Results 20,921-20,940 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank Ms van Rensburg for that contribution. I now invite Mr. Mohammed Elbashir, the chargé d'affaires of Sudan, to make his opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank Mr. Elbashir for that strong message from Sudan. The final speaker in this part of our meeting is Mrs. Mamoratehi Bokopane, chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho, who I invite to make her opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank Mrs. Mamoratehi Bokopane. I will now open the meeting to members. I remind our distinguished guests that we are still operating something of a post-Covid-19 hybrid insofar as it is possible for members to be at this committee meeting while at their desks in their offices at the same time. Our guests will see references to members on the screens. I see Senator Wilson there. It may...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: There are three topics that I will put to our distinguished guests. I will leave it up to them to make a contribution, brief or otherwise. The topics are trade; Irish Aid, with a particular reference to agriculture; and the current situation in Gaza.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I will take one other brief contribution in response to Deputy Carthy if anyone wishes to offer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank His Excellency. I call Senator Joe O'Reilly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank Senator O'Reilly. I revert to our distinguished panel. In doing so, I remind them Senator O'Reilly is not only a distinguished former deputy speaker of the Upper House, the Seanad, but he is currently actively engaged in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a body with a strong human rights dimension which has an impact on Africa and life and governance across...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I ask our Sudanese colleague to address the question from Senator O'Reilly in as far as he can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I ask Ms Van Rensburg to respond on the situation with regard to power in South Africa and the relationship between the ESB, Ireland's national electricity power company, and work in South Africa.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I will go to Morocco.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: Does anyone have a comment on the great challenge of our current times in terms of climate change and how best it might be approached?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I will take a brief comment from Ms Van Rensburg, not that we are going to do justice to the topic, but just in response to Deputy Stanton. We are coming up to five o'clock. I know that members have to go and I am very keen that we would assemble for a photograph outside. Perhaps at the expiry of five minutes and I would be very keen that Deputy Carthy would be part of that, along with our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I thank Ms van Rensburg. I was very keen that we would explore issues of the future of the United Nations, with particular reference to reform, but we are not going to have time for that. I acknowledge that 54 African countries are members of the UN, which amounts to something just under 30% of the total number of UN member countries, yet there is not anything like a full-time or permanent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Africa Day: Discussion with African Ambassadors to Ireland (21 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: None of the witnesses addressed the hugely important issue of migration, not that I would seek to have one of them speak on behalf of everyone in any case. It is, however, an issue we should revert to before we conclude.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Business of Select Committee (23 May 2024)

Charles Flanagan: I have not received any apologies. I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that we should not comment on, criticise, or make charges against any person or entity outside the House or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make them in any way identifiable. Any member acting in substitution for a member of the committee should formally notify...

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

Charles Flanagan: Amendments Nos. 2 to 5, inclusive, and amendments Nos. 18 to 22, inclusive, are related. It should be noted that amendment No. 3 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 2, amendment No. 5 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 4, amendment No. 20 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 19 and amendment No. 22 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 21. In accordance with the...

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

Charles Flanagan: After Deputy Carthy has made his comment.

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

Charles Flanagan: It is my understanding that the Bill was published before there was any commentary from the Department on the pre-legislative scrutiny report.

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

Charles Flanagan: We can do that. We have 22 amendments. We also have limited time, which perhaps we should not have. In that context, I felt that the making of statements at the outset was probably going to impact on the time available for us to discuss the substantive amendments. Then, with Deputy Carthy having made some comments, I believed that the Tánaiste should come in-----