Results 16,581-16,600 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Middle East Peace Process. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: First I will answer Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question on the European neighbourhood policy. It is a policy of the EU to maintain good relations, from a political, economic and institutional point of view, with nations in and around its borders and we support it. As regards Israeli participation in the plan of action in that respect, we also welcome their involvement. By getting Israel involved in...

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 181 together. The Government decided on 14 July to initiate a process of discussions with the other EU member states and EU institutions with a view to seeking official and working status for the Irish language in the EU under Regulation 1 of 1958. The regulation is the legal instrument that governs the official and working language regime of the EU...

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: It is not a question of "yes" or "no". The contacts that have been made were made at diplomatic level with all the countries involved. While some progress has been made, there is a difficulty in respect of some countries with regional languages which may want to obtain recognition in that regard. As stated earlier, unanimity is the issue. A sensitive sounding out of the positions of other...

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: As regards our position during the discussions on the European constitution, the status of a number of languages, Basque, Catalan and Galician, was raised and it was agreed that the treaty would be translated into these languages, which is similar to the position regarding the Irish language. A declaration on minority languages was also agreed but there was no question of reopening the issue...

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I do not know what is the position regarding the newspaper, Lá. The Deputy will have to raise the matter with the Minister with direct responsibility.

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I answered the question regarding discussions on the European constitution.

Irish Language. (19 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I will have to check the position regarding Lá in the Department. I understand the reason the matter was not raised during the Presidency was that the Irish language became a real issue with the accession of ten new countries.

Written Answers — Death of Irish Citizen: Death of Irish Citizen (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy will share the shock and sadness felt by the Government after the cruel and barbaric murder of Kenneth Bigley last week. I had hoped to respond to the Deputy's question in different circumstances and I am very disappointed that all our efforts and pleadings for mercy and humanity to be shown to Mr. Bigley went unanswered. I am sure that all Members of the House would join with the...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I share the concern which has been expressed about the continuing cycle of violence in the Middle East. I set out the Government's views in the debate on the adjournment which took place on 7 October. I unequivocally condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups which have taken place recently, including and in particular the killing of the young children, and demand...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland is a long-standing supporter of the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. The Government played a prominent role in seeking a solution to the western Sahara dispute during its term on the Security Council. On 31 July 2003 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1495 which, in addition to extending the mandate of the UN mission for the referendum in western Sahara,...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: The Government's development co-operation programme seeks in particular to address the priority needs of our partner countries. Water features prominently in many of our partners' poverty reduction strategies. It is the key to good health, agricultural and industrial productivity, food security and, ultimately, poverty reduction. On the other hand, lack of water is a threat facing a large...

Written Answers — Emigrant Services: Emigrant Services (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 126 together. The DION fund, through which the Government funds services to emigrants in Britain, has more than quadrupled in the past five years. This year Government funding for emigrant support stands overall at €5 million, representing an increase of some two thirds over 2003. Most of this funding goes to organisations in Britain, with 57...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: Since becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs, I have, together with the Taoiseach, met senior delegations from the DUP and Sinn Féin in Dublin on 30 September and 4 October respectively. In addition, I had a very useful meeting with the SDLP in Dundalk on 8 October. I will travel today to Hillsborough and Belfast for separate meetings with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I share the Deputy's concern regarding the length of time taken to process deportations from the US. While from experience it is not possible to state precisely how long an individual process will take, with deportation times varying depending on the circumstances of each individual's case, the three most recent cases our missions in the US dealt with each took one to two months to complete....

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: On 30 September, together with the Taoiseach, I met a DUP delegation at Government Buildings. The delegation was headed by the leader of the party, Dr. Ian Paisley. This meeting was the first with the DUP leadership to be held in Dublin and was a welcome opportunity to discuss further the outstanding issues from the Leeds Castle talks. As we made clear in the joint statement after these...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: I have spoken out strongly on the continuing fighting in the Gaza Strip, both in a public statement on Monday 4 October and subsequently in the debate on the Adjournment which took place on 6 October. I have strongly urged the Israeli authorities to take every precaution to avoid causing civilian casualties and to conduct operations in full conformity with the obligations of international...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (5 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: In common with the websites of other Government Departments, the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs — www.dfa.ie — contains material provided by a wide range of units within the Department. Each unit with material on the website is required to review that material on an ongoing basis to ensure that it is accurate and up to date. Updates and the addition of new material is...

Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (5 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: Successive Ministers for Foreign Affairs have maintained Ireland's strong engagement with the efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. I would propose to cover only the most recent work in this area, with particular emphasis on the outcome of the Irish Presidency of the European Union. The Irish Presidency continued European Union efforts to promote the...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (5 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: The United Nations has the lead role in the search for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem. However, the EU enlargement process provided the impetus for the most recent efforts toward a settlement, which were undertaken by the UN Secretary General earlier this year. The Government gave its full support to the Secretary General in his mission of good offices. Before and during the...

Leaders' Questions. (5 Oct 2004)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy was probably at the opening of them.