Results 3,941-3,960 of 49,960 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: First, in terms of the declaration of intervention, we would be making it under Article 63. States do not join one side or another in filing an intervention in the case. Rather, they submit a statement that sets out their interpretation of one or more provisions of whatever convention is at issue before the court. This declaration of intervention must then be deemed admissible by the court...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I pay tribute to the team and all of the staff working at the passport service. It has issued 450,000 passports to date this year and is on track to have issued half a million passports by the end of this month. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within advertised turnaround times. The passport service is well-staffed and in an excellent position to deliver...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The first point I would make is there is a balance as well. We have to consistently tell people to remember to get their passports updated, to apply online and in time. We do everything we possibly can to facilitate urgent cases. Most people in the House would acknowledge that, and we will continue to do it. However, we do not want to create a new scenario whereby people think they can...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I think the latter issue will come up in a later question. I will respond on the question as tabled. As Deputies will recall, South Africa initiated its case against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice by filing an application with the court on 29 December 2023. South Africa also sought a number of provisional measures pending the outcome of the case....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: We should endeavour to be fair, straight and honest with people. I have never deviated. I have been consistent from the outset about how the ICJ operates. We have been consistent with how we responded to the Ukrainian situation. Sinn Féin's motion talked about Ireland indicating a willingness to file. I made it clear that first South Africa needs to file its memorial, and that takes...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Sorry?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ireland, alongside our EU and international partners, including the United States, has stood firmly in support of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine represents an attack on the international rules-based order, which is the foundation of our collective peace and security. Ukrainians are fighting not...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 75, 110 and 117 together. The implementation of the All-Party Dáil motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings continues to be a priority, in fulfilment of the Programme for a Partnership Government. The continuing absence of a substantive response from the British government on these motions is a matter of concern and is an issue I...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The incident relates to a camp established, with authorisation, by the Palästina-Protest group on 9 April in front of the Bundestag building in Berlin. The slogan of the camp was "Occupy against Occupation". The police issued instructions that, in accordance with local laws, only German and English were to be spoken at the protest camp. This was to allow the police to understand what was...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The relationship between Ireland and Britain is deeply important, and my engagement with British counterparts is rooted in our joint stewardship of the Good Friday Agreement, our strong people-to-people links, and our significant strategic and economic interconnections. I met with Foreign Secretary David Cameron in London in December following his appointment to the role. Our meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I have discussed the matter of the UK Government's Statutory Inquiry with the Secretary of State on a number of occasions, most recently at the British Irish Inter-Governmental Conference in London on 29 April. The UK Government’s establishment of an Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing last year was a welcome step. The publication of the Terms of Reference of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 104 together. As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the two Governments have a shared duty to realise the vision and commitments of the Agreement that provide the overarching framework for deepening peace, political stability and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The UK Legacy Act does not, in my view, advance those shared goals. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: As I have said since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this represents a threat not just to Ukraine, but to the peace and security of all of Europe. The European Union was founded on the principle of cooperation amongst states and with the aim of avoiding future conflicts. As Russia continues to directly attack a neighbouring country, undermine regional...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 81 together. Discussions at EU level on foreign policy issues continue to be focused on the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, but the most recent Council also offered an important opportunity to address the situation in Sudan. The Union continues to face a grave security threat from Russia, and its escalation of war against Ukraine has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: As I have set out in response to previous Parliamentary Questions, and most recently earlier today in response to a question from Deputy Carthy, Ireland intends to file a Declaration of Intervention in the case initiated by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice after South Africa has filed its Memorial. On 5 April, the ICJ made an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: A number of countries globally are witnessing protests over the conflict in Gaza. Ireland is strongly committed to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression and defending the rights of freedom of assembly and association. The rights to assemble peacefully and associate freely are essential to ensuring the full enjoyment of civil and political rights, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70, 83, 85, 91, 99, 107 and 114 together. As I stated in Dáil Éireann on 9 April, it is my intention to bring a formal proposal on recognition to Government following the completion of discussions with international partners. These discussions are ongoing. The manner in which Ireland and like-minded partners could support regional efforts to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I remain extremely concerned about the situation on the ground in Ukraine. We have witnessed in recent months how Russia has sought to intensify its aerial bombardment of Ukraine, with ongoing drone and missile strikes against Kyiv and other major cities and ports, including widespread targeting of critical infrastructure. We now know that more than 80% of Ukrainian coal, gas and power plants...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (9 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 80 and 109 together. I have been engaging intensively with EU, regional and international partners, including the US, since the beginning of this crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. During all of these engagements I have conveyed the same message: there is an urgent need for a sustainable humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional...