Results 12,181-12,200 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Other Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I have already brought to the attention of the Secretary of State the previous visit that was undertaken by a group of Oireachtas Members whom I subsequently met and whose report and assessment I was given. On a continuing basis, we have raised with the Minister for Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive the conditions in which Ms Price is being held. The immediate focus is on the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: NATO Membership (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 52 together. The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, visited Dublin on the 12th and 13th of February. He did so at the invitation of the High Representative and Minister Shatter to participate in the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers which was held at Dublin Castle. It is customary practice that the EU invites NATO to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am aware of the case to which the Deputy refers. According to reports received by my Department, Mohamed Al Jaziri was participating in a funeral procession which clashed with security forces in Sitra, Bahrain in early 2012. He was shot in the eye by a teargas canister and lost complete sight in his left eye. He received further treatment to save the sight in his right eye in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland is actively seeking to strengthen its bilateral relations with the new Libyan Government led by Prime Minister Zidan. Ireland is ready to provide any assistance possible to the new administration, the first democratically elected Government to take office in Libya. We would like to increase levels of bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, including in the economic and trade...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: On 8th November 2010, violence broke out when Moroccan security forces tried to remove people from Gdim Izik, a camp on the outskirts of Laayoune in the Moroccan-administered Western Sahara region. The camp had been set up by Sahrawi people protesting against their perceived marginalisation, and demanding jobs and adequate housing. According to reports, eleven members of the security...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 39, 40 and 85 together. Syria was the major issue discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on 18 February, which I attended. The focus was very much on the most appropriate steps for the EU to take in support of ongoing efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Against the background of escalating fighting...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: On 8 February the European Council reached an agreement on the EU Budget Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2010. Whilst Ireland could have supported a higher level of overall resources, I believe that the deal reached at the European Council on the MFF is a balanced one which recognises the financial realities facing Member States. As Presidency, Ireland will now take on new...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree entirely that a renewed impetus is badly needed in the Middle East Peace Process. As I have told the House on previous occasions, I have argued consistently at EU level that the talks process has been effectively stalled since 2009, while the feasibility of a negotiated solution is being steadily eroded by negative Israeli policies on the ground. In the Foreign Affairs Council in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Since the outbreak of street violence in early December, I have had frequent contact, both with the British Government and with party leaders. My most recent meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers MP was here in Dublin on Monday 11 February. We agreed to continue working together to support the parties in Northern Ireland in addressing both the underlying and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: State Airports (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 55, 64 and 70 together. The issue of extraordinary rendition has been raised on numerous occasions in this House. I have regularly stated that the Government is completely opposed to this practice and, furthermore, that Ireland does not tolerate and will not tolerate the use of our airspace or airports for any illegal purpose, including torture,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 27, 47, 48 and 54 together. The welfare of the Irish abroad in general and especially the position of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States remains an important priority for the Government. A resolution of the situation for undocumented Irish immigrants will continue to be pursued by the Government in our ongoing contacts with the US...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has made an enormous contribution to improving the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. I have a deep respect for his successes in business and innovation, and his personal commitment to ending poverty, hunger and disease in the world. Mr. Gates visited Dublin on 23 January and I held a breakfast...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland’s membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) presents an opportunity to enhance our reputation internationally and to make a meaningful contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. During our three-year membership of the HRC, we will seek to add value to the work of the Council and to strengthen the institution itself. Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations Resolutions (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 50 together. Ireland fully supports the diplomatic efforts which are being made with Iran to address the serious international concerns relating to its nuclear programme. We also fully support the sanctions which have been imposed on Iran with a view to persuading it of the need for a negotiated solution of this problem. Progressive sanctions...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: We all have an obligation to use language responsibly and in particular to be careful with the use of terms such as internment. Internment in 1971 resulted in the detention without trial of over three hundred people who were arrested and held in conditions which contravened the accepted standards of international law at that time. Today we find ourselves in a situation where justice and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together. The use of force by Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has long been a matter of serious concern to me. I have always accepted Israel’s right to defend itself, and security forces themselves have a right to defend themselves, but consistent and repeated reports suggest a routine use of force, including lethal...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Nuclear Proliferation (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 49 together. I issued a statement on 12 February condemning in the strongest possible terms the decision by the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea to test a nuclear explosive device earlier that day. This action directly threatens peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and is a clear violation of North Korea’s international...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland's economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. Ministerial visits around this period are organised to ensure we use this exposure to maximise the promotion of Ireland’s trade, promotion and investment interests and to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring the full and effective implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including the provision relating to a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement sets out that a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland would include rights reflecting the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am regularly briefed by officials from my Department who have visited the Short Strand regularly in recent weeks, and who continue to maintain close contact with members of the local community and to provide them with practical support. It remains my intention also to visit the Short Strand on an early suitable date as part of my ongoing programme for visits and engagements in Northern...