Results 5,801-5,820 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I apologise to our witnesses for the short interruption which was due to Dáil business.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Thank you very much, Mr. Staunton. I will ask you one question briefly before I hand over to Deputy Brendan Smith. You remarked in your introduction on the small number of diplomatic staff we have in the United States. I have been to most of the consular offices and the Washington office as well. Given the big geographical area in the United States, from east to west and from north to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Where does that leave the Vatican embassy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: We will include that in our report.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: We are not reporting on what The Irish Timesshould be writing about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I know, but that is not the reason we are here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I was not referring to what the newspaper covers, but to the content of what the Senator was talking about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Thank you. I call Deputy Durkan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Would Mr. Staunton like to answer those questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Senator Norris, please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I call Deputy Eric Byrne.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Before I call on Deputy Crowe, I ask the Vice Chairman to take the Chair as I must deal with a matter in the Dáil. I should be back in a few minutes, but in case of a delay may I put a question to the witnesses? The role of parliamentarians in foreign policy has not been mentioned yet. Will they consider what role Parliament could have and, in particular, a role for this committee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I thank Mr. Staunton for his wide-ranging and interesting discussion. It is very useful for us on the committee to have somebody with his experience here this afternoon. It will be useful when we present our report to the Department. I invite Mr. Graham Butler from the University of Copenhagen to make his presentation. We received his submission before Christmas and it made very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Thank you very much for your powerful and well-researched presentation, which had many good ideas. You obviously put a lot of work and time into it, which we greatly appreciate. As all members wish to speak, I will let them ask their questions and you can then reply to them all. I call Deputy Smith.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Yes, that is correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: Deputy Eric Byrne should allow Senator Norris to continue, without interruption.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I am not allowing a rerun of the debate on the Seanad.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I acknowledge the Senator's point. I admit that Senator Norris is one of the hardest working Senators.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I cannot allow a debate on the role of the Seanad.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2014)

Pat Breen: I must ask the Deputy to confine his comments to foreign policy.