Results 221-240 of 6,681 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: At its meeting of 6 May 2014, the Government approved nominations for 36 Head of Mission appointments - 31 ambassadorial and 5 consul-general posts. The majority of the proposed appointments are to posts which will fall vacant this year or in early 2015 due to the scheduled rotation or retirement of the present incumbents. In addition, a number of the proposed appointments are to posts which...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Abduction of Nigerian Children (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148, 149 and 154 together. I have strongly condemned the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the northern Nigerian town of Chibok on 14 April by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram. I am also appalled by the reported abduction of a further 11 girls on 4 May. Acts of violence of this nature against school children are completely unacceptable....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Communications (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade does not record incoming or outgoing calls on its main telephone lines. However, incoming calls on the general information line hosted by the Passport Service are recorded for quality and training purposes. The system used is a module of Cisco Call Manager and the approximate cost of installation was €13,500 including hardware, software and VAT.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Middle East is home to some of the world’s most ancient Christian denominations. Unfortunately, many of these often small and vulnerable communities are coming under increasing pressure due to a range of factors including low birth rates, emigration and, in some cases, increased sectarian persecution and violence. This has led to a significant reduction in their numbers in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Millennium Development Goals (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland is advocating strongly for a continued focus on a good quality education, at primary level and beyond, for all children, in the context of the intergovernmental discussions on the follow-up framework to the Millennium Development Goals post-2015.The third Millennium Development Goal (MDG 3) aims to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education at all levels by 2015....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Bodies Data (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are no State Agencies under the remit of my Department. My Department currently has seven bodies, boards, or committees under its remit. These are: the Emigrant Services Advisory Committee; the Advisory Group of the Global Irish Network; the Ireland – United States Commission for Educational Exchange (The Fulbright Commission); the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group; the NGO...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Remuneration (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are currently 223 officers on the reduced pay scales which were introduced with effect from 1 January 2011 for recruitment grades. This includes 139 of the Temporary Clerical Officers who were recruited this year to deal with the peak production period in the Passport Office. The imbalance between those who entered the public service from 1 January 2011 and those who entered prior to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Legal Case Data (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are currently no such legal cases in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (13 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade performs a wide range of functions in pursuit of Ireland’s foreign policy interests. These include advancing reconciliation and cooperation on the island of Ireland; representing and advancing government policies with other states and in international organisations, in particular the EU and the UN; economic, trade and cultural promotion;...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Citizenship Applications (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: An application for citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration was submitted by the person referred to by the Deputy, to our Embassy, London in October 2013. A legal issue was identified and the application was forwarded to Dublin for consideration. The Department sought the advice of the Adoption Authority of Ireland in relation to the legal question raised. My Department is awaiting a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Extradition Arrangements (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Over the past number of years the Department of Defence, in conjunction with my Department, the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), have provided every assistance to the US authorities in their investigation in relation to the alleged perpetrator of the attack against the Irish peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL, which took place on 18...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: 17th May this year will mark the fortieth anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. With 33 killed, that terrible day saw the highest number of casualties on any single day during the Troubles. It left a further 300 people injured. The Taoiseach and I have reiterated our support for the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Emigrant Support Services (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Addressing the needs of Irish emigrants around the world is a key strand of Diaspora engagement by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.The emphasis of the Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) is on supporting culturally sensitive, front-line welfare services, targeted at the most vulnerable members of our overseas communities, with Britain being the focus of the greatest part of this...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 to 41, inclusive, together. The Taoiseach represented the Government at the canonisation of Saints John XXIII and John Paul II in Rome on Sunday 27 April. He had the opportunity to have an exchange with Pope Francis after the ceremony, during which he conveyed to him that were Pope Francis to accept an invitation to visit Ireland from the Catholic...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Commemorative Events (8 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 43 together. The centenary of the Rising in 2016 will be the centre-piece of the Government’s decade of commemorations programme. The format and programme for the 2016 commemoration in Dublin is still under consideration. In September 2013, in my speech to the British-Irish Association, I noted a responsibility to be attentive and respectful...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (7 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I can confirm that there is no legal impediment to the person concerned receiving a passport on foot of the submission of a correctly completed passport application.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (7 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: I spoke with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 29 April to discuss this important matter. I expressed disappointment at her decision not to appoint a Hillsborough-style panel to review the Ballymurphy cases. I informed the Secretary of State that the families were very disappointed with her response. I recalled that the Taoiseach wrote to and then raised the matter directly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Remit (6 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: Pursuant to section 1 of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, as amended, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is assigned responsibility for the administration and business generally of public services in connection with communications and transactions with other states, as well as the maintaining of diplomatic and consular representation, which includes permanent representations...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Common Foreign and Security Policy (6 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: The EU Satellite Centre (EUSC), which is based in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, is an agency of the European Union and has been operational since 1 January 2002. Its mission is to strengthen the early warning and crisis management monitoring functions of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, through the interpretation of satellite imagery. The analysis of satellite imagery is an essential...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (1 May 2014)

Eamon Gilmore: There are currently five countries that are candidates to join the European Union, Turkey, Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, each of which is at a different stage on its path towards membership. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999 and is currently in accession negotiations with the European Union. The most recent chapter in the negotiations was opened last year, following...