Results 1,241-1,260 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — EU Constitution: EU Constitution (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy's question arises from the publication, earlier this month, of Ireland and the European Union: Identifying Priorities and Pursuing Goals . Following the referendum results in France and the Netherlands, the European Council decided at its meeting in June to initiate a period of reflection and national debate with regard to the European constitution, involving citizens, civil...

Written Answers — EU Constitution: EU Constitution (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The White Paper on the European constitution was published on 13 October 2005. Some 10,750 copies of the White Paper were produced and are being distributed widely. The document was originally prepared for publication in June 2005. Publication was postponed due to the uncertainties caused by the referendum results in France and the Netherlands. The White Paper was written within the...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland has recently opened new resident missions in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Vietnam. The opening of further Irish missions abroad is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis. However, constraints on Government expenditure and limited resources mean that any expansion of our diplomatic network can only be undertaken on a phased basis, and also on a basis of...

Written Answers — International Relations: International Relations (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland established resident diplomatic relations with Russia in 1973. Relations with Russia are important to Ireland, as they are to our EU partners and to the European Union. A number of high level bilateral visits have taken place in recent years. During my visit to Moscow on 4 July 2005, in my capacity as special envoy of the UNSG on UN reform, I discussed Ireland-Russia relations in some...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware of the concern expressed by the special representative of the UN Secretary General in Kosovo and head of the United Nations interim administration mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, Mr Soren Jessen-Petersen, at the conditions in which many displaced families from minority Serb, Roma and other communities are still living in Kosovo and in neighbouring regions of Serbia. I share his specific...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: There are two aspects to this issue, namely, the provision of grievance and discipline procedures for locally recruited staff in Irish missions abroad and, second, determining how such staff pursue pay, grade and related matters in the absence of agreement with management. In the former case, following consultation with union representatives and with heads of Irish missions abroad, as well as...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: In the automated passport system, APS, there are a number of components which were developed specifically for the project. These include the developed software; the source code of the developed software; and specific aspects of the design of the data page and booklet. The intellectual property rights for these components are vested in the Minister for Foreign Affairs. In the APS, there are...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 459 together. The press adviser, who is a non-established State employee, remains on call after normal hours and does not receive any additional payment over and above his stated salary. An officer of the Department's press section is on duty each weekend to co-ordinate the issuing of press statements by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The arrangements agreed centrally between the Department of Finance and relevant Civil Service unions under which officers serving in certain general service and departmental grades may be compensated, financially or by way of leave in lieu, for extra attendance are set out in Department of Finance circular 27/99. Under this circular, where leave in lieu is preferred to payment, overtime...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The only case where personnel files of staff have been copied or given to external parties has been where they have been transferred, on request, to the chief medical officer at the Civil Service occupational health department. Until recently, it had been the practice of the Department's human resources section to send personnel files to the chief medical officer in cases where professional...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I presume the Deputy's question refers to cases involving leave of absence where the officer continued to receive his or her salary. Four such cases have arisen in the Department of Foreign Affairs in the period in question. Department of Finance circular 15/2004 invited applications from officers serving as higher executive officers or administrative officers or in equivalent grades to...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: One of the key objectives of the training and development strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to foster a culture of continuous learning within the Department to help staff develop the competencies necessary to perform to the best of their ability. In addition to the provision of classroom style and, in some cases, individualised training courses, the Department also operates a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: One of the key objectives of the training and development strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to foster a culture of continuous learning within the Department to help staff develop the competencies necessary to perform to the best of their ability. In addition to the provision of classroom style and, in some cases, individualised training courses, the Department also operates a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs only supplies briefcases to staff of assistant secretary grade or above at headquarters. Departmental practice currently allows expenditure of up to a maximum of €100 on any one briefcase. As an indication of the level of expenditure involved, the Department purchased briefcases for two members of staff at headquarters, at a cost of €80.72 each, in the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs has provided a total of 19 personal digital assistants to staff since 2001. The cost of personal digital assistants is as follows: Year â'¬ 2001 1,461 2002 2,228 2003 0 2004 0 2005 6,211 Total 9,900 The most expensive personal digital assistant provided to a member of staff was €1,461, paid in 2001. The Department does not issue...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: No such cases have arisen in the Department of Foreign Affairs in recent years.

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 468 to 470, inclusive, together. The Government's position on Burma is clear. As I said on previous occasions, most recently in response to a series of parliamentary questions on 6 October, the Government's continuing goal, and that of the EU, remains the return of democracy to Burma, an end to human rights violations, the release and restoration of liberty to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs has paid the following amounts to the Gartner Group: Year â'¬ 2000 0.00 2001 0.00 2002 5,082.00 2003 10,164.00 2004 17,581.30 2005 14,278.00 The Department has taken a subscription to Gartner's online technology research database, which includes the periodic supply by CD of technology articles of interest to the Department. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: In the period referred to by the Deputy, no payments were made by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the relevant consultancy company.

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Oct 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 473 to 477, inclusive, together. Ireland monitors the human rights situation in Haiti along with our partners in the European Union. In this context, Ireland supported the statement made by the European Union to the United Nations Security Council on 13 May 2005. This statement reiterates our concerns regarding the continuing human rights abuses in Haiti and...