Results 1,601-1,620 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The Taoiseach announced at the UN Millennium Review Summit in New York on 14 September that the Government will reach the target of spending 0.7% of GNP on official development assistance by 2012. We have agreed a number of steps along the way to achieving the target, including interim targets of 0.5% of GNP in 2007 and 0.6% in 2010. We have, therefore, a clear pathway to achieving the UN...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 17 and 22 together. Under the Government's decentralisation programme, announced in December 2003, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, currently based in Dublin, is scheduled to decentralise to Limerick. This will involve the relocation to Limerick of 123 posts and is scheduled to take place during the first...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 50, 62, 64, 90 and 137 together. The earthquake which struck south Asia, particularly Pakistan, on 8 October has had devastating consequences. The unusual shallow nature of the quake caused widespread structural damage and current estimates put the dead at over 70,000, including 17,000 children. It has been followed by some 900 aftershocks, one of which...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The Government is committed to funding the International Association of Business and Parliament in the amount of â¬286,170 over a two-year period in support of a project aimed at strengthening legislatures in Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova. The overall objective of the project is to foster economic development and good governance, as prerequisites for poverty reduction, through the...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 71 together. The Taoiseach announced at the UN Millennium Review Summit in New York on 14 September that the Government will reach the target of spending 0.7% of GNP on official development assistance by 2012. We have agreed a number of steps along the way to achieving the target. First, we have an interim target of 0.5% of GNP in 2007. Second, aid...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The original UN Flash Appeal for the region affected by the tsunami was for US$97.1 million. This figure was later increased to just over US$1 billion. Ireland pledged â¬20 million to tsunami relief and that pledge has been fully committed. On a per capita basis, the total combined contribution from the Government and the Irish public was one of the highest in the world. The most accurate...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Since January 2000, Ireland has allocated over â¬28 million in funding for development and humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan. Ireland's funding to Afghanistan is delivered through a range of partners with a proven record of delivering assistance to those most in need and through mechanisms such as World Bank trust funds, designed to build capacity and to deliver essential services. Our...
- Written Answers — Election Observation Missions: Election Observation Missions (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 69 together. The Government responds to requests to participate in constitutional referendums and election observation missions in a positive manner and ensures, where possible, that Irish representatives are included in such missions. Over the past ten years, Ireland has been invited to send observers to approximately 150 missions and has participated...
- Written Answers — Humanitarian Disasters: Humanitarian Disasters (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Ireland was among the first countries to respond to the south Asia earthquake disaster. Within a few hours of the earthquake, â¬1 million was pledged towards immediate relief efforts in northern Pakistan and the surrounding regions. As the casualty figures rose dramatically, our response was increased to â¬5 million, placing Ireland as one of the highest donors to the disaster on a per...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: HIV-AIDS continues to be the single biggest obstacle to reducing poverty and to attaining the millennium development goals, MDGs. Current statistics from the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS, UNAIDS, indicate that in 2004, almost 40 million people were living with the HIV virus. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the worst-affected region in the world and is now home to over 25 million...
- Written Answers — Debt Relief: Debt Relief (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together. The elimination of starvation and chronic malnutrition in Africa is a key objective of Ireland's aid programme. The reduction of hunger is one of the most important tasks to which the international community can dedicate itself at this time. Hunger and malnutrition should have no place in the 21st century. The millennium development goals...
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: We will be in a position to execute this move without any great loss to the programme. We have done our homework and the officials have put in place a serious risk management strategy to ensure that corporate memory is protected and there is a hand-over period of a month as one staff comes on board and another is moved to other duties. There will be proper induction and a centralised computer...
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I answered that question two days ago at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and I also answered it last month.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The risk assessment is published on my website.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: It is updated and monitored on a regular basis. Obviously we have development specialists in the field. Most of them are there, many of them local employees. Of the development specialists in headquarters, 11 out of the 24 have applied to go to Limerick and are prepared to go there. Of the senior specialist grades which the Deputy mentioned, and of which there are seven, none has currently...
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: While we have a problem at the senior level, we are oversubscribed at middle and lower management ranks. Plenty of people are willing to travel.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: We are in regular consultation with the NGOs, weekly and almost daily.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: They have outlined to us their concerns, as has the advisory board which advises me as Minister for State.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: We have assured them of the kind of strategies to minimise the potential risks which I outlined.
- Decentralisation Programme. (10 Nov 2005)
Conor Lenihan: There is a number of knowledge management systems being piloted on the Internet and we will have extensive use of video conferencing facilities so that whatever move is made to Limerick there will be a coherent and integrated approach in our relationship with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and our colleagues there. I do not anticipate any great difficulties.