Results 4,741-4,760 of 4,811 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy. I appreciated that. Regarding the expenses of Irish Aid and development, it is all contained in the Irish Aid report. I am more than happy to furnish her and the committee with the most up-to-date report, which will give a breakdown of exactly where we spend our money through our large-scale international Irish NGOs, embassies and partnerships with the United Nations...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Senator for that. The ethos driving our work in Irish aid is to reach the furthest behind first, that is, the most vulnerable people not just in a geographic sense but in the challenges life has befallen them through no fault of their own. This is what justifies the work. I was very taken by the Senator's comment that this is a role, a brief and a Department that has an...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Senator for that. Regarding the reports of Russia bombing humanitarian aid - I think it was in the Irish Independent this morning - this is not the first time. It is very clear, and we all recognise, that Vladimir Putin is using hunger as a tool of war. He is attacking medical facilities and energy sources, and I have no doubt he is, quite simply, committing war crimes. We...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: Anecdotally, they have increased in the context of the sheer level of activity. We would have seen this with the previous Presidency and they were going up under Other Presidencies also. One thing we have seen anecdotally is an increased number of applications under the foreign birth register for Irish passports, which is often a tell-tale sign. It is something we will keep a close eye on,...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank Senator O'Reilly. I will not get to reply to all of his questions but it is worth mentioning HIV and AIDS. They are very much not in the past tense. They are still very real. Even in this jurisdiction, infection rates increased over the past two years. One of the biggest issues in sub-Saharan Africa is the sheer prevalence of undetected cases of HIV and AIDS. We have had great...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: This is an important point, because it is not just an online consultation. The consultation has not yet officially opened. Just by way of information, our diaspora strategy lapses in December this year and we will launch a new one in April. The task given to me by the Tánaiste is to prepare a new strategy reflective of the profiled needs and demands of the Irish diaspora today, which...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy is correct that the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is vast. In terms of priority, this is decided by our value systems. It is very clear in the Department's mission statement where our priorities are. This is all part of the Global Ireland strategy. It is multifaceted. It concerns boosting our diversification of trading relationships, our responsibility...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: No. The only thing we did in the last budget was that we increased our aid budget by about €10 million in terms of what we contribute. As I said earlier, but it is worth repeating and I am not doing this to be repetitive, it is quite early to assess the impact of the cuts by USAID. Other donor countries, like the UK, have flagged that they are making the cuts but they have not made...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I am currently engaging with all our NGOs. I am meeting them individually and as a group. Each NGO is impacted differently. Some are not exposed to the USAID cuts at all, while others are undertaking full reviews and restructuring. Some NGOs have started that work already, particularly smaller ones. We are on hand, however, to ensure the programmes and work they are doing can and will...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: Rather than focus on the macro issues that the Deputy rightly referred to, I will focus on what work we are actually doing. I chair an interdepartmental committee where we bring together stakeholders from all Departments to address the very issues the Deputy raised. He mentioned motor insurance. One of the last responsibilities I had when I was in the Department of Finance was to launch a...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Chair for the opportunity and for the level of engagement. This should be a committee in which there is great space for cross-party agreement, and we can embrace a collective drive. I sensed that this afternoon. I wish to address a couple of the points raised in the second round. Some of them are a bit more general. Deputy Brennan raised one clear issue related to Senator...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Business of Joint Committee (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I will address each of these points very briefly and there will be supplementary questions. When it comes to the absolute horrors unfolding in Gaza, the priority has to be restoring humanitarian corridors and getting real levels of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza, who are living in conditions that, to be honest, none of us can possibly imagine, even those...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I thank Senators from all parties and none for their very thoughtful, considered and genuine contributions here this morning. There is no way I will be able to respond in ten minutes to all the issues raised or be able to give this debate the respect and dignity it deserves. I will endeavour to do my best because I truly appreciate the opportunity to respond to the debate.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: That is very generous of you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. That is the spirit and the mood of the House. We all recognise that. Before I respond to some of the issues raised and speak about the issue more generally, for the benefit of the House I would like to focus more specifically on humanitarian aid, because it is my specific brief as Minister of State with responsibility for international...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: Senator Andrews took the words out of my mouth. The Lord knows what has befallen most of those children since. I know everyone in this House has a personal commitment, some for different periods and others in various regards. In recent months, more than 54,000 people have been killed, more than 123,000 injured, and 90% of the population has been displaced, some up to 13 times. When we...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I am trying to be helpful in what I say and not in any way to be combative or to disagree with the point the Senator makes. However, it is useful for me to lay out what the Irish Government is genuinely trying to do to move the European obstacles out of the way and achieve consensus, but also shift the dial regarding the perception of the conflict in certain member states. Two member states...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: I am not trying to open a debate at all; I am just trying to provide the context and, perhaps, a window and passage forward. The Senator and I, and indeed her wonderful former adviser, would have trawled through legal opinions, perhaps more than Senator McDowell goes through in a year. It was absolutely mesmerising. Looking at what was considered last night in the Dáil and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: The Ireland Fellows Programme (IFP) was established in 1974 and is an important element of the Irish Aid programme managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It enables early to mid-career professionals with leadership potential, from developing countries, to benefit from a quality education in Ireland. The programme contributes to capacity building by offering selected students...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Neale Richmond: The Ireland Fellows Programme (IFP) was established in 1974 and is an important element of the Irish Aid programme managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It enables early to mid-career professionals with leadership potential, from developing countries, to benefit from a quality education in Ireland. The programme contributes to capacity building by offering selected students...