Results 10,461-10,480 of 11,433 for speaker:Michael Kitt
- Controlled Substances. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy for raising the matter, which I understand refers to the availability of medicinal cannabis for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and regulations made thereunder regulate and control the import, export, production, supply and...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: The current situation in Ethiopia is of concern to me and is constantly monitored by our Embassy in Addis Ababa. The situation in parts of Ethiopia appears to be deteriorating with escalating numbers of moderately and severely malnourished people presenting at nutrition centres. The fact that many adolescents are already severely malnourished indicates a critical situation already in the...
- Written Answers — Food Security Issues: Food Security Issues (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: Rising oil prices have resulted in the diversion of food crops into bio-fuel production and there is now a recognised linkage between the recent increase in energy prices and the resultant increase in food prices. This has been one of the contributors to the recent rise in global food prices. Other factors have also played a role in food price increases. The rapid growth in some Asian...
- Written Answers — Millennium Development Goals: Millennium Development Goals (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted in the year 2000 as part of the commitments undertaken by Heads of Government at the Millennium Summit, represent a framework for international economic and social development up to the year 2015. The most important element of the MDGs is that they give us a measurable set of targets, in order that we can determine if progress has been...
- Written Answers — Genetically Modified Organisms: Genetically Modified Organisms (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: Ireland does not provide food aid directly to any African country. Ireland does however provide financial support to emergency food aid programmes. Such financial support is provided both through the European Commission and through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The European Commission does not provide food aid in kind. Rather, the European Commission provides financial...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I believe that research is central to improving the quality of our aid programme at all levels â the global, regional and country levels. Implementing the findings of well targeted research means better and more effective aid programmes. The Advisory Board for Irish Aid (ABIA) has a mandate to commission research of the highest international standards. The Board funds ongoing research in...
- Written Answers — AIDS Prevention: AIDS Prevention (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: Recent data released by the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) demonstrate that the global HIV prevalence â the number of people living with HIV â has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen. This is primarily due to much improved surveillance methodologies, along with some positive impacts of HIV programmes. However, in 2007 over 33 million people were...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 99 together. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General has overall responsibility for the independent audit of all Government expenditure, including the Irish Aid budget. The Comptroller and Auditor General has reported on the appropriation accounts for Vote 29 for the period 2002 to 2006. The 2007 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: We are in line with international norms where the practice is that internal audits are not published but are made available to the supreme audit institution in the state in question. In principle, we could publish these internal audits if our capacity to get our work done were not undermined as a result. However, if the trust we have built with individuals and organisations were undermined...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I will investigate that and report to the Deputy.
- Health Service Records. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy Lynch for raising this issue. The HSE has confirmed that it was notified yesterday that patient records from the former Cork Regional Hospital, now Cork University Hospital, and St. Finbarr's Hospital had been found in a disused landfill site in Glounthane,...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: The United Nations world food programme, WFP, is one of the world's largest humanitarian agencies and is dependent entirely on voluntary contributions from donors. Last year alone, the WFP provided food assistance for 90 million people worldwide. Ireland is a long-term and committed supporter of the WFP. Irish funding for the WFP comes from two sources. My colleague, the Minister for...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I completely agree with Deputy Timmins's praise for the WFP. I have long been a supporter of it. Deputy Timmins said that climate change has led to droughts and other climate-related difficulties in major cereal-producing countries such as Australia and Ukraine. The switch from the production of cereals as foodstuffs to the production of bio-fuels, most notably in the US where a Government...
- Overseas Development Aid. (1 May 2008)
Michael Kitt: I can only say that I will support the World Food Programme. I might add that we established a hunger taskforce, which was timely given that we established it before the issue of global food prices arose. That hunger taskforce has the input of 15 national and international experts. It was established by the Government to identify what Ireland can do to assist international efforts to...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (29 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: In 2008 Ireland's spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) will reach â¬914 million. This level of expenditure, the highest in the history of the programme, represents 0.54 % of GNP. It will ensure that Ireland remains one of the most generous donors in the world on a per capita basis. â¬814 million of this aid expenditure is delivered by my Department, through Irish Aid. The...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: I am aware of the plight of child headed households in Rwanda and find the courage and resilience of the children and young people described in The Irish Times article "Orphans of genocide rear themselves in village of children" deeply moving. The challenges of access to education, health and employment are heavy burdens for all such young people. Fourteen years after the genocide in...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (22 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: Non governmental organisations (NGOs) are important partners for Irish Aid in the delivery of the aid programme. NGOs in receipt of funding are closely monitored with a view to ensuring full accountability for all monies disbursed. Where issues of concern arise they are reported to senior management and appropriate action is taken. The immediate action is normally the suspension of further...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (22 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: Irish Aid has in place rigorous accounting and audit controls which are essential to ensuring a transparent, effective and high quality programme. Irish Aid programmes are regularly and intensively audited and evaluated by independent audit firms, by Irish Aid's Evaluation and Audit Unit and by the independent Audit Committee of the Department. Programmes are evaluated to ensure that funds...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (22 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the INTRAC Value for Money Report on Irish Aid support provided from the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Fund to Tsunami Affected Countries. The conclusion of that report was that "Irish Aid made a prompt and appropriate response, and, overall, managed its programme of support in an efficient and effective way. The programme of response has been...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (22 Apr 2008)
Michael Kitt: Ireland signed up to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of March 2005, which, inter alia, agreed to "eliminate duplication of efforts and rationalise donor activities to make them as cost effective as possible." In line with this commitment, Irish Aid's programme funding agreements now provide authorisation for the commissioning of joint audit work with other donors in areas of...