Results 3,301-3,320 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: On 8 February the European Council reached an agreement on the EU Budget Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2010. Whilst Ireland could have supported a higher level of overall resources, I believe that the deal reached at the European Council on the MFF is a balanced one which recognises the financial realities facing Member States. As Presidency, Ireland will now take on new...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree entirely that a renewed impetus is badly needed in the Middle East Peace Process. As I have told the House on previous occasions, I have argued consistently at EU level that the talks process has been effectively stalled since 2009, while the feasibility of a negotiated solution is being steadily eroded by negative Israeli policies on the ground. In the Foreign Affairs Council in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Since the outbreak of street violence in early December, I have had frequent contact, both with the British Government and with party leaders. My most recent meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers MP was here in Dublin on Monday 11 February. We agreed to continue working together to support the parties in Northern Ireland in addressing both the underlying and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: State Airports (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 55, 64 and 70 together. The issue of extraordinary rendition has been raised on numerous occasions in this House. I have regularly stated that the Government is completely opposed to this practice and, furthermore, that Ireland does not tolerate and will not tolerate the use of our airspace or airports for any illegal purpose, including torture,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 27, 47, 48 and 54 together. The welfare of the Irish abroad in general and especially the position of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States remains an important priority for the Government. A resolution of the situation for undocumented Irish immigrants will continue to be pursued by the Government in our ongoing contacts with the US...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has made an enormous contribution to improving the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. I have a deep respect for his successes in business and innovation, and his personal commitment to ending poverty, hunger and disease in the world. Mr. Gates visited Dublin on 23 January and I held a breakfast...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland’s membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) presents an opportunity to enhance our reputation internationally and to make a meaningful contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. During our three-year membership of the HRC, we will seek to add value to the work of the Council and to strengthen the institution itself. Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations Resolutions (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 50 together. Ireland fully supports the diplomatic efforts which are being made with Iran to address the serious international concerns relating to its nuclear programme. We also fully support the sanctions which have been imposed on Iran with a view to persuading it of the need for a negotiated solution of this problem. Progressive sanctions...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: We all have an obligation to use language responsibly and in particular to be careful with the use of terms such as internment. Internment in 1971 resulted in the detention without trial of over three hundred people who were arrested and held in conditions which contravened the accepted standards of international law at that time. Today we find ourselves in a situation where justice and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together. The use of force by Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has long been a matter of serious concern to me. I have always accepted Israel’s right to defend itself, and security forces themselves have a right to defend themselves, but consistent and repeated reports suggest a routine use of force, including lethal...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Nuclear Proliferation (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 49 together. I issued a statement on 12 February condemning in the strongest possible terms the decision by the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea to test a nuclear explosive device earlier that day. This action directly threatens peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and is a clear violation of North Korea’s international...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland's economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. Ministerial visits around this period are organised to ensure we use this exposure to maximise the promotion of Ireland’s trade, promotion and investment interests and to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring the full and effective implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including the provision relating to a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement sets out that a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland would include rights reflecting the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am regularly briefed by officials from my Department who have visited the Short Strand regularly in recent weeks, and who continue to maintain close contact with members of the local community and to provide them with practical support. It remains my intention also to visit the Short Strand on an early suitable date as part of my ongoing programme for visits and engagements in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The European Council met on 7 and 8 February to agree the EU Budget Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014-2020. In the course of negotiations on the MFF Ireland argued for a properly funded and properly functioning EU, with the right mix of priorities, fair allocation of resources and a focus on jobs and growth. Ensuring a properly-funded Common Agricultural Policy was central to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I have followed with great concern the latest developments in Tunisia and, in particular, the assassination on 6 February of the leader of the Unified Democratic Patriots Party, Chokri Belaid. This is an act of political terrorism which I unreservedly condemn. I join with High Representative Ashton in expressing the hope that the Tunisian authorities will conduct a full investigation into...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The peace process and the Good Friday Agreement have resulted in a transformation of society in Northern Ireland, perhaps most visibly in the dramatic decrease in terrorist-related incidents and violence. There remains, however, a threat from paramilitary groups who are determined to impose a return to conflict on the people of Ireland. My Government colleagues and I discuss cross-border...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Direct Investment (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 56 together. While the question of the British relationship with the European Union is, in the first instance, a matter for Britain itself, I firmly believe that the UK is better off within the European Union, and that the Union is strengthened by having the UK within it. I agree with the strong case set out by Prime Minister Cameron in his recent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government identified the need to advance the prospects of an EU-US trade and investment agreement as a key priority for Ireland's EU Presidency. I am pleased to report that significant progress has already been achieved with the decision of 13 February by EU and US leaders to launch negotiations in the coming months. The EU and the US are two of the world's largest trading blocs and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Food Safety Authority Investigations (20 Feb 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I discussed the equine DNA issue with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Ms. Theresa Villiers in Farmleigh on 11 February. We noted that the issue is now a Europe wide problem and we welcomed the ongoing cooperation and contact between the Irish Food Safety Agency (FSAI) and the Food Safety Agency in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The substantive issue is dealt with by...