Results 6,361-6,380 of 18,449 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Mr. Robin Yassin-Kassab. There are one or two items of correction. The Government does not decide who comes before the committee. The committee itself decides. We facilitate groups which request an opportunity to make a presentation to the committee. We give groups opportunities to come and make a presentation and to question them. The presence of any group or individual does...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Just one second now, I am chairing this and I will speak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab will be given an opportunity to speak later when he will be asked questions. Mr. Yassin-Kassab commented that if one does not care about people in Syria, then one should care about people in Europe. We do care about people in Syria.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab might just accept that quickly. Those who proposed that Mr. Yassin-Kassab make a presentation to this committee - we are glad to be able to afford him that opportunity and to listen to his important contribution - would be well able to tell him that over the past five years the work of this committee and its predecessor was devoted more to dealing with the issue of Syria...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Bacik. We have a number of questioners.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We will take a number of questions together and Mr. Yassin-Kassab will come back to all of the questions then. I call Deputy McFadden.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Senator, sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab can respond later.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I call Deputy Seán Barrett.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We are representative. The Irish people, not only the members of the committee, care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: The full Irish people do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: That is fair enough.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: The inability to get humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the people most in need was referred to earlier. Is that situation deteriorating or is there any sign of any improvement whatsoever?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Further to Deputy Barrett's point, could the Geneva communiqué of 2012 and the UN resolution Security Council Resolution 2254, if they are renewed, be the basis of trying to make the progress Deputy Barrett spoke of and that we all want to see? Does Mr. Yassin-Kassab believe they could be the architecture to try to bring an end to this horrendous conflict?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Mr. Yassin-Kassab for his presentation and its detail and for his deep knowledge, passion and commitment in trying to find a resolution to this awful conflict. It must be the most horrific conflict of our time. At our earlier meeting I said that from our experience in this country, a number of key ingredients are essential for peace: the cessation of violence, meaningful dialogue...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Recent Actions of Government of Turkey: Motion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We have another item of business. We have received correspondence from the Italian Senate regarding the arrest of Members of Parliament in Turkey. We have also received a briefing note on the matter from the Department. A motion on the matter has been submitted by Deputy Seán Crowe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Recent Actions of Government of Turkey: Motion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I propose that we also forward a copy of the motion agreed by our committee to the Italian Senate.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Occupational Therapy (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: 21. To ask the Minister for Health the action being taken to address the fact that latest figures indicate some 230 persons under 18 years of age are waiting more than a year for a first time assessment for occupational therapy in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [38031/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service Provision (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: 25. To ask the Minister for Health the increase in home help hours the Cavan-Monaghan local health area can expect in 2017. [38030/16]

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary)
Vote 36 - Defence (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2016)

Brendan Smith: I concur with the remarks made, particularly those of Deputy Lisa Chambers, about the Reserve Defence Force. At the last meeting of the select committee I highlighted the undervalued importance of this resource during the years. From where I come, many young people have been kept out of the way of harm and prevented from getting mixed up with the wrong company by good Reserve Defence Force...