Results 1,801-1,820 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Some of these cases are before the courts and therefore I do not intend to comment on individual cases. Policing and prisons are now devolved functions in Northern Ireland. It is a matter for the Northern Ireland authorities. Some people who had been convicted of offences were released on licence, but that was not unconditional. Conditions were attached to the releases. They have been...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: When discussing these issues we need to be measured in our use of language. The term “internment” applies to the mass arrest of a large number of people in 1971 who were taken into custody without committing any offence and against whom no charge was brought. They were held for a very long period. This is not comparing like with like. We are dealing in these cases with...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I did answer a specific written question from Deputy O’Sullivan on that particular case yesterday. Mr. Corey is a convicted prisoner who was released by the British authorities under licence in 1992. The licence was revoked in April 2010 by the Secretary of State. The issue has been before the courts. A Supreme Court decision was taken on it. Court proceedings are ongoing and...

Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: They have access to legal advice. I have been informed of the nature of some of the questioning they have undergone and the approaches being taken. I am not sure it would help to put that in the public domain at this stage because my primary concern is the welfare of four Irish citizens and I want their welfare looked after. A detention centre or prison is not a pleasant place for anybody...

Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: No, first, because they are not detained in the US and, second, because it would not be helpful to politicise the issue at this point. The way in which we are dealing with this is as a consular situation. These are Irish citizens who have been detained. They are getting the assistance of our consular services, as any Irish citizen would. We are concerned about this. The family has been...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 15 and 67 together. I am unaware of any case in which citizens are being detained in prison in Northern Ireland without either having been charged or convicted. There are cases where persons were convicted and were subsequently released on licence and have been re-incarcerated on the basis that they are in breach of their licence condition. The...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland is very much to the fore in keeping an international focus on Gaza, despite the evidence of other issues in the region. There has been some easing of the blockade in recent years but it has amounted to far too little to allow the Gaza Strip to resume normal life. Economic activity is moribund and the population is dependent on humanitarian assistance and smuggling, which in some...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: What has happened in Egypt has had an impact not just on Israel and Palestine but also on the wider region. We must consider the progress that has been made, and talks are now under way between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, which follows from the initiative that the US Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry, took following his appointment. I discussed that initiative with him on a number of...

Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 22 and 37 together. The siblings named in the questions were caught up in the demonstrations at al-Fath mosque in Cairo on Friday, 16 August. After being alerted to their presence in the mosque during the night of 16 August and early morning of 17 August, our ambassador in Cairo contacted the Egyptian authorities and after some considerable effort...

Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Consular staff in our embassy have persisted in their efforts to have contact with the four members of the family who are detained. There are also people detained from a number of other countries, including Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark. We are in regular contact with their embassies also in Cairo to co-ordinate contacts and access. We will continue to do that. This is a difficult...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I have consistently called for an end to all restrictions on movement in and out of Gaza and will continue to do so. I have also commented on the specific restrictions placed on fishermen. Even though the limit enforced by Israel has been extended from three miles to six, this is still very restrictive and the local exhaustion of stocks caused by overfishing in a very restricted area has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, I am pleased that Dr. Haas has widened his discussion beyond the political parties in Northern Ireland which are a party to the discussions and involved with civil society. My understanding is that he does intend to have engagements with the South. He plans on coming to Dublin. I talked with him last week about this and we talked about some dates. He plans on coming, both to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Extraordinary Rendition Operations (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am not aware of that advice. The Garda Síochána and the members of our Defence Forces are regularly positioned at Shannon Airport to look at this. We are conscious of ensuring Shannon Airport is not used for any unlawful or illegal purpose. If there is specific information that we can follow up on, we will do so. The Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces are aware of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. I met Richard Haass in New York last week to discuss his work and the issues he has been asked to address by the Northern Ireland Executive. These issues comprise parades, flags and emblems and the past. Dr. Haass has committed to concluding his work by December and, to that end, he has embarked on an ambitious programme of work. My...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: This process was one initiated by the Northern Ireland Executive. That body invited Dr. Richard Haass and his team to chair an all-party group in Northern Ireland to examine the idea of flags, parades and issues relating to the past. In the period leading up to its formation, there was a suggestion that there should be an independent chairman, possibly an international figure. The Northern...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am concerned about recent developments in Northern Ireland. I set out that concern comprehensively in the speech I made to the British-Irish Association at Cambridge. I also touched on some of the wider issues and the context, and I referred to the work of Dr. Haass. We must be very clear in how we react to attacks on the process and the pressure the process is under. The agreements...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homophobic Crime (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: We have already pursued this issue on a number of levels. My Department has been in contact with the Russian chargé d'affaires to inform him of our concerns. I have asked officials to engage actively on this issue in various international fora and to explore which avenues can most effectively be pursued in voicing our concerns, including with our partners in the European Union....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homophobic Crime (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: As I said, we have identified LGBTI rights as a priority human rights issue. It is something we are actively pursuing through our membership of the Human Rights Council, which we took up last January. In addition, we are using other international fora to press for action in this area. We will continue to bring our concerns regarding the new legislation to the Russian authorities. We will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Extraordinary Rendition Operations (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I have clearly stated on numerous occasions that the use of Irish airspace and airports for extraordinary rendition operations has not and will not be permitted under any circumstances. The current programme for Government states clearly that the Government "will enforce the prohibition of the use of Irish airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Extraordinary Rendition Operations (2 Oct 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: It is important that we have accuracy on this issue. On 11 September the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Nils MuiŽnieks, issued a statement in which he criticised certain governments which had been unwilling to establish truth and accountability in regard to extraordinary renditions carried out by the CIA in Europe between 2000 and 2006. The reference to Ireland...