Results 5,061-5,080 of 49,960 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (14 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: As at 31 December 2023, the latest date for which such figures are available the strength of the Permanent Defence Force was 7,550 personnel i.e. 6,136 Army, 689 Air Corps, and 725 Naval Service. The current agreed establishment of the Defence Forces is 9,589 i.e. 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps, 1094 Naval Service, and 89 additional positions to facilitate the implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (14 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: As at 31 December 2023, the latest date for which such figures are available, the number of female personnel in the Permanent Defence Force was 559. The table below sets out the number of women in each branch, and the number of discharges from the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as at 31 December 2023. Army ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (14 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Under the Defence Acts, 1954-2015, the Department has civil and military elements. The civil element is headed by the Secretary General and the military element by the Chief of Staff. Both elements provide supports to the Minister in the management of defence. The civil element of the Department is led by the Management Board which comprises the Secretary General, five Assistant Secretaries...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Data (14 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the established capability development and Equipment Development...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (14 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: At the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial which was held in Accra, Ghana in December of last year, Ireland pledged financial support of some $469,000 towards three worthwhile UN initiatives in support of UN peacekeeping. This money was owed from the United Nations to Ireland in respect of contributions towards closed peacekeeping missions. The Department of Foreign Affairs redirected...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am acutely aware of the dire situation faced by civilians in Gaza. For this reason, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and access for humanitarian supplies is the central focus of my engagement. Ireland has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to end the practice of administrative detention completely. We have also repeatedly highlighted the applicability of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance from the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Consulate General in Sydney works closely with the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra to promote and protect Ireland's interests in Australia, to strengthen political and economic relationships, to support the work of the State Agencies, to provide citizen services to the Irish community, and to promote cultural ties and people-to-people connections between Ireland and Australia. In...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I formally invited Minister Billström to Dublin when I wrote to him on 13 July 2023 congratulating him on the successful Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ireland and Sweden share excellent relations, featuring a long history of aligned values, and close and likeminded work at United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) level. At the UN, our cooperation in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service requested further supporting documents from the applicant on 29 May 2023. Further documents were subsequently received on 26 July 2023 and were processed in November 2023. However, the application remains incomplete. A member of the FBR team has contacted the applicant in this regard. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Since the start of this crisis, my Department has worked with the relevant authorities to facilitate the exit from Gaza of those Irish citizens, and accompanying dependents, who have expressed a wish to leave. We continue to advocate with the authorities in relation to those Irish citizens and dependents who have not yet been permitted to leave. The authorities have made clear that the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Since the start of this crisis, my Department has worked with the relevant authorities to facilitate the exit from Gaza of those Irish citizens, and accompanying dependents, who have expressed a wish to leave. We continue to advocate with the authorities in relation to those Irish citizens and dependents who have not yet been permitted to leave. The authorities have made clear that the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has reviewed the applications and progressed as appropriate.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for this application were received on 11/01/2024. This application is within the standard turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I welcome the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and look forward to the North South Ministerial Council resuming its full operations. There have been contacts over the past week between the Government and the newly appointed Ministers in the Executive. In these contacts, Minister indicated our readiness to engage constructively with the Executive on areas where North...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the issue outlined by the Deputy, it appears that the applicant submitted a document to the Department of Justice in the course of her naturalisation application. The Passport Service does not have access to documents submitted to the Department of Justice. It would be advisable for the applicant to contact the Department of Justice with regard to the document in question.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround times and has not yet reached its issue by date. The turnaround time for Post Passport applications is 8 weeks. The public offices of the Passport Service in Dublin 2 and in Cork operate a four-day Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants. The Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ongoing, high-level political engagement with the United States on critical issues for Ireland is a priority for the Government and building strong, strategic political partnerships is a key objective in "Global Ireland: Ireland’s Strategy for the US and Canada 2019–2025". During my visit to Washington, DC, this month, I had a range of political engagements with key contacts...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target and no backlogs. In 2023, over 1 million applications were received and over 950,000 passports were issued. So far in 2024, the Passport Service has issued over 110,000 passports. The Passport Service is well-resourced to meet forecasted demand for 2024. My Department has...