Results 7,421-7,440 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: Respect for democratic processes and opposition voices is an important human rights concern which should be respected in all democratic countries, particularly ones such as Türkiye, which is a member of the Council of Europe and a candidate country for EU membership. The appetite of the Turkish people for participatory democracy was clearly evidenced by the very high voter turnout in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: There are certain passport applications for applicants resident in Ireland that require forms to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. The witnessing of these forms is a vital element of the identity verification process for the Passport Service, as it provides initial assurance that the person in the photograph is the same person submitting the passport application form....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the application was received on 11 May 2023, and supporting documents were received on 31 May 2023. The application is within the current turnaround times and has not yet reached its issue by date.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs does not comment on the specific details of individuals. However, in respect of the individual in question, I can confirm the following details: It is the understanding of my Department that the individual was arrested in Greece in 2018 and was charged in relation to a number of offences. In 2023, the case concerning the misdemeanour charges against the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for this application were received on 13 June 2023. This application is within the standard turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service will contact the applicant directly to organise a refund over the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been exploring ways in which to enhance its engagement with the Arctic region for a number of years. As an island nation at the edge of Europe in the North Atlantic, the fundamental changes in the Arctic region impact directly on Ireland, not least in terms of environmental issues and climate change, with rising sea levels of immediate concern. The Government’s Nordic...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008 as amended (“the Act”). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and practices which are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports. Section 9 of the Act makes provision for the Minister to issue passports for different periods of validity. Any adult citizen who...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: I can confirm that Fort Shannon is a property in my ownership as the Minister for Defence. There are no current plans for the use of this property from a Defence Forces point of view. While my Department has no active plans for its immediate disposal, it would be prepared to work with the relevant State bodies should there be interest in developing these lands.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: In response to the unfolding crisis in Sudan, on 23 April 2023 Government approved the deployment of up to 12 armed Defence Forces personnel to Djibouti in the first instance, with possible travel into Sudan, with the objective of providing assistance for the process of evacuating Irish citizens and their dependents from Sudan as part of an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission, led...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has participated in the EU training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) since its launch in 2013. There are currently eight Defence Force personnel deployed to EUTM Mali and all are based in the mission HQ in Bamako. All Defence Force personnel deployed to EUTM Mali carry arms while serving as part of the mission. The Defence Forces keep the threat assessment in respect of this mission...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Consultations (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Consultative Forum on International Security Policy started in Cork on 22nd June, it then moved to Galway, and finally to Dublin on the 26th and 27th June. Costs related to the Forum will be split on an equal basis between the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs. The contribution by the Department of Defence will be made from within existing resources in Vote 36...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Consultations (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: The security situation in Europe has changed fundamentally. In the space of just over a year, we have witnessed Russia’s illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, resulting in major conflict returning to the European continent for the first time in decades, and millions of civilians forced to flee and take refuge across Europe. This changed geopolitical context calls for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: The competition to which the Deputy refers was a nationwide recruitment competition for the position of Civilian Clerk in the Defence Forces. This external competition was open to applications from the public. The competition was advertised through the Public Appointment Service and was run in accordance with normal public service procedures and all appointments are made in line with those...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland's relationship with NATO is conducted through Partnership for Peace (PfP), of which Ireland has been a member since 1999. Participation in PfP is seen as fundamental to Ireland being able to meet its obligations in providing professional peacekeepers for international crisis management and peacekeeping operations mandated by the UN and in enhancing the Defence Forces’...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (22 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have visited the United States twice so far during 2023, visiting Washington DC in February and, over the St Patrick's Day festivities in March, visiting New York as well Boston and Holyoke in Massachusetts. While in Washington DC I met with US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan and had engagements with officials from the Biden administration and the State Department, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (22 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (22 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is aware of third party websites who, in return for a fee, are purporting to assist passport applicants with their online application. Such websites advertising their services for a premium are not authorised to do so by the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Passport Service. The Passport Service is not responsible for the content of, or fees charged, by these sites. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (22 Jun 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.