Results 14,781-14,800 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I warmly welcomed the interim agreement, known as the “joint plan of action”, reached on 24 November between the E3+3 (Germany, France and the UK + the US, Russia and China, led by EU High Representative Ashton) and Iran. Given the almost complete lack of progress over almost a decade of negotiations, this was a significant and very welcome development. According to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Neither Ireland nor, as far as I am aware, the European Union or the United Nations maintains a list of locations in regard to the greatest human rights violations as requested by the Deputy. Human rights concerns are central to our foreign policy. Together with our EU partners, Ireland closely monitors the human rights situations in many countries throughout the world. We do this on the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Data Protection (20 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There is no designated Information officer in my Department. However, all data protection matters are dealt with by a unit within Corporate Services Division.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am in ongoing regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and met with her most recently on 6 February , and with the political parties in Northern Ireland on issues related to full implementation of the Agreement, including a Bill of Rights, and will remain so. I have made clear in statements in the Dáil and elsewhere and in my contacts with the Secretary of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 to 164, inclusive, together. 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 that we use this exposure to maximise the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 169 together. I attended an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council which was held in Brussels on 20 February 2014 to discuss the serious deterioration of the situation in Ukraine earlier in the week. On the same day, my German, French and Polish counterparts were in Kiev for discussions with the Government and opposition and we were...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am very concerned regarding reports of abuses of migrant workers’ rights in Qatar, and strongly deplore any such abuses. Qatar has the highest ratio of migrants to citizens in the world; nearly 88 per cent of the total population are foreign workers, employed largely in construction, services and domestic work. The presence of large numbers of migrant workers in the Gulf area,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The issue to which the Deputy refers concerns the long-running dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom regarding sovereignty over an area that includes the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) as well the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The status of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) has been the subject of various resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am deeply shocked at the appalling catalogue of human rights abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea highlighted by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Accounts of appalling atrocities have been known for many years. This is the first time that they have been presented to the international community in such a detailed manner. I want to pay tribute to the witnesses who have...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Marching Season (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP about the overall situation in Northern Ireland including contentious marches and overall parades issue. In recent months, I met with all of the party leaders in the Executive and with the British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP as well as with the Independent Chair of the Panel of Parties, Dr...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland with the First Minister and deputy First Minister when I met with them in Dublin on 10 January 2014. I have spoken to each of them individually on a number of occasions since, most recently last week. During my conversations with the First Minister and with the deputy First Minister, I stated the Government’s view that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I met with Geraldine Finucane and other members of the Finucane family, together with their legal representatives, on 17 October 2011. I have since spoken and met with her informally, including since the publication of the da Silva Report in December 2012, and have indicated my ongoing availability to her and to the Finucane family. Officials from my Department are in ongoing contact with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There is one vacancy at Ambassador level, in our embassy in Kampala, Uganda. It is intended that this position will be filled shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department is responsible for two Votes, Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). My Department engages a range of external service providers in a number of areas where the required skills are not available in-house and it is more cost-effective to source them externally. I have set out in the tables below details of payments to providers of external...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government is agreed to the introduction of a policy of universal health insurance. That has been the policy of my party for more than a decade. It is something that is coming after a period of Fianna Fáil Government when it showed no interest in reforming the unfair two-tier health system we have had for a long time in this country. It still does not, of course, which is why it...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Let me correct a number of issues of fact. First, the Labour Party position on universal health insurance, which was initially published in 2001, provided for and proposed that there should be a number of health insurers which would be part of universal health insurance, one of which would be a public service provider. That was and is the position of the Labour Party in regard to universal...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Second, with regard to medical cards, Deputy Kelleher is also wrong. This Government is providing 500,000 more medical cards to people than Fianna Fáil did when it was in Government.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: In fact, it is more. A total of 590,000-----

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are now 590,000 more medical cards in the system than there were when Fianna Fáil was in government. That is a fact. I cannot understand why Fianna Fáil continues to oppose the Government's plan to provide free GP care to children under six. It is something that will take pressure off families and it is also an essential building block for the introduction of a universal...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It was not. Deputy Kelleher should at least inform himself and do a little bit of research before he comes in here. It was not promised-----