Results 41,841-41,860 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Undocumented Irish in the USA (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: The embassy is very seized of this issue as is our ambassador in the US. I favour the approach of our diplomatic network in the US pursuing this issue and not having two strands of approach. I do not want to personalise this but when we appoint people as ambassadors to the US it is experienced high-calibre diplomats who end up in Washington. Over the years they have cultivated strong...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputy Carthy for the question. As a result of the strategic planning under way in my Department since last year, the passport service is meeting the current high demand for passports. Almost 350,000 passports have been issued to date in 2023. Just under 1.1 million passports in total are expected to be issued this year. There are no passport application backlogs and all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I will be dealing with that matter in more detail later. We are continually focusing on improving the situation for first-time applicants. I have outlined the significant innovations to facilitate that, particularly in terms of birth registration in respect of which there has always been a delay. There will now also be lower costs through avoiding the need for physical birth certificates...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: Obviously, we keep urging people to get their passports organised well in advance of holidays or foreign travel more generally. There are 814 staff now assigned to the passport service, which is a significant expansion. The core of the question is what the passport service can do to ensure that applicants complete their applications correctly. As I said, the passport service continually...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the question. The European Peace Facility, EPF, was established by the Foreign Affairs Council on 21 March 2021. Ireland was centrally involved in the negotiations to design the EPF. Together with a number of like-minded member states, Ireland ensured the inclusion of a provision allowing member states to constructively abstain from assistance measures...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: In the normal Estimates process, they require the approval of the Dáil.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: In terms of the normal Estimates process and the Votes of Departments – the Vote of my Department and the Vote of the Department of Defence - the funding that gets allocated will be voted on by the Dáil. We are part of the European Common Security and Defence Policy. We opted into that over 20 years ago. It is one of the reasons why I think it is important that we have our...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: Yes it is.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: First of all, there is the common security and defence policy, which we are part of and for which we voted. Then there is Ireland's position in respect of Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine. Russia is perpetrating a war. I take issue with Deputy McNamara's talk about Ireland supporting "belligerents" and will come back to that in a second. Ireland's position in respect of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: That is not training belligerents, to use the Deputy's language. I met representatives of the International Red Cross recently who told me that one of the most appalling consequences of the kind of war that Russia is waging in Ukraine is civilian casualties from unexploded ordnances, mines and bombs that have levelled parts Ukraine. Children can walk into playgrounds and have their limbs...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: We want to provide training to give additional de-mining capability to the Ukrainian military. The other area would be that of medical responses to injuries that occur in combat situations.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 15 and 16 together. The Government and our EU partners remain seriously concerned at the situation in Sudan. Heavy fighting, including air strikes, has been taking place across Khartoum and the rest of Sudan since 15 April. Hospitals and critical infrastructure have been attacked. At least 500 people have been killed and thousands injured. Civilians...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputies for their comments. I will convey their best wishes to the consular staff, diplomats and members of our Defence Forces working in Djibouti, Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan in the co-ordination of this. The first comment I would make in regard to this crisis and future crises is that we will always be part of a pan-European response. That is the benefit of being in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: To address Deputy Carthy’s point, the numbers are fluid because some may not have registered with the embassy in the first instance. The numbers have increased. In the first evacuation, Irish citizens were probably among the first to be evacuated and 50 left in the first 24 hours of evacuation. As people saw that, more registered. There are now 116. As I said, the situation is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland Institutions (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The full and effective operation of all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement across all three strands is a key priority for me for and for our Government. The people of Northern Ireland are entitled to a functioning Assembly and Executive. In recent weeks we have seen cuts to services that will affect Northern Ireland's most vulnerable....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland Institutions (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for the points he has made. Last week at the three-day event on the Good Friday Agreement a significant dinner was hosted by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland involving all those who participated in the agreement, but also many community groups and representatives of all the political parties. That gave me an opportunity to informally talk to all the leaders of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland Institutions (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: We are all conscious of the particular milestones that have been outlined. I do not want to speculate on those or the impact of them on the restoration of the institutions. I found it interesting that in the debates and various contributions that took place last week no one said they were not going to go back into the institutions in the fullness of time. Groups have raised issues...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Relations (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is absolutely correct; we are in a global world and it is a smaller global world. Sri Lanka has been facing huge challenges, not least relating to the impact of climate change, which has been severe. Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis as a result of high national debt and the collapse of tourism during the Covid pandemic. This lead it to suspend foreign debt payments...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Relations (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: As I said, the country is continuing to respond to a severe economic crisis, which escalated in 2022 due to the high debt burden and also the pandemic-related fall in tourist numbers and this lead to the suspension of foreign debt payments in April 2022. There is a small Irish community in Sri Lanka. We continue to provide consular assistance and advice to Irish citizens in Sri Lanka...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Relations (27 Apr 2023)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy again for his insightful and detailed presentation of the case. I was about to say earlier that the focus of the EU's approach with Sri Lanka has been the generalised scheme of preferences plus arrangement, which aims to support Sri Lanka's economic development through increased trade with the EU, as well as by diversifying its exports and attracting investment. That...