Results 6,481-6,500 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Confidence in Government: Motion (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The challenge now is to come forward with the right policies to take us through the present crisis. We are doing that. I am satisfied that in the long run people will look back and say that while it was a politically difficult and traumatic situation, the right economic decisions were taken in terms of the fundamentals. That is what matters. We can and will get through to recovery. This...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I condemn the horrific murder of Kevin McDaid in Coleraine on 24 May, in attacks which led to injuries to Mr. McDaid's wife, Evelyn, and severe injury to Damien Fleming. I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the McDaid family on their terrible loss and to wish Damien Fleming a full recovery. The PSNI investigation is progressing and has led to a number of arrests, with cases being...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs taxi policy is based on the principle that taxi use by officers should only take place where it is clearly required for the conduct of official business. The policy operated by my Department provides that taxis may be used for official business when public transport is not available or feasible and when officers are required, because of work or official...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: My Department is responsible for operating the Irish diplomatic network of 75 Missions overseas. The transfer of funds to operate these Missions, whose aggregate running costs amount to approximately €70 million per annum, incurs unavoidable banking charges. In addition, there are banking charges incurred by the Passport Office when accepting credit card payments from citizens for passport...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs maintains a stock of bottled water for use at meetings and other official events which take place at headquarters. The amount spent by the Department on bottled water for such events over the past three years is as follows: 2006 - €3,780; 2007 - €5,597; 2008 - €4,154; 2009 (to date) - €1,624.

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I am aware of some disturbing reports in early April this year, alleging the detention of numbers of Iraqi men, on the grounds of their sexual orientation, with suggestions that they are to be executed. The situation in Iraq is, of course, complex and I understand that international NGOs have been unable to get confirmation that these men are in custody, what charges they may be held on, or...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I am aware of recent reports from a range of reliable sources, including the US State Department, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, about prison conditions in North Korea. To date, my Department has not received representations from human rights groups regarding these recent reports. I am gravely concerned about the evidence which exists that serious human rights violations,...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (9 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Government is aware of reports from the relevant UK authorities of a number of leaks of radioactive material into the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, from the Faslane naval base in recent years. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) has advised that ongoing environmental monitoring by them and other agencies shows no evidence of an increase in radioactivity concentrations in...

Ryan Report on the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Motion (Resumed) (11 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: It is almost exactly ten years since I spoke in the House to outline the reasons behind the Government's decision to establish the commission to inquire into child abuse. I said then, "We want the commission to carry out its work without fear or favour and to go wherever it feels it must go to get at the truth". We committed to giving the commission the time, resources and powers it...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (11 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: At the outset, it might be helpful to explain that in line with international requirements my Department has included, since October 2006, a biometric feature in passports. This feature, which is stored on a microchip in the passport, uses facial characteristics generated from photographs submitted with passport applications. In order to meet international standards, it is necessary to use...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (16 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together. As Deputies will be aware, and as stated previously in this House on many occasions, the Government is deeply concerned about the situation in Burma and plays an active role in international efforts to bring about positive change there. The decision of the Burmese regime to put Aung San Suu Kyi on trial on the most spurious of charges,...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (16 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The international community is closely following the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the country recovers from the effects of the brutal 1996-2003 civil war. I very much regret that, while much of the country has achieved a degree of stability, several localised conflicts have continued, in particular in the east of the country. These conflicts have in many cases...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (16 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Following a tender process, the Department currently has contracts with two Dublin taxi firms. Both companies fully comply with the Taxi Regulator guidelines. While these firms do not have a set minimum percentage of wheelchair accessible vehicles, both have a significant proportion of accessible vehicles, 11 percent in the case of one company and 15 percent in the case of the other. The...

Written Answers — EU Treaties: EU Treaties (16 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: At its meeting last December, the European Council undertook to address the concerns of the Irish people on the Treaty of Lisbon by way of legal guarantees and other assurances. It was agreed that this work should be finalised by mid-2009. With the agreement of the Czech Presidency and our partners, it is intended to complete this work later this week at the European Council on 18-19 June....

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (18 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: During peak business months, the time taken by the Passport Office to process applications submitted by standard post is between four to six weeks. The application in question was received by the Passport Office on 19 May 2009 and the passport was issued on 15 June 2009.

Written Answers — Miami Five Case: Miami Five Case (18 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I am not aware, nor has my Department been informed that a member of the Oireachtas has sought to visit the so-called 'Miami 5' in U.S. prisons. Any request for a visit to one or more of these individuals of Cuban nationality, convicted in the United States, is a matter for the US authorities. The Government has no standing in the matter.

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (23 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 328 together. I have been following, with increasing concern, developments in Iran in connection with the Presidential election which took place on 12 June. Turnout in the election is reported to have been a record 85% with more than 38 million Iranian votes casting their ballots. According to the official results of the election, the outgoing...

Written Answers — Consular Services: Consular Services (23 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Under the Vienna Convention, the Consular role of the Minister for Foreign Affairs only extends to Irish citizens. In the circumstances, I would suggest that the South African national in question contacts his own authorities in the South African Embassy regarding the incident at a UK airport. If, as I understand is the case, the UK now requires a visa for South African citizens transiting...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (23 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: The process on this matter has been on-going for many months now and the dialogue with the Vietnamese Authorities is continuing. Many Deputies have sought guarantees and specific timeframes for the conclusion of a new agreement with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I must reiterate previous remarks made on this point. At this juncture, all options, including an interim inter-country...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (23 Jun 2009)

Micheál Martin: Every applicant for an Irish passport must first establish that he or she is an Irish citizen. In this case, the person in question applied for a passport on 28 July, 2008. As evidence of citizenship, she submitted her birth certificate which established that she was born in the UK. This certificate provided the names of both parents and stated that their place of birth was Ireland. The...