Results 3,201-3,220 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Over the last decade, the number of Irish citizens travelling and living abroad has increased dramatically; they are now to be found in a wider range of locations throughout the world than ever before. As a result, the need for consular assistance and support continues to increase. For example, the number of visits abroad in 2006 was almost 7 million. The vast majority of these visits are...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that efforts by the United States Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation failed to get the necessary support earlier this year. This was a major disappointment and a setback for the thousands of undocumented Irish people in the United States, and also for their families in Ireland. It is now widely considered that this important issue is...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Passport Office can only issue a passport to an Irish Citizen. In the case referred to by the Deputy, the applicant needed to acquire a Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) certificate. An FBR certificate is required in all cases where an applicant wishes to claim citizenship through a grandparent. I understand that a certificate has now been issued by the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. As a...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 307 together. The Advisory Board for Irish Aid, which replaced the Irish Aid Advisory Committee (IAAC), was established in August 2002 to provide general oversight and advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State for Overseas Development on the strategic direction of the Government's programme of assistance to developing...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: There are currently four bodies under the aegis of my Department. They are: The Advisory Board for Development Cooperation Ireland (formerly the Advisory Board Ireland Aid); The Development Education Advisory Committee; The Board of the Ireland – United States Commission for Educational Exchange (Fulbright Commission); and The Díon Committee, which advises on support for our emigrant...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland has a network of 74 resident diplomatic and consular Missions abroad, as well as the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in Belfast and the North-South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat in Armagh. While the opening of new Embassies abroad is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis, any expansion of our diplomatic network can only be undertaken having regard to...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (2 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive on 8 May last was the culmination of the Government's intensive work, in partnership with the British Government, to achieve full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the sustained operation of all its institutions. As a member of the Government delegation at Stormont on that occasion, I had the opportunity to meet...

Written Answers — Ministerial Expenses: Ministerial Expenses (3 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Listed below are the details of the monies paid in expenses to each of the Ministers of State at my Department over the past five years.

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (4 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that efforts by the United States Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation failed to get the necessary support earlier this year. This was a major disappointment and a setback for the thousands of undocumented Irish people in the United States, and also for their families in Ireland. It is now widely considered that this important issue is...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (4 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy may be aware that my Department recently launched an upgraded website (www.dfa.ie) and the Department is currently upgrading the websites of all our Missions throughout the world. A number of these upgraded Embassy websites are already live, such as those for our Embassies in Paris (www.embassyofireland.fr) and in Berlin (www.embassyofireland.de). The upgrade of the website for the...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (4 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the answer given to PQ 18777 on 3rd July 2007, in which I outlined the rationale for the establishment of the Conflict Resolution Unit and its broad objectives. The programme for Government sets out key goals: the creation of an academic Centre for Conflict Resolution, the establishment of a system of roving Ambassadors to affected regions and the development of an...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (9 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The Passport Office can only issue a passport to an Irish Citizen. In this case, an application for an Irish passport was submitted on behalf of a child by his parents to the Passport Office in May, 2007. The applicant was born in Ireland in 2006. Under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2004, persons born in the State after 1 January 2005, where neither parent is an Irish or British...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (9 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The failure of efforts by the United States Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation earlier this year was a major disappointment and setback for the thousands of undocumented Irish people in the United States and for their families in Ireland. Given the present very difficult and divided environment in Congress on immigration, it is now widely considered that such...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (9 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: 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 9th August 2005 and ordered a retrial based on new evidence. The Miami District Attorney duly filed an appeal against this...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (9 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The United Nations has the lead role in the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. The Government fully supports the leadership of the UN Secretary General in this important work, and we welcome the ongoing efforts of the Secretary General's Special Representative to Cyprus, Mr. Michael Moeller, to bring the two sides together to seek progress toward a political...

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: Deputy Gilmore is bluffing.

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: We are not johnny-come-latelys.

Order of Business (10 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: We would be using it with every issue.

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (10 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: I continue to be gravely concerned at the ongoing deterioration in the situation in Zimbabwe. The dire situation gives added urgency to the efforts being made by President Mbeki of South Africa and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to broker a political accommodation between the parties and an economic rescue plan which will respond to the catastrophic current situation. We...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (10 Oct 2007)

Dermot Ahern: The opening of further resident diplomatic missions abroad, including in Thailand, is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis. However, any expansion of our overseas network can only be undertaken on the basis of clear priorities. The current position is that our Ambassador to Malaysia is also accredited to Thailand on a non-resident basis, and there are no plans at present to...