Results 701-720 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There is one vacancy at Ambassador level, in our embassy in Kampala, Uganda. It is intended that this position will be filled shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (26 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: My Department is responsible for two Votes, Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). My Department engages a range of external service providers in a number of areas where the required skills are not available in-house and it is more cost-effective to source them externally. I have set out in the tables below details of payments to providers of external...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 to 164, inclusive, together. St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. Ministerial visits around this period are organised to ensure that we use this exposure to maximise the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 169 together. I attended an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council which was held in Brussels on 20 February 2014 to discuss the serious deterioration of the situation in Ukraine earlier in the week. On the same day, my German, French and Polish counterparts were in Kiev for discussions with the Government and opposition and we were...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am very concerned regarding reports of abuses of migrant workers’ rights in Qatar, and strongly deplore any such abuses. Qatar has the highest ratio of migrants to citizens in the world; nearly 88 per cent of the total population are foreign workers, employed largely in construction, services and domestic work. The presence of large numbers of migrant workers in the Gulf area,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The issue to which the Deputy refers concerns the long-running dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom regarding sovereignty over an area that includes the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) as well the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The status of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) has been the subject of various resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am deeply shocked at the appalling catalogue of human rights abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea highlighted by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Accounts of appalling atrocities have been known for many years. This is the first time that they have been presented to the international community in such a detailed manner. I want to pay tribute to the witnesses who have...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Data Protection (20 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There is no designated Information officer in my Department. However, all data protection matters are dealt with by a unit within Corporate Services Division.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (20 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am in ongoing regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and met with her most recently on 6 February , and with the political parties in Northern Ireland on issues related to full implementation of the Agreement, including a Bill of Rights, and will remain so. I have made clear in statements in the Dáil and elsewhere and in my contacts with the Secretary of...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 71 together. I have made clear on a number of occasions my concerns about the current human rights situation in Egypt, particularly following the events of last July which resulted in the overthrow of the elected Morsi government. I have also addressed these concerns in private conversation with my Egyptian counterpart. Those concerns are widely...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am sure the Deputy is aware that the State does not sign petitions. We make our own statements and we join with other member states of the European Union in making a joint statement on behalf of the country, the European Union or the United Nations. I share the concerns outlined. We actively contributed to the negotiation of the recent European Union Foreign Affairs Council conclusions...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: As recently as last week, this country worked very closely with the other European Union member states to reach a set of conclusions in Brussels at the Foreign Affairs Council which were very robust on the situation in Egypt. It is very clear that the situation in Egypt has been deteriorating. Very serious human rights issues are evident there and serious issues arise in terms of any...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I am anxious to put on the record the actions the Government has taken on the human rights issue in Saudi Arabia. The European Union group, of which we are a party, received approval from the Saudi authorities to attend the trials of human rights activists. This is a significant and positive development that will enable the group to more closely monitor issues relating to access to justice...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of May 2012, to which Ireland strongly contributed, were an important statement of EU policy on the Middle East conflict. They identified a range of critical and negative Israeli policies which needed to be changed. Many of these centred around the continuing expansion of settlements, which I have consistently identified as a central issue in the...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There is no doubt that the settlements should not be continuing. The Deputy is correct that if the settlements do continue they will make the development of the two-state solution physically impossible. They will effectively sever the northern-southern part of the West Bank. They are having a huge impact around Jerusalem and Israel should stop settlement expansion, particularly in the...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: This has been a long-standing issue. There has been a stand-off for a very long period. I am glad that discussions are under way and I want to see those succeed. I think the European Union has a role in supporting the talks. It has a role into the future in its relationship with Israel and with the Palestinian state. It needs to pursue more strongly the conclusions reached in May 2012....

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The question down for me is about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. I will answer any other supplementary questions arising from it. The nature of the Saudi state, as an absolute monarchy with a legal system based on Islamic Sharia, means it is wholly different from the rights-based culture and legal system of western countries. While the overall human rights situation in Saudi...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland has always been at the forefront internationally in raising human rights issues through bilateral contacts, the European Union and the United Nations. We have never shied away from addressing those issues. Ireland made two recommendations to Saudi Arabia during the most recent human rights council universal periodic review process in October. These recommendations focused on the...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I have quite a number of examples of what Ireland is doing in this regard.

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I was anxious to put on record what Ireland is doing on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. I will take another opportunity to do so.