Results 11,301-11,320 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (23 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The Passports Act, 2008 provides, among other things, that only Irish citizens are entitled to be issued with Irish passports. Each application received by the Passport Service must, therefore, demonstrate that person’s entitlement to Irish citizenship before a passport can issue. As the applicant was born in Dublin on 7 May, 2009, his entitlement to Irish citizenship is subject...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointments to State Boards (23 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. There are no State Boards operating under the aegis of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (23 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I refer the Deputy to my answer to Question 4 of 17 October 2012, which was as follows:The Government has consistently stated that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal under international law and are an obstacle to peace. The relentless construction of settlements in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) is undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (23 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The fastest turnaround time for passport applications is three working days. During the peak season, the Passport Service receives between 300 and 400 applications per day for passports at short notice. In these circumstances, it is not possible to provide citizens with a same day service without significantly disrupting the service to other applicants. I have therefore asked the Passport...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Driving Licences (23 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Matters relating to the processing of driving licences in Ireland and reciprocal exchange agreements are the responsibility of the Road Safety Authority which falls under the aegis of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I appreciate that varying licensing requirements can pose difficulties for Irish people seeking to take up work in Australia. In Australia, driving licences are...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: There are questions first.

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Adams obviously remembers those times fondly.

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Adams invited me down memory lane. I recall that when the Deputy was involved in complex and long lasting negotiations he described those who claimed the negotiations would not be successful as naysayers. That is a phrase which could describe his attitude to the current negotiations. We should consider what has already been achieved. In June a decision was taken to separate bank...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: No, the Deputy is wrong. I was one of the people who argued trenchantly -----

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: That is exactly what I was arguing.

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I argued that we needed to renegotiate the terms of the deal and that is what we are doing. The separation of bank and sovereign debt was a landmark decision. In advance of the October summit people predicted that we would not implement the decisions to use the ESM for recapitalising banks and establish the single supervisory mechanism but we decided at the summit to proceed with these...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I have not.

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I am entitled to make a contribution. I want to address the issue of loss of sovereignty, which was raised by Deputy Wallace. The whole point of this exercise is to recover our sovereignty. In many respects we lost our economic sovereignty when the deal was struck with the troika at the end of 2010. We are trying to regain our economic sovereignty.

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It is my understanding for two reasons. First, the June decision explicitly states that the eurogroup will be tasked to work on proposals for improving Ireland's debt sustainability. That was a clear, separate and special mention of Ireland. We were the only state to be individually mentioned in that statement. Second, a clear statement was made that similar cases would be treated...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It does say that. One must look at what it states. There was a reason the Irish situation was mentioned separately and the reference was made to Ireland as a "special case" in the communiqué. That reason is straightforward. First, it was because the Irish taxpayer was required to take on the burden of the bank debt, wrongly in my opinion, but that is an argument of history we can...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. In discussing the economy in this House, it is well past time for a bit of perspective and a lot more honesty. When they look to this Parliament, the Irish people are entitled to expect better than fairy tale economics and the politics of denial. We need to be up front with people about how we got into this crisis and what...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: When a country cannot borrow money, it is a problem not just for the Government but for the banks in that country and for the companies with headquarters in that country, because lenders become unwilling to advance them money. The result is a credit squeeze which can have a hugely damaging impact right across the economy. Restoring the creditworthiness of the State is an essential...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: If the Opposition can point to a functioning, modern economy anywhere, whose Government and multinational companies cannot borrow money on the open market, then we are all ears. If the Opposition can point to a country whose economy can flourish without a functioning banking system, then I ask Members opposite to enlighten us please. If the Opposition can explain how we can continue to pay...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Instead, this Government's strategy is about making progress, grounded in a difficult reality. The yield on Irish Government debt has fallen. While markets can always be expected to rise and fall, there has been significant improvement in the Irish position. Since the European Council meeting in June, yields on Irish debt have come in by about 1% and sentiment towards Ireland is improving...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The various meetings have built on the hard work done day in and day out by our small but talented diplomatic corps and officials in the Department of Finance. There is constant engagement by officials and Ministers with our colleagues in Europe, including at formal meetings, on visits and in meetings of our political families. In the past two weeks, for example, I have been in Paris and I...