Results 2,181-2,200 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The question of the Falkland Islands, Malvinas, has been the subject of ten resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, as well as resolutions of its special committee on decolonisation. On 16 December 1965, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2065 (XX), which invited the Governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina to proceed without delay with the negotiations...

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I thank Deputy McGrath for his questions. As stated by the Deputy, there have been multiple EU resolutions on this issue, including a special committee resolution as recently as last month. However, there has been little progress made. Ireland has supported the United Nations and the international community on this matter. We have supported the European Union, the position of which is...

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland does not take a position on the sovereignty issue. We regard the United Nations as the international forum for dealing with these matters and the negotiations should take place in accordance with the many United Nations resolutions on the issue. We will continue to support that position and we will argue it at the United Nations at all times.

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 8, 36 and 57 together. The Government remains gravely concerned at continuing reports of human rights violations being committed by armed militias in Libya. The situation in a number of detention facilities still under the control of militias is particularly worrying. As documented by the UN support mission for Libya, the international commission of...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I would not agree that the western countries or, indeed, Ireland, are washing their hands of the situation in Libya. That country is undergoing a period of normalisation. Militias are still active because this has been the nature of the chaos and mayhem that occurred in the overthrow of Gadaffi and they are still in control in some parts of the country. The interim government has...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The Irish Government has always had a considerable interest in the developments in Libya because a number of people who lived in Ireland and acquired Irish citizenship are at a high ranking level in the interim government. My information is that attempts are being made to ensure that the 60 person group that will write the new constitution for Libya has taken into consideration...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: Yes, we received a number of former combatants and they were treated in our hospitals. Indeed, the Tánaiste and I met the interim Minister for Health when she was in this country two months ago. She indicated very strongly that her government was pleased with the manner in which the injured combatants had been dealt with here, that this country was an example to all the other countries...

Written Answers — Humanitarian Access: Humanitarian Access (10 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The Government remains seriously concerned about the situation in Sudan and South Sudan. We are working with our EU partners to ensure that, in addition to a focus on the political and security situation, priority is given by the international community to the vital issue of humanitarian access to people and communities affected by the conflict and the tension in the region. We will...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid set out clearly the basis and priorities for Ireland's official aid programme, which is working on behalf of the Irish people to improve the lives of the world's poorest people. The programme has been recognised internationally for its focus on poverty and hunger, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and for its leadership in making aid more effective. The...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: As we know from our own history, population growth is an enormously complex, multi-dimensional issue. The challenges posed by a rapidly expanding world population need to be addressed by tackling the root causes of that expansion.In poor countries, extreme poverty, food insecurity, inequality, high death rates and high birth rates are all linked in a vicious cycle. Irish Aid, Ireland's...

Boston College Belfast Project Papers (10 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I have been asked by the Tánaiste to deal with the issue of the Boston College archive, as raised by Deputy Martin. Let me set out the background to the case. In March 2011, the British Government, acting on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI, initiated proceedings with the US Department of Justice under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the two countries....

Boston College Belfast Project Papers (10 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The needs of the victims, including in the tragic Jean McConville case, are the Government's priority consideration. The Government has been seeking all mechanisms to provide reconciliation and effect closure. The Minister for Justice and Equality and the Tánaiste will continue to monitor the proceedings in question. There may be a rehearing of the case, which is the option being retained...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (5 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: Ethiopia is one of the nine priority countries for the Government's development cooperation programme, where we have a commitment to long term strategic assistance. Last month, Human Rights Watch published a new report on Ethiopia, titled "What Will Happen if Hunger Comes?" The report alleges that local communities, including pastoralists in the Lower Omo region, are being forced to move...

Written Answers — Family Planning Summit: Family Planning Summit (4 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The British Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have invited representatives of a number of Governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector to a conference on family planning in London on 11 July. They have stated that they hope to launch an initiative to make affordable...

Overseas Development Aid (27 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I welcome this opportunity to address the vital role education plays in the Government's overseas aid programme. We in Ireland know the central role education plays in unlocking potential and enabling economic and social development. We have brought these lessons to bear on our approach to working with developing countries to empower them to drive...

Overseas Development Aid (27 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: I agree with everything the Deputy has said. Anyone who was born and raised in Ireland will recognise the importance of education in the progress this country has made. Irish parents, like the country as a whole, have always emphasised the importance of education. For that reason, we have no choice other than to introduce the same key principle to our overseas development aid programme....

Written Answers — International Finance Corporation: International Finance Corporation (26 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of the World Bank Group, and is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. The private sector, as an engine of growth, innovation and investment to developing countries, has a major role to play in development. Ireland has been a member of the IFC since 1958. We...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (26 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: The Government's aid programme, administered from within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade by Irish Aid, is sharply focused on the reduction and eventual eradication of global poverty and hunger in some of the poorest countries and communities in the world. It is strongly concentrated in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Ireland has a strong international reputation for the...

Seanad: European Communities (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (26 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: I thank the Senators who made contributions before and after my arrival. The support for the legislation across the political divide is heartening. I did not hear a harsh word against it. Some concerns were expressed, but there was strong support for this Bill. I recognise the presence of the Croatian ambassador, Her Excellency, Ms Jasna Ognjanovac, who I have known since my time as...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (21 Jun 2012)

Joe Costello: In the extensive public consultation process of the review of the White Paper on Irish Aid, there have been significant inputs and suggestions from a variety of sources emphasising the importance of maternal, neonatal and child health. As part of this input, there has been explicit reference to the value and contribution of family planning to the health of women and children. Ireland through...