Results 1,361-1,380 of 3,043 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I have taken note of the Senator's remarks, particularly in regard to the passage of time. The Government will continue to engage with the British Government to secure the implementation of the all-party Oireachtas motions on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. Our position on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings is consistent with our approach to the legacy of the Troubles more broadly. Every family...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Middle East (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, cannot be here. I know he engaged with Senator Black on this yesterday at some length. I would like to restate the Government’s deep concern at the intensification of violence in Gaza, on the West Bank, and in Israel. Now is the time for de-escalation, as the Senator correctly points out, before further loss of life. We need to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Middle East (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator very much. I agree that it is incredibly difficult to see the pictures and the absolute horror of what is taking place, and see people who are effectively trapped in Gaza coming under the most sustained very sophisticated military weaponry with absolutely nowhere to go. We all take on board the horror of what we have seen and, obviously, the impact in Israel of rockets...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (13 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 267, 268 and 269 together. The Government's policy on international development, A Better World, attaches a high priority to gender equality. That is why Ireland is the 14th largest core contributor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the 24th largest contributor overall - supporting UNFPA's vital work in promoting universal access to health...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Passport Services (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to update the House on the current operational status of the Passport Service, which has significantly scaled up operations since 4 May 2021. As an essential service, attendance levels are now increasing and I am sure the Seanad will support me in commending the staff of the Passport Service on the emergency services they operated throughout the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Passport Services (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: It is important to note that the passport reform programme continues to deliver major upgrades for the passport services technology platform and business process as well as for the customer service experience. It is also worth noting that the development of the online service is the future direction of improvements within the passport system. The appropriate way to speed up delivery and the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Policy (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter and for his remarks at the start. Unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is not available to attend today. He has asked me to take this matter on his behalf. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Policy (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator and I will convey his remarks back to the Minister. The review of the household means policy has taken place and the position remains that there should be no deduction from assessable income in regard to the maintenance paid. However, I clearly understand the points the Senator is making and the situation he is describing. I thank him and I will bring this to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 81 together. Minister Coveney covered some of these issues in an earlier reply, but for the record I would also stress my serious concern about the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has seen many people killed, injured, and displaced, and which is feeding into instability across the Horn of Africa region. Minister Coveney Ireland set out the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: My Department continues to support global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the €50 million in Irish Aid funding to global health in 2021, €5 million is channeled to direct support to COVID-19 vaccination, including through COVAX. The COVAX mechanism is beginning to deliver results, with over 53 million vaccines already delivered to 121 participant countries. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Constitutional Amendments (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The Government is committed to holding a referendum on extending the franchise at Presidential elections to Irish citizens living outside the State as set out in the Programme for Government and affirmed in new Diaspora Strategy which was launched in November last year. To this end the Government restored the Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Elections) Bill 2019 to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 116 together. We have all seen the rapidly deteriorating situation in India as a result of the COVID-19 surge. Avoidable deaths have resulted from an acute oxygen shortage. In response, Ireland - with Irish Aid officials in my Department working in partnership with colleagues in the Departments of Health and Housing, and also the HSE - has made an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: Ireland is fully involved in efforts by the global health community to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries. The World Health Organisation has established a coordination and oversight mechanism, in the form of the ACT - Accelerator, and is working with other global health bodies on response. COVAX, the vaccine access pillar forms a key part of the ACT-A....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Correspondence (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia has been the cause of escalating tension between Ethiopia on the one hand, and Sudan and Egypt on the other. Intertwined with other challenges in the Horn of Africa, resolution of the GERD dispute is vital for regional peace and security. As a Member of the Security Council, and given our friendly relations...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I would like to thank the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence for their recent 'Report on the Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccines to Developing Countries', the recommendations of which are being considered across relevant Government Departments. Ireland is fully engaged in efforts by the international community to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The Great Green Wall is a Pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region, covering more than 20 African countries. The intervention zone dedicated to the Great Green Wall spans a length of at least 7000 km between Senegal and Djibouti and is home to some 232 million people. To reach its targets the initiative needs to rehabilitate 8.2 million...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: My Department continues to support global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the €50 million in Irish Aid funding to global health in 2021, €5 million is channeled to direct support to COVID-19 vaccination, including through COVAX. COVAX has secured options on 3.56 billion doses of vaccines and is beginning to deliver results, with over 54 million COVID-19 vaccines...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: Ireland has shown strong leadership in international climate finance, principally through my Department's Official Development Assistance programme, more widely known as Irish Aid. In 2019, Ireland spent over €93 million on international climate action. The Department of Foreign Affairs provided the largest proportion of this, spending over €71 million on climate action. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: Promoting national ownership is one of the key principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which underpin my Department's approach to development cooperation through the Irish Aid programme. National Parliaments have an important role in the agreement and scrutiny of national development programmes and associated poverty reduction strategies. Irish Aid programmes in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I remain deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has seen many people killed, injured, and displaced, and which is feeding into instability across the Horn of Africa region. Notwithstanding some improvement in humanitarian access, the humanitarian situation continues to be concerning, in particular the situation of internally displaced persons. There are allegations of...