Results 2,681-2,700 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern
- Leaders' Questions (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: Let the Taoiseach answer.
- Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: The issue of collusion features prominently in our on-going discussions with the British Government at all levels. During his meeting with Prime Minister Blair in London on 4 December last, the Taoiseach discussed the issues raised in the four reports prepared by Mr. Justice Barron and the follow-up reports published by the Oireachtas Sub-Committee. I also had a follow-up discussion with the...
- Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: The individuals to whom the Deputy refers, Mr. Orlando Bosch and Mr. Luis Posada Carriles, were detained in Caracas in 1976, and charged with the bombing of Cubana Airlines flight 455 on 6 October 1976, in which all 73 people on board died. Mr. Carriles escaped detention in 1985, while Mr. Bosch was released two years later. Since May 2005, Mr. Carriles has been detained in US custody,...
- Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, Ireland, along with our EU partners, condemns all acts of terrorism, regardless of their target or motivation. Terrorism can never be justified by any cause, reason or ideology. However, as I made clear in my reply to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question No. 373 of 5 December, in the absence of any specific information regarding the allegations made by him, I am not in...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together. On being contacted by a member of the family, I have taken a close personal interest in the case concerning the removal of the internal organs of an Irish citizen who had died in Bulgaria. I am also deeply conscious of the distress suffered by this family. On learning of the case, I immediately instructed our Embassy in Sofia to raise the...
- Written Answers — Dublin-Monaghan Bombings: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: These events were the subject of extensive investigation by an independent Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice Barron. That Commission presented four separate reports to the Taoiseach and a Sub-Committee of the Oireachtas has considered each of them in turn. The reports of the Sub-Committee highlight issues of deep concern. On foot of the first of these reports, the Government appointed...
- Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (13 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables in respect of the two Votes for which this Department is responsible: Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 29 (International Cooperation). Vote 28 Year Amount â¬m 1997 0.06 1998 0.08 1999 0.10 2000 0.05 2001 0.06 2002 0.60 2003 0.72 2004 0.47 2005 0.57 2006 (to date) 0.28 Vote 29 Year Amount (â¬m)...
- Order of Business. (14 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: The Deputy is only a bluffer.
- Order of Business. (14 Dec 2006)
Dermot Ahern: The Deputy is making a Second Stage speech.
- Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: All staff employed in Ireland by the Department of Foreign Affairs, or by bodies under its aegis, currently earn more than one Euro per hour above the national minimum wage. This also applies to staff on posting at Irish Missions abroad. The practice followed by the Department in relation to locally employed staff abroad is to provide salaries and conditions of employment in accordance with...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: Officials of the Chinese Embassy, in common with all diplomats accredited to Ireland, are under the Vienna Conventions obliged to respect the laws of Ireland. I am not aware of any reason to believe that the conduct of officials at the Chinese Embassy is not fully in conformity with their obligations. The Government takes seriously concerns about human rights in China, including the...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: Any decision by the Canadian Government to end its annual human rights dialogue with China is a matter for the Canadian authorities and it would not be appropriate for me to comment. The EU cooperates closely with Canada in seeking to promote respect for human rights throughout the world. The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue (HRD), which was established in 1996, has served as the main forum for...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: The Government has made its position very clear on this issue, both publicly and directly to the Iranian authorities. As the Deputy will be aware, I have strongly condemned a series of statements by President Ahmadinejad calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and claiming that the Holocaust is a historical fabrication. The Government, together with our EU partners, unreservedly...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1032, 1041, 1042 and 1044 together. The case to which the Deputy refers relates to five Cuban citizens who were convicted in the US in 2001 on charges ranging from espionage to first degree murder. A panel of three judges from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned the 2001 convictions on 9 August 2005 and ordered a retrial based on new...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1033 and 1045 together. I have consistently set out very clearly the Government's firm opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. Far from failing to condemn the execution of Saddam Hussein, I actually strongly condemned both the fact and the manner of his execution, and the subsequent grotesque posting of images on the internet....
- Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: Perhaps I should first set out the background. In 2005, the Government decided that, building on the existing free transport, television licence, phone and electricity schemes for older people, passports should also be available free to persons aged 65 and over. This was warmly welcomed at the time. The reality now is that, if this attractive scheme is to work satisfactorily, there clearly...
- Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: Perhaps I should first set out the background. In 2005, the Government decided that, building on the existing free transport, television licence, phone and electricity schemes for older people, passports should also be available free to persons aged 65 and over. This was warmly welcomed at the time. The reality now is that, if this attractive scheme is to work satisfactorily, there clearly...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: I am deeply concerned by the situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China, including the number of documented cases of deaths in custody. Ireland, with our EU partners, takes this matter very seriously, and the situation of the Falun Gong, within our wider concerns about human rights in China, is a constant and important point of dialogue with the Chinese authorities at both bilateral and...
- Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1037 and 1040 together. Under the National Archives Act, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has no involvement in determining which files should be withheld; that is entirely a matter for the authorised officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Department is committed to meeting its statutory obligations in regard to its historic files under the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2007)
Dermot Ahern: The following table sets out the number of personnel in my constituency office, their grades and remuneration: Grade / Position Number Remuneration Personal Assistant (non-established; based in Constituency) 1 Higher Executive Officer Standard Scale â¬43, 445ââ¬55, 147 Executive Officer 1 Executive Officer Standard Scale â PPC â¬30,027ââ¬47,641 Clerical Officer (based in...