Results 9,181-9,200 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

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

Micheál Martin: The Defence (Amendment) Act 2021 serves to update the Defence Legislation on the use of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) on a voluntary basis, on-island and overseas, in support of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) and where it is in the best interests of the PDF. In light of RDF members being deployed on a voluntary basis, it is necessary to consider preparation of employment protection...

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

Micheál Martin: Neither the Defence Forces nor my Department monitor the incidence of homelessness amongst former members of the Defence Forces. My Department provides support to two recognised Veterans Associations which represent all former personnel of the Defence Forces, the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE), and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA). My officials...

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

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 to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government, both at home and overseas. The Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron, working in conjunction with the Naval Service, patrol the Irish...

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

Micheál Martin: The Naval Service, as the State's principal sea-going agency, is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main daily tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with our obligations as a member of the EU, it also carries out a number of other non-fishery related tasks in tandem with maritime defence and security operations (MDSO)....

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

Micheál Martin: The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces reinforced the requirement for significant capital investment in defensive equipment programmes and on upgrading and modernising Defence Forces built infrastructure. The approval of a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces will result in the...

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

Micheál Martin: The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. In terms of fishery protection the Naval Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the...

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

Micheál Martin: The Government remains fully committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF). The 2015 White Paper on Defence is quite clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve. The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF) equally serves to reinforce that commitment and as the Deputy will be aware, that Report contains many recommendations...

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

Micheál Martin: The Programme for Government contained a commitment to "ensure that all enlisted members of the Defence Forces have the same access to healthcare as officers currently do". This commitment was subsequently endorsed as a recommendation of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces published in February 2022, and is one of the early actions for implementation from that report under the...

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

Micheál Martin: The core task of the EU Common Security and Defence naval operation, Operation Irini, is to contribute to preventing arms trafficking within its agreed Area of Operation in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution UNSCR 2292 (2016) and subsequent Resolutions on the arms embargo on Libya. As the Deputy will be aware, the Dáil recently approved the deployment of an...

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

Micheál Martin: The First Line Reserve (FLR) is intended to provide a pool of trained personnel who are available at short notice to supplement Permanent Defence Force (PDF) units in times of emergency. There is no set establishment for the FLR. The existing regulatory framework provides for former members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) to join the Army Reserve or Naval Service Reserve. This is...

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

Micheál Martin: My Department works closely with a number of European Union working groups in order to enhance and build societal resilience including the protection of critical infrastructure. My Department is the focal point for the new European Critical Entities Resilience Directive which aims to enhance the resilience of critical entities that provide services essential for vital societal functions...

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...