Results 1,821-1,840 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I welcome all the members back from their summer holidays. I am sure you are all refreshed and ready for another lively session in the Dáil and in the committee. Much has happened since our last meeting in July and the purpose of today's meeting is to get an update on the migrant situation. The minutes of the meeting on 15 July last have been circulated. Are the minutes agreed?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I welcome everyone to today's public session which is also going out live on Oireachtas TV. We are delighted to have with us Mr. Barry Andrews, chief executive of Goal; and Ms Sophie Magennis, of the UN High Commission for Refugees. Both have been to the forefront of the migrant crisis over the summer period, so we are delighted to have them here this morning. On behalf of all our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I thank Ms Magennis. Before I hand over to Deputy Smith, I will ask some questions. Ms Magennis spoke about the countries that have taken in refugees and obviously this is a real humanitarian situation. Why does she think the European Union is not dealing with the issue of smugglers, which is the source of the problem? Ms Magennis talked about Lebanon and Jordan. We have been there and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: What countries are they?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Outside of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, are there other countries?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: That is the poor Arab countries, what about the wealthier Arab countries?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Ms Magennis was speaking about funding. The wealthier Arab countries are funding but are they taking in any refugees?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I will call two other speakers and will then give both witnesses plenty of time to answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Does Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan wish to comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: There were lots of statements and some questions in between as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Discussion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I thank both witnesses. Mr. Andrews and Ms Magennis have asked what we can do. While there will be a formal invitation from the Minister for Justice and Equality next week to get permission in respect of the numbers, I propose that we write to the Government and Opposition Whips to request a broader debate in the Dáil Chamber on the migrant and refugee crisis. Is that agreed? Agreed....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointment of UN Secretary General: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: We will move on to the motion tabled by Senator Jim Walsh on the selection of the UN Secretary General. I call on Senator Walsh to speak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointment of UN Secretary General: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Yes and we should also support the idea of gender equality. We have some upstanding women who have contributed so much. People like Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, have contributed so much at UN level. Gender equality is to be considered in the increasing role women will play.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointment of UN Secretary General: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Is there any opposition or does the Senator wish to hold back the motion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointment of UN Secretary General: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: We will hold back the motion until the committee has heard from further speakers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I now move to the motion tabled by Senator Mark Daly on attending the trial of Ibrahim Halawa in Egypt on 4 October. Before calling the Senator, I remind members that I will report on my visit to Egypt later in the meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: I will respond to that. We will go through the report more thoroughly later on. The situation in Egypt is very challenging. There is a very dysfunctional legal system there. We must make that quite clear. When we asked previously if a delegation could travel out to see Ibrahim Halawa we were refused but eventually they came up with a solution that the Chairman would go. It is not our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: That makes sense. There is no point in going out if the delegation will not see him or go to the court case. It is chaotic there because there are up to 400 people being tried at the same time and all their families are there so the delegation probably will not get in. Even the officials from Cairo find it hard at times to get into the court case. We need to make inquiries about this to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: We are doing that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trial of Ibrahim Halawa: Motion (23 Sep 2015)

Pat Breen: Subject-----