Results 2,041-2,060 of 10,789 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: I move to the functions and powers of the external oversight bodies. With the existing non-statutory body and this body that is to be established, how hands-on is it expected to be when it comes to recruitment and training? I note the Tánaiste has set out additional increased recruitment targets for this year. "Increased" is probably the wrong word. They are the same targets as for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: I thank Mr. Duffy for that. It was just to make a comment on that. Specifically, in respect of the working time directive, this committee has heard from numerous representative organisations and others that the working time directive is the key and the single most important thing we can do to address the retention crisis and in turn deal with the recruitment crisis the Defence Forces are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Is there a resistance though to having the representative organisations, or one of them, represented on an ex officiobasis considering there is no greater player than the Department and the Department will be represented?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Okay. It might be something we look at in our report, Acting Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Okay, but I have one last question about head 8 and the chair. The IRG recommendations used language like, "No relationship with military organisations is vital" while also recommending that an ordinary member have experience with "an overseas Defence Force or defence department which has successfully undertaken significant transformation". I am trying to get a sense of the Minister and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: The wording in the IRG report is, "No relationship with military organisations is vital". Am I to take it the Department has withdraw the last two words and is saying the requirement is no relationship with military organisations full stop? That is an expansion, somewhat, of the IRG recommendations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Generally speaking, a job description would say something like "fluency in French is not vital" but usually there is a comma, followed by "but preferable".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: No. My next question is on head 25. Does Deputy Berry have any questions on anything before that?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 287. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 75 of 27 September 2023, if she will establish if Bus Éireann has completed a review of the route in question, as the family has not received any contact from Bus Éireann or the school transport section in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4173/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Are we taking the whole thing in one go?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: I will put each question. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach can decide when other members need to come in. I will start with Part 2 and the EOB. The general scheme does not currently mandate the body to report to the Oireachtas, which was one of the recommendations of the IRG. Would it not be appropriate, within this part, to include a head making provision for the body to attend the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: However, the Department is very clear the legislation will actually preclude somebody who has a relationship with military organisations for being the chair of this body.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: On head 25, I am not clear on the Department's position of barring two titles, the director of military prosecutions and military judges, and there is scope within the head of the Bill to include others, and bar them from membership of a representative association on the basis that they are required to be independent. The director of military prosecutions is free to be a member of a trade...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: I thank Ms Tiernan for that. I suggest that as part of our pre-legislative scrutiny we would invite all the representative organisations and ICTU to comment on that and other points. I agree with Deputy Berry that membership of ICTU and provision for it is an important step forward. It is important to allow the Defence Forces to have representation, in particular when key talks are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: Every day in this place we find legislation being used for something that the original drafters could never have envisaged. The fact is that if we provide a Minister with a power then we are providing them with the legislative basis for them to use that power at some point in the future. I understand that in the course of negotiations RACO and PDFORRA might have accepted this provision...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 1. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has made any effort to secure the suspension of the EU-Israel Association agreement considering the clear breach by Israel of the human rights clause within that agreement. [3227/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 3. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had any interactions with the South African government in respect of the case against Israel under the Genocide Convention to the International Court of Justice and the circumstances in which he will propose that Ireland join that case. [3228/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 21. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his proposed timeframe to officially recognise the state of Palestine. [3221/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the instances since 2020 whereby the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have sought his Department’s input in respect of the granting of export licences for dual-use products to Israel; if he raised human rights concerns in relation to such; and if he advised against the granting of such export licences in any case. [3219/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (25 Jan 2024)

Matt Carthy: 47. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures to ensure that all passports applications are processed as speedily as possible in the coming months. [3217/24]