Results 6,841-6,860 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Global Irish - Ireland’s Diaspora Policy: Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: I thank the Minister. I also thank him for dealing with most of the questions in a comprehensive way. I wish to acknowledge, on my behalf, the role of the honorary consulates. I have used their services in our travels. Therefore, I must compliment them on the excellent work that they do free or gratis on behalf of this country in the most remote areas, not just in cities, but all over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Global Irish - Ireland’s Diaspora Policy: Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Senator Daly and I do work on behalf of the undocumented Irish and we acknowledge the real interest taken by all committee members from all parties. We have travelled in delegations. The diaspora and undocumented Irish are very much part of our programme on an annual basis. We look forward to more interaction with the Minister in the coming year. We wish him and his staff well in the future.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Senator Daly has tabled a motion on the imprisonment of Mr. Ibrahim Halawa. Before reading the motion, I ask the secretariat to distribute a letter. As I arrived here this morning the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a letter. He has asked me to read it to the committee as he is anxious that it is put on the record. It reads:Dear Chairman, I wanted to write to you to update...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: The Senator is being a little unfair to the Department by saying the Department's first priority is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: The Senator says the Department's first priority is not his release. It is his release.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Please let me finish. I did not interrupt the Senator. The Department's prime concern is his release, but it is also concerned about his well-being. He is a young student in a strange prison, as the Minister outlined. You are being unfair to our officials in Cairo as well. They have visited him on a regular basis to ensure he is well looked after. It is difficult for them but they do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: And his release, which is important. That is outlined in the letter as well. It is important to clarify that so there is no misunderstanding about the Department in that regard. Its primary concern is his release. I know it, and I have been speaking to the Minister on a weekly basis about this. It is unfair to say otherwise. I also commend our team in Cairo and the ambassador, Ms Isolde...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Does anybody else wish to discuss the motion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Deputy Durkan has tabled an amendment and we need to talk about that. There is also a vote in the Dáil, so perhaps Senator Walsh would be brief.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Before we discuss Deputy Durkan's amendment, I will suspend the sitting for the vote in the Dáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: No. Deputy Durkan has proposed an amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: We return to public session. Senator Mark Daly has presented a motion and Deputy Bernard Durkan has submitted an amendment to it to delete all the words after "Trade" and substitute the following: "acknowledges the efforts by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in relation to the Ibrahim Halawa case and urges the Minister to continue his efforts at all appropriate levels to ensure the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Please allow Deputy Durkan to finish.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: No one is misleading anyone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: I will let Senator Daly back in and no one interrupted him, so I ask him to allow Deputy Durkan to finish his statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: When the Minister for Foreign Affairs was before the committee, he outlined that the cases against the other people were different from the Ibrahim Halawa case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Please allow the Chair to speak. There is no case so far against Ibrahim Halawa. What is the goal of the committee today? For all of us, the goal is to obtain the release of Ibrahim Halawa. We received a very strongly worded letter today from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade on the issue. I ask the members to read it seriously line by line to see what is in it. I quote one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: With all due respect, the Senator is not in Cairo. Our embassy staff and officials are in Cairo and they are following this very closely. They feel this is the best way forward in Ibrahim's interests, and we need to take note of that. We have heard a great deal of misinformation coming from sources.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: Those have been corrected by the Minister this morning. We should note the work being done and be guided by that. We are talking about two weeks. We want to get this young man out of prison. He is too young to be there. His career and education are ahead of him, we need to get him out and we should take on board the views of the Department on this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Pat Breen: I have no problem with us writing to the Taoiseach and noting our concern for Ibrahim Halawa, but the Taoiseach is well aware of this case and is to meet the Halawa family in the very near future.