Results 5,621-5,640 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Seanad: United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: Statements (28 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: While we might have been taken by surprise, I do not think Senator Norris can deduce from that that we are in the dark. We have a contingency. I acknowledge what Senators have said in commending the publication last Friday evening of part of our contingency planning. I ask Senators to keep in touch. I undertake to keep Members of the Seanad fully informed on our planning and the...

Seanad: United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: Statements (28 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: This will be used in key areas, such as trade, energy, interconnection, agriculture and food, social welfare arrangements, education and research co-operation, and will extend right across each and every Department. Above all, our contingency management arrangements will prioritise the key political and strategic issues arising from the implications for Northern Ireland, the common travel...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (29 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: There is no change to the status of the Good Friday Agreement or the workings of the European Court of Human Rights arising from the result of the UK referendum of the EU last week. As reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent agreements, including the 2014 Stormont House and the 2015 Fresh Start...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (29 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: Since the referendum result there has been a notable increase in queries concerning Irish passports from Northern Ireland, Great Britain and elsewhere. However, it is too early as yet to identify the precise impact of the outcome in terms of the volume of passport applications. Statistics relating to applications are usually compiled on a monthly basis. I would like to underline that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (30 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: In response to a request from the US Embassy, my Department granted clearance for a landing by the aircraft to which the Deputy refers. Permission was granted on the basis that the aircraft was unarmed and carried no arms, ammunition or explosives, would not engage in intelligence gathering and that the flight in question would not form part of military exercises or operations. In...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (30 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: In response to requests from the US Embassy, my Department granted permission for landings by the aircraft to which the Deputy refers. Permission was granted on the basis that the aircraft were unarmed and carried no arms, ammunition or explosives, would not engage in intelligence gathering and that the flights in question would not form part of military exercises or operations.

Seanad: Ibrahim Halawa Case: Statements (30 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on the consular case of Ibrahim Halawa, a young Irish citizen who has been detained now for almost three years in Egypt. From my first week in office when I met Ibrahim's father, Sheikh Hussein Halawa, securing Ibrahim's return home to Ireland has been a priority for me and my Department. At my direction, unprecedented sustained and focused...

Seanad: Ibrahim Halawa Case: Statements (30 Jun 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Senators for their contributions. I have taken careful note of what has been said. I assure everybody that this case remains a highest priority in my Department and that I will continue to do everything possible to secure the release of Ibrahim Halawa and to see him return home as soon as possible. When I say "everything", let me assure the House that includes all options, some...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I was not.

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: There were a number of questions. Obviously, when the 27 EU Heads of State or Government met in Brussels on 29 June they considered by way of initial reflection the result of the referendum. There was a preliminary discussion on its implications for the European Union, in the short and in the longer term. Indeed, it is true that the outcome has highlighted something of a crisis of...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The Government and I welcome the presentation of the new global strategy setting out a vision for European Union foreign and security policy. It commits the European Union to the promotion of peace, prosperity, democracy and the rule of law. I welcome that the strategy encompasses both foreign and security policy, taking in a global perspective. I assure the House that Irish concerns have...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: International engagement on the issue of broadband and our national strategy has not featured in my conversations at EU level. The Cabinet took a decision today, following consideration of a number of options, to proceed by way of a national plan. I am sure the Dáil will have the opportunity to discuss this at an early date. I have no knowledge of any European influence on or...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I do not agree with Brian Hayes, MEP, in his setting out of the circumstances under which Ireland may at some future time leave the European Union. I stress, as I have done with my colleagues and as the Taoiseach did at the recent Council meeting, that Ireland firmly remains an active and constructive member of the European Union and the eurozone, irrespective of the result of the UK...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The framework for negotiations is currently under way. At the European Council meeting it was stated that the negotiations will certainly be led by the European Council and at that level among EU Heads of State and Government. There will be a role for the Commission in the matter of the technical issues surrounding the negotiations. Ultimately there will be a role for the European...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: Yes, my view is that there is a deep understanding on the part of the other 26 member states that will potentially form the remaining European Union of the unique status of Ireland with particular reference to the island of Ireland, the peace process, the Border and the common travel area. That acknowledgement has been forthcoming, particularly in my own bilateral engagement. I have not, at...

European Council Meeting: Statements (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I am pleased to bring today's debate to a conclusion. As the Taoiseach has mentioned, I will focus my remarks on the items covered at the summit under the heading of external relations. The European Council adopted conclusions on Libya, where the situation remains most fragile. There has been some welcome progress since the signing of a political agreement in December, but the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: As I said in the House last week during the important discussion on the implications of the outcome of the UK referendum, I believe there is a collective determination across the Government and Opposition benches to meet the challenges and uncertainties of the period ahead. Our work together over the next months and years must serve Irish national interests as we construct a new environment...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I agree with the Deputy on the importance of the points at issue. We have been engaged in a review of our personnel and have put into effect something of a redeployment, but this involves much more than the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, has a particular role to play. However, my Department will...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: In the interim period while the negotiation process is being established, our new economic diplomacy strategy, which I launched earlier this year, offers an opportunity to build on the commercial capacity of our embassy network across the world, which supports Irish business and complements the work of the State agencies. In this regard, my Department has launched a pilot programme of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Charles Flanagan: Last Wednesday, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I convened a quarterly review meeting of the Fresh Start and Stormont House agreements. The First and Deputy First Minister represented the Executive, as did the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice. As well as the review meeting, I held separate bilateral meetings with the Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, the SDLP leader,...