Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

candidate EU elections
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What are your policies around the lack of equality and rights for gay people in Ireland?

Specifically, what are your views around gay marriage, partnership rights, adoption, and the discrimination allowed by religious institutions that is enshrined in our Employment Equality Act legislation, and what will you do to address these issues?

How do you feel about the fact that our tax payers money will be spent on military equipment and hardware. This ammount will be dictated to us by the EDA European Defence Agency. When we don,t have enough money for hospitals or education for our children. Your party want a yes vote for lisbon. By voting yes you are voting for the EDA. .. The EDA is a central part of the Lisbon treaty...
Hospitals NOT Helicopters I say.
Please explain you way out of that one!

The Post Office plays a vital role in our community in terms of jobs and services it provides which must be protected. What steps will you take to ensure that this is the case?
Can we depend on you to be a guardian of the public interest and vital public services?
Do you think taxpayers should be forced to fund An Post in the future when it is run without state aid now?
If not how do you propose to fund the universal service obligation which guarantees that every citizen enjoys a proper postal service with collection and delivery five times a week with a single price to all destinations?

I would like to know your views on the Liberalisation of the Postal Service, which is due to happen in January 2011.
Will you work to ensure quality postal services in Ireland and do you recognise the vital role played by An Post in delivering the Universal Service Obligation(USO)?
Will you work to ensure appropiate financial support in order to maintain the USO, but not at a cost to the taxpayer given that An Post is currently run without government support?

Finally, will you demonstrate that postal services should provide important, decent and stable jobs that have to be protected even in times of liberalisation and financial crisis?

My question relates to Europe’s Overseas Aid policy.

Would you campaign to ensure that the European Parliament and the European Commission put pressure on Member States to meet their individual aid targets of 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2015?

Given the current economic problems there is a risk that Member States will cut back their overseas aid budget. Failure to meet aid commitments puts the most vulnerable people in the world at risk.

Would you also campaign to ensure that EU overseas aid is transparent and the Accra Agenda for Action is implemented to ensure that aid reaches those people that need it most?

Thank you