Results 14,121-14,140 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Priority Questions: Northern Ireland (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Let me make it clear that I have already raised this issue with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire. I will also raise it with important elected representatives as soon as the talks get under way again. I acknowledge the many men and women on both sides of the Border who performed their official duty to protect the public with honour, dedication and...

Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Over the course of the past 11 months, since the referendum in the United Kingdom I, with my Government colleagues, I have been involved in an extensive programme of engagements with our EU partners on Brexit. There have been over 400 such engagements with the 27 EU member states and institutions which included, most recently, the visit of the European Union’s chief negotiator, Mr....

Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am satisfied that Ireland's long-standing policy of military neutrality is sufficiently safeguarded by the existing constitutional provisions, such mechanisms as the protocol to the Lisbon Treaty, the various Defence Acts and our long-term policy documents. Tax rates remain within the exclusive competence of member states. All member states are free to set their own corporation tax rate,...

Priority Questions: Passport Applications Data (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I recognise this is an ongoing challenge of significant dimensions having regard to issues as raised by Deputy Darragh O'Brien. A total of 75,145 applications have come from Northern Ireland and almost 70,000 from Great Britain between 25 June last year and 29 May this year. This is an increase of 50% from Northern Ireland and 55% from Great Britain over that period. I keep the situation...

Priority Questions: Passport Applications Data (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: We are in the course of a comprehensive reform programme in the Passport Office which will involve upgrading and modernising all system across the Passport Service up to 2019. This includes newer technology, new business processes, extra staff, improved service. We also moved office. This is medium-to-long-term planning in the Passport Office. We have also taken steps to improve...

Priority Questions: Northern Ireland (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am aware of the comments to which the Deputy refers, and I am concerned. Dealing with long-outstanding issues relating to the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland is of the utmost importance to me, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Government. A Programme for a Partnership Government makes specific reference to the Government's commitment to the establishment of...

Priority Questions: Passport Applications Data (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As of 26 May, there were almost 80,000 passport applications in the processing system. Of these, approximately 34,000 were first-time applications and 46,000 were renewals. The turnaround time for online applications is 10 working days plus postage. The target turnaround time for Passport Express renewal applications is 15 working days and this is currently being met. The target...

Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I agree with the Leader of the Opposition on this issue. The delay is worrying and the continuing detention of our citizen is unfair and unjust. On the specific questions posed by the Deputy, I raised the issue only last week at EU level with a number of EU foreign affairs colleagues, as well as with High Representative Mogherini and expressed the concern of the Irish people and Government....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The resolution of the Middle East conflict, and the ending of the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel, is an important foreign policy priority for Ireland and for the Government, and has been a principal focus of my own work at the EU Foreign Affairs Council and in the UN and other international fora. I have continued to argue to maintain an EU and a broader international focus...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The target turnaround period for Passport Express renewal applications is fifteen working days. The Passport Express service operates in partnership with An Post and this revised target has been in place for over a year. It is a target rather than a stated guarantee of service delivery. The fifteen working day target is communicated very clearly on the website and in all promotional...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Controls (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Since 29 March last year my Department has required all first-time passport applicants aged eighteen and above who are resident in Ireland to hold a valid Public Services Card. This requirement also applies to the small number of adult passport applicants whose last passport was issued before 1 January 2005 and has since been reported as lost, stolen or damaged. This measure has been an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Staff (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Additional capabilities and resources have been assigned across my Department to address issues arising from the complex process of the UK exit from the EU. In general terms, all of our diplomatic Missions across the EU are working extensively on the UK exit issue as are a number of embassies further afield. At Headquarters the key Divisions of European Union Division and the Ireland, UK...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take questions 63 and 66 together. The Government’s objectives regarding our undocumented citizens in the United States remain unchanged, namely: to achieve relief for the undocumented and facilitate greater pathways for legal migration to the United States. In pursuit of these objectives the Government and Ireland’s diplomatic representatives in the US...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Legal Proceedings (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The case to which the Deputy refers is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom. As Ireland has no locus standi in this case, I do not plan to take any action on the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The scale of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa is unprecedented. Drought continues to worsen in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, where 13 million people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity. Somalia continues to face a significant risk of famine, and famine has already been declared in parts of South Sudan. Ireland continues to prioritise this region in our humanitarian...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 96 and 99 together. I will respond to questions 68, 96 and 99 together. On his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the President of the United States signed a significant arms deal with the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia, like a number of other states in the region, is a party to the conflict in Yemen. The war has now entered its third year, at a considerable cost to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland is monitoring this situation via our Embassy in New Delhi and our Embassy in Ankara, which is accredited to Pakistan. Irish officials discuss India-Pakistan relations with their counterparts from those countries on a regular basis. The EU, including of course Ireland, continues to support the reconciliation process between India and Pakistan over Kashmir with a view to finding a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I refer the Deputy to my reply earlier to Priority Question 49. Thankfully the hunger strike has now ended. I would refer the Deputy also to the Topical Issues debate on 10 May, where I was able to address this matter in more detail.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 82 and 101 together. I propose taking Questions 71, 82 and 101 together. The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, made under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1946, gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. Successive Ministers for Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (30 May 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Since the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Executive in the Hillsborough Agreement of February 2010, prison policy has been a devolved matter. An executive agency of the Department of Justice, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, has operational responsibility for prisons, while the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland retains certain responsibilities...