Results 1,081-1,100 of 2,771 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Records (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I beg Senator Mullen's pardon. First, he raised something which was not in his matter to which I am responding, because his lack of knowledge and information on it was regrettable.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Records (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The functioning of the Passport Office has significantly improved, as Senator Mullen might have been aware if he had attended the other times I talked about it, and we are clearing that backlog. As for the matter the Senator did raise today, the staff are working diligently to carry out their work. There is a delay because the service required a certain amount of space and way of delivering...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Records (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: We had to reallocate the work practices, as to how we deliver the service during Covid-19, but we will clear the backlog. By the way, we process more than 290,000 passports in a normal year and we are well within our capacity limits to deliver the passports.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Facilities (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for raising this matter and for giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney. Since the establishment of the Defence Forces, it has been a long-standing practice to allow sporting organisations and local community groups access to military lands. This policy reflects the importance to the Defence Forces of being front and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Facilities (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for her interest in the matter. I assure her that it is not intended to dispose of any aspect of the military installation and that all of those availing of the facilities at Cathal Brugha Barracks will continue to be able to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 425 together. Most of the issues raised in these questions have been comprehensively addressed in the answer to Question 777 of 24 March 2021. The budget for overseas election observation in 2021 is €180,000, of which €4,616 has been disbursed to date, reflecting standard insurance costs for this budget line.  Given the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Sustainable Development Goals (18 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 416 and 417 together. The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious cross-Government policy agenda coordinated by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). Within the national coordination structures for delivery of the SDGs, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The Government stands in solidarity with all those impacted by the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Some 33 people were murdered and hundreds seriously injured on that awful day in 1974, which was the highest number of casualties in any single day during the Troubles. We will continue to seek the full truth of these appalling attacks, as well as some measure of closure for the victims'...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I have taken note of the Senator's remarks, particularly in regard to the passage of time. The Government will continue to engage with the British Government to secure the implementation of the all-party Oireachtas motions on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. Our position on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings is consistent with our approach to the legacy of the Troubles more broadly. Every family...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Middle East (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, cannot be here. I know he engaged with Senator Black on this yesterday at some length. I would like to restate the Government’s deep concern at the intensification of violence in Gaza, on the West Bank, and in Israel. Now is the time for de-escalation, as the Senator correctly points out, before further loss of life. We need to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Middle East (17 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator very much. I agree that it is incredibly difficult to see the pictures and the absolute horror of what is taking place, and see people who are effectively trapped in Gaza coming under the most sustained very sophisticated military weaponry with absolutely nowhere to go. We all take on board the horror of what we have seen and, obviously, the impact in Israel of rockets...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (13 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 267, 268 and 269 together. The Government's policy on international development, A Better World, attaches a high priority to gender equality. That is why Ireland is the 14th largest core contributor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the 24th largest contributor overall - supporting UNFPA's vital work in promoting universal access to health...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Passport Services (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to update the House on the current operational status of the Passport Service, which has significantly scaled up operations since 4 May 2021. As an essential service, attendance levels are now increasing and I am sure the Seanad will support me in commending the staff of the Passport Service on the emergency services they operated throughout the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Passport Services (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: It is important to note that the passport reform programme continues to deliver major upgrades for the passport services technology platform and business process as well as for the customer service experience. It is also worth noting that the development of the online service is the future direction of improvements within the passport system. The appropriate way to speed up delivery and the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Policy (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter and for his remarks at the start. Unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is not available to attend today. He has asked me to take this matter on his behalf. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Policy (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator and I will convey his remarks back to the Minister. The review of the household means policy has taken place and the position remains that there should be no deduction from assessable income in regard to the maintenance paid. However, I clearly understand the points the Senator is making and the situation he is describing. I thank him and I will bring this to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 81 together. Minister Coveney covered some of these issues in an earlier reply, but for the record I would also stress my serious concern about the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has seen many people killed, injured, and displaced, and which is feeding into instability across the Horn of Africa region. Minister Coveney Ireland set out the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: My Department continues to support global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the €50 million in Irish Aid funding to global health in 2021, €5 million is channeled to direct support to COVID-19 vaccination, including through COVAX. The COVAX mechanism is beginning to deliver results, with over 53 million vaccines already delivered to 121 participant countries. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Constitutional Amendments (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: The Government is committed to holding a referendum on extending the franchise at Presidential elections to Irish citizens living outside the State as set out in the Programme for Government and affirmed in new Diaspora Strategy which was launched in November last year. To this end the Government restored the Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Elections) Bill 2019 to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 116 together. We have all seen the rapidly deteriorating situation in India as a result of the COVID-19 surge. Avoidable deaths have resulted from an acute oxygen shortage. In response, Ireland - with Irish Aid officials in my Department working in partnership with colleagues in the Departments of Health and Housing, and also the HSE - has made an...