Results 15,261-15,280 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 190 and 191 together. The only review which had a direct bearing on the closure of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, APSO, was that of the Ireland Aid review committee in 2002. The committee's report recommended that APSO should be integrated into Ireland Aid, now Development Co-operation Ireland. The costs of this review are not directly attributable...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: There are four bodies which come under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs and for which the Department provides funding, namely, the advisory board for Development Co-operation Ireland; the development education advisory committee; the board of the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, that is, the Fulbright Commission; and the DION committee. The advisory...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The criminal justice review, established pursuant to the Good Friday Agreement, considered the question of community restorative justice schemes in the context of strengthening support for the criminal justice system. It concluded that, in certain circumstances, such schemes had a useful role to play, but emphasised the need to operate within certain well defined criteria. As part of the...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I participated with the Taoiseach at the meeting with the SDLP on 5 December 2005. We had a constructive meeting, during which we discussed the way forward for the political process. We also discussed a range of other issues, including North-South co-operation and the proposed British legislation dealing with "on-the-runs". With regard to the political process, the Taoiseach and I reiterated...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The importance of building trust and improving community relations, tackling sectarianism and addressing segregation in Northern Ireland was acknowledged in the rights, identity and community section of the Joint Declaration published by the two Governments in 2003. The British Government was specifically mandated in the document to review good community relations and to bring forward a...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 to 199, inclusive, together. The case to which the Deputies refer relates to five Cuban citizens who were convicted in the US in 2001 on charges ranging from espionage to first degree murder. 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...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Issues connected with Estonian citizenship are a matter for the Estonian Government. I have not, therefore, raised the matter referred to in the Deputy's question with my Estonian counterpart.

Written Answers — EU Constitution: EU Constitution (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Of the €150,000 allocated for spending on the referendum on the European constitution in 2005, a total of €71,532.65 has been spent to date. Within this overall figure, €65,178.20 was spent on the publication of the White Paper in English and Irish, €6,298.05 on the dedicated website on the European constitution, www.europeanconstitution.ie, and €56.40 on the purchase of additional...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: It was announced in the Estimates, subhead E of Vote 28, that contributions to bodies in Ireland engaged in the furtherance of international relations will be increased from €170,000 in 2005 to €280,000 in 2006. This subhead provides for grant assistance to two bodies: the European Movement Ireland and the Irish United Nations Association. In 2006, I propose to provide a grant of...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I attended the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held in Brussels on 12 December. The main focus of the meeting was to prepare for the European Council on 15 and 16 December which will be dominated by the financial perspectives. There was a relatively short discussion on the financial perspectives as updated proposals from the UK Presidency had not yet been...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Following the end of the civil war in 1992 and the first democratic elections in 1994, Mozambique has become one of Africa's most successful examples of post-conflict reconstruction and development. Political stability has been underpinned by national reconstruction and relatively rapid economic growth. However, the transition is incomplete and residual mistrust remains between the ruling...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Security Policy: Common Foreign and Security Policy (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The EU has taken the lead role in working with the countries of the western Balkans to consolidate peace and stability in the region and to promote economic development and respect for human rights and the rule of law. Progress and developments are reviewed regularly by the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC. The overall framework for relations with the countries of the...

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The most recent information and statistics on the HIV AIDS epidemic are contained in the annual report, AIDS Epidemic Update 2005, released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV AIDS, UNAIDS, and the World Health Organisation, WHO. This report noted progress in declining HIV infection rates in a number of countries and increasing access to HIV treatment. Adult HIV infection rates have...

Written Answers — Partnership for Peace: Partnership for Peace (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The situation remains as set out in my reply to Question No. 138 of 10 November 2005. In addition to the discussions described in that reply, a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, EAPC, in Foreign Ministers' format was held on 8 December 2005 in Brussels. As my attendance at the meeting was not possible, I was represented by our ambassador to Belgium, who is also head of our PfP...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Security Policy: Common Foreign and Security Policy (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The European security and defence policy, ESDP, is an integral part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, and serves the Union's general objectives of peace and stability. These objectives and the provisions governing the ESDP are set out in the Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice, which were approved by referendum. In this context, the European Union is increasing its ability to...

State Airports. (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 to 37, inclusive, together. The Government is completely opposed to the practice of so-called "extraordinary rendition", whereby prisoners are transported from one jurisdiction to another contrary to international law and without recourse to the normal judicial checks and balances that attend the legitimate transfer of prisoners. That such a practice might...

State Airports. (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would not normally be aware of any matters relating to the last question. Ms Rice, in her discussions with me, made it clear that intelligence agencies across the world share information in the fight against terrorism. The US and other states expect that co-operation. This question relates to flights while another relates to detention centres in Europe. The...

State Airports. (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: No. I received an assurance on rendition, on any account and unqualified.

State Airports. (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy cites a number of conventions. The European Court of Human Rights has determined that there must be substantial proof of a real risk of a breach of rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. To date, despite media speculation, we have no substantial grounds in that respect. I do not rely only on the assurances I received but also on other sources, including Human...

State Airports. (14 Dec 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The information available to me indicates that such CIA flights have been taking place for a long time, certainly the past 50 years during which various political parties have been in Government here. Having received categoric assurances which a number of other European countries have been unable to secure on this issue, we cannot go behind them. If we were to do so, it would be regarded as...