Results 101-120 of 2,360 for long speaker:Micheál Martin

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: Did the Deputy say long service increments?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...of Ukraine. I am delighted with the news today that €50 billion has been greenlit by Europe, which is very important and sends a very strong signal to Russia that Europe is in it for the long haul. What is happening in the United States is very important. If the US flank was to become weaker in the context of European security and the guarantee that is essentially there for that...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...crisis in the Middle East. Combined with a potential global economic slowdown, the number of people who are food insecure and living in extreme poverty continues to rise. The UN estimates that more than 345 million people are living in acute food insecurity today. Meanwhile the longer-term adverse effects of climate change continue to intensify and global inequality continues to rise....

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: .... By coming out early, it was important for others to see that we were not budging. I think the UNRWA leadership has handled it well and strongly in terms of ordering an independent review and suspending the personnel involved. There has been a long-running situation in respect of UNRWA. In my view, Israel has always sought to undermine UNRWA as an organisation. It goes back to the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am not referring to Deputy Carthy here but more generally. Our diplomatic service works well in the way it is modelled. In North America, it works superbly well. Long-established links with the Hill, with both sides of the aisle, both Senators and Congress people, are very good. I am not a fan of sending political envoys to override that because one asks who speaks for Ireland then....

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (1 Feb 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...his enduring interest in securing a consulate in Perth. I appreciate his view on that. We will keep it under review and there will be due diligence. I take his point that eight months is a long time for foreign birth registration numbers, but it is a complex process because it involves a number of generations and therefore a large number of documents from many jurisdictions are often...

Seanad: Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (30 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...to examine dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces. The contents of the report were shocking and stark. The group's analysis and assessment of the current culture in the Defence Forces show deep long-standing issues around unacceptable behaviours, including sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, bullying and harassment, a complaints handling system that is not fit for purpose,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Conflict Resolution (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...try to bring this to a conclusion but there are no signs yet of any cessation or ceasefire. The prospect of potential regional escalation is very real. That relates to our migration debates. As long as there are wars and conflicts of this kind and jihadism arriving on the scene in other countries, in the Sahel and other areas, there will be people who want to save their families and get...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: EU Enlargement (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...for Ukrainian accession to the European Union. The geopolitical issues piece is important because vacuums develop in states. Too many countries have been left hanging out there for far too long, such as North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and others which have made significant reforms. Very often what happens is the supportive population becomes less supportive as accession has not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Policy (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...trade relationship with China and a level playing field for Irish and EU businesses. The Taoiseach made clear that derisking is not decoupling. The Taoiseach and President Higgins set out Ireland's long-held concerns around human rights. The Taoiseach raised concerns about the treatment of minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang, the national security law in Hong Kong and the case of Jimmy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Northern Ireland (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...about going down that road. However, if we look at the 25 years during which the Good Friday Agreement has been in place, we can see that the assembly and the Executive have been down for too long. That has resulted in lower levels of public esteem for both because it illustrates that politics is not working for people. That is a worry. We have to make politics work in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...Council open debate on 24 October to call for a ceasefire. It is important that our efforts aimed at addressing the immediate crisis also lay the foundation for a pathway towards a sustainable peace in the long term. I will continue to underline this point in my ongoing engagement with EU, regional and international partners. I will continue to advocate for a clear position from the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...x20ac;2.5 million to deepen Ireland’s cultural engagement with Germany as a key partner in Europe. The opening concert on 18 January showcased some of the best modern Irish talent and was the first event of a year-long programme. My meeting with Foreign Minister Baerbock provided a valuable opportunity to discuss both the excellent state of bilateral relations as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...relationship with China, and a level playing field for Irish and EU businesses. The Taoiseach made clear that derisking is not decoupling. The Taoiseach and President Higgins set out Ireland's long-held concerns around human rights. The Taoiseach raised concerns about the treatment of minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang, the National Security Law in Hong Kong and the case of Jimmy Lai....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 55 and 57 together. It is hugely disappointing that Northern Ireland remains without functioning devolved government so long after the May 2022 Assembly elections. The absence of an Assembly and an Executive is now undermining people’s faith in politics. It is essential that the Good Friday Agreement operates across all its Strands. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: .... Ireland’s actions to demand a ceasefire have also reflected our strong commitment to multilateralism. Last November, I attended the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean, alongside EU and regional partners to convey Ireland’s position on the conflict. Ireland voted in favour of both United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a ceasefire, and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: .... Ireland has consistently supported Ukraine’s EU candidacy and welcomed the December European Council decision to open accession negotiations. We view European Union membership for Ukraine as a key long-term security guarantee. As the second anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches, the decision to commence accession negotiations made clear that the European Union is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (25 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...x20ac;2.5 million to deepen Ireland’s cultural engagement with Germany as a key partner in Europe. The opening concert on 18 January showcased some of the best modern Irish talent and was the first event of a year-long programme. My meeting with Foreign Minister Baerbock provided a valuable opportunity to discuss both the excellent state of bilateral relations as well as...

Tribunal of Inquiry into certain matters relating to the Complaints Processes in the Defence Forces: Motion (24 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: ...dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces, was published following Government approval on 28 March 2023. The contents in the report were shocking and stark. The group’s analysis and assessment of the current culture in the Defence Forces shows: deep, long-standing issues around unacceptable behaviours, including sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, bullying and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Properties (23 Jan 2024)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. There is a long-standing policy of allowing third-party access to Defence Forces facilities and properties in order to support the local communities and to raise the profile of the Defence Forces. This policy extends to a wide number of groups and activities, including GAA clubs, soccer clubs and numerous community groups throughout the country. ...