Results 6,021-6,040 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: I am committed to undertaking a number of foreign trips in the next four months. I plan to visit Syria and Lebanon in early February. The visit will provide the opportunity to meet with leading political figures and deepen and extend our political and commercial contacts in both countries. I will also be meeting with members of the Irish community in Syria, and I will also visit the UNIFIL...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Department's headquarters, Iveagh House, is owned by the State. All of the other properties used by the Department in the State are leased. With one exception, these properties are leased by the Office of Public Works on behalf of the Department. The one property directly leased by the Department is Hospitality House in South Cumberland Street and the relevant details are as follows: ...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will, I am sure, appreciate, I am not in a position to support individual visa applications. It is the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform rather than my own Department which has primary responsibility for visa and immigration policy. Further details as to how someone ordinarily resident in Belfast should apply for a visa are available on the website of the Irish...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: 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 attractive scheme was widely and warmly welcomed. The reality is that, for a scheme such as this to work satisfactorily, there clearly has to be a fixed starting date and...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. A search of my Department's records of overflight and landing requests for foreign military aircraft since 1 January 2006 has revealed no request related to traffic by foreign military aircraft of the...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: No decision has been taken by the EU Council of Ministers since 2002 to reduce the number of members of the European Commission. The Treaty of Nice, which entered into force on 1 February 2003 following ratification by all Member States, provides that when the European Union consists of 27 Member States: The number of Members of the Commission shall be less than the number of Member States....

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will appreciate, requirements for permission to enter the United States are a matter for the United States authorities. The P-1 non immigrant visa enables non-US citizens or non-US permanent residents, who are professional athletes, artists or entertainers to enter the US for a specific competition or performance. For detailed information, it would be best to contact the Visa...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: My Department is fully compliant with the Department of Finance guidelines on foreign travel. My Department also operates its own internal travel guidelines and practises which ensure cost effective travel practises, both in Headquarters and throughout our network of 75 diplomatic missions abroad. The central aims of the travel policy, which embraces both Ministers and officials, are to...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: The number and grades of staff in my Private and Constituency Offices are set out in the accompanying tabular format. Staff of Private Office of Minister Micheál Martin, T.D. Grade Number of staff Type of staff First Secretary 1 Civil Servant Higher Executive Officer 1 Civil Servant Executive Officer 1 Civil Servant Staff Officer 1 Civil Servant Clerical Officer 4 Civil Servants...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: On 8 January 2009, my Department received a request from the Embassy of the United States seeking permission for US Military Flight Reg. no 20552, a Hercules C-130, call sign RCH561, to land at Shannon Airport that day in order to refuel. The flight was en route from the UK to Newfoundland. The request confirmed that the aircraft carried no arms, ammunition, explosives, photographic or...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 750 to 753, inclusive, together. The accompanying tables set out the grades, numbers and remuneration of the established civil service staff of my Constituency Office and those of each Minister of State in my Department. Constituency Office of Minister Micheál Martin, T.D. Grade/Position Number Salary Scale Executive Officer 1 Executive Officer PPC Salary...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, President Obama on 22 January signed four Executive Orders concerning the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and related matters. I warmly welcome this decisive and immediate move by the President. As I said in my immediate reaction to the news, it represents an historic new beginning in efforts to uphold and promote human rights, and will be...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Government is strongly committed to trying to resolve the plight of the undocumented Irish in the United States. The fact that President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and other senior members of the new Administration have for some time been strong supporters of comprehensive immigration reform and of the undocumented Irish is very encouraging. Since the new year, there have also...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: I condemn unreservedly the murders on 19 January of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova. They were shot in broad daylight on a busy Moscow street. Mr Markelov died at the scene while Ms Baburova died later in hospital. Mr Markelov was a noted lawyer and human rights defender who was particularly engaged in championing the cause of human rights victims in Chechnya. Ms Baburova was a...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: Following the declaration of the December European Council demanding the immediate release of people held incommunicado in Zimbabwe, specifically including Ms. Jestina Mukoko, a prominent human rights activist who visited Ireland in May 2008, I was relieved to learn, on Christmas Eve, that Ms. Mukoko had been located in police custody, after three weeks during which her whereabouts were...

Written Answers — EU Treaties: EU Treaties (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 766, 767, 770, 771, 775 and 776 together. The December meeting of the European Council agreed that the concerns of the Irish people regarding the Lisbon Treaty, as set out by the Taoiseach, "shall be addressed to the mutual satisfaction of Ireland and other Member States". Specifically, the European Council agreed that, provided the Treaty of Lisbon enters...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: With the terrible situations in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) foremost in our minds, the task of finding durable solutions to the problems of conflict, hunger and human rights abuses in Africa is one of the most pressing facing the EU and the UN. Poverty, inequality and exclusion are fertile breeding grounds for violence and ethnic hatred. Most wars...

Written Answers — EU Enlargement: EU Enlargement (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: Croatia hopes to conclude its accession negotiations in 2009. A road map proposed by the Commission in its annual assessment sets out the way for their conclusion, provided Croatia makes the required progress on the outstanding issues. These include privatising shipyards; judicial reform; organised crime; minority rights; and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006. The Convention opened for signature on 30 March 2007. Ireland signed the Convention, subject to ratification, on that date. The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008, having been ratified by twenty countries. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (27 Jan 2009)

Micheál Martin: I have detailed below in tabular form the expenses incurred relating to mileage and subsistence expenses for all Ministers who have served at my Department since May 2007. In regard to general allowances, such as the General Expenses Allowance to which Ministers of State are entitled, I understand that my colleague, the Minister for Finance, will provide details of these allowances as they...