Results 40,721-40,740 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (24 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Members of the Defence Forces who were allocated a Married Quarter and who subsequently retire, or leave are required under Regulation to return vacant possession of that property. Where the property is not vacated those remaining in the property, be they the former serving member, their spouse, children and/or other person, are regarded as Overholding. My Department has no agreement with...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (24 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Defence Forces Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) sets out a programme of anticipated project delivery based on the achievement of the high-level goals as set out in White Paper 2015.The Plan is iterative in nature thus ensuring that it remains relevant and that investment is targeted where most needed. A midterm review of the Plan was recently completed by my Department and the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Business Supports (24 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: There have been no payments of non-repayable monies by the Department of Defence through grants, funding supports, tax breaks or other means to businesses in the specified years. Payments made by my Department to businesses are only issued in respect of the supply of goods and services.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (25 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: As previously advised Ireland’s general practice is not to enter into specific agreements regarding the size of individual Missions or to require that the size of individual Missions be kept within specified limits. As previously noted, we keep our policies in this regard under review and it is open to the State to raise the issue of staffing with an individual Mission at any time,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (25 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Sanctions are an important foreign policy tool, used to deter States from pursuing actions which threaten international stability, or from harming citizens in their own country. Since 2011, the EU has applied sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in Iran. Ireland works with our EU partners to ensure that all sanctions are targeted, where relevant,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: British-Irish Co-operation (25 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: A meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) took place at Farmleigh House on 19 January 2023. The Government was represented by the Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, together with the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, and the Minister for Justice, Simon Harris TD. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (25 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish Citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (25 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: A project team, comprising senior civil and military personnel, has commenced work on planning for military radar capabilities, including primary radar. This is one of the early actions identified in a High Level Action Plan published in response to last year's report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Work carried out to date includes identification of requirements and research into...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (26 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The loss or theft of passports and passport cards is considered very serious by the Passport Service as it compromises the safety and security of personal data and can result in fraudulent activity. With regard to the case about which the Deputy has enquired, it is the policy of the Passport Service that if an applicant has lost more than threepassport cards in a ten-year period, they cannot...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 15 December in Brussels. The agenda covered Ukraine, energy and economic issues, security and defence and external relations issues. In his contribution to the debate, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, will provide further detail on discussions on European Union enlargement and outline the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: To what is the Deputy referring?

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Would the Deputy believe my pass would not work and I was locked in?

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I appreciate them and I look forward to working with the Deputy and others on these issues. At the outset, I want to put on record again my strong condemnation of last Friday's shocking attack in Jerusalem, and to convey my thoughts and sympathies to the victims and their families. Turning to the Deputy's question, it is Ireland's long-standing...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: We are concerned about the situation in Palestine and about the position of the new Israeli Government, especially in the context of its attitude towards expansion. There is real concern regarding the statements that have been made, the visit to the holy site and so on. Ireland has been active on this issue at the UN Security Council over the past year and a half to two years, so much so...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is correct that the programme for Government states that the Government will honour its commitment to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe that doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-state solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory. We are working with like-minded states in...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his comments and for raising this issue. While Ireland is a militarily neutral country, meaning that we do not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements, we are not politically or morally neutral in response to Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Ireland strongly condemns the ongoing, despicable and indiscriminate...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate the Deputy’s comments, and their bona fide nature, in respect of Putin's conduct of the war. Russia must be held to account which is why Ireland supports an international tribunal to bring Russia to account in terms of the crime of aggression. War crimes are being committed. It was disappointing in the European Parliament last week that two Irish MEPs refused to support...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: To the best of my knowledge, the only country to question Ireland's neutrality last year was Russia. In my view, Russia has zero credibility in that regard. We are militarily neutral. We are not politically neutral. We are members of the European Union and the United Nations. The UN Charter is very strong on self-defence. Ukraine is entitled to defend itself against appalling...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 67 together. Last year was an exceptionally busy year for the passport service, with over 1.085 million passports issued. This represents the first time in the history of the State that over 1 million passports were issued in a calendar year. The passport service surpassed its previous busiest year of 2019, when 935,000 passports were issued. The...