Results 16,001-16,020 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Fairtrade Products: Fairtrade Products (12 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Fairtrade mark is an independent assurance that producers in developing countries receive a fair price for their products. It provides a vital opportunity for producers in the poorest developing countries to access international markets on fair terms of trade and also for people in Ireland to make a practical contribution to improving the conditions of producers in developing countries. I...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (12 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: There is only one statutory agency under the remit of my Department, namely the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, known as The Fulbright Commission. There is one vacancy on the board of the commission at present and possible nominees for appointment are under consideration at this time.

Written Answers — Immigration Policy: Immigration Policy (11 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland is not a signatory to the International Convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families. The convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1990, and it entered into force on 1 July 2003, following ratification by the requisite number of states — 20. The convention on migrant workers has been open for signature and...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Sharia, the law of the land in Saudi Arabia, permits corporal and capital punishment, and prohibits many activities which we would regard as matters of personal and private conduct. The Saudi Arabian authorities interpret the universal concept of human rights through the principles of Islam. Public criticism of Islam, including the Sharia law, is strictly prohibited. In our ongoing contacts...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Government, and our partners in the European Union, have followed closely the cases of the Kurdish political representatives referred to by the Deputy. I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter Parliamentary Union adopted a resolution on these cases at its meeting in Manila on 8 April 2005. Of the 15 former members of the Turkish Parliament mentioned, perhaps the most prominent...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: Ms Merve Safa Kavakci was elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in the general election held on 18 April 1999. She represented a constituency in Istanbul, as a member of the main Islamist political group at the time, the Fazilet (Virtue) Party. At the first meeting of the new parliament, Ms Kavakci was prevented from taking the oath when other representatives protested that she was...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The 33 Zimbabwean parliamentarians referred to have all reportedly been subject to various forms of harassment, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment by the Zimbabwean authorities. Regrettably, this is a pattern of intimidation of opposition politicians which has obtained in Zimbabwe for several years now where the overall human rights situation continues to deteriorate. Ireland and its EU...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted a resolution on 8 April 2005 concerning 23 parliamentarians in Burma, 15 of whom are reportedly in detention, six of whom are reported to have died in custody and two of whom are reported to have been assassinated. Together with our EU partners, the Government has consistently condemned the lack of progress...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 208 and 209 together. I am aware of the cases to which the Deputy refers. The Government shares the concerns expressed about the conduct of the cases against these persons and the conditions under which they have been detained. We continue to monitor these cases. The Government, both bilaterally and together with our partners in the European Union, has...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: On 7 April 2003, Dr. Leonard Hitimana, a member of the Transitional National Assembly of Rwanda representing the opposition Mouvement Démocratique Républican, MDR, party, disappeared after having left the home of another MDR Deputy in Kigali. It appears that Mr. Hitimana's disappearance may be linked to his activity in the MDR political party which was subsequently banned by the Rwandan...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted a resolution on 8 April 2005 concerning the imprisonment of the persons referred to, who were members of the People's Council of the Syrian Arab Republic. The presidency and the EU missions in Syria are following closely developments in relation to these cases, and have made known our concerns to the Syrian...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted a resolution on 8 April 2005 concerning the case of Mr. Tengku Nashiruddin Daud. I understand that Mr. Tengku Nashiruddin Daud, an Acehnese member of parliament in Indonesia, was killed in January 2000 and that an investigation into this case is still ongoing. Ireland and our EU partners continue to monitor...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted a resolution on 8 April 2005 concerning the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim. Mr. Anwar was dismissed from office in 1998 and subsequently imprisoned for alleged offences of sodomy and corruption and sentenced to serve nine and six year sentences respectively. Following a number of...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted a resolution on 8 April 2005 concerning the death of the Mongolian parliamentarian, Mr. Zorig Sanjasuuren, in 1998. I understand that an investigation into his death is still ongoing. Ireland and our EU partners continue to monitor the political situation in Mongolia. A trade and co-operation agreement...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 216 together. I am aware that the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, adopted resolutions on 8 April 2005 concerning Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and Mr. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of Pakistan. I understand that Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, was released from prison in December 2004. Following his release, he...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together. I am aware that the Inter-Parliamentary Union at its meeting from 3 to 9 April 2005 in Manila considered the cases of the kidnappings of Mr. Oscar Lizcano, Mr. Jorge Eduardo Gechen Turbay, Mr. Luis Eladio Pêrez Bonilla, Mr. Orlando Beltrán Cuéllar, Ms Gloria Polanco de Lozada and Ms Consuelo González de Perdomo as well as death...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, at its meeting from 3 to 9 April 2005, in Manila, adopted a resolution regarding the murders of Jaime Ricaurte Hurtado González and Pablo Vicente Tapia Farinango. I share the view of the IPU that due process is essential in such cases. In a statement on recent political developments in Ecuador issued on 21 April 2005, the Luxembourg...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: The Government remains deeply concerned at the treatment of the eleven parliamentarians arrested on grounds of treason in September 2001, after they had issued a statement critical of the human rights record of the Eritrean Government and calling for a greater level of democracy and political space in Eritrea. None of the eleven parliamentarians detained have been allowed access to their...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware that the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, at its meeting from 3 to 9 April 2005 in Manila, adopted a resolution regarding ongoing court proceedings in the case of the murder of Mr. Miguel Angel Pavón Salazar in Honduras. I share the view of the IPU that due process is essential in such cases and I assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to monitor the situation in...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2005)

Dermot Ahern: This case continues to be closely monitored by my Department through the Irish Embassy in London. The embassy in London remains in contact with the person himself and with the prison authorities on his behalf. The embassy also met recently with the representatives of the group campaigning for his release. As I have indicated previously in my replies on this case, I understand the person's...