Results 1,341-1,360 of 14,127 for speaker:David Stanton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: Mr. Rajasingham talks about a pilot initiative in four countries to empower affected populations to assume a central role in the design of aid programmes. Can he tell us a bit more about that? Where are these countries and what exactly is happening there? It seems interesting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: This is a pilot. When does OCHA expect to see results or findings from this pilot published?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: I also note that OCHA is establishing what it calls a climate window within the CERF, with donors to channel financing through the CERF. That is also very interesting. When will that happen? Will Mr. Rajasingham say a little more about it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: That is interesting. My colleague spoke about five donors covering 65% of the funding. I noticed that quite a few wealthy countries do not contribute much.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: My colleague spoke about five donors covering 65% of the funding. Mr. Rajasingham referred to it too. Ireland is in the top 20 countries. Many countries contribute little or nothing. Why is that? Has OCHA made efforts to encourage more countries to give more? It seems a lot of these countries would be well able to give a lot more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: Mr. Rajasingham mentioned there are 524 armed groups of humanitarian concern globally. That seems like an awful lot of armed groups globally.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: It is an underestimation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: Does Mr. Rajasingham reckon there are more?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: I note from OCHA publications that the largest refugee camp in the world is in Bangladesh, with 640,000 people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: I take it they are mainly Rohingya refugees. Places like that often slip down the timetable or storyline of the media and are forgotten about. Does it concern Mr. Rajasingham that there are so many people like that in many parts of the world who are not highlighted or not known and they slip down very quickly? At the moment, Ukraine has slipped down because what is happening in Gaza has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: We in Ireland are insulated from a lot of things. We are so far away from them, although we welcome a lot of people seeking international protection and so on. It appears from Mr. Rajasingham's overall presentation that, globally, things are getting worse, not better.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: There is not much hope in that. I thank Mr. Rajasingham and his team for the work they do on the ground. They are very brave. In Mr. Rajasingham's experience, if a child is in one of these camps for many years, is there any hope afterwards given the impact and the damage done? Surely the life chances that have been lost and squandered are incalculable.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Global Humanitarian Response: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: Linked to that, there is of course the growth of modern slavery, sex trafficking and so on, which is also a huge worry. I am sure OCHA staff have come across that as well. I will finish by thanking Mr. Rajasingham and his team globally for the work they do and the risk they take. I wish them well.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 31. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development with reference to the 2023 Community Centres Investment Fund-New Builds Measure, if lead parties could have included primary or second level schools working in partnership with local community organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49470/23]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Patent Applications (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 163. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline his plans, if any, for the establishment of an oversight committee to support the work of a referendum on the Unified Patent Court; the membership of this committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49445/23]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Patent Applications (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 164. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the establishment of an Irish local division of the Unified Patent Court; the work carried out to date in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49449/23]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Patent Applications (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 165. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if it is intended to allow Irish judges to participate in the Unified Patent Court on a part-time basis; if so, what changes to legislation of the constitution would be required to enable this to happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49451/23]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 130 of 24 May 2023, to list the number of funding applications submitted in 2022 and in 2023 respectively by each local authority under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025 Measure A8 - Waste Water Collection and Treatment needs for Villages and Settlements without access to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Generation (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 391. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with reference to his Department’s Minimum Specifications for the Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Systems S.198 and in particular with reference to the Declaration of Works Documentation pertaining to solar PV installations, to outline the number of registered companies currently on his Department’s Solar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (14 Nov 2023)

David Stanton: 614. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current number of Youthreach centres; the number of students attending Youthreach centres, by county; if his Department has carried out any studies to ascertain areas in the country not served by Youthreach; if so, to provide details of same; his plans, if any, to open further Youthreach centres; and if he will make a statement on the...