Results 4,161-4,180 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government was left with the task of having to unravel that and renegotiate it to get a better deal for the Irish taxpayer and the people, and we are proceeding to do that.

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: We are proceeding at several levels.

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: First, the terms of the agreement have been the subject of renegotiation by the Government and that process is continuing to get a deal for the Irish taxpayer to lift the burden of bank debt to which Deputy Cowen's Government tied us hand and foot. It tied the State and the Irish taxpayer to the fortunes of the banks in 2008 and repeated and consolidated that in 2010. We must unwind that...

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Since the Government was formed we have seen 17,000 additional jobs in the private sector, as against the huge job losses we saw during the previous period.

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: People are suffering as a consequence of mortgages, negative equity and everything that goes with that. This is the first Government to decide to tackle the issue of mortgages and introduce new legislation on personal insolvency, which is now almost at completion. This will provide the person who has a loan or mortgage with a greater degree of strength when negotiating with the bank.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Presidency (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: An overarching focus of the Government in planning for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2013 is to perform this important function in an efficient and cost-effective manner. An effectively managed Presidency will deliver long-term reputational benefit for Ireland. Short-term benefits include significant benefits for the local economy...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and particularly where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. During the course of their engagements these...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Programmes (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: A successor programme to the current PEACE programme is highly desirable given the importance that PEACE funding has played in the past in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. It is the Irish Government’s view that a successor PEACE programme should deliver sufficient funding to sustain important ongoing work and that the funding should be spent on projects in an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The cost of attendance at conferences on the island of Ireland by staff of my Department in the past 12 months was €5,386.21.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Promotions (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Promotions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been relatively few since the introduction of the moratorium by the Government with effect from 27 March 2009, with any exceptions requiring the specific approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In the period since then the Department’s core staffing decreased by approximately 190, or about 12%....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Redeployment (25 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 46 together. My Department’s current staffing levels are within the ceilings authorised under its Employment Control Framework. No staff have been redeployed with the exception of one Architect who recently took up a position in the Office of Public Works following a reduction in the Department’s Architectural Services capital budget....

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The various meetings have built on the hard work done day in and day out by our small but talented diplomatic corps and officials in the Department of Finance. There is constant engagement by officials and Ministers with our colleagues in Europe, including at formal meetings, on visits and in meetings of our political families. In the past two weeks, for example, I have been in Paris and I...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. In discussing the economy in this House, it is well past time for a bit of perspective and a lot more honesty. When they look to this Parliament, the Irish people are entitled to expect better than fairy tale economics and the politics of denial. We need to be up front with people about how we got into this crisis and what...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: When a country cannot borrow money, it is a problem not just for the Government but for the banks in that country and for the companies with headquarters in that country, because lenders become unwilling to advance them money. The result is a credit squeeze which can have a hugely damaging impact right across the economy. Restoring the creditworthiness of the State is an essential...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: If the Opposition can point to a functioning, modern economy anywhere, whose Government and multinational companies cannot borrow money on the open market, then we are all ears. If the Opposition can point to a country whose economy can flourish without a functioning banking system, then I ask Members opposite to enlighten us please. If the Opposition can explain how we can continue to pay...

Prospects for Irish Economy: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Instead, this Government's strategy is about making progress, grounded in a difficult reality. The yield on Irish Government debt has fallen. While markets can always be expected to rise and fall, there has been significant improvement in the Irish position. Since the European Council meeting in June, yields on Irish debt have come in by about 1% and sentiment towards Ireland is improving...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It does say that. One must look at what it states. There was a reason the Irish situation was mentioned separately and the reference was made to Ireland as a "special case" in the communiqué. That reason is straightforward. First, it was because the Irish taxpayer was required to take on the burden of the bank debt, wrongly in my opinion, but that is an argument of history we can...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Adams invited me down memory lane. I recall that when the Deputy was involved in complex and long lasting negotiations he described those who claimed the negotiations would not be successful as naysayers. That is a phrase which could describe his attitude to the current negotiations. We should consider what has already been achieved. In June a decision was taken to separate bank...

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: No, the Deputy is wrong. I was one of the people who argued trenchantly -----

European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Oct 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: That is exactly what I was arguing.