Results 1,521-1,540 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: Does Senator Daly wish to leave it until later?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: Excuse me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: Senator Daly says it is down for later. We will deal with it afterwards, if he wants to propose to do so. I was only facilitating him by having it now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: We are in public session. We will get the witnesses and start the presentation, and then we will deal with Senator Daly's motion afterwards. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: While we are waiting on the witnesses to come in we will deal with the motion on the Ibrahim Halawa case. Would Senator Daly like to comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: The Government has already formally supported Mr. Halawa's release under Law 140, which is the presidential decree. That was done last February. The Government has also formally supported the application for Ibrahim Halawa's release on bail. I will meet with the legal team as soon as that can be arranged.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: I do not propose to hold a formal meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: I want to say-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: As long as I am chairing this committee it will not be a courtroom. The Department officials have already outlined to KRW following receipt of its opinion, that the Government believes that the wording of Law 140 is such that it cannot be allowed in Ibrahim Halawa's case until the trial proceedings have concluded. Based on extensive representations of Ibrahim Halawa's case at the highest...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: Senator Daly, please allow me to speak. The committee will meet with the legal team, as it has done previously. They were also invited to attend when Dr. Christopher Ward appeared before the committee but, unfortunately, as they were delayed in traffic they did not make it to that meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: We will meet informally with the legal team. I do not understand the reason the Senator is going to push this to a vote. I think he is making the wrong decision on this matter and I urge him to rethink it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: No. His trial had concluded.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: There is a great deal of misinformation in respect of this case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: We have used the exact same procedure as other countries. I visited Cairo in August.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: There are no different tactics. All those questions can be put informally. I believe it is in his best interests that we do not play this out in public session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: His legal team has its own agenda. We have a role to play as a committee and I intend that we should play it. We will meet them informally.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: If the committee agrees, we will meet the team informally. We all want to act in the best interests of Ibrahim Halawa.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: We do not want this played out in public in such a way as could damage his case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: We cannot be seen to interfere.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (9 Dec 2015)

Pat Breen: Senator Daly has come here on numerous occasions and called on the Taoiseach to lift the phone. Not only did the Taoiseach lift the phone, he spoke to President el-Sisi twice in respect of this matter. We have done everything at the highest level possible. We have followed the same procedures as other countries.