Results 44,121-44,140 of 50,917 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The disparate ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq have undoubtedly suffered from the instability of recent years. Nineveh, Iraq's second-most-populous province, has a unique concentration of minority groups. Violent attacks in and around the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and along the Nineveh Plain, a strip of land sandwiched between Mosul and Iraqi Kurdistan, have underscored how...

Written Answers — Seabed Sovereignty Claims: Seabed Sovereignty Claims (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: Ireland claims continental shelf extending beyond the standard 200 nautical mile entitlement both to the west and to the south of the country. Under international law these claims must be examined by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. For the purposes of our claims we have divided the extended shelf into three sectors. The first sector is to the south-west of the...

Written Answers — Kidnapping of Irish Priest: Kidnapping of Irish Priest (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: It was with great delight and relief that I announced the release on Wednesday last of Fr. Michael Sinnott after 32 days in captivity. His release was the result of an intense diplomatic effort by the Irish and Philippine Governments. On hearing of the abduction on 11 October, I immediately asked our Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Richard O'Brien, who is based in Singapore, to travel to...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Lisbon Treaty, through its Protocol no.1 and other provisions, will enhance the role of national parliaments in EU affairs and preparations are ongoing to ensure that the Oireachtas can play its full role as envisaged in the Treaty. The Treaty explicitly recognises that national parliaments contribute to the good functioning of the Union in many ways. The European Union Act 2009 gives...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: In 1987, the Government formulated a policy to bring together, where feasible, our Missions abroad and the offices of State Agencies in a single location, designated as Ireland House. The precise model of implementing such an arrangement would of course vary and has to reflect the local conditions and other factors. There are now a number of types of Ireland Houses currently operating...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: As I have stated on many occasions in this House, the situation in Burma/Myanmar has long been one of grave concern to the Government. The Rohingya ethnic group is one of the many ethnic groups which have been severely affected by the brutal policies of the Myanmar military regime. The situation of the Muslim Rohingyas is, however, even more difficult than that of other ethnic groups in...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: Although there have been reports over a number of years of secret prisons operating in China, international interest in such places of detention has greatly increased since the publication on 11 November by Human Rights Watch of a report entitled An Alleyway in Hell, China's Abusive "Black Jails". The report contains allegations that Chinese government officials, security forces, and their...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The purchase of equipment for the Permanent Defence Forces is a matter for the Minister for Defence. The Government's views on the illegality of the route of the Separation Wall, as confirmed in the 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, are well known.

Written Answers — Diplomatic Relations: Diplomatic Relations (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: Syria is a key actor in the Middle East region and has increasingly demonstrated a willingness to play a more positive role in the peace process. This was certainly the strong impression I formed when visiting Syria last February where I met with President Assad, Prime Minister Al-Dardari and Foreign Minister Muallem. In my meetings, I encouraged President Assad and his government to use any...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Government continues to liaise closely with British Government counterparts to encourage the parties in Northern Ireland to complete the transfer of policing and justice powers as soon as possible. As I said in my address to Seanad Éireann on 3 November, the devolution of these powers to the Assembly and Executive would demonstrate to the wider world that Northern Ireland is a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: I refer the Deputy to the answer given to PQ 40584 on 10 November 2009, as outlined below. The Irish United Nations Association (IUNA) is a non-governmental organisation based in Dublin whose objectives are to promote the aims and activities of the United Nations and its specialised agencies in Ireland. IUNA has received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs since 1972. In addition...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The situation in Zimbabwe continues to be of great concern to the Government and to the European Union as a whole. I am gravely concerned by reports of continuing human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, torture of prisoners and abuse of the rule of law. Recent media reports of widespread physical and sexual abuse of children, which would appear to be the basis of the Deputy's question,...

Written Answers — EU Enlargement: EU Enlargement (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together. Turkey has had a perspective towards membership of the European Union since the conclusion of the Association Agreement of 1963. Negotiations on accession commenced in 2005 and are proceeding, albeit at a slow pace, on ten chapters of the accession framework. The Science and Research Chapter was provisionally closed in June 2006. The...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Government is greatly concerned by recent events in the Republic of Guinea, notably the violent crackdown by security forces on political demonstrations in Conakry on 28 September 2009. There, the armed forces opened fire on a crowd of unarmed protestors, killing 150 and injuring over a thousand. In the days following, there were reports of widespread rape and looting by soldiers. While...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: Privileges and immunities of accredited diplomatic agents in Ireland are governed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, as incorporated into Irish law, by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act of 1967 and as amended by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act of 1976. My Department expects all those...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 118 and 227 together. Successive Irish Governments over many years have afforded a high priority to efforts to resolve the long-running Middle East conflict, and that continues to be the case. We will support any efforts by Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders to negotiate an agreed solution to their mutual differences, and seek to mobilise and encourage...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: As I have stated in this House on many occasions, I deplore the fact that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention for more than 14 of the last 20 years and that she was sentenced in August to a further 18 months of house arrest, following her conviction on the most spurious of charges. Ireland, and the EU more broadly have for many years called for her release and we will continue to do...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: I refer the Deputy to the statement made by An Taoiseach in the Dáil on 1 April last after the visit he and I made to Washington over the St Patrick's Day period. In response to a question as to whether he had raised the matter of Extraordinary Rendition with President Obama, he referred to the assurances received from the US that Ireland was not being used by the US as a transit point for...

Written Answers — Global Irish Economic Forum: Global Irish Economic Forum (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Global Irish Economic Forum took place in Farmleigh over the weekend of the 18-20 September. The Forum was convened by the Government with two broad objectives: to explore how the Irish at home and abroad, and those with a strong interest in Ireland, could work together and contribute to our overall efforts at economic recovery; and to examine ways in which Ireland and its global...

Written Answers — Statutory Instruments: Statutory Instruments (18 Nov 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together. There are no State agencies operating under the aegis of my Department. There is a list of all statutory instruments brought by my Department from 1935 to date available at the following link of my Department's website. http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=3034#instruments Details of all statutory instruments, together with details of...