Results 14,821-14,840 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Relations (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: A list of our current top ten non English-speaking trading partners is set out below. My Department, in close collaboration with the Department for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, co-ordinated the review of the Government Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy which was published in February 2014. The review identifies 27 ‘High Value Markets’ and ‘Other Established...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department attaches a high priority to language proficiency and it is regarded as an important skill in a diplomatic officer’s career development and the conduct of their duties, in particular when posted to one of our missions abroad. French is accorded a high priority, given its importance in the EU context and in the conduct of diplomacy generally, closely followed by German,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Translation Services Expenditure (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Expenditure by my Department on translation services is set out in the table below for the period from 1 January 2013 to date. The upgrading of departmental websites and associated online services included once-off translation of a large volume of content on the website from English to Irish. Website and online translation costs over the period in question were €79,816. Other...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 16 and 21 together. I am seriously concerned about the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill by the Ugandan Parliament and its subsequent signing into law by President Museveni. I have made it clear, including in direct talks with President Museveni, that the enactment of this draconian legislation will affect our valued relationship with Uganda. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am aware of the reports of attacks on 24 February 2014 on the towns of al-Neshabieh, close to Damascus, in which 2 women and 10 children were killed, al-Hosn, in Homs province, where 6 people died, the town of Talbiseh in which 4 children died, and further reprehensible use of barrel bombs against the civilian population of Aleppo which resulted in the deaths of four children. All these...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I can confirm that my Department was notified that a US military aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport in advance of its arrival there on Monday 24 February. Confirmation was provided by the US Embassy that no munitions, explosives or hazardous material was on board, and the aircraft was not engaged in military exercises or operations.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I have asked the Irish Embassy in Madrid to make contact with the relevant Spanish authorities to establish the position in relation to the matter which the Deputy has raised. The Embassy would of course be happy to speak to the family of the Irish man in question should they wish to make direct contact.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Agencies Staff Remuneration (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are no State agencies under the aegis of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I support the establishment of a Civic Forum which would provide for a broad range of voices on community relations and stimulate informed public debate in relation to key societal challenges. On my regular visits to Northern Ireland, I continue the practice of engaging with civil society representatives. In my ongoing contacts with the Secretary of State, including on 6 February last, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Recent and Forthcoming Foreign Affairs Councils: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Chairman and other members of the committee for their invitation to attend this meeting. I welcome the opportunity to brief them on discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council in the first part of 2014. It has been a busy two months, not least in light of ongoing developments in Ukraine. I propose to address this issue first, before updating the joint committee on the many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Recent and Forthcoming Foreign Affairs Councils: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I would never have accused Deputy Mitchell of walking out on me. Rather than to go through each contribution individually, I will respond thematically. I start with Ukraine and Russia, rolling back a little to 2009 when the EU embarked on the eastern partnership process with six states on the borders of the Union. It is not fair to say that progress towards association agreements has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Recent and Forthcoming Foreign Affairs Councils: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It is a matter we can certainly examine. In regard to the humanitarian response in Syria, the UN-devised humanitarian response plans require a total of $6.5 billion for their operation in 2014. This represents the largest humanitarian appeal in the UN's history. The international community has responded by pledging a further $2.3 billion in funding. In the six weeks since the second...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Recent and Forthcoming Foreign Affairs Councils: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am not satisfied that it has been observed. That issue will have to pursued in the coming weeks and months. I welcomed the approval of the resolution in late February. We should bear in mind that it is a recent resolution. It sets out clearly the obligations of parties to the conflict to uphold humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law, as well as the actions which...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Language Issues (5 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28: Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Vote 27: International Cooperation. Expenditure by my Department on translating and printing Irish language publications, documents and advertisements in each of the past three years is set out in the table below. This expenditure includes the translation and printing of passport application forms and...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The hypocrisy of Fianna Fáil knows no bounds. Twice when Fianna Fáil was in government it unilaterally cut the pay of people who work in our public services without a by your leave or agreement from anybody. This Government, by contrast, engaged in negotiations with the trade unions representing staff who work in our public services, including those who work in our health...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: As I said, nurses' pay was the subject of negotiation and agreement with the trade unions representing nurses. The number of nursing staff increased by 100 in the first month of 2014, reflecting the take-up of posts under the graduate initiative. Nearly 500 nurses and midwives have commenced employment in recent months on that graduate scheme. More than 200 others are going through the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I have no hesitation at all in saying that the pay of senior executives in Rehab and any organisation funded by the State through the HSE should be made public. We are discussing this issue, in a fashion, because the Government took an initiative in this regard. The Minister for Health is conscious that a large number of organisations receive substantial amounts of State funding for the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are two issues. The first is the obligation of organisations in receipt of substantial sums of taxpayers' money from the State for the delivery of services to be fully transparent and accountable. That should be the case. There is also the issue of the very good work that organisations such as Rehab do, along with many of the other charities that have been in the public domain in...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank Deputy Donnelly for agreeing with the four principles I set out in my speech on Tuesday, for what I believe is the way forward, now that we have come out of the bailout, jobs are being created and the economy is growing again. Over the next couple of years we have to ask for whom is this recovery. As far as I and the Government are concerned, recovery is not just a matter of getting...

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The debt solutions Deputy Donnelly refers to are solutions the Government promoted. Over the past couple of years we have given priority to dealing with the mortgage crisis many are experiencing. We have introduced and discussed with the banks a range of measures which can be taken to address these problems, including the introduction of the personal insolvency service, the arrangements for...