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Official Engagements.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 October 2004

Wednesday, 20 October 2004

Questions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

1 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his address to the European Parliament on 21 July 2004. [21320/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

2 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Irish Presidency of the EU. [21321/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

3 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach his plans for official trips abroad up to the end of 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21325/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

4 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach the role his Department envisages for the National Forum on Europe, especially in regard to promoting awareness of the new European treaty; the costs incurred to date by his Department arising from the operation of the National Forum on Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21335/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

5 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach when he last met the incoming President of the EU Commission, Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso; when he next plans to meet him; the discussions he has had with him in regard to the portfolio that will be given to the Irish nominee to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21338/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

6 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach the foreign visits he plans undertaking during the remainder of 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21439/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

7 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach when he will next meet with the President of the European Commission, Mr José Manuel Durão Barroso; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21440/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

8 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent contact with other European Union Heads of Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21444/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

9 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he has received an agenda for the October 2004 meeting of the European Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21450/04]

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Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

10 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his address to the European Parliament on the work of the Irish Presidency on 21 July 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21568/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

11 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the European Parliament on 21 July 2004 to sum up the Irish Presidency of the EU. [22382/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

12 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his contacts with the EU Commission President, Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso, since his appointment as President; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22385/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

13 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach the official visits abroad he plans to make during the current Dáil session; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22390/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

14 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach the official visits abroad he plans to make before the end of 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22467/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

15 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will summarise the outcome of Ireland’s EU Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22471/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

16 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach the agenda for the upcoming European Council meeting in November 2004 in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22473/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

17 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he has yet received an agenda for the forthcoming mid-term meeting of EU leaders; his priorities for the summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23377/04]

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Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

18 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach the official visits abroad he intends to make during the remainder of 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23419/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

19 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach the agenda for the European Council meeting in October 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23509/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

20 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach when he will next meet with the EU Commission President, Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23510/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

21 Mr Sargent asked the Taoiseach the role the National Forum on Europe will play regarding raising awareness of the proposed EU Constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23515/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

22 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach the costs which have accrued to his Department in respect of the National Forum on Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24032/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

23 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he has received an agenda for the November 2004 European Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24145/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

24 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach the role he envisions the National Forum on Europe playing in regard to the proposed new EU Constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24146/04]

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Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

25 Caoimhghín ÓCaoláin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his visit to Asia and his attendance at the Europe-Asia summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24203/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

26 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach the matters discussed and conclusions reached at his meeting with United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25003/04]

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Joe Higgins

Question:

27 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his visit to Vietnam. [25004/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

28 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his recent visit to south-east Asia. [25018/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

29 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Asia-Europe summit in Hanoi. [25019/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

30 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra. [25020/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

31 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Phan Van Khai. [25021/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

32 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of his official visit to Singapore. [25022/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

33 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of his official visit to Malaysia. [25023/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

34 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the outcome of his official visit to Bahrain. [25024/04]

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Pat Rabbitte

Question:

35 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan. [25025/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

36 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the ASEM meeting in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25066/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

37 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach his views on his recent talks with the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr. Wen Jiabao; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25067/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

38 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at a meeting hosted by Enterprise Ireland of the Irish business community in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25068/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

39 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent EU-Asia summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25197/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

40 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to the Far East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25198/04]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

41 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting in Dublin with the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25415/04]

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Oral answers (1 contributions)

I propose to answer Questions Nos. 1 to 41 together.

I appreciate this might appear like a substantial number of questions to take together but many date back to the Presidency period pre-summer, and given that so many of the questions tabled are duplicates in many cases, it appeared the most pragmatic and time-efficient way of getting the requested information to the House. It will also bring it up to date on events of recent days.

On 21 July, I reported to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the outcome of the June European Council and on the work of the Irish Presidency of the Council for the first six months of 2004. A copy of my address to the Parliament has been laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.

As Deputies are aware, I have reported extensively in the House on the outcomes of both the March and June European Council meetings. Therefore, I will be brief in my comments on the Presidency. The Presidency is regarded by our European colleagues as most successful. The Department of Foreign Affairs has produced an excellent and detailed report on the Irish Presidency. This report has been laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.

As the House will be aware, the Government set out five main areas of work for the Irish Presidency. We wanted a speedy and successful outcome to the work of the Intergovernmental Conference. We wanted a successful enlargement and we wanted to progress the ongoing enlargement negotiations. We were determined that the Spring European Council would help to revitalise and reinvigorate the Lisbon strategy. In the Justice and Home Affairs area, we wanted to deliver on the commitments made in the Amsterdam treaty and in the Tampere programme. Last, but by no means least, we sought to give renewed coherence and impetus to the European Union's external agenda. I believe the Irish Presidency successfully delivered on each of these priority areas.

I met with the incoming President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso, on 18 October. Mr. Barroso is meeting with each of the 25 heads of State or Government in advance of taking office in November. Our discussions covered the broad range of the new Commission's work programme, including the Lisbon Agenda, the future financing of the European Union and the ongoing process of EU enlargement.

As the House will be aware, President-elect Barroso has assigned the Internal Market and Services portfolio to the former Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy. This is an extremely important portfolio and Commissioner-designate McCreevy will play a critical role in ensuring further economic development and growth across Europe. I am sure the House will join me in wishing Commissioner-elect McCreevy every success in his new role.

With the exception of meetings with Prime Minister Blair, which I will deal with in regard to other questions tabled by Deputies, I have not had any other formal meetings with my European Union colleagues since the conclusion of the Irish Presidency. I did have informal discussions with a substantial number of them in Hanoi.

On Saturday, 16 October, I hosted a working lunch for the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, at Farmleigh House. I thanked him for coming to Ireland and in particular for addressing the National Forum on Europe. The Secretary General praised the Irish contribution to UN peacekeeping operations over the years and our recent successful term on the UN Security Council. We discussed EU-UN co-operation in peacekeeping operations and military crisis management. I stressed that during Ireland's Presidency of the EU, the Government strongly promoted greater EU-UN co-operation, building on the joint EU-UN declaration on crisis management.

The Secretary General and I discussed the 2005 high level review of progress in achieving the millennium development goals, MDGs, for the eradication of world poverty and disease. I said that Ireland favoured a strong and visible EU contribution to the review. We agreed that the review should have a real impact in generating the necessary political will for further and strengthened implementation of the MDGs. I offered the Secretary General the strongest support in his efforts to address the terrible situation in Darfur. Ireland fully supports the efforts of the African Union with the support of the UN to address the crisis in the Sudan.

I will travel to Rome on 29 October to attend a ceremony to mark the official signature of the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. I will attend meetings of the European Council on 4-5 November and 16-17 December in Brussels.

The Dutch Presidency has indicated that the agenda for the November European Council will include the mid-term review of the Lisbon Agenda; a multi-annual agenda for the European area of Freedom, Security and Justice; Communicating Europe; a briefing on future EU enlargement; and a number of external relations issues.

The total expenditure to support the work of the National Forum on Europe between its establishment and August 2004 was €3,658,715. A sum of €512,065 has been spent so far in the current year, while the figure for previous years are as follows: in 2003, €919,537; in 2002, €1,997,185; in 2001, €229,928. The House will be aware that the National Forum on Europe is an independent body with an independent chairperson and secretariat. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on its day-to-day operation and likely future work programme, other than to say that I am happy that the forum is fully meeting its remit. The role of the forum is kept under constant review. The Government has no plans to make significant changes in regard to the forum at this time.

I travelled to Vietnam for the Asia-Europe Summit on 8 and 9 October. On this occasion, the Asia-Europe meeting process was enlarged to allow the ten new EU member states and remaining ASEAN members to participate.

The future of ASEM was a key discussion point and I suggested that we draw up an analysis and review ASEM in a way that would allow us to examine ambitions and widen the process and chart the next stages. The summit working sessions focused on three key areas: international developments and new global challenges, promoting the Asia-Europe economic partnership in the context of globalisation and open regulation, and cultural diversity and national cultures in the age of information technology and globalisation.

During my visit to Vietnam, I took the opportunity to discuss bilateral issues with Prime Minister Van Khai. I also had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra. We discussed the positive developments in bilateral trade between Ireland and Thailand, as well as broader diplomatic issues between Europe and Asia.

On Saturday evening, at the end of the ASEM meeting, I also had a meeting with Premier Wen of China. We discussed bilateral economic relations, multilateralism and EU-China relations. This bilateral meeting was also to prepare for my visit to China which I propose to make in early January.

While in Vietnam, I was proud to open the Christina Noble Children's Foundation Project in Ho Chi Min City. This is a wonderful institution that seeks to cherish and support underprivileged children. I attended a meeting with Irish and Vietnamese business people and I also met with the Irish community. Following my visit to Vietnam, I travelled to Malaysia, Singapore and Bahrain.

In Malaysia I had a broad ranging and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Badawi. We discussed the continuing development of excellent relations between our countries, recognising that Malaysia has become one of Ireland's key partners in the Asian region and that bilateral trade has grown substantially over the last decade and is now worth more than five times its level ten years ago. We also discussed the importance of continued educational co-operation between Ireland and Malaysia, as well as improving transport links between our two countries to improve tourism.

I met the business community at events organised by Enterprise Ireland and delivered an address on the success and development of the Irish economy. The factors of success include our investment in education and external investment in Ireland. I was delighted to meet representatives of the Irish community including religious orders at a reception hosted by Ambassador Mulhall. I met individually with over 40 companies and their partners.

On 12 October in Singapore, I addressed an Enterprise Ireland business breakfast forum. Later that day I had cordial and successful meetings with the President of Singapore, the Prime Minister and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. I was delighted to meet with several hundred members of the Irish community in Singapore at a reception hosted by Ambassador Swift. I visited the A*STAR and Biopolis facilities to investigate developments made by both in the areas of scientific and biomedical research. Science Foundation Ireland representatives accompanied me with a view to developing contacts with A*STAR.

I travelled to Bahrain on 13 October and had a meeting with the King, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. I also had a series of discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. In my discussions with both the King and the Prime Minister we talked about our excellent bilateral relations. We also discussed the situation in Iraq and the issue of combating terrorism. I met with the Crown Prince as well as several Bahraini Cabinet Ministers. I opened the new building at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical University of Bahrain.

While in the region I met with local Aer Rianta International management. In addition, I visited the Al-Hidd II power plant, an ESB International project. I also addressed a business function organised by Enterprise Ireland, with a view to raising the profile of this Irish agency in Bahrain and the Gulf generally. I am confident that this function and the many similar events on the trip will further enhance Ireland's business contacts in the region.

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