Results 181-200 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I will be very brief. The answer is "No" to all five questions asked by Deputy Allen. There is no point adding anything further. The answer is "No" to the question on the fig leaf, "No" to the question on shielding the Taoiseach, "No" to the question on the issue he raised at the Committee on Foreign Affairs and "No" to the question on the NGOs and capacity.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Deputy Quinn does not believe in consulting the people either. He should not be included in Sandymount.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I agree with the Deputy and that is the purpose of the White Paper. I take his comment as a backhanded compliment to me. Our overseas aid volumes have trebled since 1997 and are about to treble again if we achieve the 0.7% and that is why we must consult the public. The UK and the Nordic countries, some of which are the best donors of aid, produce White Papers on seven to ten year cycles.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: My motivation for the paper in the first place is that Deputy Quinn's predecessor set a fine example by publishing the first ever White Paper on foreign policy. In admiration of that I decided to publish a White Paper on this issue. I do not believe it is necessary to legislate yet. I would prefer to achieve the 0.7% target and lock it in then if necessary. There is a risk to legislating for...
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Yes.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I agree with Deputy Finian McGrath that we must listen to the NGOs. They are our partners. Development Corporation Ireland provides significant funding to them. I listen to their voices almost every day, either on the telephone or in face to face meetings.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: They are being attended to very well.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Deputy Quinn's point is timely. Perhaps the Dóchas figures are correct on its own projections but my officials and I are engaged in putting down, with the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance, a step-by-step time frame within which we can achieve the figures. This I presume is what Deputy Gormley and the NGOs want. If we are to achieve the figure sooner than the Dóchas date, 2028 and the...
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: We should not be laggards by waiting to achieve this by 2015, the deadline set down by the United Nations and the European Union in its latest proposal.
- Overseas Development Aid. (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: We should try to move ahead of the pack and keep our status as a country that is ahead of the rest in terms of overseas development aid. We should not only maintain our position as the 9th largest per capita contributor in the world but improve on that position.
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 37 and 84 together. The allocation for 2005 provides for an increase of â¬70 million in Government spending on official development assistance this year. This will bring total Government aid to the developing world to approximately â¬545 million in 2005, the highest allocation in the 30 year history of the aid programme. In addition, the Government has...
- Written Answers — EU Development Aid: EU Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 52 together. I take it that the questions refer to the draft regulation on development co-operation â the development co-operation and economic co-operation instrument â currently being negotiated within the external relations chapter of the EU's Financial Perspective 2007-2013. The allocation criteria for Community development aid is one of the...
- Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 139 together. I am aware of the enormity of the challenges facing African nations as they seek to build the foundations of economic and social development, often in a climate of hunger and warfare. The reduction of poverty, hunger and conflict in Africa are, I believe, some of the most important tasks to which the international community can dedicate...
- Written Answers — International Bodies: International Bodies (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I welcome the statement by the new president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, that he will build on his predecessor's legacy in promoting economic growth and social development. Prior to his election, Mr. Wolfowitz travelled to Brussels to meet the European Union Finance Ministers and made clear to them his unreserved commitment to the World Bank's mission of poverty reduction. Following...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The Irish bilateral programme of development assistance to Uganda amounts to â¬32 million in 2005. This budget has remained fairly constant over the past three years. Ireland's development programme in Uganda is focused on poverty reduction and on assisting the poorest section of the population. The UNDP human development index for 2004 puts Uganda at 146 out of 177 countries in the world....
- Written Answers — Debt Relief: Debt Relief (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 69 and 92 together. I welcome the statement from the recent ministerial meeting of the IMF and the World Bank that further debt relief is needed to secure long-term debt sustainability and support progress towards the millennium development goals. These financial institutions will now examine detailed proposals which would extend beyond the existing highly...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 97 together. Ireland attaches the greatest importance to the achievement of the eight millennium development goals, the so-called MDGs. The United Nations Secretary General will conduct the first major review of progress towards the implementation of the goals in September of this year. In preparation for this review, in January the UN Millennium...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 79 together. Ireland was one of the first countries to respond to the tsunami disaster by pledging â¬1 million within the first few hours. This pledge was increased to â¬10 million when the scale of the disaster became clear. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, visited the affected region in early January. He travelled with the...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: Ireland's budget for bilateral support to Ethiopia in 2005 is â¬30 million. This is a small increase on the funding of â¬29.3 million in 2004. Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries. In terms of overall human development, Ethiopia is listed near the bottom of the league at 170 out of 177 countries. Life expectancy is 45.5 years, almost 60% of people are illiterate, two thirds of...
- Written Answers — Economic Partnership Agreements: Economic Partnership Agreements (28 Apr 2005)
Conor Lenihan: The economic partnership agreements, EPAs, which are to enter into force by 1 January 2008, are an integral element of the legally binding Cotonou Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, states and the European Union. EPAs are first and foremost instruments for development that will foster the smooth and gradual integration of ACP states into the world economy, with due...