Results 15,161-15,180 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (28 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I refer the deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 2 today, in which I dealt with the suspension of the current talks in the Middle East Peace Process. US Secretary of State Kerry has correctly, in my view, called on the two sides to reflect on the progress achieved to date, the possibility of reaching an agreement, and the perils of failure.It is not anticipated that the United States...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Colombian Peace Process (28 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I strongly support the Colombian peace process. I hope that the negotiations underway in Havana, Cuba will bring an end to a long conflict in Colombia which has caused much suffering. Colombia’s peace process is also supported by the European Union and the wider international community. I welcome the announcement on 16th May last that the negotiators in Havana have now reached...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (28 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I would refer the deputy to my reply to Question No. 27 (15397/14) on 3 April concerning this issue. Further to that reply, I am aware that the possibility of including Marwan Barghouti has arisen on a number of occasions when prisoner releases were being discussed between Israel and various Palestinian interlocutors, but to date Israel has refused to consider including him in any of these...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Western Balkans Issues (28 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Together with my European Union colleagues, I follow very closely the situation in the Western Balkans. Ireland continues to support the consolidation of peace and democracy in the countries of the Western Balkans, as they introduce reforms in preparation for EU membership. The EU enlargement process is founded on the Copenhagen criteria, which reflect the EU’s founding values:...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Semi-State Bodies (28 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are no commercial semi-State bodies under the aegis of my Department.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank Deputy McGrath for his good wishes. I confirm I am not retiring from politics and plan on being around for a while. We all know that the issues in regard to An Garda Síochána have required to be addressed for a long time, long before the current Government came into office. In the course of a relatively short period of time this year, we have put in place a number of...

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It was 12 years ago, I think, that my colleague, Brendan Howlin, and a former Deputy, Jim Higgins, were given information in regard to disturbing issues concerning gardaí in County Donegal. Deputy McGrath's party, Fianna Fáil, was in power at the time and it took it two years to respond to those issues and to establish the Morris tribunal, which met over a long period of time....

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: More importantly nothing is ever done about it. The difference this time is that the action is taken with an independent Garda authority being established and a different way of the Garda Síochána reporting to the public about what is a service to the public.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It is past time that the structures that were established in an entirely different era in the 1920s were changed. They are now being changed with a new Garda authority, whistleblowers legislation that will cover the Garda Síochána and investigations that will get to the bottom of any issue of wrongdoing in the Garda Síochána.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I agree we have a serious housing problem that has to be addressed. I acknowledge Sinn Féin's support for the strategy that the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, announced to end homelessness by 2016. That is an objective that should be pursued by Government, by agencies working with homeless people and by local authorities. It is...

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: As far as the provision of local authority housing is concerned, the Minister, Deputy Howlin, has announced two additional stimulus packages which provide for an additional €100 million for social housing. I can go through the detail of that if the Deputy wishes. The Deputy specifically raised an issue with the rent supplement. As he knows, rents are increasing, partly owing to the...

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I will ask the Minister for Social Protection to address the issue of the trickling down of information regarding the exercise of flexibility, particularly where people are at risk of losing their homes. We need to address the problem of people at risk of losing their home because of increased rents that the rent supplement will not meet. I know that the Minister for Social Protection is...

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Let us get real here. This is not just a matter of the money being provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. It is also a matter of local authorities agreeing where those houses are going and identifying sites where social housing can be built.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Those proposals must then be brought to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I look forward to those who spent the past number of years picketing and holding protests against the building of social housing in different parts of the country facing up, in their newly-held positions as members of local authorities-----

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: -----to their responsibilities and stating where local authority housing is going to be built.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: They should state that they want to build 100 houses on one site and a development of council houses on another site.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I look forward to seeing members of local authorities who have consistently objected to proposals relating to the building of social housing bringing forward their own proposals in respect of such housing. The latter will then be addressed by the Minister of State with responsibility for housing.

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I assure Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan that we will ensure there will be no delays. If she wishes to provide details of particular cases to me, the Taoiseach or the Minister for Justice and Equality, we would be very happy to follow up on them. One of the issues which arose as a result of this entire episode is the retention of records. The Government agreed that the Minister for Education...

Leaders' Questions (29 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Obviously, I do not know the details of the individual case to which the Deputy refers. However, I will ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to follow up on it.