Results 1,761-1,780 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the reply I gave to the Priority Question No. 58 of today on this issue.

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 167 together. On the outbreak of the war in Iraq, the Taoiseach moved a motion which was adopted by the Dail on 20 March 2003, which reaffirmed Ireland's commitment to the United Nations as the guarantor of collective global security and the appropriate forum for the resolution of disputes threatening international peace and security. In his statement...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: On 14 December 2005, I stated in Dáil Éireann the Government's intention to co-operate fully with the Council of Europe investigations into the allegations mentioned by the Deputy. Two investigations are currently under way under the aegis of that body. The first is an investigation by Senator Dick Marty, a rapporteur appointed by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the...

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Government announced in August 2005 that it will prepare a national development plan for the period 2007 to 2013. The current NDP has seen an unprecedented investment in our economic and social infrastructure. To build on that success, the Government will set out a new blueprint for investment for the seven year period after the expiry of the current plan. The new plan will in particular...

Written Answers — EU Membership: EU Membership (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 248 together. Accession negotiations were opened with Turkey on 3 October 2005, marking the beginning of what is set to be a protracted and complex process. Turkey's accession could have substantial financial consequences and the conclusions adopted at the Council on 3 October 2005 indicate that the negotiations can only be concluded after the...

Written Answers — UN Recruitment Policy: UN Recruitment Policy (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Recruitment to the United Nations and its agencies is a matter for the UN and the agencies concerned. They conduct recruitment competitions centrally, advertising a range of positions as they arise, both via the Internet and in the international print media. The UN Charter at Article 101.1 provides that staff shall be appointed by the Secretary General under regulations established by the...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: As Deputies will be aware from my replies to previous questions on this subject, most recently Parliamentary Question No. 35 of 14 December 2005, the United States has given Ireland repeated, clear and explicit assurances that no prisoners have been transferred through Irish territory, nor would they be, without our permission. These assurances were confirmed by Secretary Rice at our meeting...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Haitian interim government and the provisional electoral authority of Haiti, Conseil Electoire Provisoire, reached an agreement on 16 February under which René Préval was declared the winner of the presidential elections held on 7 February. It is my understanding that Mr. Préval was declared the winner following an agreement to interpret the Haitian electoral law so as to exclude over...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Regrettably, it did not prove possible to reach agreement on the proposals for a comprehensive agreement in December 2004. However, the package published at that time remains an important reference point for the Governments' ongoing engagement with the political parties in Northern Ireland, which has as its ultimate objective the restoration of partnership Government and the full...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 140 together. Deputies will be aware of the political agreement reached at last December's European Council meeting on the enlarged European Union's future financial perspectives for the period 2007-2013. The House had an opportunity to debate the matter in detail on 25 January this year when the Taoiseach presented his report of that meeting and...

Written Answers — Nuclear Programmes: Nuclear Programmes (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland, along with our EU colleagues, is deeply concerned about the ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, considering it to be a major threat to international peace and security. The European Council in December 2003 adopted a strategy against the proliferation of such weapons. Under this strategy, the EU will use all political and diplomatic instruments at its disposal and...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Government has consistently supported the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. Ireland played a prominent role in seeking a solution to the Western Sahara dispute during its term on the UN Security Council, and the Government has remained closely engaged with the issue. As regards recognition, there has been no change in the position of the Government, that is, that a...

Written Answers — EU Constitution: EU Constitution (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: It is for each member state to ratify the European constitution in accordance with its own legal and political requirements. Belgium completed the parliamentary process required for it to ratify the European constitution on 8 February. This means that 14 of the 25 member states have now ratified the constitution. Following last year's negative referendum results in France and the Netherlands,...

Written Answers — EU Battle Groups: EU Battle Groups (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 91, 117, 123, 128, 144, 245 and 250 together. The European security and defence policy, ESDP, is an integral part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, and serves the Union's general objectives of peace and stability. These objectives and the provisions governing the ESDP are set out in the Treaties of Amsterdam and of Nice, which were approved...

Written Answers — EU Membership: EU Membership (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Accession negotiations were opened with Croatia on 3 October 2005. According to the agreed negotiating framework, the shared objective of the negotiations — an open-ended process whose outcome cannot be guaranteed beforehand — is accession. Croatia will be expected to maintain its commitment to the full implementation of human rights and other reforms. The negotiating framework also...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The tragic events which took place in Cairo on 30 December 2005 were shocking. According to information available to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 27 Sudanese demonstrators were killed in clashes with the police, who had acted to break up a demonstration at the UNHCR office in Cairo. I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the families of those were killed,...

Written Answers — EU Conventions: EU Conventions (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland has already ratified the Convention on the Fight against Corruption Involving Officials of the European Communities or Officials of Member States of the European Union. For the purposes of this convention, the term "official" means an employee of the European Communities, as defined by the staff regulations and conditions of employment of officials of the European Communities, or a...

Written Answers — Avian Flu: Avian Flu (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 112 together. As the House is aware, the H5N1 virus, first identified in poultry in south-east Asia two years ago, has since been confirmed in a number of other Asian countries, in west Africa, the Caucasus, western Europe, and in an increasing number of EU member states including, most recently, Germany and France. As the Minister for Agriculture and...

Written Answers — Nuclear Programmes: Nuclear Programmes (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90, 106 and 120 together. The IAEA board of governors adopted a further resolution on 4 February 2006 which set out a number of confidence building measures that Iran should take and requested Iran to extend full and prompt co-operation to the agency, which the director general deemed was indispensable and overdue. In particular, Iran was requested to help the...

Written Answers — Corruption Levels: Corruption Levels (22 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Government is aware of the allegations of high-level corruption made by Mr. John Githongo. Following a period as director of Transparency International Kenya, Mr. Githongo was appointed Permanent Secretary for Ethics and Governance by President Kibaki when he won the presidential election in December 2002. Having reportedly received death threats, Mr. Githongo fled Kenya in February 2005...