Results 821-840 of 1,687 for speaker:Eric Byrne
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Review of Foreign Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Feb 2014)
Eric Byrne: My question asked who led us up the garden path. Everybody believed the agreement would be signed, right up to the last moment right until Putin brought Yanukovych over and maybe threatened his oil and gas supplies in the middle of winter when temperatures were minus 30 to 40 degrees. My criticism was there were early warning that the Russian Federation had already moved on Armenia and that...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Review of Foreign Policy and External Relations: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Feb 2014)
Eric Byrne: I thank the Chairman and welcome the three speakers whose contributions were very stimulating. However, we do not live in an ideal world. While I accept many of the contributions made, many are predicated upon resources and reform within the State itself. For example, we are theoretically addressing the review of foreign policy and external relations. How does one create a policy around...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Peer Review of Ireland's Development Co-operation Programme: OECD (4 Feb 2014)
Eric Byrne: I was just wondering if our guests have come across evidence of this type of behaviour.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Peer Review of Ireland's Development Co-operation Programme: OECD (4 Feb 2014)
Eric Byrne: I have a brief supplementary question. Busan was mentioned. I have been to Seoul with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and the OECD. We are examining and preparing for the United Nations post-2015 framework. I was shocked to hear from so many parliamentarians and delegates that some of these countries do not even know some of the agencies that are operating in their...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Peer Review of Ireland's Development Co-operation Programme: OECD (4 Feb 2014)
Eric Byrne: The delegation is more than welcome. I am familiar with the committee's oversight role. My understanding is Portugal and Austria are the two partners that will review Ireland's overseas development aid programme and Malawi is being taken as the counter country. How were Austria and Portugal chosen? What is the relationship between these countries? Are OECD staff in those countries? What...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Mr. Nugent mentioned the scarf or the hijab. Could he explain the reasoning behind the burka?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Presumably the Saudi Arabians have their own passport for which the women have to unveil.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: I touched on a point about the 60,000 new Irish. We have moved from a monocultural to a multicultural society in a short period and this has brought complexities such as the use of names by African, Arabian or Muslim people. We have always used the traditional Christian name and surname. Still to this day, many people think their first name is their Christian name, but if a person is a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Are they allowed to apply to change their passports?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: I appreciate that. I did qualify my question.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: At the outset, I congratulate the office for doing an outstanding job. I would rather see the empowerment of the citizens on how to get emergency passports than opening it up to politicians to have this exclusive right of access. I am not good at mathematics but it strikes me, if my figures are correct, that if the Passport Service has issued 631,000 in the past year and these are of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Could the clerk to the committee speak to the clerk to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs specifically? We got caught in a very embarrassing position a couple of weeks ago or possibly last week because at least two of us are members of both committees. The meetings were held at the same time and both were very important events. One cannot attend two meetings at the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: This is correspondence. Can we proceed with our business instead of pursuing this personalised attacks?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions of the Passport Office (29 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Did the Chairman play a role in ensuring that happened?
- Leaders' Questions (28 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: The Deputy is saying that.
- Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: 294. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will clarify the situation regarding an appeal in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4141/14]
- Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (28 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: 361. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the rationale behind the removal of the free telephone allowance from the household benefits package; if it is envisaged that this payment will be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3546/14]
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Role of National Parliaments in European Semester and Annual Growth Survey 2014: Secretary General of European Commission (23 Jan 2014)
Eric Byrne: Language is important. I was here before Ms Day arrived and I asked my colleagues jokingly the definition of a semester. In my innocence I understood it to be some sort of programme for American students on semester here for the summer. Ms Day said that as parliamentarians, our duty will be to demystify the work of the European Commission, explain the meaning of "semester" and so on. She...
- Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (22 Jan 2014) Eric Byrne: The Chairman is usually there before us. I saw his photographs.
- Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (22 Jan 2014) Eric Byrne: People had nothing but good things to say about him. He will be pleased.