Results 2,721-2,740 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Diaspora Issues (6 Feb 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: In 2018, the Government has committed €11.595 million to the emigrant support programme. Through this important programme, the Government supports culturally sensitive front-line welfare services, targeted at the most vulnerable members of our overseas communities. It also supports cultural, heritage, business and capital investment projects which benefit Irish communities abroad....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Diaspora Issues (6 Feb 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Senator for his consistent interest in this area. The report from Indecon, which was the entity commissioned to prepare the report on the barriers that exist for returning emigrants, will be published very shortly. It has forensically assessed each of those barriers and the reasons they occur and has suggested some very innovative solutions which we hope to implement. The...

Seanad: Foreign Affairs: Statements (6 Feb 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Seanad for the invitation to speak on foreign affairs and I welcome the opportunity to discuss in this House Ireland's approach to international affairs, which is guided by A Programme for a Partnership Government and the vision expressed in the foreign policy review statement, The Global Island. This framework provides the goals and the priority area of focus for the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (6 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The humanitarian situation in Syria remains of utmost concern. The conflict continues to have a devastating impact on civilians and the suffering in Eastern Ghouta in particular is appalling. Over 13 million people require humanitarian assistance inside Syria alone and over 5.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. In 2018, the UN estimates that $7.9 billion is...

Diaspora Issues: Statements (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I welcome this opportunity to update the House on the outcome of the Indecon report and the context within which it was drawn up and on my work on as Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora and international development on diaspora issues. My work as Minister of State is guided by the Government's diaspora policy, Global Irish. Published in 2015, this was the first clear...

Diaspora Issues: Statements (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: A statutory instrument has not been introduced.

Diaspora Issues: Statements (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank all the Members for their very informed and passionate contributions. It is more than apparent that they hold very close to their hearts the interests of our diaspora and its future. I thank them for that. I thank Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in particular, for the work he has done abroad in engaging with Irish communities. Repeated affirmation by Members of this Parliament of the work...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. Sexual exploitation and abuse in any context is an affront to our values and the humanitarian imperative to ensure the safety, security and dignity of people affected by disaster or living in extreme poverty. Effective delivery of any aspect of Ireland’s Overseas Development Assistance programme requires not only the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The brutal activities of Boko Haram have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions more. They also involve the clear and persistent abuse of human rights, especially of women and girls. These acts undermine, as is the perpetrator’s intention, the peace, stability, and prosperity of Nigeria and its neighbouring countries. I reiterate the Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Oversight (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together. There is a global recognition that greater volumes of finance are needed to eradicate poverty and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This finance can come from many sources, including governments, international development NGOs, multilateral bodies, international finance institutions, philanthropists, and the private sector....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: Ireland’s humanitarian assistance focuses on providing timely and effective support to the most vulnerable and hard to reach populations experiencing severe humanitarian disasters and emergencies. Ireland pays particular attention to the needs of those enduring protracted crises, and those in crises no longer at the forefront of public attention but where needs are great. Over the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: As the Tánaiste said, the diaspora will play a critical role in expanding our global footprint. As there has been a significant increase in the number of applications from diaspora support groups across the world, we need to move beyond the figure of €11.59 million. There will be a significantly enhanced budget to double our global footprint as we need to build the sense of a...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The traditional destinations of investment have been the United States and the United Kingdom, but very large diaspora communities are developing in the Middle East, South Africa and other locations and we need to be able to grow the budget to respond to their needs.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I welcome this opportunity to present the 2018 Revised Estimates for Vote 27 for international co-operation. Vote 27 funds over 70% of Ireland’s official development assistance, ODA, programme, better known to the public as Irish Aid. The Vote provides the funding necessary to deliver on the Department's high level goal to work towards a fairer, more just, secure and sustainable...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: All members referred to the target of 0.7% of GNI by 2030, which we are very ambitious to achieve. We need to be cognisant that it is an increase of approximately €100 million to €130 million per annum, moving from €707 million at the moment to about €2.5 billion by 2030. As Deputy Darragh O'Brien pointed out, the political support is already apparent from...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: We were just below the target in 2017, but overall our per capita contribution compared with other EU member states means we are one of the top contributors on a per capita basis. As we move towards the 0.7% by 2030, we would be anxious to reach that target consistently in the years to come.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: Yes, we hope to. The Cathaoirleach asked about policy coherence. We need to achieve exactly that. If we use the collective experience and expertise across all Departments we can develop very strong policy coherence. That will form part of the White Paper process. If we look to an overarching structure to allow that to happen, the SDGs give us that excellent coherence. If we prepare our...

Government Response to Salisbury Attack: Statements (27 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I reiterate the Tánaiste's utter condemnation of the evil attack which took place in Salisbury on 4 March. I repeat that our closest neighbour has assessed that it is highly likely that Russia carried out the first known chemical attack on European soil since the end of the Second World War, and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. The European Council agreed unanimously...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Provision (28 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government regularly engages with the EU and UN on access to basic services on the African continent, including clean drinking water. During the development of the new European Consensus on Development, a shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation among the EU and all the Member States, the Government advocated for a priority focus on basic services including...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Children's Rights (28 Mar 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The promotion and protection of the rights of all children should be paramount. In this context, I consider the recruitment and use of child soldiers as among the gravest human rights violations. Ireland, the EU and UN are working to end the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.The EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, first adopted on 2003 and revised in June 2008, set...