Forum
DÁIL ÉIREANN

Sitting Time - 12:00
Sitting Date - 13/07/2011

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage

Deputy Finian McGrath:

I welcome the debate on the Defence (Amendment) Bill and the reforms in the legislation.  It is important to modernise Bills to bring them up to date with international standards.  Before discussing the details of the Bill, I commend the Defence Forces for their magnificent work at home and abroad.  We know the record of the Defence Forces over the past 20 or 30 years in acting as peacekeepers in different countries.  They made a massive contribution to peace and are highly respected throughout the Middle East.  It is very important that Ireland retains an independent, neutral foreign policy line because otherwise it will be damaged.  I commend the work of the United Nations.  We all know the history of the Lebanon and many people gave their lives for peace.  UN soldiers giving their lives for peace and trying to end conflicts in other countries is a noble cause.

Thank you for your prompt response to my email.

The full time driver from tralee holds a dispatch operators license owns a small taxi radio company and is a part time auctioneer and to claim that he represents seventy five per cent of the industry who have no voice is totally wrong. Once again as with the previous administrations the door is firmly closed to owner operators. Speeches about the small man and best interests of owner operators were just vote catchers.

So what did Finian spend his Leaders Allowance on this week?

MCGRATH T.D. (IND) AND THE TECHNICAL GROUP TO MEET
DR NABEEL A. SHAATH,
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF FATAH AND SENIOR PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR

Deputy Finian McGrath T.D. (Ind) and the Technical Group T.Ds will be meeting Dr Nabeel A. Shaath (Commissioner of International Relations of Fatah, Senior Palestinian Negotiator and a member of the Central Committee of Fatah) and the SADAKA Group (The Ireland Palestine Alliance) tomorrow, 12^th July at 11.00am. There will be a photo opportunity at the Plinth in front of Leinster House at 11.30am.

11th July, 2011
(See enclosed SADAKA information)

Deputy Finian McGrath: I want to ask the Taoiseach a few questions about what is happening in Dublin Bay and the new port expansion plan by the Dublin Port Company. It is linked with the broader issue of job creation. Earlier the Taoiseach mentioned the possibility of commemorating the Battle of Clontarf of 1014. There could be another Battle of Clontarf shortly. Does the Taoiseach accept the principle.

RELEASE OF RECORDS
PURSUANT TO FREEDOM INFORMATION ACTS I997 AND 2003
Request N0. FOI 505 for release 6th July 2011

Dear Deputy McGrath,

We have received a request from Ms Maeve Sheehan of the Sunday Independent, under the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 and 2003 seeking access to records from the Service as follows: