Results 161-180 of 46,692 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: We would have written to the committee. We have letters here which indicate it. I had an opening statement that the Chair said he would prefer I did not read, and which would have explained this. We can get into propaganda and politics if we wish, but that is not the case.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Birth Certificates (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation. If a person or their parent was born on the island of Ireland before 1 January 2005, they are an Irish citizen and they can apply for an Irish passport without making an application for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Passport Service has issued over half a million passports to date in 2024. The Customer Service Hub has responded to over 200,000 queries this year and is now handling up to 16,000 queries per week. The Passport Service is well staffed with a total of 850 staff currently, and is in an excellent position to deliver the level of demand forecasted for this year, even with the busy...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The human rights situation in Iran remains a matter of serious concern. This includes freedom of expression and opinion, freedom of peaceful assembly, arbitrary arrest, and torture in detention, among others. There are concerns in particular about the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, political activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, labour rights activists,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Advertising (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs uses advertising and public awareness campaigns primarily to promote essential services to citizens at home and abroad such as passport and consular services. In recent years, public awareness campaigns in relation to COVID-19 travel restrictions and Brexit have formed a significant part of campaigns. The Department engages the services of a third-party...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for this application were received on 2nd May 2024. This application is within the standard turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Defence Forces Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) sets out a programme of project delivery for the years 2023 to 2027. The Programme reflects the complex environment in which the Defence Forces operate and the corresponding need for appropriate infrastructure to provide for accommodation and training of personnel, as well as the maintenance and storage of equipment for land, sea and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am advised that it is intended that the new acquisitions will initially be berthed and operate from the Naval Service facilities at Haulbowline. As part of the wider Naval Service Regeneration Plan, the question of developing Forward Operating Bases in other locations around the Country is under active consideration. I can advise that the Naval Service have examined potential locations and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Advertising (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The following table sets out the amounts spent by my Department relating to the placing of advertisements in online/digital media platforms. The total amount spent by the Office of Emergency Planning from 2019 to date relating to the placing of advertisements in online/digital media platforms is €41,611.14 broken down as follows: Company Expenditure ...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes, I think we should stick to them. Maybe, if my statement could be taken as read and I could circulate it to the secretariat, we could come back at another time and talk through it.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is up.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy does not have to take it as read if she does not want to. I was told before I came in here that I would have an opportunity to make a statement-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: It was cleared with the secretariat of the committee that I would make a short statement setting out the context of how we took on board the work of the committee on the pre-legislative side. Substantive correspondence went to the committee but that correspondence was not reflected in the subsequent report of the committee. In that correspondence, we signalled change in respect of some...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: We can organise that, no problem.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes. I have also met the representative associations to discuss the wide range of points that were presented to the committee. I met them bilaterally and indicated the ones I was prepared to move on in advance of Committee Stage, which I did. There were two heads involved. In respect of head 25, I withdrew it and wrote to the committee to indicate same. I also informed the associations...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to Deputy Howlin's amendment, we talked about the primacy of civilians. I take it from comments that we want our Defence Forces to be apolitical. If they were not, it would have implications for the future of our democracy and the fundamentals of democracy.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes. This is nothing new. The only change is the inclusion in primary legislation. This is a positive Bill. It is statutorily providing for association with ICTU, which has never happened before. It is only in the past year that that development has arisen.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: No. The association will not be spancelled regarding what it has been doing up to now, namely, representing its members. That activity will not be stymied or undermined by this legislation. An idea has been put forward that the body will not be able to advocate. I have made the position clear in amendments we have made already and also in my communication with the associations. They will...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is a similar principle. Committee members have referred to the association. I come back to the matter of the individual. On Deputy Stanton's point, the section deals with specified activities "while in uniform".

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Surely we accept members of the Defence Forces in uniform should not be turning up at protest marches. That could lead in any direction and compromise the work of the Defence Forces in terms of impartiality and objectivity. While out of uniform and as civilians, members have rights as civilians. If not identifying themselves as members of the Defence Forces, they are in a position to air...