Results 44,921-44,940 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (26 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As stated on many occasions in this House, most recently on 21 May in reply to a Parliamentary Question, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and in particular about the grave humanitarian crisis that is taking place there. I fully endorse the conclusions of the EU External Relations Council held on 18 May, which stated that "the EU … is appalled by the loss of...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As stated on many occasions in this House, most recently on 23 April, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and in particular about the grave humanitarian crisis that is taking place there. I fully endorse the conclusions of Monday's EU External Relations Council, which stated that "the EU … is appalled by the loss of innocent lives as a result of the conflict and by the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 May 2009)

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

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The demand of the Chagossian natives to return to the Chagossian archipelago is a complex issue involving competing sovereignty claims and legal arguments. In November 2000, the High Court of England and Wales found that the "wholesale removal" of the Islanders between 1967 and 1971 was an "abject legal failure". The Court ruled that the Islanders could return to the small outlying islands...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I deplore 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, I condemned her arrest, saying that it represented the latest chapter in an ongoing effort to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, payment of invoices by this Department is governed by the provisions of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997 as amended by the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2002. The Act, which came into force in January 1998, provided for the payment of interest on invoices which are unpaid after 45 days from date of receipt. In...

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: That is out of order.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: It is out of order.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: There is only one acute newspaper in Cork.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: That is south Kerry flattery.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: That is wrong. It meant a great deal to those people.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy should check his Government's record. His Government would not do it.

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (12 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Passport Office has no record of an application from the person in question. He has since advised the Passport Office that he is not an Irish citizen and that he made an application for citizenship through naturalisation in August 2008. This is a matter therefore for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: My Department does not engage consultants to act as lobbyists on its behalf. However, on occasion, consultants engaged by my Department do engage in activity outside the State. For example, in 2007, KPMG were commissioned to undertake a Value for Money Review of the Irish Passport Service. In assessing efficiency and effectiveness, the review used the services operated in Denmark, the...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (12 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Details of all Bills brought forward by my Department since 2004 and subsequently enacted, are listed in tabular form below, with an indication of whether they were drafted and passed to give effect to an EU Directive. It should be noted that in 2009 to date, no legislation has been brought forward by my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, more detailed information on all pieces of...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (12 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy will be aware 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 affect relations between Turkey and Armenia, whose historical interpretations of these events diverge sharply. The Turkish Government has proposed the establishment of a joint commission, composed of eminent academics, to...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: No civil servants were dismissed from my Department during the period in question. However, the Deputy may wish to note that, during this period, the Department initiated disciplinary proceedings in a very small number of cases where serious misconduct was alleged. In the cases concerned, the relevant officers resigned from the Civil Service before the disciplinary process was completed.

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (6 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 387 together. In common with most Member States of the UN, and all EU partners, Ireland adheres to a one-China policy, recognising the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China. We therefore do not support Taiwanese membership of organisations where statehood is a prerequisite for membership, and take the...

Written Answers — Departmental Committees: Departmental Committees (6 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Among the Action Points included in the Government's Framework for Economic Renewal, launched by the Taoiseach in December, is the establishment of a consultative mechanism with public and private sector representatives to advise on issues related to the economic work of Embassies. The first consultative meeting, which I chaired, took place on Wednesday 29 April in Iveagh House. I intend to...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The current authorised number of staff in the Department of Foreign Affairs is 1578. Irish Embassies, Consulates General, and Permanent Representations abroad are headed by members of staff of my Department. At present, there are 73 staff serving as Heads of Mission abroad. These staff are generally officers from the Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Counsellor and First Secretary...