Results 7,181-7,200 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Northern Ireland: Statements (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: Each speaker in this debate has referred to the need to deal with the legacy of the past. Last Sunday in my constituency in County Monaghan a mass was celebrated for the late Columba McVeigh, a young man who was taken away and brutally murdered by thugs, criminals and murderers masquerading as republicans. That mass was celebrated by Fr. Sean Nolan in the Church of the Sacred Heart in...

Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister of State. The 0.7% of GNP target is proportionate, whether we are in good or in very challenging economic times. The highest level of assistance provided at any time was €920 million in 2008, which was 0.59% of GNP at that time. Very respected non-governmental organisations, such as Trócaire, GOAL, Oxfam and Dóchas, have been advocating very...

Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: As the Minister of State knows, our aid has always been classed as untied aid, which is very important. A substantial part of ODA goes to international agencies such as the UN, the World Health Organization and so on. I read a report recently which suggested that GOAL was able to use the funding provided by our State as leverage to draw down very substantial funding from the British...

Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 107. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his proposals to reach the United Nations target of 0.7% of gross national product for overseas development aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36929/15]

Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: Ireland has a long-standing and internationally respected tradition of contributing overseas aid in various forms, as peacekeepers, mediators and through the work of missionaries, medical and nursing personnel. The contributions of this country through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through other Departments and statutory agencies and, in particular, through Irish Aid in untied...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: I exhort the Minister to ensure this issue will be on the agenda for every single Foreign Affairs Council meeting. He is aware that violent clashes erupted in September between Israeli security officials and Palestinians at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem. Unfortunately, we have since witnessed once again a new wave of violence and a number of fatalities on both sides of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: As a nation, we know better than many the despair and waste of pointless brutality and sectarian violence. As the beneficiary of international support for its own peace process, Ireland has a moral duty to find its voice and to use it to oppose the continuing violence in Israel and Palestine. I reiterate that together with colleagues in government, the Minister must take every opportunity in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 103. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline any new initiatives that will be taken by the European Union on the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37186/15]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: The establishment of a peacefully coexistent Israel and Palestine in light of long-standing violence in the Middle East would prove a substantial pillar of stability in ongoing efforts to stabilise that region. In recent weeks High Representative Mogherini has taken part in meetings with the quartet and bilateral discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, and President...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: Those of us who are privileged to be public representatives on this island should reflect that we all have a mandate to implement the Good Friday Agreement. That agreement received over 94% support in the referendum in our State and well over 70% North of the Border. It behoves all of us in public life on this island to work ceaselessly to ensure that its provisions and those of subsequent...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his response and I hope this intensive phase of the talks will draw to a successful conclusion. The need for such a conclusion is evidently demonstrated by the report on paramilitary activity - which makes for stark reading - and the attendant problems for communities on both sides of the Border. As the House knows, that report pointed out that individual...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 100. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress made in the all-party talks in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37185/15]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: In recent weeks and months in Northern Ireland we have seen political instability reach a significant peak in the form of budgetary clashes on welfare reform and following more recent revelations on the assessment of the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations by the PSNI and MI5. The political stalemate and the wider political and societal instability it fosters must not...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his meeting with the envoy of the United States of America, Senator Gary Hart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36932/15]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 130. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with his European counterparts; or at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council, in respect of the escalating violence in Jerusalem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36930/15]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 135. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of any recent discussions that he had with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Ms Theresa Villiers, and-or with the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr. Philip Hammond, on the need for the British Government to release files and papers pertaining to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; and if...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 142. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the European Council's action plan with Turkey on the refugee crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36931/15]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 318. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to amend the criteria in respect of the primary medical certificate; if he is aware that the Ombudsman referred to the need to change these criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37918/15]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Drainage Schemes (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 346. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his proposals to carry out drainage work on a river (details supplied) in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37440/15]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (3 Nov 2015)

Brendan Smith: 604. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to ensure that additional Garda Síochána will be assigned to the Cavan-Monaghan division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38378/15]