Results 15,121-15,140 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs is fully engaged in implementing the value for money measures announced by the Minister for Finance in his speech of 20 October 2005. One of those measures involves a requirement for Departments to review existing contract specifications for projects which exceed a value of €30 million. My Department is not involved in any projects above that threshold. The...

Written Answers — Irish Citizens Deportation: Irish Citizens Deportation (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Our missions in the United States, for whom the welfare of the undocumented Irish is of the highest priority, are not aware of any case of an Irish citizen being deported solely for the offence of driving without insurance. However, there have been cases where Irish citizens have been arrested for such offences and then subsequently deported for being in the country without proper...

Written Answers — Birth Certificates: Birth Certificates (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: To obtain the relevant birth certificate, the person in question should make contact with the certificate services section, General Register Office, PO Box 2, Southport, PR8 2JD, England, telephone 0044 845 603 7788. In circumstances where a birth was not registered, there is a facility for late registration with the General Register Office at the address provided. If, however, the General...

Written Answers — Cuban Citizens: Cuban Citizens (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The case to which the Deputy refers relates to five Cuban citizens who were convicted in the US in 2001 on charges ranging from espionage to first degree murder. A panel of three judges from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned the 2001 convictions on 9 August 2005 and ordered a retrial based on new evidence. The Miami District Attorney duly filed an appeal against the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Government, in common with our partners in the European Union, believes that the US economic embargo on Cuba seriously hampers the economic development of Cuba and negatively affects all of its people. EU companies account for at least half of all Cuba's foreign trade, and the EU rejects unilateral measures against Cuba which are contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade....

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, currently based in Dublin, will decentralise to Limerick. This is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007 and will involve the relocation to Limerick of 124 posts. Already, a total of 26 posts in the directorate, including that of director general,...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Irish passports are normally issued with up to ten years validity, though there are variations relating to the age of the applicant. For travel to other EU member states, no minimum validity is required and the holder can travel on his or her passport up to its final day of validity. As regards non-EU countries, states impose varying immigration-visa regulations, including having a specific...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The waiving of the passport fee for senior citizens, which I introduced with effect from 1 August last, was to further recognise the life-long contribution to society of our senior citizens. It builds on the existing free public transport, TV licence, telephone and electricity schemes for older people. All these schemes operate on the basis that they are available to those who have reached...

Written Answers — Election Observation Missions: Election Observation Missions (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: At the request of the Ukrainian Government, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, has established an election observation mission to observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine, taking place on 26 March 2006. Participating states have been asked to second long-term and short-term observers...

Written Answers — Consular Assistance: Consular Assistance (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Consular assistance is provided by my Department in a wide variety of circumstances and cases. However, my Department does not pay bail imposed by a court on an Irish citizen overseas. In certain cases, the Department of Foreign Affairs is prepared to advance funds to assist Irish citizens where this is judged to be urgent and necessary to ensure their security and safety, and where...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (21 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs has not been contacted in regard to this matter by Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles. Two investigations are under way under the aegis of the Council of Europe. The first is an investigation by Senator Dick Marty, a rapporteur appointed by the committee on legal affairs and human rights of the Parliamentary Assembly...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (16 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Of the 191 member states of the United Nations, 76 are currently not accredited to Ireland. The following tables outline the status of accreditation of each member state to Ireland and of Ireland to those member states not accredited here. The accreditation of diplomatic missions is a matter for each Government to consider and determine. While I cannot offer reasons as to why certain...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (15 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland takes a consistently strong position on Burma in its bilateral contacts, in the European Union framework and at the United Nations. With its EU partners, it avails of all opportunities to condemn the abuse of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Burma and to deplore the lack of progress towards democracy. Our goal remains an end to human rights violations, the release and...

Written Answers — EU Summits: EU Summits (15 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The document referred to in the Deputy's question is a report of an official level EU-US meeting of 26 May 2004, which was prepared by the general secretariat of the European Union Council of Ministers for the confidential information of European Union governments. While the confidentiality of the document precludes it from being made available, I can inform the Deputy that the meeting formed...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland has taken a consistently strong position on Burma at the United Nations and within the European Union. Together with our EU partners we avail of all opportunities to condemn the abuse of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Burma and deplore the lack of progress towards democracy. Our goal remains an end to human rights violations, the release and restoration of liberty to Aung...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (14 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 387 together. Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is currently based in Dublin, is scheduled to decentralise to Limerick in the first quarter of 2007. The directorate is headed by a director general, at assistant secretary level. Early in 2004, the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (14 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The Department of Foreign Affairs, through the consulate general in Boston, has closely followed the case of the person mentioned by the Deputy since shortly after his arrest in 1997 and has been in regular contact with him throughout his detention. The person in question was found guilty of the first degree murder of his girlfriend on 30 April 2001 and sentenced to life imprisonment. I...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (9 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware of the alleged proposal to which the Deputy refers. It is mentioned in a recently published book and has been reported in the media. There has been no suggestion, however, that the matter went any further or that any such plan was ever carried out.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (9 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The human resources section of my Department is aware that the officer concerned has applied to decentralise to County Kildare and will do whatever it can to facilitate her application. It is a matter for the Departments based in, or moving to, her preferred locations to make an offer of a transfer to the officer. The officer's first preference is not available at this stage, and her second...

Written Answers — Civil Service Travel Scheme: Civil Service Travel Scheme (9 Feb 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The travel pass scheme was introduced in 2002 under terms and conditions set out in Department of Finance circular 50/2001 — travel pass scheme for the Civil Service, and has been made available to the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs since then. The scheme was introduced as part of the Government's policy to encourage greater use of public transport. Under arrangements agreed...