Results 1,721-1,740 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Procurement Policy: Procurement Policy (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: My Department has established a procurement management unit. One of its tasks is to prepare a corporate procurement plan, as recommended by the Department of Finance in its national public procurement policy framework document of May 2005. In accordance with the timeframe prescribed by the Department of Finance, the first corporate procurement plan for my Department will be adopted later this...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs is fully engaged in implementing the value for money measures announced by the Minister for Finance in his speech of 20 October 2005. One of those measures involves a requirement for Departments to review existing contract specifications for projects which exceed a value of €30 million. My Department is not involved in any projects above that threshold. The...

Written Answers — Irish Citizens Deportation: Irish Citizens Deportation (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Our missions in the United States, for whom the welfare of the undocumented Irish is of the highest priority, are not aware of any case of an Irish citizen being deported solely for the offence of driving without insurance. However, there have been cases where Irish citizens have been arrested for such offences and then subsequently deported for being in the country without proper...

Written Answers — Birth Certificates: Birth Certificates (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: To obtain the relevant birth certificate, the person in question should make contact with the certificate services section, General Register Office, PO Box 2, Southport, PR8 2JD, England, telephone 0044 845 603 7788. In circumstances where a birth was not registered, there is a facility for late registration with the General Register Office at the address provided. If, however, the General...

Written Answers — Cuban Citizens: Cuban Citizens (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The case to which the Deputy refers relates to five Cuban citizens who were convicted in the US in 2001 on charges ranging from espionage to first degree murder. A panel of three judges from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned the 2001 convictions on 9 August 2005 and ordered a retrial based on new evidence. The Miami District Attorney duly filed an appeal against the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Government, in common with our partners in the European Union, believes that the US economic embargo on Cuba seriously hampers the economic development of Cuba and negatively affects all of its people. EU companies account for at least half of all Cuba's foreign trade, and the EU rejects unilateral measures against Cuba which are contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade....

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, currently based in Dublin, will decentralise to Limerick. This is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007 and will involve the relocation to Limerick of 124 posts. Already, a total of 26 posts in the directorate, including that of director general,...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Irish passports are normally issued with up to ten years validity, though there are variations relating to the age of the applicant. For travel to other EU member states, no minimum validity is required and the holder can travel on his or her passport up to its final day of validity. As regards non-EU countries, states impose varying immigration-visa regulations, including having a specific...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The waiving of the passport fee for senior citizens, which I introduced with effect from 1 August last, was to further recognise the life-long contribution to society of our senior citizens. It builds on the existing free public transport, TV licence, telephone and electricity schemes for older people. All these schemes operate on the basis that they are available to those who have reached...

Written Answers — Election Observation Missions: Election Observation Missions (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: At the request of the Ukrainian Government, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, has established an election observation mission to observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine, taking place on 26 March 2006. Participating states have been asked to second long-term and short-term observers...

Written Answers — Consular Assistance: Consular Assistance (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Consular assistance is provided by my Department in a wide variety of circumstances and cases. However, my Department does not pay bail imposed by a court on an Irish citizen overseas. In certain cases, the Department of Foreign Affairs is prepared to advance funds to assist Irish citizens where this is judged to be urgent and necessary to ensure their security and safety, and where...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs has not been contacted in regard to this matter by Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles. Two investigations are under way under the aegis of the Council of Europe. The first is an investigation by Senator Dick Marty, a rapporteur appointed by the committee on legal affairs and human rights of the Parliamentary Assembly...

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The recent joint report by the four UN special rapporteurs and the Chair of the working group on arbitrary detention is a significant development in the debate regarding the situation of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. The finding of the report, which states the view of the authors that aspects of the treatment of prisoners there must be assessed as amounting to torture, should be taken very...

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Further to what the Deputy said was taking place in Shannon, the report clearly states and shows that nothing was taking place there. Ireland was one of only three countries that received categorical and unqualified assurances on the non-use of their territory for what is called extraordinary rendition. As to whether members of the Garda Síochána have a legal basis to board planes, it is...

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy is wrong in that respect. The European Court of Human Rights has set the bar for the acceptance of diplomatic assurances.

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: It has referred to "a substantial proof of a real risk of a breach of a right being created".

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I did not interrupt the Deputy. A number of academics would normally be critical of the US stance on this but New York University carried out a study for the House of Commons. It stated that actual knowledge of any breaches would have to be required before intervention could take place.

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Time is limited so the Deputy should allow me to answer the question whether the Garda Síochána has powers to board aircraft. It has been verified by the Attorney General that the Garda Síochána has such powers. I would hazard a guess that the Attorney General is correct and that the information the Deputy received is not correct. However, that is a matter for the Minister for Justice,...

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The issue of these so-called extraordinary renditions on chartered civilian flights is exactly the same as members of the Garda Síochána going into the Deputy's house. They can only do so on foot of a search warrant——

Human Rights Abuses. (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: ——or on suspicion of a crime being committed. It is exactly the same at Shannon or anywhere else in Ireland for a civilian plane on which extraordinary rendition is supposedly taking place. It is a matter for members of the Garda Síochána to intervene if they have a suspicion that there is a substantial risk of a breach of rights taking place. To date, members of the Garda Síochána...