Results 241-260 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I hope they will reaffirm the commitment made at the development ministers council. This would be a positive signal as we push into the remainder of the year which will involve the millennium development summit. Deputy Michael D. Higgins referred earlier to the important issue of trade matters. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, the Minister of State at that...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I do not wish to misrepresent the comments of people at the meeting and my comments will be subjective. However, the discussions have been involved. Deputy Ó Snodaigh attended the public meeting at the Helix and he may enlighten the Deputy further on it. He may be more independent because he is not a Government Member. The 0.7% issue has been raised and it is clear it is passionately held...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Our programme has resulted in enormous successes, which I hope to share with Members in the next few months in a supplementary package similar to that described by Deputy Michael Higgins. It will explain what is being achieved through the programme. It is important that this knowledge should be shared with the public.

Written Answers — Departmental Representations: Departmental Representations (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The remarks in question have not been the subject of any discussion with, or representations from, the Turkish authorities. I can only say, once again, that I deeply regret the remarks and the offence they caused.

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The security situation in Iraq has greatly reduced the capacity of those working in the humanitarian field to provide assistance to the civilian population and has also resulted in a slowing down of reconstruction programmes in the country. Over the past months, many humanitarian agencies have been forced to leave Iraq altogether following armed attacks and kidnappings of aid workers. The...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 59, 63 and 66 together. I refer the Deputies to my reply to Priority Question No. 1. As regards the grades of staff involved, I have made available with my earlier reply a table detailing applications which have been made under the central applications facility, CAF, for Development Cooperation Ireland posts in Limerick. A number of representations have...

Written Answers — HIV Infection: HIV Infection (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 166 together. The HIV-AIDS pandemic is leading to a reversal of development gains in many African countries. It generally affects the most productive and economically active members of society. In societies where most people depend on agriculture as a source of income, there is a strong association between high rates of HIV infection and food...

Written Answers — Millennium Development Goals: Millennium Development Goals (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Following an initiative of the then Irish EU Presidency, member states at the April 2004 meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, agreed to submit individual reports to the Commission on their efforts towards implementation of the millennium development goals, MDGs. Reports were submitted by member states in the second half of 2004 and the Commission subsequently...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 40 together. Ireland has had a development programme in Uganda for a decade. The budget for the bilateral programme in 2005 is €32 million, comprising support to a poverty action fund focused on supporting key social sectors, dedicated support to related sectors like education, health, as well as for reform in the justice, law and order sector and...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: At the end of last year, the Government announced that a White Paper will be published on the future of Ireland's official development assistance programme. This will be the first ever White Paper on the programme and it comes at a time when the resources allocated to development co-operation have reached very substantial levels. As a first step in the preparation of the White Paper, the...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 167 together. Issues at the heart of effective delivery of assistance to poor people in least developed countries include clear objectives, a well-articulated strategy for delivery and good oversight and accountability. As the Deputy will be aware, the central objectives of the Irish programme of development co-operation continue to be the reduction of...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 88 and 156 together. As I reported to the Joint Committee on European Affairs on 25 May 2005, EU member states came to an agreement at the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, on 24 May 2005 on a new threshold for official development assistance, ODA, for 2010 and 2015. The elements of the Council's agreement are as follows: member...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The first priority of Development Co-operation Ireland is long-term sustainable development with the objective of poverty reduction through meeting basic needs and building up local capacity. At the same time, there is an emphasis that the assistance provided is both targeted and cost-effective. Projects and programmes are subject to regular review and evaluation from sectoral experts within...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: This will be the first ever White Paper on development co-operation. The White Paper will set out coherent, effective and sustainable policy priorities for the Government's official programme of development assistance into the future that accurately reflect both public and expert opinion, as well as best practice in the field. The Government remains committed to increasing the resources...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Mr. Chris Flood, in his role as the Irish Government's special envoy to the tsunami affected region, has to date made one visit to Thailand, two to Sri Lanka and one to Indonesia. Mr. Flood's role is to oversee the disbursement of Ireland's assistance and to ensure it is carried out in line with best international practice. Mr. Flood has briefed the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Ahern,...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: There is no internationally recognised system for ranking the severity of humanitarian crisis situations around the world, neither is it the policy of the Government to draw up a league table of countries deemed guilty of the worst human rights abuses. However, it is clear that there is a strong inter-relationship between conflict, the abuse of human rights, food insecurity and poverty....

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Ireland's programme of development co-operation with Lesotho began in 1975, making it the longest running of our bilateral country programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. Our programme has expanded significantly in recent years, with the budget increasing from €6 million in 1999 to almost €11 million in 2005. A sharp focus on poverty reduction underlies all our activities in Lesotho. The main...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The Government pledged €20 million in response to the tsunami disaster in South Asia. On 24 May — as I said in reply to the first parliamentary question to which the Deputy referred — approximately €11.3 million, or 57%, of this pledge had been committed to meeting the needs of those most affected. This assistance was channelled through UN agencies, NGOs and other international...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The allocation for 2005 provides for an increase of €70 million in Government spending on official development assistance this year. This will bring total Government aid to the developing world to approximately €545 million in 2005, the highest allocation in the 30-year history of the aid programme. In addition, the Government has agreed to provide further increases of €65 million in...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 to 370, inclusive, together. The economic partnership agreements, EPAs, which are to enter into force by 1 January 2008, are an integral element of the legally binding Cotonou Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, states and the European Union. The EPAs are intended first and foremost as instruments for development to foster the smooth...