Results 1,601-1,620 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware of press reports indicating that there are a number of Irish nationals working in Iraq but the Department has no direct registration of Irish citizens working there. However, the British authorities have indicated that they are aware of the following numbers for the Basra area: 20 working for security companies; five working for DFID, the UK's overseas development Ministry; four...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The General Affairs and External Relations Council at its meeting on 3 October 2005, agreed that the justice and peace law, if effectively and transparently implemented, will make a positive contribution to the search for peace in Colombia. It is important that the Colombian Government is now encouraged and supported by the international community in its efforts to implement the justice and...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Security Policy: Common Foreign and Security Policy (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 189 together. As reported previously to the House in reply to Questions Nos. 241 of 2 February, 36 of 28 April and 45 of 2 June, I met the Foreign Ministers of Sweden and Finland in January and the Foreign Minister of Austria in April of this year. I discussed a range of issues, including possible Irish participation in battlegroups. I have not had any...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 113 together. The Government has made known to the US Government its view that detainees held at Guantanamo Bay should be treated in accordance with the requirements of human rights and international humanitarian law. Our concerns are shared by our EU partners. They have been made known on a number of occasions by the Taoiseach, by my predecessor and...

Written Answers — Arms Trade: Arms Trade (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I assume that the Deputy is referring to Question No. 2 of 6 October 2005 in which I made reference to ongoing discussions on the possible reinforcement of the EU code of conduct on arms exports. The review of the code of conduct was initiated during Ireland's Presidency of the EU and takes account of developments since the code entered into force in 1998. Several proposals have been made to...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: On 30 June this year Mr. Orhan Pamuk was charged by a local prosecutor under Turkey's new penal code with insulting the country's national character, following comments he made about the deaths of 1 million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds in Turkish history. The charge was brought under Article 301 (1) of the new code which covers, inter alia, "insulting being a Turk, the Republic, the organs and...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The fourth session of the assembly of states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court took place in The Hague from 28 November to 3 December 2005. Amongst other things, the assembly adopted regulations on the trust fund for victims and a code of professional conduct for counsel, and decided to proceed with the establishment of a New York liaison office. In addition, the...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Torture is among the most abhorrent violations of human rights. It undermines the inherent dignity of the person. The prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment admits of no exceptions and may not be derogated from, even in time of war or other emergencies. Torture is therefore unacceptable and unjustifiable under any circumstances. I am aware of the...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I met with Secretary of State Rice in Washington, D.C., on 1 December 2005. We discussed a number of bilateral and foreign policy issues. The Secretary of State expressed the strong and continuing support of the United States for the peace process in Northern Ireland. She also conveyed the administration's position on the undocumented, including the desirability of putting in place early,...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The United Nations Convention on the Law of Treaties was done at Vienna on 23 May 1969 and entered into force on 27 January 1980. Ireland does propose to accede to the convention, but further consideration of its terms will be necessary due to their complexity. To this end, a detailed study of the terms of the convention is currently ongoing within my Department, which I hope will conclude...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The high priority which the Government attaches to the interests of Irish people living abroad is reflected in the establishment of a dedicated unit in my Department, the Irish abroad unit. During 2006 the unit will continue to be active in encouraging progress on all areas identified in the valuable report of the task force on policy regarding emigrants. Funding for emigrant services has...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The report of the task force on policy regarding emigrants provides us with a valuable framework for action. Its recommendations were far reaching and varied and, in view of their nature, the implementation of some of these will be, by necessity, on a phased basis over a number of years. Considerable progress has already been made, with action underway on over two thirds of the report's...

Written Answers — Extradition Requests: Extradition Requests (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The question of an extradition request for this individual has not been the subject of contacts with the US Administration, nor was it discussed with Secretary of State Rice. However, when the person concerned was previously arrested in Northern Ireland in connection with an extradition request from the US, the US authorities were aware of the interest of the Government in the case. As in all...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland became a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice upon joining the United Nations in 1955, an act fully consistent with Ireland's commitment, under Article 29.2 of the Constitution, to the peaceful settlement of international disputes. In view of the possible implications of doing so at the time, Ireland did not then make a declaration under Article 36(2) of the...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland attaches the highest importance to the millennium development goals, MDGs, which were adopted by the United Nations in 2000. We have incorporated them as the overarching framework of our development co-operation programme. The goals, which include halving the proportion of people in extreme poverty and reducing child mortality by two thirds by the year 2015, correspond to our focus on...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland's development co-operation programme has Africa at its core. Along with our partners in the international community, we are working to prevent or manage conflict wherever it occurs. As well as directly assisting many of the poorest countries in Africa, Ireland is a strong advocate for the developing world and for international peace and security through our membership of the EU and...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: HIV/AIDS is the single biggest obstacle to reducing poverty and to attaining the millennium development goals, MDGs. Recent statistics published by UNAIDS indicate that despite decreases in the rate of HIV infection in certain countries, the overall number of people living with HIV has continued to increase. There were an additional 5 million new infections in 2005, mostly among women,...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: In line with the Government's commitment to increasing official development assistance, ODA, an allocation of €600 million has been provided in the Estimates for 2006 to my Department's Vote for international co-operation, Vote 29. This represents an increase of €129 million,27%, on the 2005 level. Taken together with the contributions of other Departments, total ODA is expected to reach...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, is the most universal of all the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation agreements. Of the 191 members of the United Nations, only three countries, India, Israel and Pakistan, have not signed the NPT. The NPT review conference in 2000, for the first time, named those states which were not party to the treaty and urged them all to accede to...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 190 and 191 together. The only review which had a direct bearing on the closure of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, APSO, was that of the Ireland Aid review committee in 2002. The committee's report recommended that APSO should be integrated into Ireland Aid, now Development Co-operation Ireland. The costs of this review are not directly attributable...