you have a mind that loves frontiers, so that you can evoke the bright fields that lie beyond the view of the regular eye.
May you have good friends to mirror your blind spots.
May leadership be for you a true adventure of growth.
Dá fhad é an lá, titeann an oíche. I wish to inform the House, as a matter of courtesy, that I will proceed presently to Áras an Úachtaráin to advise the President, pursuant to Article 13 of the Constitution, to dissolve Dáil Éireann and to summon the incoming Dáil to meet at 12 midday on Wednesday, 9 March 2011.
As we have witnessed on our television screens in recent weeks, there are people in many countries across the world who still fight for the opportunity to cast their ballot in a democratic election; so I hope the electorate will use the opportunity to cast their vote in the forthcoming general election here.
I wish those Members of the House who are not seeking re-election a very happy and healthy future. I wish all other Members well in their endeavours to return to this House.
Go n-éirí libh go léir i bhur n-iarrachtaí. Agus duitse, a Cheann Comhairle, mo mheas agus mo bheannacht. Mar fhocal scoir, ó pheann Raifteirí, an file: “Anois teacht an earraigh, beidh an lá ag dul chun síneadh, ‘s tar éis na féile Bríde, ardóidh mé mo sheol.”
]]>At present, the Western Sahara is a non-self governing territory. Under international law, the economic resources of a non-self governing territory may only be exploited for the benefit of the people of the territory, on their behalf or in consultation with their representatives.
The Government has consistently made clear its view that any exploration and exploitation activities that proceed in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara would be in violation of the principles of international law applicable to natural resource activities in non-self governing territories. The Government would expect that any Irish company operating abroad would have due regard to the principles of international law and the rights of the inhabitants of the territory.
]]>Vacancies which have arisen in the Department of Foreign Affairs since 27 March 2009 and which remain unfilled | |
Reason | Number |
Maternity Leave | 13 |
Career break | 7 |
Special Incentivised Career Break | 22 |
Special leave without pay | 3 |
Total: | 45 |
Approximate annual salary cost per Driver | Approximate salary cost per annum: 4 Drivers |
2007: €32,482 | 2007: €129,928 |
2008: €34,120 | 2008: €136,480 |
2009: €34,826 | 2009: €139,306 |
2010: €32,965 | 2010: €131,859 |
Mileage expenses | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
Minister of State Power | €9,144 | €27,919 | €15,175 | €0 |
Minister of State Roche | €17,712 | €21,563 | €28,467 | €11,779 |
Minister of State Kitt | €0 | €0 | €17,697 | €13,222 |
Minister of State Lenihan | €0 | €0 | €0 | €8,177 |
Annual total: | €26,856 | €49,482 | €61,339 | €33,178 |
Year | Mileage € |
2007 | 274,975 |
2008 | 300,111 |
2009 | 173,863 |
2010(provisional outturn) | 103,715 |
Statutory Instrument | Title | Laid before Oireachtas | Published Iris Oifigiúil |
2007 | |||
18/2007 | European Arrest Warrant Act 2003 (Designated Member States) Order 2007 | 29 January 2007 | 9 February 2007 |
38/2007 | European Communities (Amendment) Act 2006(Commencement) Order 2007 | 6 February 2007 | 6 February 2007 |
39/2007 | European Communities (Amendment) Act2006(Commencement) Regulations 2007 | 7 February 2007 | 7 February 2007 |
59/2007 | European Arrest Warrant Act 2003 (Designated Member States) (No. 2) Order 2007 | 19 February 2007 | 4 December 2007 |
659/2007 | Transfer of Execution of Sentences Act 2005 (Designated Countries) Order 2007 | 28 September 2007 | 2 October 2007 |
2008 | |||
220/2008 | Child Abduction and Enforcement of Custody Orders Act, 1991 (Section 4) (Hague Convention) Order, 2008 | 7 July 2008 | 1 July 2008 |
412/2008 | Passports Act 2008 (Commencement) Order 2008 | 24 October 2008 | 24 October 2008 |
413/2008 | Passports (Appeals) Regulations 2008 | 24 October 2008 | 24 October 2008 |
414/2008 | Passports (Periods of Validity Regulations) 2008 | 24 October 2008 | 24 October 2008 |
2009 | |||
9/2009 | Extradition Act 1965 (Application of Part II) (Amendment) Order 2009 | 16 January 2009 | 20 January 2009 |
21/2009 | Diplomatic and Consular Fees(Amendment) Regulations 2009 | 29 January 2009 | 3 February 2009 |
408/2009 | Foreign Births (Amendment) Regulations 2009 | 12 October 2009 | 13 October 2009 |
410/2009 | Cluster Munitions and Anti-personnel Mines Act 2008 (Commencement) Order 2009 | 15 October 2009 | 13 October 2009 |
451/2009 | European Union Act 2009(Commencement) Order 2009 | 23 November 2009 | 24 November 2009 |
2010 | |||
42/2010 | Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008 (Section 4) Order 2010 | 4 March 2010 | 19 February 2010 |
43/2010 | Extradition (European Union Conventions) Act 2001 (Section 4) Order 2010 | 4 March 2010 | 19 February 2010 |
44/2010 | Extradition (European Union Conventions) Act 2001 (Section 10) Order 2010 | 4 March 2010 | 19 February 2010 |
45/2010 | Extradition Act 1965 (Application of Part II) (Amendment) Order 2010 | 4 March 2010 | 19 February 2010 |
365/2010 | Diplomatic and Consular Fees ( Amendment) Regulations 2009 | 26 August 2010 | 27 July 2010 |
372/2010 | Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008 (Section 4) (No. 2) Order 2010 | 6 August 2010 | 30 July 2010 |
682/2010 | Protection of Children (Hague Convention) Act 2000 (Section 15) Order 2010 | To be laid before Oireachtas once copies of Order are printed | 18 January 2011 |
Much of this material is now placed on the Department’s Website but advertising continues to be necessary in order to reach all of our citizens including those with no access to internet, particularly in relation to important passport and consular services. The following tables give the details of such advertising under Votes 28 (Foreign Affairs) and 29 (International Cooperation) in the course of 2010.
Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs)
Company | Transaction Date | Description/Invoice | Amount |
National newspapersIris OifigiúilBrindleyIris OifigiúilTruvo | February 20103/3/10, 12/8/10 and 24/8/101/4/109/7/1026/8/10 | Communicating Europe Initiative grant schemeCriminal Justice mutual assistancePublic Awareness in respect of industrial action in the Passport OfficeList of agreements entered into by the StatePhone Book entry in EIRCOM’s Golden Pages etc. | 8,740274.0013,256.00387.2715,369.42 |
Total | €38,026.69 |
Vote 29 (International Cooperation)
Company | Transaction date | Description/Invoice | Amount |
Brindley | 11/02/2010 | Africa Day advertisement | 2,219.73 |
Brindley | 24/03/2010 | Volunteering Fair Cork | 7,484.83 |
Brindley | 09/06/2010 | Africa Day ’Call for Proposals’ | 4,335.28 |
Brindley | 18/10/2010 | Promoting awareness of global hunger at National Ploughing Championships | 1,842.59 |
Brindley | 18/10/2010 | Volunteering Fair Dublin | 3,095.79 |
GTI Specialist Publishers Ltd | 18/10/2010 | Volunteering Fair Dublin | 484.00 |
Voluntary Service International | 17/06/2010 | Advertisement in Voluntary Service International booklet 2010 | 320.00 |
PG Print Media | 26/04/2010 | Promoting awareness of global hunger at the t he National Ploughing Championships | 968.00 |
Education Matters | 21/10/2010 | Education Matters Year Book 2010 | 1,050.00 |
Red Dog | 13/08/2010 | Africa Day banner Harcourt St, Dublin | 2,628.00 |
Red Dog | 13/08/2010 | Africa Day street posters for Limerick & Dublin | 697.00 |
Total | €25,125.22 | ||
The Government has consistently supported the right to self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. Ireland has not taken a position on the future status of the territory, so long as that status is decided in a genuine exercise of self-determination. At present, the Western Sahara is a non-self governing territory. Under international law, the economic resources of a non-self governing territory may only be exploited for the benefit of the people of the territory, on their behalf or in consultation with their representatives.
The Government has consistently made clear its view that any exploration and exploitation activities that proceed in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara would be in violation of the principles of international law applicable to natural resource activities in non-self governing territories. The Government would expect that any Irish company operating abroad would have due regard to the principles of international law and the rights of the inhabitants of the territory.
]]>My Department has limited interaction with the general public other than in its reception area, my office, the offices of the Ministers of State assigned to my Department and the Government Press and Information Service. Of the 191 whole time equivalents (wte) employed by my Department at the end of December 2010, 36 (wte) were employed in these areas. In addition, 8 staff from my Department who are assigned to other duties during the week, work on the Saturday tours of Government buildings.
]]>The information requested in relation to Ministers of State Dick Roche and Dara Calleary would be available from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Enterprise, Trade and Innovation respectively.
]]>Year | Amount |
2007 | €46,812 |
2008 | €52,357 |
2009 | €44,548 |
2010 | €37,557 |
2011 | €676 |