Results 8,621-8,640 of 50,134 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Since I last updated on my engagements at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, two meetings have taken place. I attended a meeting on 20 February, and Minister of State Peter Burke participated in a joint meeting of EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers, yesterday in Brussels. The meetings addressed a number of important issues, including the war in Ukraine, Iran, Moldova, Afghanistan, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am deeply concerned at the high level of civilian casualties in the occupied Palestinian territory. Last year was the deadliest year for Palestinians living in the West Bank since the UN began recording fatalities in 2005. This negative trend has continued into 2023. Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation under international law to protect civilians in the occupied Palestinian...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have written to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, reiterating Ireland’s unwavering commitment to supporting a just and sustainable peace on the basis of a two-State solution. I look forward to having the chance to speak with Minister Cohen on a range of issues in due course, including in relation to our concerns on demolitions and the seizure of Palestinian property. I have been...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I have repeatedly expressed my deep concern about the impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on nuclear safety and security at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine. I have discussed the issue with the IAEA Director General Grossi at the January Foreign Affairs Council. Ireland is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I remain gravely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Myanmar. The military coup has resulted in over 3,000 deaths. 16,000 people remain in arbitrary detention. The prospect of elections being held this year is also concerning. It is inconceivable that fair, free and legitimate elections could be held, particularly in the context of the ongoing detention of political figures and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 113 together. Ireland welcomed the decision of the European Council last June to grant EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine, an outcome we had long advocated for. As I reiterated when I spoke to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu in January, and again at the Foreign Affairs Council last month, Ireland fully supports...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 122 together. Ireland has been supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people both bilaterally and through the EU budget since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched on 24 February 2022. Ireland’s support has been directed at addressing the humanitarian consequences of the invasion, as well as supporting the Ukrainian government, public...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 554 and 556 together. The announcement on 27 February by European Commission President von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Sunak that the EU and UK reached political agreement on a new way forward on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is very welcome. This new agreement, the ‘Windsor Framework’, is the result of genuine...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland is deeply concerned by mounting evidence that Russia is forcibly transferring Ukrainian children, either to parts of Ukraine’s territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia, or to Russia itself. Concerns in relation to Russia’s actions in this regard have been raised by credible bodies, including the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I undertook a visit to Lebanon from 25 - 27 January this year. The key focus of the mission was to visit the Irish troops serving with UNIFIL and discuss the investigations into the 14 December attack on a UNIFIL vehicle in Al-Aqbieh in which Private Seán Rooney died and three others were injured. During the visit I met with the Lebanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 104 together. The busy season for passports in 2023 is underway, and demand forecasts indicate that the Passport Service will issue just under 1.1 million passports this year. The busy period is expected to run until the end of June, with the peak expected in April. Thanks to significant investment by the Government and the dedicated work of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Religious Persecution (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are. The protection and promotion of freedom of religion or belief is a priority for Ireland and the EU’s human rights engagement at both bilateral and multilateral levels, as reaffirmed in The Global Island: Ireland's Foreign Policy for a Changing...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, in person, by telephone and through the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, which met in Dublin in January. In our last conversation, on 9 March, we discussed the importance both governments attach to the full functioning of the institutions across the three Strands of the Good Friday...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am concerned by recent developments in Israel regarding judicial reform and call upon the Israeli Government to ensure that the rule of law is protected. I am also aware of the widespread popular protests regarding these proposals, and support the right of people everywhere to engage in peaceful protest. I note that Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called on the Government to suspend the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I remain extremely concerned about the continued detention of this Irish citizen, especially given his ill health. I can assure the Deputy that the citizen's release remains a strong priority for me and my Department. To that end, there continues to be extensive engagement by the Government with the authorities in Iran on the case, including through my own discussions with the Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 124 and 125 together. The Passport Service is successfully meeting the current high demand for passports, having implemented operational and staffing plans for 2023. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs of either online or paper applications. Following a strategic media and communications campaign that was rolled out...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been vocal at the United Nations and other multilateral fora over the past year in speaking out against Russia’s illegal and justified invasion of Ukraine, and calling for Russia to be held to account. We have co-sponsored six UN General Assembly resolutions adopted in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have condemned Russia’s aggression; called for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Good Friday Agreement (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Good Friday Agreement, signed almost 25 years ago in Belfast, remains a remarkable achievement, one that brought peace and transformed this island. To mark that achievement, and the Government is co-ordinating a programme of events to celebrate the peace and to underline the ongoing centrality of the Agreement to relationships across these islands. The programme will acknowledge...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am engaged in continuous dialogue with my EU counterparts on Russia’s illegal full scale invasion of Ukraine, and how we as the European Union can support Ukraine and its people in the face of this aggression. This dialogue is continuing this week at the Foreign Affairs Council and European Council. At the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday (20 March), which was attended by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Micheál Martin: The EU has agreed approximately €5.5 billion in support to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility (EPF) thus far, with the latest package of support agreed by the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 March. This support consists of €5.12 billion for lethal equipment and approximately €380 million for non-lethal equipment, inclusive of a new Assistance Measure allowing for the...