Results 6,861-6,880 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The decision we have taken in this matter, in the national interest, is that we will retain the ESB intact as a single entity and sell a minority shareholding. We are not going to do it in a loose kind of way but rather in a very considered way. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have been tasked with the...

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: First, the big boys did not make us do it. The Government is perfectly capable of making its decision and taking responsibility for it. I am very much aware of what is in the Proclamation. The problem we have and the problem the country has is that when we took office, the country had lost its economic sovereignty.

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: What this Government is doing - and what we will have well done by the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising - is seeking to restore this country's sovereignty. We will have people back to work, we will have a good economy and a better and fairer society.

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: What type of society does Deputy Adams think we would have if we followed his prescription and defaulted on the debt? Where would we get the €18 billion or €19 billion that is required to pay for services, to pay the teachers in our schools-----

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: -----to make social welfare payments, to pay for all of the services which the Deputy rightly demands every day in this House? This Government will restore and is restoring the country's economic sovereignty. The steps we are taking will get us out of the economic difficulty we are in. Some of the decisions we have to make and are making are difficult. We are making them, we will make...

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: I can assure the Deputy that the Government will put an end to the high level of severance payments. I understand that the particular severance payment to which the Deputy referred was agreed to and signed off on by the previous Government. There are a number of elements to this. First, the Government has already capped the salaries of top people in the Civil Service. After 29 February...

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: It is important that we disaggregate some of these issues. As I said, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is reviewing the special severance arrangement with a view to bringing it to an end. The issue of lump sums which are part of the pensions arrangement which people have is a separate matter and arises from pension entitlements. As I said earlier, the levels of pensions paid...

Leaders' Question (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: That is a matter for the individual concerned.

Order of Business (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: It is proposed to take No. 17, statements on international democracy day which shall adjourn after 30 minutes, if not previously concluded and No. 4, Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 5.45 p.m. and...

Order of Business (15 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The Bill will be published this session. It is also intended to deal with it this session. I believe the Deputy will find the provisions of the Bill, when published, are fair to urban and rural people.

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 29 (International Cooperation). The information requested by the Deputy, together with a brief description of the services provided, is set out in the following tables. I am very conscious of the need to achieve value for money on such expenditure. My Department commissions external...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 31 together. The amount expended by my Department on official taxi fares for Headquarters and Missions abroad from 1 January 2008 to date is outlined in the following table: 2008 €454,878 2009 €305,985 2010 €263,202 2011 to date €143,741 My Department's current taxi policy provides that taxis may be used for official business only in...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The 24-25 March European Council adopted the Decision amending Article 136 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in connection with the proposed new European Stability Mechanism. This Decision shall enter into force on 1 January 2013 provided that all Member States have notified the completion of the procedures for the approval of the Decision in accordance with their...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 to 30, inclusive, together.

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The total number of passport applications received in the period 1 January to the end of August 2011 was 546,382. This contrasts with 540,110 for the same period in 2010 and 504,524 from 01 January to the end of August 2009. 2011 demand represents a 1.2% increase over 2010, a year in which very significant demand over this period arose during a time of industrial action in the Passport...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department, which is responsible for Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 29 (International Cooperation), operates a restrictive policy for the use of corporate credit cards for official expenditure. The use of official credit cards may be permitted for officials who, because of the nature of their work, need to make official payments by this method. Credit cards are typically used to...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The Passports Act, 2008 requires that before issuing a passport to a person, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade shall be satisfied as to the identity of each applicant and that the person is an Irish citizen. Documentary proof in respect of identity and entitlement to citizenship are required for all passport applications. These requirements are outlined in the passport application...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 to 36, inclusive, together. The staffing arrangements for my private and constituency offices and those of Minister of State O'Sullivan and Minister of State Creighton in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are set out in the following table. These arrangements are in line with the Government's decision on 15 March 2011 to reduce maximum permitted...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: The budget available to my Department for IT expenditure was €10,852,599 in 2010 and is €8,740,180 in 2011. IT equipment is purchased in line with national and EU procurement guidelines and regulations. My Department has a number of approaches to ensuring value for money and cost reductions: The Department draws on the various framework agreements established by the Department of...

Written Answers — Expenditure Reviews: Expenditure Reviews (14 Sep 2011)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department's submission to the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure forms part of the overall pre-budget deliberations of the Government. As such, its release cannot be considered in advance of Government decisions on the forthcoming Budget. The Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform has already indicated that it is his intention to publish the reports submitted as part of the CRE process...