Results 3,601-3,620 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 27 and 34 together. The conflict in Syria, which arose from a basic demand on the part of ordinary Syrians for greater freedom and democracy and which by the UN’s estimate has to date cost up to 60,000 lives, has been a major priority for the European Union over the past two years. It will remain a major priority during the period of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Nuclear Proliferation (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 21 and 64 together. Ireland fully supports the diplomatic efforts which are being made with Iran to address the serious international concerns arising from its nuclear programme. It also fully supports the sanctions imposed on Iran with a view to securing diplomatic engagement. Progressive sanctions have been reluctantly imposed by the EU, particularly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Presidency Programme (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The founding fathers of European integration sought to develop a Europe of peace, security and prosperity for its people. The success of the European project can be in no doubt today in that regard. However, the considerable challenges that Ireland and the EU face today are very different to those of sixty years ago. Our values remain the same. But the challenge of delivering to our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 23 and 28 together. With the move to Performance Budgeting in 2012, the layout of the Estimates has changed. All expenditure is now grouped under Departmental programmes which combine administrative and direct expenditure attributable to each area of activity. The Estimates for 2013 published on 5 December last in respect of my Department show an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 20 together. In recent weeks we have seen widespread street violence in a Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland. We have seen attacks on the Police Service of Northern Ireland including the attempted murder of police officers and widespread attempts to intimidate public representatives and their families. I have condemned these events...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Battlegroups (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 37 together. Planning is underway for the establishment of an EU training mission to address the deteriorating situation in Mali. This will be deployed under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. The crisis in Mali has been high on the EU’s agenda since the attempted coup in March 2012 and the de facto secession of much of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19, 32, 35, 39, 55 and 59 together. The recent conflict in Gaza was, thankfully, comparatively brief, beginning on the evening of 14 November and ending in a renewed ceasefire on 21 November. The relatively speedy restoration of the ceasefire was due to the active intervention of the Egyptian Government in particular, with the support of others such as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government, along with its EU and other international partners, strongly supports the achievement through diplomatic negotiations of a solution to the major concerns which exist in relation to Iran's nuclear programme. It is deeply regrettable that, despite nine years of diplomatic efforts, Iran has so far been unwilling to engage with the necessary seriousness and commitment in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland has for some time called upon Israel to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) without further delay and to place all of its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. We have repeatedly called for universality of the Treaty in national as well as EU statements, and also through our participation in the New Agenda Coalition....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Enlargement (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I met with the Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Mr. Egemin Bağis, during his visit to Ireland on 17 – 19 December 2012. The Minister also met with my colleague the Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton T.D. While there was no set agenda for my meeting with Minister Bağis, our discussion centred on the prospects for reinvigorating...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Presidency (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade received a temporary reprieve from the impact of the Government’s Employment Control Framework and was also allocated 50 temporary extra posts for 2012 and 2013 in order to enable it to plan and fulfil its EU Presidency responsibilities and activities in the first half of this year. The sanctioned additional staff are now in situ and have...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am aware of the comments referred to. Minister Yishai is a member of a small ultra-religious party. He does not have responsibility within the Israeli Government for Israeli foreign or defence policy. Nor is he a member of the Cabinet subcommittee which decides on security issues. While remarks such as these are clearly unhelpful and provocative, and serve merely to inflame...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I was deeply concerned at the raid which took place on the Addameer office in Ramallah on 11 December 2012. Ireland has provided annual support to Addameer since 2007, including a recent contribution of €60,000 in 2012. The organisation works to assist prisoners and their families through the provision of free legal advice and representation in Israeli military courts. Addameer also...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Presidency (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: In September 2010, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade went to tender for the redevelopment of its websites to include the Department’s own website, the website for Irish Aid and, as an option, the development of a website for the EU Presidency. The tender was advertised through the e-tenders portal as an EU-wide procurement. The winning tender was from Terminal4 in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Regulatory Impact Assessments (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am fully committed to achieving the goals set out in the Action Plan for Better Regulation and believe that improvements in regulation can have a positive impact on the quality of engagement between the public and Government. As no new regulations were introduced by my Department, there were no Regulatory Impact Assessments required by my Department in the past twelve months.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Export Statistics (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 78 and 79 together. In 2011, total exports (Services and Merchandise) reached over €174 billion, a 6.5% increase on the 2010 figure. Total services exports increased by €7.1 billion (9.5%) to €81.4 billion while total merchandise exports increased by €3 billion (4%) to €92.7 billion. In 2012, merchandise exports for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Bodies (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group was established in 2010. Its role is to offer independent expert advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister of State for Trade and Development on the strategic direction of the aid programme. The administration of the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group is serviced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland was one of the founding members of the OSCE in 1973. It is the world's largest intergovernmental regional security organisation, comprising of 57 member states dealing with a range of issues in the areas of democratisation, human rights, arms control and economic and environmental security. Building on our own experience in peacemaking, peace building and security issues Ireland is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: There are three permanent Working Groups of the Council already in existence to deal with Middle East issues. One covers North Africa and the Near East; one covers the Gulf and Arabian states; and one concentrates specifically on the Israeli-Arab conflict and related issues. The work of these Groups, on which all member States are represented, prepares and feeds upwards into discussion at...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Jan 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department, in cooperation with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the state agencies, is responsible for four key actions in the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs. The relevant actions and progress on their implementation are as follows: 3.12: Roll out a schedule of sector specific Trade Missions and market evaluation Missions that reflect the priority markets identified in...