Results 1,201-1,220 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: The development assistance committee of the OECD sets the rules and regulates what qualifies as official development assistance. Unfortunately, this committee has not agreed a set of criteria with regard to the resettlement of refugees.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: It is within the rules of the development assistance committee to include some costs for the resettlement of refugees as part of official development assistance. We do not fully set these costs against our official development assistance as other donors do and have never decided to do so. Multilateral debt relief qualifies for official development assistance but it drops out the following...

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: This country, thankfully, has never been involved in pushing sovereign debt on other countries.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: Therefore the issue does not affect us. Those other countries can write off the cost and set it against their official development assistance but it is a one-off phenomenon. We would like to see other donors join us in reaching the 0.7% target. Certain countries have committed to achieving it by 2015. We will have difficulties. I refer mainly to Germany, Italy and perhaps Greece.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: When we set the 2015 target Germany and France indicated they might have difficulties and tried to soften the commitment by making it subject to financial resources available at the time. They are experiencing their own traumas and difficulties so I would not condemn them for that. They were frank enough to say they might have difficulties before they signed up.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I agree with the Deputy.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 38 together. The UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights has stated in its General Comment No. 15 that "the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses". The Government supports the views expressed by the committee in its General Comment...

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I assure the Deputy I incline more to his view than that of the World Bank. However, I would emphasise that the World Bank has changed its approach to the privatisation of water and water utilities in African countries. That change of heart, while not expressed overtly, has occurred since early 2005. We do not incline to the World Bank definition. We are co-sponsoring a draft resolution...

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: The Deputy is correct in stating that we in Ireland have an obligation.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: The Deputy's interpretation may be correct but the World Bank has changed its view. That was never an Irish Aid view.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: Since we are sponsoring a motion at the Human Rights Council to establish the scope and extent of how this right can be enforced, I am not in a position to fully answer the question about what sanction could potentially apply to states or governments that nakedly discriminate against their own citizens by denying them a right to water. Clearly, it would be something that could be pursued...

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: ——I am sure the Green Party would agree with me on this — that in certain situations there is less wastage where charges apply.

Overseas Development Aid. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I am afraid Deputies will have to suffer me for a bit longer. I am replying to all of the matters. I ask the Deputies to bear with me while I sort out my papers.

Human Trafficking. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I thank Deputy Costello for raising this very important issue and for giving me the opportunity of updating the House on this matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Human trafficking, by its very nature, is a clandestine activity. It is a crime which can have very deep and lasting effects on its victims. The use of force or intimidation by those...

Human Trafficking. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I will give the Deputy the remainder of the statement.

Military Neutrality. (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: Will Deputy Sargent be coming with Deputy Gormley?

Seanad: Estimates for Public Services 2007: Statements (Resumed) (23 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: That is because rising incomes are taking people out of the poverty net and into the higher taxation brackets.

Estimates for Public Services 2007: Motion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I agree with the Deputy in respect of the former point, but not the latter.

Estimates for Public Services 2007: Motion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: I am in a rather privileged position because, in the two years I have held this portfolio, I have achieved something unique in the history of the State, namely, a seven-year multi-annual agreement in respect of the funding of Irish Aid. That agreement stretches to 2012 and is being backed by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, and his Department, and not merely with hard cash increases....

Estimates for Public Services 2007: Motion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2006)

Conor Lenihan: When I took up office, people were criticising the Government and stating that it had not maintained the three-year multi-annual package. Not only did I restore that package prior to making a commitment to reach the 0.7% target by 2012, but I have now secured a seven-year multi-annual package. I know that this Government and that which succeeds it will honour this commitment. The Government...