Results 8,021-8,040 of 50,134 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: While acknowledging the high regard in which the Defence Forces is held and the many honest hardworking individuals amongst its ranks, as I have already stated, one cannot but be disturbed and upset by the contents in the Report of the Independent Review Group. The conclusions are stark and shocking and go to the very heart of issues relating to dignity, mutual respect and equality issues in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Air Corps (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 138 together. The long-standing position of successive Irish governments is that we do not comment on specific national security matters. Ireland's security and defence policies are conducted with full respect for Irish sovereign decision-making authority and for our policy of military neutrality. They are also fully in accordance with Irish and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: Diplomatic relations were established between Ireland and Spain in August 1935, and bilateral relations between Spain and Ireland are strong. The current Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Ambassador Ion de la Riva, has been in post since October 2022. He succeeded Ambassador Ildefonso Castro, who served in Ireland from 2018. While I have not had any formal bilateral meetings with the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, these applications are within the current turnaround times and have not yet reached their issue by date

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 137 together. My Department is currently in the busiest season for passport applications, as citizens prepare for their upcoming summer travel plans. Thanks to operational and staffing plans implemented by my Department, the Passport Service is successfully responding to the current high demand, and has issued over 420,000 passports to date this year....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have not met with Belarusian government representatives since taking up the role of Minister for Foreign Affairs. Belarus is accredited to Ireland through its Embassy in London. Ireland does not operate an Embassy in Minsk. Ireland’s Embassy in Vilnius covers Belarus, but since 2020 no Irish Ambassador has been accredited to Minsk. There have been no meetings between the Embassy and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The EU condemns Belarus' involvement in Russia's unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. In response to the invasion, since late February, the EU has adopted a wide range of sanctions targeting both Russia and Belarus. The measures targeting Belarus build on restrictive measures first introduced by the EU following the presidential elections in Belarus in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland strongly condemns the human rights violations committed against the people of Belarus under the Lukashenko regime. As of 9 May, there were 1,493 political prisoners in Belarus, and there were an estimated 5,000 new politically-motivated criminal trials last year. An estimated 40,000 politically motivated arrests have been made, more than 11,000 criminal cases are under investigation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has provided consular assistance and support in this case and stands ready to provide further assistance if required. The relevant Embassy of Ireland has made contact again with the affected family. I appreciate the anguish and upset of the family members after their sad loss, and know that this has been a very difficult time for those...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 144, 145, 152 and 153 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: Passport Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department takes its responsibilities in relation to documentation it receives in support of passport applications and its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant legislation very seriously. The Department has a Data Protection Policy and a number of other internal policies and procedures in place that apply to processing documentation it receives. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Cybersecurity Policy (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Government recognises the risk of hybrid threats to Ireland and is implementing several measures to identify, mitigate and counter hybrid campaigns. Ireland has actively supported the measures to deal with hybrid threats which are set out in the EU Strategic Compass. This includes the development of a new EU Hybrid Toolbox, which was finalised last year, on-going negotiations on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on civilians. Hundreds have been killed, and thousands injured. Residents in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan are facing shortages of food, water, medicine and other necessities. It is vital that humanitarian assistance reaches those in need. It is also vital to have a durable ceasefire. Ireland fully supports mediation efforts by the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Strategic Compass, approved by the Foreign Affairs Council and endorsed by the European Council in March of last year, outlines the way forward for the European Union in the field of security and defence. The document sets out the reality of the current European security environment, notably in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and then proposes a series of actions and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: Hybrid threats can be characterized as a mixture of coercive and subversive activity and conventional and unconventional methods which are used by state or non-state actors to achieve specific objectives, while remaining below the threshold of formally declared or actual warfare. Typical methods employed by such actors range across the diplomatic, military, economic, technological, cyber and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together. I have been consistently forthright in voicing my opposition to Israeli settlement activity, including demolitions of Palestinian property, in the occupied West Bank. These actions are a clear violation of international law and stand in the way of a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. As I noted in my...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Social Media (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is committed to providing services in both official languages, including communications campaigns promoting the Irish language at home and overseas. This includes adhering to the latest requirements under the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019 regarding advertising in Irish and our obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003. In terms of social media, given the fact...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Equality Issues (16 May 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to equality of opportunity for all in terms of its recruitment and employment practices. My Department strives to provide a safe and healthy working environment for all staff, and to create a culture where employees feel comfortable in sharing details of their disability so that reasonable accommodations can be put in place. The provision of...