Results 9,341-9,360 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I was concerned by the renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year, and by reports of the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin corridor since 12 December. These developments severely affect the civilian population, especially ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh. During our tenure on the UN Security Council, which ended in December, Ireland repeatedly called for a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has consistently been a strong advocate for Ukrainian integration into the EU. We were pleased to see it granted EU candidate country status in June 2022. EU membership has been transformative for Ireland, its people and economy, and we are eager to see these benefits extended to the people of Ukraine. In his recent phone call with President Zelenskyy, the Taoiseach confirmed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Promotion (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs and its mission network play an important role in promoting Irish trade throughout the world. The Department’s network of embassies and consulates are central to the Team Ireland approach, which sees Government Departments and State Agencies working closely with other Irish stakeholders to strengthen Ireland's international reputation and drive the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been providing support to Ukraine both bilaterally and through the EU budget. That support has been directed at addressing the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine as well as supporting the Government and business sector in Ukraine.  In terms of humanitarian assistance Ireland was among the first to respond to the crisis in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The ongoing programme of Passport Service Reform focuses on the future of service delivery by continuing to identify and implement projects to enhance the customer experience and provide for business continuity while maintaining the integrity of the Irish passport. The standout achievement of the programme thus far has been the introduction of the Passport Online service to our citizens....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The number of passport applications currently in the Passport Online system from County Cork are outlined below in tabular form.  The table also breaks down the number of applications that are currently being processed by the Passport Service and the number of applications that require further action from the applicant, such as the submission of additional documentation. These...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has always been, and will remain, a strong supporter of enlargement of the European Union, provided that candidate countries meet the necessary conditions for membership. We recognise the value of enlargement as a transformative driver for stability and peace in candidate countries. There are currently eight recognised candidates for membership of the European Union: Albania,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: While Ireland is militarily neutral, the Government has been clear that Ireland is not politically neutral in terms of our response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. Ireland believes in and is fully committed to the core principles enshrined in the UN Charter. These include the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States. Ukraine has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: We have been consistent in our condemnation of Russia and have supported measures to support Ukraine at every opportunity. Ireland has consistently supported imposing strong sanctions against Russia and is fully committed to their implementation. The EU has imposed the most expansive and hard-hitting sanctions in its history in response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Religious Persecution (31 Jan 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 promotion of freedom of religion or belief&#x a0;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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: While Ireland is a militarily neutral country, meaning that we do not participate in a military alliance or common or mutual defence arrangements, we are not politically or morally neutral in response to Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Ireland strongly condemns the ongoing, despicable and indiscriminate missile and drone attacks against civilian targets across...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: At the 23 January meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, I supported a Council Decision establishing a civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission in Armenia, which will have an initial duration of two years. Its objective will be to contribute to decreasing the number of incidents in conflict-affected and border areas in Armenia, to reduce the level of risk for the population living...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 135 together. Talks are on-going between the EU and the UK on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. In their most recent engagement, on 16 January, European Commission Vice President Šefčovič on the EU side and Foreign Secretary Cleverly and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Heaton-Harris on the UK side, agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I attended the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana on 6 December, the first such Summit to take place in the Western Balkans region. All EU Members States bar Spain were represented at Head of State or Government level, as were all six Western Balkans countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The Summit consisted of two plenary sessions. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: The number of passport applications currently in the Passport Online system from County Westmeath are outlined below in tabular form.  The table also breaks down the number of applications that are currently being processed by the Passport Service and the number of applications that require further action from the applicant, such as the submission of additional documentation. These...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has unequivocally condemned the brutal repression and the politically motivated trials aimed at silencing any independent voices and closing all remaining space for democratic debate in Belarus. We use our voice at all relevant multilateral fora to raise actions by the Belarussian regime targeting civil society, pro-democratic movements, human rights defenders, journalists, and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: I am aware of the incident referred to by the Deputy, which is deeply alarming, and extend my condolences to the family.  I have not yet had the opportunity to raise this specific case at EU or UN level. Events such as this incident and the appalling developments in Jenin last week have served as a stark reminder of the need to break this continuing cycle of violence.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland’s two-year term on the UN Security Council, which ended on 31 December, was underpinned by three core principles: building peace; strengthening conflict prevention; and ensuring accountability. Working in line with those principles, we secured a number of important outcomes that are already making a real difference for people in conflict-affected countries. Building...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been consistent in our support for Ukraine since Russia's further invasion in February 2022. While Ireland is a militarily neutral country, meaning that we do not participate in a military alliance or common or mutual defence arrangements, we are not politically neutral in our response to Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. We have supported measures to help...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (31 Jan 2023)

Micheál Martin: 2022 was an exceptionally busy year for the Passport Service, with over 1,085,000 passports issued. 2023 is set to be a similarly busy year. In recent weeks, there has been a marked increase in applications received, signifying that the next busy season for passports is commencing. Applications have increased from an average of 1,400 per day in December to almost 5,000per day in recent...