Results 20,821-20,840 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Is that agreed? Agreed. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make them in any way identifiable. With that, I advise the Tánaiste that we still operate a hybrid, post-Covid model insofar as it...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Tánaiste. I now call on members to put their questions in respect of Vote 36 dealing with defence policy and support, military capabilities and operational output. I suggest we deal with Vote 35 after Vote 36. I call Deputy Carthy or Deputy Cronin, whichever would like to go first.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I am going to call Deputies Stanton and Cronin, but I will come back to Deputy Carthy.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I call Deputy Cronin next.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: The purpose of this meeting is to consider the Estimates for Vote 35 - Army Pensions, and Vote 36 - Defence. On behalf of the select committee, I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin and his officials. I thank the Tánaiste's officials and the Department for the briefing material provided. The format of the meeting will be...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I will let the Deputy back in to continue.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Deputy. I will take the Tánaiste briefly back to a point he made in an earlier response to Deputy Cronin when he spoke about our current relations with the authorities in Lebanon and the sensitive nature of such. In his opening address, he made reference to the tragic killing of Private Seán Rooney. We mourn his loss but we also condemn his murder. In this regard,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Under the circumstances, might it be appropriate that we would raise the issue with the national governments of other peacekeeping countries with a view towards ensuring an element of support and progress on this matter?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Briefly, while I have the floor before going to Deputy Berry, I raise an issue in my own constituency. The Tánaiste quite rightly mentioned the multifaceted role played by the Defence Forces. One important role over the last 50 years has been the provision of additional, and oftentimes required, security at Portlaoise Prison. My understanding is that the bill for such extra security...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: It is a matter of some controversy but we will see how matters pan out however. As Chair of the committee, I acknowledge the crucial role played by Defence Forces personnel in Portlaoise at the prison over what I think has been a period of 50 years, oftentimes in very difficult and challenging circumstances on the island. They were always there and it was something which the people of...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Thank you. Unless Deputy Carthy wishes to come back in, I am conscious of the time and that the officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs are about to come in. There is something of an overlap anyway in terms of topics. On behalf of the select committee, I express my thanks to the Tánaiste and his officials for being with us and for dealing with the questions, queries and...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Message to Dáil (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil: The Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence has completed its consideration of the Revised Estimates for public services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2024: Vote 35 - Army Pensions; and Vote 36 - Defence. Under Standing Order 100(2), the message is deemed to be...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: On behalf of the select committee, I again welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and thank officials for the comprehensive briefing material provided to the committee and for the level of engagement with the committee, which is on a most satisfactory level. I thank the Tánaiste for ensuring that. ...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Not to unduly intervene but there is a process involved here. The Deputy will be aware that following the incident which he raised, there was an extensive engagement by this committee, following which a report was published. It was sent to the Government-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: No, the Deputy is wrong, because after which, a new process was inaugurated which I understand is the process which is now to be deployed from time to time when such engagement is to be considered appropriate.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: That is unusual because I would have thought they would both be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I have four brief issues before handing over to Deputy Berry for concluding questions. Further to the questions on the Passport Office, I wish to make reference to foreign birth registration. This is the first time I have seen this figure of 35,000 applications received last year. It does not surprise me. These figures will continue to increase in similar terms given the volume of young...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Sure that can be reviewed.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Charles Flanagan: All right. Thank you, Tánaiste. I call Deputy Barry.