Results 881-900 of 1,687 for speaker:Eric Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: The African countries are not involved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: Is that the non-affiliated ones? I presume the affiliated countries-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: What is the position of the Organisation of African Unity?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I think Mrs. Bensouda was suggesting that it was being undermined or that support for the court was being clawed back. Is that a fact?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I am finished.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: We do provide a lot of aid for it, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: Mrs. Bensouda will never be unemployed, given the state of the world today with chemical weapon attacks and aerial bombings of civilians in Syria.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I will jump in at the deep end. Would it not be better for the International Criminal Court to be an integral part of the United Nations? It seems to me that it is a question of countries being referred to the court. For example, the UN Security Council refers cases for investigation to the ICC, or participants or signatories to the ICC allow it to investigate. If I understand the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I will pick up the threads and see where we are going. The Chairman and other members of this committee visited Sierra Leone and saw the special court for that country. We are talking about the Lord's Resistance Army and the effects of the war there, including amputations. Can Mrs. Bensouda explain the ICC's relationship with the special court for Sierra Leone? The more commonly known one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: Yes. Can Mrs. Bensouda explain how all these institutions knit together? Eight countries are currently being investigated and they are all African countries. I think Mrs. Bensouda said that the Organisation of African Unity was slipping backwards in support of the ICC, and only 34 of Africa's 54 countries have signed up to the court. The ICC will face a phenomenal task in dealing with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Role and Functions: Discussion with International Criminal Court (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: No one is accusing the Chairman of that.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (17 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: 448. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his position in relation to an earned regularisation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54178/13]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Taxation Collection (12 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: 37. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of house owners who applied to have their local property tax deducted from their social welfare payments but cannot avail of this option because their personal income is too low and they may not have been advised of this and now find themselves in arrears, through no fault of their own, with their local property tax; and if he will make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Report on Impact of Emigration on Youth: Discussion with National Youth Council of Ireland (11 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I thank Ms McAleer and, in particular, the National Youth Council of Ireland for producing a fascinating piece of work. It is fascinating because it is so relevant to Irish society. I do not know whether we can tease it out with the delegation and get an opinion from it. It might have heard me say I left Ireland in 1969 and arrived in Africa in 1970. The three of were tradesmen - an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Death of Nelson Mandela: Expressions of Sympathy (11 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I am representing the Labour Party. However, I must confess that I will need to blend my membership of the Labour Party with a personal chronology. As a 20 year old I left Ireland along with two colleagues. We hit Africa in late 1969. Travelling down through Africa to our ultimate destination of South Africa took six and a half months. This allowed us to absorb the magnificent culture of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (11 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: 56. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding a Student Universal Support Ireland grant appeal. [53246/13]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Review of Foreign Policy: Discussion with Minister of State (10 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I agree this is a timely and interesting discussion that is to be had. If we are doing as well as we are, I am unsure how matters can be improved and I will be fascinated to find out about what routes and restructuring members will be discussing. The Chairman has already referred to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, which are three countries bordering each other with three embassies and three...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (10 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I have a final question for the Minister of State in regard to Moldova. I worry about its vulnerability given the current state of play between the eastern partnership. Can the Minister of State reassure me that now that Armenia and the Ukraine have gone their way he will redouble his efforts to secure Moldova's status, which is very weak?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (10 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: I thank the Minister of State. I will get the simple questions out of the way and then ask the more substantive questions. I fully agree with the European Union that the new government in Albania has made huge strides in reforming the judiciary and the institutions of state. I applaud the direction in which Albania is moving. I have previously raised the old chestnut of Bosnia and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (4 Dec 2013)

Eric Byrne: This is an important issue to debate. I believe it is on the agenda because I read a press statement in The Irish Times, which I brought to the attention of the joint committee asking what it was all about. Consequently, the debate has now started and it is very important. I can apologise for being a relatively new Member of the Dáil but to this day, I still do not fully understand...