Results 12,541-12,560 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: A passport was issued to the person in question on 5 April 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Summits (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Contacts with British counterparts continue across a broad range of themes in advance of the G8 summit in Fermanagh, particularly in areas where the priorities for the Irish Presidency of the European Union overlap with the British Presidency of the G8, such as trade liberalisation and development co-operation. These contacts will continue and intensify in the months ahead. I am not in a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008. The issue of a passport is, therefore, the culmination of an important and legally binding process. The checks and balances within the passport process embrace the standard principles that are provided for in the Act and help to ensure that the identity of the applicant is known and that the person in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am very aware of the case to which the Deputy refers. My officials continue to monitor the case closely. Genuine concerns have repeatedly been raised about several aspects of this case by Deputies. I have raised and will continue to raise these concerns very frankly with the British Government. The Parole Commissioners are currently still reviewing her case. I understand that hearings...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The EU and Australia are currently negotiating a Framework Agreement as the basis for their political and economic dialogue. Negotiations on an EU-Australia Framework Agreement were launched in 2011. The fourth round of negotiations took place in Canberra on 26 and 27 July 2012. This round enabled a number of issues to be solved and agreement to be reached on several articles. The draft...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I strongly support the Colombian peace process. I hope the negotiations that are under way will bring an end to the long conflict there, which has caused much suffering, and give the people of that country the peace and stability they deserve. As my schedule for that day does not allow me to meet this delegation, I have asked senior officials from my Department to meet them and report back...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government decision in November 2011 to close our resident embassy to the Holy See was taken with considerable reluctance as part of a necessary budget process to reduce costs. The closure of the resident embassy to the Holy See has yielded substantial savings, not least as it enabled the significantly larger embassy to Italy and the residence of the ambassador to Italy to be relocated to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Chairman and members of the committee. I welcome the opportunity to meet members and update them on discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council in recent months. As ever, the Council has a busy agenda and we dealt with a wide range of issues at our meetings in January, February and March. We will be considering some of these again when we meet in Luxembourg next Monday. During...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: At the February and March meetings, the Foreign Affairs Council also reviewed recent developments in Iraq, which occupies a pivotal position in the region. The political and security situation in Iraq is a cause for serious concern, with growing signs of sectarian tension and high levels of violence. The April Council will adopt conclusions urging greater efforts at dialogue and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: There is enough material in those questions for another long speech, but I will try to be brief. I thank Deputies Smith and Crowe for their compliments regarding the hunger-nutrition-climate justice conference and they both asked what we will do to carry forward on that. This was a very different conference because we designed it so there would be participation by people from grassroots...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Crowe asked about the MFF negotiations. We are having discussions with the European Parliament and Commission. I was in Brussels last week and there was an informal meeting with representatives of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, under the Irish Presidency, on the MFF. We intend to have further discussion at the meeting of the General Affairs Council next...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Yes, we discussed the issue of population on Monday and Tuesday. As Senator Norris himself has made the point, by 2050 the population of the world will have grown to approximately 9 billion people, which constitutes a tripling of the world population if one frames its within one's own lifetime. At a practical level and where the issue was relevant to our conference, it is estimated that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Indeed, yes. On the other hand, it also is estimated that the effects of climate change will wipe out one quarter of the world's agricultural produce over the same period. Consequently, it is pretty clear that the issues of population, climate and of course hunger and nutrition are highly interconnected. This is the reason we decided to pull them together. Our intention now is to carry...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I take the view that the rights of people, that is, human, democratic and civil rights, are universal. The approach the Government takes at the United Nations Human Rights Council is that irrespective of what country or who is involved, the universality of these rights is solid. Ireland stood for election to the aforementioned council last year and was highly successful and was elected with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Yes indeed, everywhere.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements: Motion (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the committee for the opportunity to discuss the three motions referred to the committee for consideration. The motions seek Dáil approval of the terms of EU international agreements with South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Indonesia. As members of the committee will be aware, the three agreements in question involve mixed competence. This means that some of the areas...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements: Motion (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: We keep our diplomatic representation under continual review. I am currently looking at what we need to do in terms of our representation abroad to better promote trade and investment opportunities. That includes looking at our current representation, areas where we need to be represented and ways to do that in a more joined-up way between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements: Motion (17 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, on the populations covered, there are approximately 250 million people in Indonesia, 50 million in South Africa and 50 million in South Korea. The three agreements between them involve 350 million people and are quite significant. In reply to Deputy Smith, the agreements provide for co-operation in the area of climate change. It is already built into them. In response to Deputies...

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, from the very outset the priority of the Government has been to unblock access and to improve the flow of patients because patients are its number one priority. As set out in the programme for Government, the Minister for Health established a special delivery unit immediately on foot of the Government entering office. The aim of the special delivery unit is to unblock access to acute...

Leaders' Questions (18 Apr 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: At the end of 2012 there had been over 20,000 fewer people on trolleys than at the end of 2011. That was an improvement of 24%. Up to 5 April 2013, 2,600 fewer people had been on trolleys compared with the same period in 2012. There are strains on the health service, particularly at this time of year. We have come through a period of particularly unseasonable weather. Winter time and...