Results 6,641-6,660 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Missions (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Ministerial-led trade missions are a central element of the Government’s support for Ireland’s exports, inward investment, tourism, and international education. An intensive programme of trade missions is a key part of our overall strategy of pursuing market diversification and building resilience into our economy in response to changes in the global trade and investment...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy may be aware, the Passport Service launched a new online tracking system at the end of last year. The tracker provides tailored information on progress with applications and the estimated issue date to applicants. In recent weeks, there have been some technical difficulties with the tracker resulting in delays in status updates for a small number of applications. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: All applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 (the Act), which provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this legal requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship in his/her application. The applicant referred to was born on 11/2/2015. His...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Naval Vessels (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: In response to a request from the US Embassy, my Department granted permission for a visit by the US naval vessel, USS Donald Cook, to visit the port of Cobh from 21-25 March 2017. The purpose of the visit to Ireland was crew rest and relaxation. As is the case, for all requests for ships to pay routine calls to Irish ports, my Department seeks the views of other agencies including An...

Northern Ireland: Statements (29 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am pleased to have the opportunity to update the House on the Irish Government's engagement in Belfast with the Northern Irish parties and the British Government over the past number of weeks and to give consideration as to how all participants in the process can move on from here and ensure that a devolved power-sharing Government is reinstated and restarted at the earliest opportunity....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Contracts Data (29 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: No private investigation firms have been hired by my Department in the past five years and to date in 2017.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to attend the Seanad for statements on Northern Ireland, for which this is a critical week. On Sunday it became clear that there was a need for further engagement by all sides to reach agreement on the formation of a new power-sharing Executive. Yesterday Article 50 was formally invoked by the British Government. It will have profound implications...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: No. I just remarked that everyone in the House was on his or her phone while I was speaking.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. On Monday morning when it became clear that an agreement would not be reached, I had a further discussion in Belfast with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We agreed on the imperative of continued devolved power-sharing government for Northern Ireland, which is at the core of the political institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. I strongly...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I thank all Members for their contributions to the statements on Northern Ireland. There were many views and perspectives expressed. There was a good measure of accord around the House for the Government’s principles and approach on Northern Ireland. That approach is consistent with our role as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, in which the Government is supported and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements is a priority for my Department and indeed the Government as a whole. In this context we are of course also guided by the aspiration contained in Article 3 of the Constitution as amended by the people in 1998. The principle of consent and the possibility of a change in constitutional status in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: My Department has an extensive list of eligible witnesses for passport application forms for citizens who are resident outside of Ireland. This list is available on the Passport Service website at www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/great-britain/passports/top-passpor t-questions/how-to-get-your-passport-application-witnessed/. It is not a requirement to know the applicant, but to be satisfied as to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 386 together. I have been monitoring Yemen with concern, in particular in recent months as the humanitarian situation has reached crisis point. The war has entered into its third year, the country is on the brink of famine, the political process has stalled and, despite recent conclusions by the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen that an outright...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I deeply regret the deaths of all civilians in every military conflict. I am conscious of multiple reports, including from civilians in Mosul, claiming that Daesh is deliberately using civilians as human shields. I am also aware of the reports that airstrikes by the US-led counter-ISIS coalition have led to a significant number of civilian deaths in Mosul last month. I would also note...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Resolutions (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Security Council Resolution 2334 was an important restatement of principles in relation to the Middle East conflict, particularly as relates to Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. The Resolution stated that these settlements have no legal validity and are a major obstacle to peace; it called for an immediate end to settlement activities, and underlined negative trends operating on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Article 50 process for the UK exit from the EU has now formally commenced. Since the UK Referendum result last year my Department, like other Government Departments, has been preparing for and engaging on the Brexit process. The 2017 Allocation for my Department included an initial allocation to support the Brexit negotiation process. Specifically my Department received an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I warmly welcome the recent decisions by New Zealand and Peru to open resident Embassies in Dublin. Working with like-minded countries to achieve our common goals has always been a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Resident Embassies are an important resource in this regard as they allow us to deepen our understanding of the local context and to communicate clearly and effectively our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The migration crisis has been one of the greatest challenges facing the EU for the past two years. Migration was the main focus of the informal European Council held in Malta on 3 February, at which a Declaration addressing the external aspects of migration was issued. The Declaration restates the EU’s commitment to assist Libya. Priority is to be given to supporting the Libyan...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The EU has responded to the migration crisis by adopting a suite of measures, including engaging with countries of origin and transit to address the root causes of migration. Draft 'Migration Compacts' have been drawn up for the first five priority countries identified under the Migration Partnership Framework: Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia. The objective of these Migration...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Government is committed to deepening and broadening its existing good relationships with all other EU Member States. I would emphasise that, while we have never been part of a geographical subgroup, ever since joining the then EEC in 1973 we have worked closely with on a sector-by-sector or issue-by-issue basis with like-minded partners. Much of this work takes place between Permanent...