Results 5,521-5,540 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Establishment of Sub-Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: I support the motion to form a sub-committee, which shall be called the Sub-Committee on Ireland's Future in the European Union, and regarding the appointment of members to the Select Committee on European Affairs. Today is an important day for the Oireachtas and for our country's future in the European Union. The sub-committee will have a key contribution to make as we seek to chart a way...
- Establishment of Sub-Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: The Leader of the Seanad, Senator Cassidy, is working on it.
- Establishment of Sub-Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: I thank Members for their agreement to the establishment of the committee. I have been engaged in discussions since late July with representatives of the different political parties to ensure that the Oireachtas would have a role not only in debating but in charting a way forward regarding this country's engagement with the European Union. That is the rationale behind the establishment of...
- Establishment of Sub-Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: ââto make a contribution to what is a substantive and meaningful debate about Ireland and its role within Europe, how we see our future within the European Union in terms of the key issues, both economic and social, for Ireland and what kind of assurances people want into the future. We are making a genuine effort to try to resolve and understand these issues. Hence, we engaged in...
- Establishment of Sub-Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: These are questions on which we need to ponder. If one takes one line about whether we want to stop where we are in our engagement in Europe and perhaps take a more isolated marginal position, where does that leave us? These are the questions that the committee, in essence, must tease through. Deputy Timmins's point about the knowledge of European Union institutions is well borne out by the...
- Membership of Committee: Motion (2 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: I move: That Deputies Beverley Flynn and Joanna Tuffy be appointed to the Select Committee on European Affairs.
- Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: The Government is deeply conscious of the extraordinary contribution made by Irish immigrant communities to Ireland over many years. Our commitment to assisting agencies working with these communities is reflected in the unprecedented level of funding secured for emigrant services in recent years. This substantial increase has enabled my Department to provide greater financial support to...
- Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government have progressively and substantially increased the level of funding available for emigrant services in recent years. These increases have enabled the Emigrant Support Programme, administered by the Irish Abroad Unit of my Department, to provide greater financial support to frontline welfare organisations which assist the most vulnerable members of...
- Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: In summer 2002, the Government of Israel decided to erect a physical barrier between Israel and Palestinian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with the stated purpose of preventing Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel. In an advisory opinion of 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice found that the construction of the wall by Israel, the occupying power in...
- Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, I have only been in my current ministerial role since May of this year and so it is not possible to provide a year-on-year comparison of my carbon footprint in this post. Using the carbon calculator on the Government's climate change awareness website, www.change.ie , the carbon emissions arising for my official travel, for the period May 2008 to date, have been...
- Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: According to Central Statistics Office estimates, approximately 16,200 Irish emigrants returned to live in Ireland in the past year, bringing the total number of returned emigrants since 2003 to over 107,000. As the Deputy will be aware, the vast majority of returning emigrants do not request State assistance in making arrangements for their return. However, some returning emigrants do...
- Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (7 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together. The Government remains seriously concerned about the humanitarian and security situation in Gaza, where the population of 1.5 million have been facing unsustainable conditions of daily life. Aid dependency is now at an all-time high. We have consistently called for an end to the isolation of the people of Gaza, in particular through...
- Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (8 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: Unfortunately I will be unable to attend the event in Dublin on 17 October to which the Deputy refers. I will, however, mark the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with an address to the Biennial Conference of the Irish Forum for Global Health, which is being held at University College Cork on 17-18 October. The theme of this year's Conference is Global Health...
- Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (8 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: Together with its partners in the EU, Ireland is strongly committed to a negotiated and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, with a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at its core. EU Foreign Ministers regularly discuss the Middle East Peace Process, and the EU, together with the US, Russia and the United Nations, participates in the Quartet, which seeks to advance...
- Order of Business (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: He is here but cannot be seen.
- International Agreements. (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: At a meeting in Washington on 24 September, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, and I signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a new working holiday programme between our two countries. The agreement represents a significant and positive development in our migration arrangements with the United States and will help foster the growth of new and lasting...
- International Agreements. (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: As I stated in my earlier reply, we expect the agreement to come into effect in November. People will be able to seek details of the programme from my Department. Initial applications may have to be sent through the US Embassy in Dublin. The definition of "post-secondary student" encompasses all those currently enrolled in a recognised third level degree programme. Students at vocational...
- International Agreements. (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: That is the case.
- International Agreements. (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: It is his military background.
- International Agreements. (9 Oct 2008)
Micheál Martin: Ireland is the first country to achieve a working holiday agreement with the US. I do not want to understate the significance of that. Negotiations were held over several years and the scheme is not open ended in the sense that it is available only to those who are in post-secondary education or within 12 months of graduation from third level education. A similar agreement has been in place...