Results 6,601-6,620 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: Ireland does not possess - and never has possessed - any weapons, armaments or ammunition containing depleted uranium. Ireland shares concerns which have been raised at the UN General Assembly about the potential risks related to the use of depleted uranium in armaments and munitions. We voted in favour of UN resolutions on depleted uranium in 2007 and in 2008. In 2008, Resolution 63/26...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: On Friday, 2 October, the Irish people will be asked to endorse a package on the Lisbon Treaty that is fundamentally different from that of June 2008. One key change in the new package is the indefinite retention of Ireland's EU Commissioner. A series of binding legal guarantees ensures further protection in other areas of national sensitivity. During last year's referendum, the retention of...

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

Micheál Martin: Ireland attaches importance to the work of trade unionists in Colombia, and condemns all acts or threats of violence against trade union organisations and individuals there. We raised the issue of human rights in Colombia during the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review on Colombia in December 2008. Specifically, we recommended that the Colombian Government implement its existing...

Written Answers — Consular Services: Consular Services (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: My Department first became aware of the arrest of the person mentioned by the Deputy by the Cambodian authorities, in June 2009. As we have no resident Embassy in Cambodia, our Embassy in Vietnam, which is also accredited to Cambodia, sought assistance from the British Embassy, to visit the person concerned and to provide all possible consular assistance on our behalf. My Department has...

Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: Intensive US-led efforts have been continuing in recent months to put in place the conditions that would allow for the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The US envoy to the Middle East, Senator George Mitchell, has been working closely with both parties in order to generate a sense of momentum and to restore Israeli and Palestinian confidence in the merits of peaceful...

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

Micheál Martin: The situation in Zimbabwe continues to be of great concern to the Government and to the European Union as a whole. The formation of a unity government in Zimbabwe in February though it fell well short of the solution required for Zimbabwe's problems, was nonetheless a sign of some modest political progress. However, seven months on, and despite some improvements in the economic sphere, the...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: I can assure the Deputy that the Irish Government has been making every possible effort to secure the release of Ms Sharon Commins and her fellow Goal development worker, Ms Hilda Kawuki, since their original abduction on Friday 3 July. I visited Sudan on the 6th and 7th of September to discuss with the Sudanese authorities the efforts that are being made to ensure safe return of Sharon and...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: There are no state agencies operating under the responsibility of my Department. However, there are two Advisory Committees and one Educational Commission, which operate under the aegis of my Department. There are no civil servants serving on these bodies who are in receipt of any specific remuneration for their representation. The Development Education Advisory Committee was established in...

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

Micheál Martin: The question of the demarcation of borders of the Ilemi Triangle between Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia has been ongoing for over one hundred years. The problem has its origin in the ambiguity in the wording of colonial-era treaties. The treaties sought to allow for free movements of Turkana nomadic herders within the region. Despite several attempts over the years to negotiate a resolution,...

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

Micheál Martin: I am aware of the case of Dr. Tajbakhsh who was arrested at his home on 9 July in Iran and whose conditions of detention remain unclear. Our Embassy in Tehran has been closely following his case. As the Deputy will be aware, many hundreds remain in detention in Iran following the disputed Presidential elections of 12 June and it is still not clear when, and by what process, these will be...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: Advertising undertaken by my Department typically includes advisory notices on public opening hours over holiday periods, changes in passport application procedures and fees, and public information notices relating to significant developments in the European Union or in regard to Ireland's Official Development Aid Programme. Much of this material is now placed on the Department's Website but...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs has provided an annual grant-in-aid to the European Movement Ireland over many years. This funding arises out of the Department's overall coordinating role in relation to Ireland's membership of the European Union. Deepening public understanding of the EU and maximising public awareness of Ireland's role in the Union is an ongoing strategic priority for my...

Written Answers — Public Relations Contracts: Public Relations Contracts (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: A request for tenders was published on 17 April for the provision of project management and consultancy services to advise and assist the Department of Foreign Affairs in the planning and execution of a public information campaign to inform and promote awareness of the European Union and Ireland's membership of the European Union. Deepening public understanding of the EU and maximising...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: The issue on which the Deputy seeks clarification relates to the wording of the Twenty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty of Lisbon) Bill 2009, which was passed by both House of the Oireachtas on 9 July. The Bill is necessary to enable the State to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon. The Government and opposition parties have taken great care to ensure that the proposition put to the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 794 to 796, inclusive, together. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) was ratified by Ireland on 8 December 1989. The Optional Protocol to this International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR) will set up a mechanism that will make it possible for individuals or groups of individuals to submit...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Finance (No. 2) Act 2008 provided for the introduction of an exemption from income tax in respect of a benefit-in-kind arising from a bicycle or associated safety equipment being supplied by an employer to an employee for the purposes of commuting to work. Thus far, fourteen officers in my Department have applied to participate in the Scheme. There are no costs to my Department...

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

Micheál Martin: 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. As indicated in the statement I issued on 11 August, the arrest, trial and conviction of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on the most spurious of charges, further...

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

Micheál Martin: At the present moment, the results of the elections in Afghanistan are still awaited. Though the outcome is not entirely certain, I am happy to set out my views on the electoral process to date. I welcome the fact that it was possible to hold both Presidential and Provincial Elections in most parts of Afghanistan on 20 August, despite the very difficult security situation prevailing there...

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

Micheál Martin: I am dismayed by the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka to order the expulsion of Mr James Elder, the respected UNICEF Communication Chief in Sri Lanka, from the country, by 21 September. The expulsion appears to relate to remarks made to the media by Mr Elder in the course of his official duties as UNICEF spokesperson, in relation to the suffering of children during the military...

Written Answers — Ministerial Expenses: Ministerial Expenses (16 Sep 2009)

Micheál Martin: I have detailed below in tabular form the expenses incurred relating to motor travel allowance (mileage) and travel subsistence expenses incurred by all Ministers and Ministers of State who have served at my Department since January 2004. As our current electronic accounting system has only been in operation since January 2004, it has not been possible, in the time available, to retrieve...