Results 14,341-14,360 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Other Questions: Good Friday Agreement (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I assure the House and the Deputy that the Government is a firm supporter of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, but the Good Friday Agreement predates that charter and does not expressly provide for it. That said, the charter provides an important and effective common reference on rights across the island of Ireland, as it does across the EU as a whole. I wish to refer again to the White...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I assure the Deputy that the Government continues to pursue every constructive avenue to achieve the citizen's return to Ireland and we will continue to bring our influence to bear on his behalf through all appropriate channels. I have spoken to a number of my EU colleagues on this issue and, as I said in my initial reply, on the previous occasion, which was last week, I spoke directly to EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: There are a number of direct channels between my Department and the Halawa family and also the lawyers and other interested parties that will be pursued. I am, however, very concerned at persistent reports that the citizen in question is not taking food and may be pursuing a hunger strike. I stress that such a course of action should not be pursued as it will only be damaging to his...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Dealing with long-outstanding issues relating to the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland is of primary importance to me, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, as it is to the Government. A Programme for a Partnership Government highlights this priority, with specific reference to implementation of the all-party Dáil motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I share the Deputy's concerns. It is a matter of regret to me that we have not made greater progress on this long-outstanding issue. I assure the Deputy that officials of the respective Governments are exploring possible ways forward that would be mutually acceptable. Exploratory discussions are under way and we will continue to actively engage with the British Government in order to seek...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am not quite sure what new formal institutions the Deputy wishes to see. I again make it quite clear that the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union and the negotiations that are about to commence must take full account of and show the fullest of respect to all the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. On the basis of our intensive political and diplomatic engagement over the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: -----regardless of the status of the UK within the European Union.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: There are a number of parliamentary structures in which the Deputy himself is involved, for example, the North-South interparliamentary tier and the British-Irish interparliamentary group, which I understand will meet shortly in Kilkenny. I hope to have the opportunity to address that body. I acknowledge the valuable work done by the British-Irish Council, a body referred to by the Deputy,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Taoiseach is in attendance at all times. I believe the use of these bodies will now intensify as the negotiations between the UK and the European Union commence. I acknowledge the importance of the North-South Ministerial Council, which of course cannot meet-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: -----at present because of the absence of an Executive in Northern Ireland.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Irish Prisoners Abroad (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I take this opportunity to express my horror at the two attacks on Coptic churches in northern Egypt on Sunday. I have spoken with the Egyptian ambassador and have conveyed through her my deepest condolences and those of the Irish Government to the victims and their families. The consular case referred to by the Deputy continues to be an absolute priority for the Government, and very...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have already stated the Irish Government supports any development towards peace and stability. While I agree with the Deputy that there are circumstances in which the experience of our own peace process on the island of Ireland can provide insight and perspective, obviously the Deputy will agree with me that each conflict situation has its own specific characteristics and its own...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: We will continue to offer any assistance that might in the circumstances be required. If the Deputy is urging the Irish Government to take an interventionist role in this, that certainly would not be the intention of the Irish Government. We will continue to support the peace process. We will continue to encourage all and any efforts aimed at securing peace and stability in the region but...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland has a strong and constructive relationship with the United Kingdom and with our EU partners and we are fully committed to maintaining both in the new set of circumstances which will emerge once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. There are numerous channels for Irish-British engagement and both Governments are making extensive and effective use of them. Some of these fora...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government is determined that all aspects of the Agreement will be fully respected through the process of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and thereafter. Our priority is to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement and the overall balance of the settlement is not in any way disturbed by the United Kingdom's exit from the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I want to make it quite clear that all those persons who are citizens of Ireland are EU citizens and that, after Brexit, assuming that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in two years or whatever extended period thereafter that is deemed appropriate, all of these citizens will fully retain their right to EU citizenship and all the entitlements that flow from it in accordance with EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: It is too early to discuss in detail, or in terms of small print, the potential impact of the withdrawal process but I assure the House and the Deputy once again that, since the outcome of the referendum in the United Kingdom, we have been extremely clear that all the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement must be fully recognised and respected following the United Kingdom's departure from...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I assure the Deputy that the Government has supported and encouraged efforts aimed at securing peace and stability in the Basque country. The Government welcomed the declaration by ETA of October 2011 that the organisation had decided on "a definitive cession of its armed activity". I issued a statement last Saturday welcoming the decision of ETA to decommission its weapons. I stated that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Following the Assembly election, I spoke on 5 March with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the Taoiseach spoke with Prime Minister May. Both Governments agreed on the need for intensive engagement to address outstanding issues and commitments to ensure the early establishment of an Executive. As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, both Governments have a role to play...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Prison Facilities (12 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I wish to reiterate my ongoing concerns about conditions in Maghaberry Prison, Northern Ireland. Maghaberry Prison was identified by the Criminal Justice Inspector, Brendan McGuigan, in a 2015 report as needing work to make the prison safer and to improve conditions for staff. Since publication of that report, the Criminal Justice Inspectorate has continued with a programme of announced,...