Results 681-700 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Order of Business (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: On the Order of Business, the complaint is that we are not allowing for questions to the Taoiseach, oral questions or topical issues next Tuesday. We are doing that so that each of the Opposition leaders will have the opportunity of contributing to the debate on Tuesday.

Order of Business (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Otherwise, in all probability the Taoiseach and I would get the opportunity to speak on this but the Opposition leaders would not get the opportunity on Tuesday and they would be shoved into Wednesday. I would like to make an offer to Deputy Kelleher. I will agree to oral questions, questions to the Taoiseach and topical issues on Tuesday if he wishes, but he should remember the...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: As I understand it, the special liquidator has reached agreement with the phase 2 bidders for the IBRC mortgage book. The agreement provides that, if successful in acquiring the portfolio, the phase 2 bidders will ensure that the relevant acquired mortgage loans are serviced in accordance with the Central Bank's CCMA. The special liquidator appeared before the finance committee yesterday...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: In fact, it is more. A total of 590,000-----

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are now 590,000 more medical cards in the system than there were when Fianna Fáil was in government. That is a fact. I cannot understand why Fianna Fáil continues to oppose the Government's plan to provide free GP care to children under six. It is something that will take pressure off families and it is also an essential building block for the introduction of a universal...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It was not. Deputy Kelleher should at least inform himself and do a little bit of research before he comes in here. It was not promised-----

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: It was never intended that it would be introduced overnight. It is something that requires careful consideration, which is why there will be a White Paper. The White Paper will be published when it is ready. I do not expect that this will be very far into the future. Deputy Kelleher will then have an opportunity to condemn and criticise it, as inevitably he will do.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree with Deputy O'Brien that it is a devastating experience for families and households affected by the flooding. It is devastating for residential buildings and businesses and is something that will take a very long time to recover from. I also want to put on record my appreciation and that of the Government for all those who worked so hard to help people out in the immediate aftermath...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The discussions with the European Investment Bank relate to capital works so the funding would be mainly for flood defences. As the Deputy knows, the European Investment Bank is already assisting us with some of the capital programme, for example, some of the education and transport projects that are under way. We are in discussions with the European Investment Bank to determine if we can...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government is agreed to the introduction of a policy of universal health insurance. That has been the policy of my party for more than a decade. It is something that is coming after a period of Fianna Fáil Government when it showed no interest in reforming the unfair two-tier health system we have had for a long time in this country. It still does not, of course, which is why it...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Let me correct a number of issues of fact. First, the Labour Party position on universal health insurance, which was initially published in 2001, provided for and proposed that there should be a number of health insurers which would be part of universal health insurance, one of which would be a public service provider. That was and is the position of the Labour Party in regard to universal...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Second, with regard to medical cards, Deputy Kelleher is also wrong. This Government is providing 500,000 more medical cards to people than Fianna Fáil did when it was in Government.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 51 together. As the Deputy is aware this Irish citizen has been detained for over six months. I have raised my concerns at his continued detention without trial with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy, on 11 November and 23 December 2013. The Embassy of Ireland in Cairo has been actively liaising with the Egyptian authorities in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Membership (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The developments in the United Kingdom in relation to engagement with the European Union are followed in detail in my Department and in the Department of the Taoiseach as well as other Government Departments concerned. The debate in the UK has moved quickly, but its outcome remains uncertain. There are a large number of variables which could affect whether a referendum on EU membership will...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Reports (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The people of Scotland will vote in a referendum on 18 September 2014 on the question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ Ireland is entirely neutral in the debate, on the basis that the question is one for the people of Scotland to decide. That being said, the issues arising in the Scottish debate are of major importance, and have potentially significant direct and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (27 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland remains strongly supportive of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of its efforts to become a member of the European Union. Through the enlargement process, the EU has set out the reforms that are needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have underlined that these measures are not just necessary for the country to advance towards EU membership, but that they are also in the interests of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Naturalisation Applications (27 Feb 2014)

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. The issue of a passport is the culmination of an important and legally binding process. The checks and balances within the passport process embrace the standard principles that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Marching Season (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP about the overall situation in Northern Ireland including contentious marches and overall parades issue. In recent months, I met with all of the party leaders in the Executive and with the British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP as well as with the Independent Chair of the Panel of Parties, Dr...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland with the First Minister and deputy First Minister when I met with them in Dublin on 10 January 2014. I have spoken to each of them individually on a number of occasions since, most recently last week. During my conversations with the First Minister and with the deputy First Minister, I stated the Government’s view that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I met with Geraldine Finucane and other members of the Finucane family, together with their legal representatives, on 17 October 2011. I have since spoken and met with her informally, including since the publication of the da Silva Report in December 2012, and have indicated my ongoing availability to her and to the Finucane family. Officials from my Department are in ongoing contact with...