Results 181-200 of 881 for speaker:Peter Power

Written Answers — Disaster Relief: Disaster Relief (27 May 2008)

Peter Power: Irish Aid supports human rights and democratisation in Burma through its Multi-Annual Programme Scheme and Civil Society Fund. For 2008, Irish Aid allocated Trócaire funding of €1.1 million in support of its programme to strengthen civil society in Burma and in support of Burmese refugees in Thailand. Irish Aid is also supporting Trócaire in response to the recent cyclone. Voluntary...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (27 May 2008)

Peter Power: Irish Aid supports a number of NGOs in Kenya through the Multi Annual Programme Scheme (MAPS), the Civil Society Fund (CSF) and emergency funding as well as through the Irish Missionary Resource Service. Four of the five MAPS partners — Concern, Trócaire, GOAL and Self Help — work in Kenya. In 2008, MAPS funding amounting to €3.25 million has been allocated to assist the work of these...

Lisbon Reform Treaty Report: Statements (4 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: On behalf of the Government, I thank the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Scrutiny, particularly its chairman, Deputy Perry, for its special report on the enhanced role for national parliaments in the Lisbon treaty. This Parliament, Dáil and Seanad, owes Deputy Perry a debt of gratitude for the production of this concise report in advance of the referendum next week. It dispels...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (4 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: Question 389: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of a visa application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22135/08]

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (4 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: Question 390: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick to receive Irish citizenship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22136/08]

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (4 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: Question 391: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status on an application by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick for naturalisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22137/08]

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: There can be no question but that the sharp escalation in the price of staple food commodities such as corn, wheat and rice is a matter for the deepest concern. These price rises are undermining the food security of many millions of individuals and communities throughout the developing world. We already had a situation where over 800 million people were food insecure. With the current...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I thank the Deputy for his supplementary question. I share his deep concern on this issue, not least because the problem of rising food prices has the capacity to undermine the whole international aid effort. In the first instance, we must examine the causes of the current situation, some of which are man-made and others natural. The man-made aspects of this situation are interesting. They...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I accept the Deputy's thesis that there is a connection between food shortages, agriculture and trade. The WTO talks provide the opportunity to progress this issue. As part of our input into the negotiations at European level, one of our primary concerns has been, and will continue to be, to ensure that the food security and supply of developing countries, but particularly African ones,...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: As Deputy Timmins will be aware, I was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development last month. I am proud, as I believe the large majority of Irish people are, of our overseas development aid programme and the work of Irish Aid. At the same time, it is my intention to look at all aspects of the programme having due regard to the White Paper on Irish Aid. The...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: First, I share the views of the Deputy on the World Food Programme. This follows on from our discussion on the previous question, that world food prices is a major concern to the Deputy. That concern is very much shared on the Government side for the reasons I have explained. We are already major contributors to the World Food Programme but I also see avenues available to us in terms of...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I can see the Deputy's point about visas. Certainly, smaller NGOs do not have the capacity, the experience or the logistics of the bigger NGOs and I can see how they would face such problems. The issuing of visas is outside the ambit of the Department as it relates to embassies of other countries and we do not have the power to influence those, but I take Deputy Timmins's point. The issue...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 113 together. Even now, the full extent of the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis is not known. Estimates suggest that more than two million people were affected. Official figures put the death toll at 78,000 people, while a further 56,000 are reported missing. Unofficial estimates suggest that the death toll may be higher. The initial reaction of...

Overseas Development Aid. (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I will communicate with the Deputy on the question regarding the rapid response unit. The supplies were given to our NGOs and we are confident they went deep into the townships in the delta region. We have been tracking the supplies as we are conscious of the difficulties on the ground.

Lisbon Treaty: Statements (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I wish to share my time with Deputy Edward O'Keeffe. The result of the referendum represents a major disappointment for those of us who advocated a "Yes" vote in the certain belief that this treaty represented a good deal for Ireland, an Ireland at the heart of Europe and an Ireland shaping events in Europe for our benefit in the way we have done for 20 years. That said, we live in a...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: The White Paper on Irish Aid lays out the principles which guide the approaches and modalities used in providing aid to developing countries. These are: Partnership; Public Ownership and Transparency; Effectiveness and Quality Assurance; Coherence; and Long-term Sustainability. The White Paper states that Ireland will maintain a mix of complementary modalities in each of our programme...

Written Answers — Ethiopian Food Crisis: Ethiopian Food Crisis (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: Poverty is widespread and deeply rooted in Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 30 million people live below the poverty line and over 8 million people are at risk of hunger each year. Recent years have seen large increases in public spending on education, health and water in Ethiopia, and significant progress has been made in human development indicators. For...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: At the halfway point to the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, progress in sub-Saharan Africa on the targets relating to poverty and nourishment remains slow. MDG One commits the international community to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, halving between 1990 and 2015 the percentage of people earning less than $1 a day and suffering from hunger. While the...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 92 and 112 together. I am deeply concerned that the sharp increase in the price of staple food commodities such as corn, wheat and rice is undermining the food security of many millions of individuals and communities throughout the developing world. We already had a situation where over 800 million people were already food insecure and the current price...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (18 Jun 2008)

Peter Power: The White Paper on Irish Aid included a commitment to establish a new Inter-Departmental Committee on Development to strengthen coherence in the Government's approach to development and to make best use of the expertise and skills available across the public service. I am pleased to say that, in line with that commitment, an Inter-Departmental Committee on Development has been established....