Results 44,961-44,980 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (15 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Habitual Residence Condition is a social welfare condition that a person must satisfy to receive a social assistance payment. A person who is subject to a deportation order is considered not to satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition as they do not have an unqualified legal right of residence in the State. As such they are ineligible for social assistance payments. My department...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (15 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ireland strongly condemns the coup carried out by the Myanmar military in February 2021, and attempts by the junta to consolidate and legitimise the military regime. I remain deeply concerned by the widespread violence, the high levels of displacement, and the dire humanitarian and human rights situation, which have had a particular impact on the Rohingya population. Ireland remains...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (15 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Where there are identified shortfalls in the provision of medical care to the Permanent Defence Force, a range of measures to ensure continuity of service are employed including outsourcing, contracted professionals, and agency workers. I am informed by the military authorities that there are no contractual arrangements between the Defence Forces and individual agency nurses and all such...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Go raibh maith agaibh, a Chathaoirligh and Senators. In Gaza we continue to bear witness to a brutal conflict: 136 long days of war, 100,000 dead, injured or missing, 1.9 million displaced and 90% facing acute hunger. These are numbers but they describe a human reality of mass suffering on an industrial scale, a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes. More than half of the...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I met the children on the way in. They were also in the other House, where I was speaking on the war in Ukraine. I hope the school does not mind me saying this, but is it not saying something that the two debates they have witnessed so far are debates about unspeakable wars? It is a sign of our times, but you are our future and we hope we can give you a more peaceful legacy than the one we...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Why not?

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Legislative Measures (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am aware that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is currently proceeding through the legislative process in Westminster and is being examined by the House of Lords at present. I note that the Joint Committee on Human Rights in Westminster in its report on the Bill on 7 February suggested that the UK Government should provide "a full explanation of why it considers the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround times and has not yet reached its issue by date. The public offices of the Passport Service in Dublin 2 and in Cork operate a four-day Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants. The Dublin office also offers a one-day Urgent Appointment service. Applicants who...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Government is continuing its analysis of the legal and policy aspects of South Africa’s case under the Genocide Convention and is in ongoing contact with South Africa and other like-minded partners. We will take a decision on intervention once we have completed this comprehensive legal and policy analysis. It is likely that we will not make a final decision on the matter until...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: A public health disaster has been unfolding in Gaza in recent months. In addition to mass displacement of 85% of the population of Gaza, the World Health Organisation has confirmed that the healthcare system has largely collapsed as a result of the conflict. As of 30 January, the WHO estimate that just 13 of 36 hospitals in Gaza were partially functioning. As of 10 February, only seven...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 126 together. I am deeply concerned by the current situation in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. As a result of Israeli military actions, almost 1.5 million people are currently sheltering there in dire conditions and there has been widespread, substantive damage to buildings. Further escalation of military activity in Rafah by Israel could...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target and no backlogs. In 2023, over 1 million applications were received and over 950,000 passports were issued. So far in 2024, the Passport Service has issued over 143,000 passports. In order to verify the identity of a passport applicant, and in the case of children, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance from the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The appointment of full-time specialist Cultural Officers in priority locations worldwide has been identified in the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy as a key action to widen and deepen our global cultural presence and engagement. Eight positions in Beijing, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Toronto and Sao Paulo have been filled to date in a close partnership...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Communications (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Customer Service Hub is available to answer applicants’ questions by phone or webchat, Monday to Friday from 9am – 4.30pm. Agents can be contacted at 01 671 1633 (Passports) or 01 568 3331 (Foreign Birth Registration) or via the WebChat service. The Customer Service Hub handled over 615,000 queries in 2023. Currently, 100% of calls to the Customer Service Hub are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target and no backlogs. In 2023, over 1 million applications were received and over 950,000 passports were issued. So far in 2024, the Passport Service has issued over 143,400 passports. There are currently over 143,600 passport applications in the system. However, 54% of these...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: On 15 February 2024, I met with the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, in Dublin to discuss the organisation’s role in addressing the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the current conflict in the Middle East. During this meeting, I conveyed Ireland’s deep appreciation for the invaluable humanitarian...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: State Properties (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy is aware, following the establishment of the LDA in September 2018, the Government decided that two Defence properties would transfer to the LDA, one of which is the former Columb Barracks in Mullingar. Officials in my Department have worked with the Chief State Solicitor's Office as a priority matter to finalise pre-contract matters, relating to Title and other formalities...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Data (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: My Department has been advised by the military authorities that the aircraft referred to by the Deputy requested permission to land in Casement Aerodrome Baldonnel in September 2004. I am advised that the records maintained by the Air Corps noted that the craft landed in Casement Aerodrome on 10 September 2004, departed shortly after arrival and returned later that day with a final...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (20 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been a member of Partnership for Peace (PfP) since 1999, at which time the Government and Dáil Éireann approved Ireland’s participation, with the foremost priority for participation being cooperation in peacekeeping. Ireland's participation is tailored so that it reflects our national priorities, and is fully consistent with Ireland’s policy of military...