Results 14,281-14,300 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Order of Business (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The recommendations are being considered by the Minister for Justice and Equality and I am sure that when he is in a position to bring proposals to the Government he will do so.

Order of Business (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Deputy would have been very welcome, but the transfer market is getting crowded.

Order of Business (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The proposals for the criminal law (sexual offences) Bill will be brought to the Government shortly. The Bill is expected to be published next year.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I refer the Deputy to my response to PQs no. 99, 118, 132, 133 and 151 of 19 November 2013. The situation has not altered appreciably since I made that statement, although I note that on 20 November President Obama made some helpful public comment signalling his willingness to show flexibility on the form in which any deal might be struck between the Democratic and Republican parties on this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Chairman and members of the committee. I welcome the opportunity to meet them today to review recent discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council in the latter half of 2013. It has been a busy few months with the Council focusing on a number of important issues, including efforts to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process, the search for a resolution to the ongoing crisis in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The questions covered considerable ground. On the eastern partnership, we had hoped to be able to sign the association agreement with Ukraine at the Vilnius summit and work was progressing to that end. There have been ongoing discussions about the requirement to meet the conditions necessary for signature. One of the key issues was the issue of what is known as selective justice, at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: In respect of the Eastern Partnership, Ukraine and Russia, the Lithuanian Presidency did an excellent job preparing the Vilnius Summit. The signing of the association agreement with Georgia and Moldova was very significant. It is a pity that it was not possible to sign the association agreement with Ukraine, which is strategically important. It is very important that the EU-Ukraine...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am in the Chairman's hands.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Affairs Councils: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am concerned about the finishing time because there is a Labour Party parliamentary party meeting at 5 p.m.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I welcome the opportunity to engage with the committee on the review of Ireland's foreign policy and external engagement I have asked my Department to undertake. Ireland's foreign policy is an essential element of government, being the means by which we promote our values and pursue our interests abroad. Through it, we pursue Ireland's economic prosperity and promote peace and security,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I would welcome the committee's input to the review, which is the entire purpose of my making a presentation to it. I invite the committee and individual members to make their views known on the matter. A number of reviews are taking place and the one to which my presentation relates is an overall review of our foreign policy and external relations. It is part of a wider review that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: No. I stated previously that we would consider the position with regard to our mission network when our EU Presidency had concluded. When we closed three missions in 2011, I stated that the review of the mission network would be an ongoing process. Work in respect of this matter is ongoing and this is not unconnected to the wider review of foreign policy, trade strategy and engagement with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (4 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, the purpose of today's exercise is to set out for the committee the nature of the review of foreign policy and our external engagement that we are conducting and to locate it also in the context of the review of trade, the White Paper on development, the review of the EAS and a number of other developments that are taking place. I join members of the committee in paying tribute to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (5 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I warmly welcome the announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban that the Geneva conference will be held on 22 January 2014. While there have been delays in convening the conference, it is beyond dispute that it offers the only realistic path at present to devising a workable political solution and to ending the conflict and the horrendous suffering of the Syrian people. Building on the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Reports (5 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Preparation of my Department’s Annual Report for 2012 was deferred until the conclusion of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union. The report has now been prepared and will be published shortly on the Department’s website.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (5 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Syrian crisis is due to be discussed at the December Foreign Affairs Council. This will provide an opportunity for the Council to review recent developments, including the welcome announcement that the long-planned Geneva II peace conference is now scheduled to begin on 22 January. The Council discussion is also likely to focus on EU support for the ongoing destruction of Syrian chemical...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (5 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 48 together. The Government shares the concern about the deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic, in particular the reports of an alarming increase in inter-communal violence and gross violations of human rights. As highlighted by the UN Secretary General in his report to the Security Council on 15 November, this conflict has the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Treaties (10 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: No proposal to amend the EU treaties in the manner suggested in the Deputy's question has been put forward. Any such proposal would raise complex issues of considerable sensitivity and so the Government must be careful to avoid expressing views prematurely. In all such cases, the Deputy can be assured that we are following the debate and the issues raised very closely. It would be...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Common Foreign and Security Policy (10 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland attaches great importance to the role of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union. CSDP is an integral part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which encompasses the EU's international obligations towards the maintenance of international peace and security. There are currently 12 civilian CSDP missions deployed in the Western Balkans, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Corporate Social Responsibility (10 Dec 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: On 16 June 2011, the UN Human Rights Council endorsed "Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework”, which were prepared by the Special Representative, Mr. John Ruggie. The document stresses that the Principles should be understood as a coherent whole which aim to enhance standards and practices with regard...