Results 6,541-6,560 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 7 February I issued a public statement on the passage of this legislation, which was as follows: "I am deeply disappointed by the decision of Israeli legislators to pass the so-called Legalisation Bill on settlements in the West Bank. This represents a further serious setback for the Middle East Peace Process. It has been widely criticised both internationally and by many in Israel. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Notwithstanding other concurrent crises in the Middle East region, the resolution of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict remains a priority for the Government and for the European Union, and one on which I have devoted a lot of time at EU level and in visits to the region. Already this year, the issue has been discussed at both the January and February meetings of the Foreign Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: In addition to protecting the Northern Ireland Peace Process and maintaining the Common Travel Area, minimising the impact on trade and the economy is a key priority for the Government in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. From our perspective this means, as the Taoiseach stated in his keynote speech last week, that the best possible outcome in the negotiations is “the closest...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: North-South Ministerial Council (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Good progress has been made through the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) on scoping out the sectorial implications of Brexit for Ireland, North and South, and in agreeing joint principles for moving forward. In the aftermath of the referendum in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016, there was a Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 4 July 2016 in Dublin Castle. At...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I most recently met with the Head of the European Commission’s Brexit Taskforce, Michel Barnier, in Brussels on 9 February. This meeting formed part of the Government’s continued programme of extensive engagement with EU partners to emphasise Ireland’s unique set of priorities with regard to Brexit and the many complex issues relating to Northern Ireland, the Common...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have taken note of the “Human Slaughterhouse” report issued by Amnesty International on the mass murder of detainees by the Assad regime. The details of this report set out the unspeakable and systematic murder of Syrian civilians by the Assad regime. This report corroborates the February 2016 report by the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry which found...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Domestic Violence (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 7 February 2016, the Russian Duma passed a law decriminalising certain forms of domestic violence in the Russian Federation. This law unfortunately represents a clear step backwards in efforts to combat violence against women and children, and fails to recognise the very serious and specific nature of violence against women. Ireland expressed its serious concerns with this legislation in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am fully aware of the excellent work carried out by this organisation. Officials from my Department have met with representatives of this organisation and have regular contact with the Organisation. Regarding the obtaining of charity status this is a matter for the Charities Regulatory Authority which in accordance with Section 14(3) of the Charities Act 2009 is independent in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together. I refer the Deputies to my reply to Question 29 today on this topic, which was as follows: The two state solution to the conflict between Israel and its Palestinian and Arab neighbours has been espoused by a consensus of the international community, and been supported by public opinion and responsible leaders in both Israeli and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The introduction of on-line enrolment for passport applications is a key customer service initiative under the Passport Reform Programme. I expect this new service to start rolling out in the coming months. The on-line option will initially be available for routine renewal of adult passports but it will be extended in phases to all applicants, including first-time applicants and children,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: This passport application was submitted through Passport Express. It was registered with the Passport Service on 7 February and has been given an estimated delivery date of 28 February, based on the category of application. When the applicant submitted the application through Passport Express, the Passport Service website provided a target turnaround time of 15 working days for renewals and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland plays a leading role in promoting and protecting those who face persecution for defending the rights of others. As well as raising individual cases with concerned countries, we also support the participation of human rights defenders in multilateral fora, including the Human Rights Council in Geneva. We have been concerned for some time at the increasing trend of governments to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Agreements (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Article 217 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that the Union may conclude with one or more third countries or international organisations agreements establishing an association involving reciprocal rights and obligations, common action and special procedure. The precise content of an association agreement, however, is not defined by the Treaty, and their nature,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Reform (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: For over 70 years, the United Nations (UN) has played a vital role in the maintenance of international peace and security and in the resolution of conflicts, which are at the root of many of the humanitarian crises facing the world today. It does this primarily through the UN Security Council which has a variety of tools at its disposal to address threats to international peace and to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade primary responsibility for the regulation of activity, both landing in the State and overflying the State, by foreign military aircraft. The following tables provide information on the number of overflights through Irish airspace by foreign military aircraft during the period for which the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Data (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The processing times for passport applications is updated weekly on the Passport Service website, www.passport.ie. Depending on the category of application, different processing times will apply. Renewal applications, submitted through the Passport Express service are currently taking an average of 15 working days while first-time applications are taking an average of 19 working days. For...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Passport Express service extended the target delivery date to 15 working days in May 2016 in response to the sustained increases in the volume of applications. An Post updated its printed and promotional materials and the website at that time to reflect the change and the website and communication materials of my Department were also changed. Information was also circulated to all...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Terrorism (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The issue of how best to respond to the threat posed by terrorism has been and remains high on the EU agenda. Foreign Ministers remain focused on implementation of the Council Conclusions on Counter-terrorism agreed in February 2015 and on the contribution that the EU can make through external action to preventing and countering terrorism. Engagement with third countries to prevent violent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Euroscepticism is not new, but in recent years it has become stronger and more vocal, and has manifested itself in the rise of extreme right wing movements and in the UK’s decision to leave the Union. In the wake of the Brexit vote, EU leaders met in Bratislava last September. In the Bratislava Declaration they acknowledged the need to improve communications among Member States, with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (22 Feb 2017)

Charles Flanagan: At the informal meeting of 27 EU Heads of State or Government which took place on 29 June last year, it was agreed that no negotiations of any kind would take place with the United Kingdom until such time as they formally notified of their intention to leave the EU. As the formal notification of departure under Article 50 has not yet occurred – although we expect it to take place next...