Results 6,041-6,060 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (11 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: Further to my previous replies to Parliamentary Questions on this issue, I wish to reiterate the importance that Ireland attaches to participation in international election monitoring missions, particularly in the light of our strong commitment to the promotion of human rights and democracy. Ireland's election observation roster has been put in place to facilitate the deployment at short...

Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: Rubbish.

Public Health (Sunbeds) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: We are behind the Minister.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid Provision (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I can. The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme and its place at the heart of Irish foreign policy. This commitment was made clear in the programme for Government and underscored last year in our new policy on international development, One World One Future. The policy sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world in which people are empowered...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid Provision (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The Deputy is correct, the projected figure for this year is 0.43%. The actual outturn last year was 0.46%, not 0.47%. There has been a 4% decrease this year and a slight percentage decrease each year. This has been in the context of the downturn in the economy, the bailout programme, the troika and the attempt to achieve national recovery. There was a commitment given in the programme...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Development Aid Provision (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: Overseas development aid had been increasing quite rapidly before the crisis and the difficulties we experienced in 2008, at which stage there was a sharp decline, as the Deputy is aware, of almost one third in 2008 and 2009. What we have done during our three years in government has stabilised overseas development aid. There has been a slight percentage decrease each year in line with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Drugs Smuggling (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I am aware of the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, to which the Deputy refers. The UNODC 2013 drugs report indicates a worrying increase, of up to 36%, in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, some of which, as the Deputy suggested, will almost inevitably end up in the European Union and Ireland. We are all aware of the challenging transition Afghanistan is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Drugs Smuggling (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The situation is probably worse than the Deputy indicated. Up to 75% of the entire world’s illicit opium production comes from the area in question. It reached a peak in 2012, surpassing the ten-year high recorded in 2007. It is expected to continue to grow. The European Union, the United States, the World Bank and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization are putting in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Drugs Smuggling (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: We supported, through funding, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's illicit drugs trafficking programme for Iran as, geographically, it is a major transit country for opium. Unfortunately, Iran has made the death penalty the normal sanction for anyone convicted of drug-related offences. In that context, we have had little choice but to remove our support for that particular programme.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Drugs Smuggling (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The European Union is cognisant of the problem that has been caused by illegal poppy cultivation and that three quarters of world opium production occurs in Afghanistan. We are also aware of the conflict there and the difficulties in dealing with poppy production in those circumstances. Substantial programmes are being put in place to deal with this issue with the European Union leading...

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The Government's international aid programme, Irish Aid, which is managed by my Department, is recognised internationally for its effectiveness in delivering results for the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Approximately one quarter of Ireland’s overseas development assistance is channelled through non-governmental organisations, NGOs. This reflects the strong contribution...

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I agree entirely with the Deputy. We have very stringent measures in place. Any NGO to which we provide funding can use a maximum of 6% for administration purposes. Any NGO with revenue of more than €100,000 must be audited externally and independently. Any large NGO must declare salaries over €70,000. Dóchas, the umbrella organisation for NGOs, has put in place...

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: Dóchas has been to the forefront in developing codes of good practice on governance and financial management. The organisations which come under its umbrella form the vast majority of organisations we deal with. Of course donations come from various sources, such as the public, bequests and donor funding, and it is extremely important all NGOs are transparent and accountable on the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 37 together. I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached last month in South Sudan and I would echo the statement on 23 January by High Representative Ashton, on behalf of the EU, calling on all parties to implement the agreement in good faith. It is essential now that South Sudan turn away from violence and to a renewed political dialogue, without...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Natural Resources (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The discovery of substantial new natural resources in Africa in recent years, especially oil and gas, brings both opportunities and risks. These resources, if used well, can help to reduce poverty significantly on the continent. Because of the development challenges many of the resource-rich African countries still face, it is vital to ensure that these non-renewable resources are extracted...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I share the concern about the violence during the recent protests by garment workers in Cambodia. We are continuing to follow the situation through our Ambassador in Hanoi, who is accredited to Cambodia, who has been in regular contact with EU colleagues and other partners in Phnom Penh to monitor developments. Successive Irish Governments have actively promoted the protection of human...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 62 together. The protracted crisis in Syria has resulted in unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, requiring a sustained response from the international community. As the number of fatalities reaches an estimated 130,000 people, there are now over nine million people in need of immediate life-saving support. More than 6.5 million people are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: The human rights situation in the Horn of Africa remains a matter of concern. It has been is severely affected by the consequences of the humanitarian crisis in large parts of the region. Ireland, together with our EU Partners, pursues a strategic and comprehensive approach to the Horn of Africa through the EU Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa. This approach encompasses political...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve the scale and effectiveness of the response of the international community to major disasters and humanitarian crises. Many lessons have been learned from previous crises such as the 2004 tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Under the leadership of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), clear...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Oversight (19 Feb 2014)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 69 and 78 together. As Minister of State with responsibility for Ireland’s Official Development Assistance, I am very conscious of the need to have a high level of assurance that our development assistance is effective, reaches its intended beneficiaries and makes a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest people. Programmes...