Results 44,521-44,540 of 50,917 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Foreign Conflicts. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: It is very relevant.

Foreign Conflicts. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: To be fair to Deputy Higgins, the question relates to the independent investigation to ascertain the facts on civilian casualties. The country and the Oireachtas are keen to highlight and condemn the use of cluster munitions in conflicts and to ensure it does not happen.

Foreign Conflicts. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I take Deputy Higgins's point. Such consensus is difficult for the Chair to contemplate and deal with.

Diplomatic Representation. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: My Department maintains a network of 75 overseas missions - 57 embassies, seven multilateral missions and 11 consulates general and other offices. It also maintains offices in Armagh and Belfast. Heads of mission carry different titles, including ambassador, permanent representative and consul general. There are currently 61 officials with the rank of ambassador, including a number serving...

Diplomatic Representation. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: In terms of Kenya, there are no immediate plans, and we are examining the entire configuration of Irish embassies at the moment, reviewing our strengths and weaknesses, with a view to establishing our future strategy and where we should be represented, within existing resources, given the economic climate. Recently we announced the establishment of an embassy in Abu Dhabi, for example, as...

Diplomatic Representation. (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: That would frighten me even more. Present company excluded of course, Deputy Higgins would make a fine ambassador and a fine exponent of foreign policy. I am not comparing one system with another. The American system is much different from ours and has been since its inception, but then it is a different type of jurisdiction and can bring different types of resources into play when a...

Order of Business (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Quinn is a great admirer of the free market.

Order of Business (28 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Ring is perpetually independent.

Written Answers — Lisbon Treaty Referendum: Lisbon Treaty Referendum (27 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The December European Council agreed to a package of measures to respond to the Irish people's concerns as outlined by the Taoiseach. Specifically, the European Council agreed that, provided the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force, each Member State will continue to have the right to nominate a Commissioner. It also agreed that legal guarantees will be given to Ireland in the areas of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (26 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs, through its overseas development programme, Irish Aid, supports the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through voluntary contributions. UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their work against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. Funding provided over the last three years is as follows: 2008: € 1,000,000 2007: €...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (26 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The applicant in question has informed the Passport Office that her birth was not registered and therefore she was unable to provide a birth certificate. A birth certificate is essential in order to obtain a passport. The Office of the Registrar General has responsibility for records relating to Births, Marriages and Deaths in the State. The person in question has been requested to contact...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (26 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I deplore the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma and esteemed Nobel Peace laureate, her imprisonment in the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon and the laying of charges and institution of court proceedings against her. In a statement on 14 May, I condemned her arrest, saying that it represented the latest chapter in an ongoing effort to...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (26 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As stated on many occasions in this House, most recently on 21 May in reply to a Parliamentary Question, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and in particular about the grave humanitarian crisis that is taking place there. I fully endorse the conclusions of the EU External Relations Council held on 18 May, which stated that "the EU … is appalled by the loss of...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As stated on many occasions in this House, most recently on 23 April, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and in particular about the grave humanitarian crisis that is taking place there. I fully endorse the conclusions of Monday's EU External Relations Council, which stated that "the EU … is appalled by the loss of innocent lives as a result of the conflict and by the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The regime governing the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf in international law is set down by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under that Convention a coastal state is entitled to a continental shelf 200 nautical miles (approx. 370 km) in breadth regardless of whether its continental shelf physically extends that far, subject only to the similar...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: The demand of the Chagossian natives to return to the Chagossian archipelago is a complex issue involving competing sovereignty claims and legal arguments. In November 2000, the High Court of England and Wales found that the "wholesale removal" of the Islanders between 1967 and 1971 was an "abject legal failure". The Court ruled that the Islanders could return to the small outlying islands...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: I deplore the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma and esteemed Nobel Peace laureate, her imprisonment in the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon and the laying of charges and institution of court proceedings against her. In a statement on 14 May, I condemned her arrest, saying that it represented the latest chapter in an ongoing effort to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, payment of invoices by this Department is governed by the provisions of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997 as amended by the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2002. The Act, which came into force in January 1998, provided for the payment of interest on invoices which are unpaid after 45 days from date of receipt. In...

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: That is out of order.

Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Micheál Martin: It is out of order.