Results 44,861-44,880 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: In the 2002 election Fine Gael and the Labour Party proposed we change the legislation so we could raid the fund. We are now being accused of having wasted and spent everything. We took 1% of GNP aside and put it away for a rainier day. Thanks be to God we did that. We also, through cash surpluses, reduced the national debt significantly over ten years. We reduced it to the low €20...

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Much was done to reduce the national debt in the mid 1990s and much was done in terms of the physical transformation of the country and the putting away of the 1% pension fund.

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Many other significant initiatives were taken right across the board. I do not fall into the category of people who seems to want to obliterate everything that happened over ten years and use particular descriptive terms to describe it as wasted opportunity and so on. The country advanced significantly. We are now in the middle of a deep international recession.

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The challenge now is to come forward with the right policies to take us through the present crisis. We are doing that. I am satisfied that in the long run people will look back and say that while it was a politically difficult and traumatic situation, the right economic decisions were taken in terms of the fundamentals. That is what matters. We can and will get through to recovery. This...

Leaders' Questions (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Gilmore should check what happened in 1985.

Leaders' Questions (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Gilmore should check the Labour Party representation in 1985 on Dublin City Council.

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: They are actually.

Written Answers — Lisbon Treaty Referendum: Lisbon Treaty Referendum (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Last December the European Council agreed to a comprehensive package of measures to respond to the Irish people's concerns as outlined by the Taoiseach. Specifically, the European Council agreed that, provided the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force, each Member State will continue to have the right to nominate a Commissioner. It also agreed that the necessary legal guarantees will be given...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 27, 29, 54 and 139 together. The Minister deplores the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma and esteemed Nobel Peace laureate, her imprisonment in the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon and the laying of charges and institution of court proceedings against her. In a statement on 14 May, the Minister pointed...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: At the outset, I would like to confirm that the Department is in ongoing contact with the family of the person mentioned by the Deputy and is liaising with them on all aspects of the case. The Department was represented at the funeral of the deceased. As the Deputy will be aware, after hearing of the death of this Irish citizen, Minister Martin T.D. immediately instructed the Irish Embassy...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 41 and 60 together. The situation of members of the minority Baha'i faith in Iran has long been a matter of serious concern to the Government and to members of the Oireachtas. In recent years, there has been a progressive increase in harassment of individual Baha'is, and worrying indications that these are part of a concerted effort by the Iranian...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I would direct the Deputy to the Minister's reply on this matter on 12 May. In that reply, the Minister noted that the events which resulted in the tragic deaths of very large numbers of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire more than ninety years ago continue to be interpreted very differently in Turkey and Armenia. However, the Minister also emphasised that last month's announcement of a roadmap...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has welcomed the Executive Order issued by President Obama on 22 January announcing that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close within one year. The Minister had a useful discussion with Secretary of State Clinton on the issue when they met over the St Patrick's Day period. At that meeting, he reiterated that we had long called for...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 33 together. Ireland has a relatively small Diplomatic Service, operating on limited resources. While the opening of resident diplomatic missions abroad, including in Kenya, is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis, any expansion of our diplomatic network can, as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, only be undertaken having regard to clear...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 58 and 148 together. As stated in response to the Priority Question today, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and in particular about the grave humanitarian crisis taking place there. I fully endorse the conclusions of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) held on 18 May 2009, which stated that "the EU … is...

Written Answers — Good Friday Agreement: Good Friday Agreement (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Arising from the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, six North-South Implementation Bodies and Tourism Ireland were established. These play a significant role in taking forward North-South co-operation on the island. The North-South Bodies are jointly funded by the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. Funding from each jurisdiction is provided on an agreed proportionate basis having...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 143 together. There is no doubt that the current volume of aid passing into Gaza is insufficient. The UN continues to report on shortages of basic humanitarian supplies and the number of daily truckloads of goods permitted into Gaza actually declined in April by 20%. While Israel is now allowing in some previously blocked items, such as paper for...

Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: My reply to Questions Nos. 1 and 4 have set out the importance I attach to making every effort to support and encourage the Middle East Peace Process. I have not yet had any contact with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who in his short period since taking office has been constructing a budget and carrying out a comprehensive review of policy on the peace process. However, we remain, of course, in...

Written Answers — Territorial Waters: Territorial Waters (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The regime governing the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf in international law is set down by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. Under that convention a coastal state is entitled to a continental shelf 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 km) in breadth regardless of whether its continental shelf physically extends that far, subject only to the...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: It was with regret that I recently informed the Right Honourable, Rhodri Morgan A.M., First Minister of Wales, of the decision to close our Consulate General in Cardiff. While the closing of the office will means that we no longer have a full time representative based in Wales, I am determined that this necessary but regrettable action will not adversely affect Ireland's close relations with...