Results 4,721-4,740 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The full implementation of the Stormont House Agreement remains a priority of this Government and continues to be a key focus in contacts with the Northern Ireland Executive and with the British Government. The Taoiseach and Prime Minister Cameron discussed implementation of the Agreement at their meeting in London on 18 June, underlining the collective benefit of full implementation. To...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Easter Rising Commemorations (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: On 29 June, together with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ms Heather Humphreys T.D., I launched the Ireland 2016 Global and Diaspora Programme, one of the seven strands of the overall Ireland 2016 Programme, which was launched by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste earlier this year. The Global and Diaspora Programme, which includes events around the world organised by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I was very pleased to participate in the first Irish Humanitarian Summit on 2 July in UCD, which was opened by President Michael D. Higgins. My Department took the initiative to instigate a consultation process with the Irish humanitarian community in response to the UN Secretary General's initiative to convene a World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May next year. It will address the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland's positive relationship with Cuba has developed steadily since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in 1999, and I am keen to see our bilateral relations develop further. For this purpose, the Secretary General of my Department visited Havana in April this year for bilateral consultations and to meet a range of contacts, including Cubans and diplomatic...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Israeli Settlements (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland has consistently condemned the dispossession and eviction of Palestinian people in order to clear land for Israeli settlements. This is clearly contrary to international law. I have expressed these concerns in public statements, in contacts with the Israeli Embassy here, and directly to the Israeli Foreign Minister when I visited in February. We have also consistently made this...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (established by the UN Human Rights Council) into last summer's violence in Gaza and Israel was released on 22ndJune. The Report is a serious and considered piece of work. While the members of the Commission had to deal with a lack of co-operation from various sources and lack of access to Gaza, they made a clear effort to ensure balance,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Sustainable Development Strategy (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: This year we are working for global agreement in three major international conferences on sustainable development. The Conferences are interlinked. They are on Financing for Development, this week in Addis Ababa, on a new framework for global development at the UN in New York in September and on a new climate change agreement in Paris in December. The aim is to deliver a new and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft, including US aircraft, in Ireland. My Department considers requests for permission for foreign military aircraft to transit Irish airports or airspace in consultation with relevant Departments and agencies. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Citizens Imprisoned Abroad (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: This case is being treated with the utmost priority by me and by officials in my Department, both in Dublin and Cairo. My Department has a clear strategy in place, focussed on achieving a positive outcome at the earliest time possible. It is based on two clear objectives: firstly to see this individual released by the Egyptian authorities so that he can return to his family and his...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: This is a repeat of my answer to Question No. 111. Prison issues in Northern Ireland, in particular those which affect prisoners in separated accommodation, regularly feature in my discussions with Minister for Justice, David Ford MLA, and, on non-devolved matters, with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP. In my contacts, I emphasise the importance of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Applications (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The person referred to was denied entry to the Embassy of Ireland in Cairo due to a previous security incident at the Embassy. In addition, concerns were raised with the Embassy by third parties regarding the alleged conduct of this person in relation to visa matters. Should this person wish to submit a visa application, it is open to him to do so by having the application delivered by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Passports Act, 2008 provides that the Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be satisfied as to the identity of each applicant before a passport is issued. This serves to maintain the worldwide good reputation and integrity of the Irish passport, which, in turn, ensures the safe travel and well-being of Irish citizens as they travel abroad. The witnessing of applications by An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The flooding in Tbilisi last month had terrible consequences, including a death toll of at least 20. I wrote at the time to my Georgian counterpart to express the deepest condolences of the Irish Government. More recently, President Higgins attended a memorial service in Dublin for the victims of the floods, at which the Georgian Chargé d’Affaires and members of the Georgian...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains and administers a roster of 200 observers for such missions. The aim is to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level in international election observation missions organised in the main by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 714 and 715 together. At a hearing of the case in April, Irish Embassy officials in Cairo were informed by this individual’s legal team that not all defendants were facing the same charges and that this individual is among the group of defendants who are not facing the most serious charges. This information was confirmed at a further meeting. As...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The commitment of Ireland to the promotion and protection of human rights is an underlying principle of Ireland’s foreign policy and is a priority for the Government. Ireland is currently a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and we pursue our human rights priorities in many international fora. Ireland is a firm supporter of the European Court of Human Rights and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 717 to 719, inclusive, together. The full implementation of the Stormont House Agreement remains a priority of this Government and continues to be a key focus in contacts with the Northern Ireland Executive and with the British Government. The Taoiseach and Prime Minister Cameron discussed implementation of the Agreement at their meeting in London on 18...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 720 and 721 together. It is a matter of public record that collusion occurred during the Troubles between British State forces and paramilitaries. Successive Irish Governments, in our ongoing bilateral relations and through the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, have raised the issue of collusion with the British Government. We continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Achieving relief for undocumented Irish migrants in the US remains a priority for the Government in our contacts with the United States. Through our Embassy in Washington and our Consulates throughout the U.S., we continue to work closely on this agenda with high level Government contacts and with many other individuals and groups across Irish America and beyond. The aim of these contacts...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: National Postcode System Implementation (14 Jul 2015)

Charles Flanagan: My Department’s Passport Service communicates with a significant number of our citizens each year. As such, we have considered this area in particular detail as we review areas of our work where the new Eircode rollout may require changes to our systems. We continue to review our systems to assess how we can support the implementation of Eircode and how we can maximize the benefits of...