Results 41,581-41,600 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Occupied Territories Bill would not be compatible with EU law, and would not be implementable. This is the clear legal advice on this matter. The Government will therefore not be taking it forward. We have however ,supported legal avenues to differentiate between settlements and Israel, for example by joining a case before the European Courts in 2019 on labelling of certain goods...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: It is Ireland’s longstanding position that policies and practices of successive Israeli governments relating to illegal settlements and their expansion, as well as expulsions, forced transfers and demolitions, undermine prospects for a two-State solution, and are a major obstacle to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace. The continued establishment and expansion of settlements...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Contributions under the European Peace Facility (EPF) are shared between the Department of Foreign Affairs (Vote 28) and the Departments of Defence (Vote 36). The Department of Foreign Affairs covers costs in respect of Assistance Measures and the Department of Defence covers costs in respect of the European Union’s Military CSDP Missions and Operations. In 2021, Ireland contributed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 565 and 566 together. The Western Balkans lies in the heart of Europe. Its future is unquestionably within the European Union. Given that, Ireland has a clear strategic interest in fostering good relations between the communities in the Western Balkans, and between the EU and the region. We do this in numerous ways. First, by facilitating intra-regional...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Enlargement (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland welcomed the decision of the European Council last June to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine. As I have made clear since the outbreak of the war, including in my own visit to Kyiv, Ireland fully supports Ukraine's application for EU membership. In Brussels, we have worked with a group of likeminded Member States to propose a range of political and practical steps through which the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland’s two-year term on the UN Security Council, which ended on 31 December, was underpinned by three core principles: building peace; strengthening conflict prevention; and ensuring accountability. Working in line with those principles, we consistently used our voice on the Council to call out violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law, and demand...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland is not a member of NATO and has no plans to join the organisation. While I am therefore not in a position to comment in detail, my understanding is that NATO’s membership has increased from 12 to 30 countries through eight rounds of enlargement since 1949. Currently, five partner countries have declared their aspirations to NATO membership; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs and its mission network are actively engaged in delivering the Government’s economic objectives, and in particular in advancing the Irish people's prosperity and interests abroad. The pursuit of these economic objectives is framed by The Global Island, Global Ireland 2025and, most recently, the Government's Trade and Investment Strategy 2022-2026:...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 574 together. St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity, cultural activity, diaspora engagement, and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. I visited New York and Boston and met the UN Secretary-General; former...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The full and effective operation of all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, including the power-sharing institutions provided for under Strand One, is a priority for this Government. The people of Northern Ireland are entitled to a functioning Assembly and Executive, in full fulfilment of the mandate they gave in the May 2022 elections. The absence of a functioning Executive...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: State Visits (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 580 together. The Government strongly welcomed the announcement last week of President Biden’s intention to visit Ireland and Northern Ireland soon. The visit of any US President, particularly one with such strong connections to Ireland, offers an opportunity to reinforce the strong historic, economic, cultural and family ties between our two...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I was concerned by the renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year, and by reports of the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin corridor since 12 December. It is clear that these developments severely impact the civilian population, in particular ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh. The blockade also increases the chances of an escalation occurring. We stress that all...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Fisheries Protection (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland's control authorities, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service, are responsible for the monitoring and control of fishing vessels in our Exclusive Fisheries Zone to ensure compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea-fisheries...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am concerned by the recent decision of the Israeli authorities to transfer some administrative powers in the West Bank from military to civilian authorities. This is a worrying development which comes amid the context of increased settler violence and announcements regarding settlements. The annexation by Israel of any part of the occupied Palestinian territory would be a clear...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 (VCDR) identifies three categories of Mission staff as follows: - Diplomatic staff- Administrative and Technical staff, and- Service staff There are currently 21 officers at the Embassy of the Russian Federation who have been notified to my Department under Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations - 9 Diplomats and 12...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland’s Embassy in Washington DC, as our representative office in the United States, leads on Ireland’s political, economic, and people-to-people relations across the United States. In addition to the Embassy’s engagement on a national scale, it also has consular responsibility for Washington, DC and the surrounding states of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been consistently active, both through the European Union and the United Nations, in our support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and unjustified war of aggression. This war is entirely of Russia’s choosing, and Ireland has repeatedly called for Russia to end its attack on Ukraine. Ireland has co-sponsored six UN General Assembly resolutions adopted in...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Defence Forces, as part of being fully certified to the ISO50001 standard, operates a comprehensive Energy Management System (EnMS) that meets the requirements of the standard. Each Defence Forces installation monitors energy consumption in terms of its utilities usage, with monthly returns made by Barrack Accountants on their electricity, gas, kerosene and LPG usage, as well as tracking...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Funding (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Virement is the application of savings on one or more subheads to meet excess expenditure on another subhead or subheads in the Vote. It is an integral component of Government Accounting, which is strictly controlled and cannot be progressed unilaterally at Vote level without prior consultation and approval from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDPDR). The...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy will appreciate that the finding from the Workplace Relations Commission is currently under consideration. I am not in a position to comment on the matters raised at this time, pending consideration of the next steps to be taken.