Results 2,281-2,300 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: For 2012, the Government will provide a total of â¬639 million for ODA, which, on current projections, will represent over 0.5% of GNP. Given our current economic circumstances this allocation represents a real commitment by the Government and people of Ireland to the world's poorest people. Through the overseas aid programme the Government provides assistance to over ninety countries...
- Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I thank the Cathaoirleach for his congratulations and I extend my congratulations to him. We soldiered together here in the past and it is good to see him in that chair. I thank Senator Burke for raising this important matter in which I have considerable interest. I am glad to have the opportunity to address it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and to outline the progress made by the...
- Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: Is that 2011 or 2012?
- Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: Those are my figures. Due to cross-referencing with the different Departments, there has been a huge improvement in the registration of landlords and the percentage of unregistered landlords dropped from 37% to 18% in the second quarter of 2011. Since the Senator's survey relates to a period almost six months later it is appropriate to query whether there has been any worsening of, or any...
- Seanad: Redundancy Payments (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I apologise that the Minister for Social Protection is not here. As the Senator is aware, on 1 January 2011, the Department of Social Protection assumed responsibility from the then Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation for administering the redundancy payments scheme. The purpose of the redundancy payments scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts, for the...
- Seanad: Tax Code (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I thank Senator Kelly for his contribution. I apologise that the Minister for Finance is in the Dáil debating the Bretton Woods legislation. I have great sympathy for the person the Senator referred to and I will convey his remarks to the Minister for Finance. The Senator will be aware that the Revenue Commissioners are responsible for the collection of the bulk of taxes and duties due to...
- Seanad: Tax Code (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I appreciate the Senator's comments. We are talking about jobs, employment, business, and small SMEs and the maximum should be done by everyone involved. Banks are supposed to be making money available yet Revenue is engaging, or supposed to be engaging, adequately with businesses with problems who clearly intend to sort their problems. That seems to be the way in the Senator's case where...
- Seanad: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleagues the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, and Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Shortall, which addresses the provision of general practitioner services in Mullagh, County Cavan. The delivery of a sustainable GP service that effectively meets the health needs of the population in a primary care setting is...
- Seanad: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I will add that to the points that have been made. It is the Senator's assertion that a number of complaints have been made and what has been said tonight is not quite accurate.
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 to 60, inclusive, together. Just over two years have passed since Haiti was struck by one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history, which killed more than 230,000 people and injured 300,000 others. Given the scale of the death and destruction inflicted, it is perhaps little surprise to learn that the country is still struggling to rebuild and...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 Feb 2012)
Joe Costello: For 2012, the Government will provide a total of â¬639 million for ODA, which, on current projections, will represent over 0.5% of GNP. Given our current economic circumstances this allocation represents a real commitment by the Government and people of Ireland to the world's poorest people. The allocation represents a total reduction of â¬20 million on the projected outturn for 2011 â...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (24 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: Ethiopia has been a priority country for the Government's aid programme since 1994, and we have been following closely the development of the Ethiopian Government's "villagisation" resettlement programme. The NGO Human Rights Watch has recently published a report which claims that there have been human rights violations as a result of the programme, in the Gambella, region of the country....
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: Ireland has been a strong and committed supporter of the International Criminal Court since its establishment under the Rome Statute in 2002. We support the efforts of the Court to bring to justice those responsible for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities. An arrest warrant was issued by the Court in respect of Mr. Bosco Ntaganda in August 2006. This relates...
- Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: Since 2002, the EU has been negotiating a series of new trade and development agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of States. The negotiations for these Economic Partnership Agreements are being carried out by the European Commission, on behalf of the European Community and the Member States. They were necessitated by rulings by the World Trade Organisation (WTO)...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: Ireland is working closely with other international donors to improve the quality of international development assistance. In a review undertaken by the OECD in 2011, Ireland's overseas aid programme ranked first among EU member states, in terms of its quality and our commitment to the delivery of effective aid. Increasing the transparency of information related to development cooperation...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will be held in Rio de Janeiro in June, marking the twentieth anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development and the tenth anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The goal of the Summit will be to secure renewed international political commitment for sustainable development. It will focus...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: The devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 killed more than 230,000 people and injured 300,000 others. The earthquake destroyed much of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas, left approximately 1.5 million people homeless and caused losses and damage estimated at approximately â¬5.9 billion. Two years on, a massive and sustained humanitarian operation has yielded...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 119 together. During 2011 many countries, particularly those in Africa, continued to face significant developmental and humanitarian challenges. Global turbulence, such as the continuing financial and economic crisis and volatile food prices, had a major impact on food security. Ongoing and protracted conflicts caused untold suffering for millions of...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: As Minister of State with responsibility for the development programme, I am very conscious of the need to ensure that development aid reaches the areas or locations of greatest need and that it makes a real difference there. Our aid programme has an international reputation for its quality, its effectiveness and for making a real difference in the lives of millions of poor people. All...
- Human Rights Issues (17 Jan 2012)
Joe Costello: The Government shares the concern about the political and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in November and President Joseph Kabila was declared to have won a further term. However, there have been widespread allegations of fraud and incidents of serious violence before, during and since the elections. These...