Results 14,441-14,460 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Dealing with long-outstanding issues relating to the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland are of the utmost importance to me as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and for the Government. The Programme for a Partnership Government highlights this commitment, making specific reference to pursuing the issue of the Dublin Monaghan bombings. The All-Party motion on the 1974...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Passport Service aims to process passport renewal applications within 15 working days of receipt, assuming that the documentation is in order. The public is advised that the turnaround time will vary depending on factors such as seasonal demand. Turnaround times for each category of applicant are updated weekly on the Passport Service website. As the Deputy will be aware, there...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, there has been a surge in passport applications in recent months. There are currently over 70,000 applications in the system. Between 1 January and 31 March over 250,000 applications were received, representing an increase of 26% over the same period last year. The current processing time for adult renewal applications is 16 working days (just one day over the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Communications (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The list of designated public officials of this Department, as required under the terms of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015, is available on the Department’s website - www.dfa.ie/about-us/who-we-are/regulation-of-lobbying-act-20 15/. Details of returns in respect of engagements with the Permanent Representative and the Deputy Permanent Representative for the period in question may...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: At present, Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, 7 multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. The configuration and scale of the State’s diplomatic network is kept under ongoing review by the Government. A range of factors are taken into account in considering our diplomatic representation overseas, including our national...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Data (4 Apr 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I launched the new online passport application service on 30 March. The new service is fast, convenient and secure and it allow adults to renew their passport books and cards online and twenty four hours a day wherever they are in the world. The service has a target turnaround time of ten working days, plus postage time. The postage time will vary of course depending on the country in...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to attend the Seanad for statements on Northern Ireland, for which this is a critical week. On Sunday it became clear that there was a need for further engagement by all sides to reach agreement on the formation of a new power-sharing Executive. Yesterday Article 50 was formally invoked by the British Government. It will have profound implications...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: No. I just remarked that everyone in the House was on his or her phone while I was speaking.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. On Monday morning when it became clear that an agreement would not be reached, I had a further discussion in Belfast with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We agreed on the imperative of continued devolved power-sharing government for Northern Ireland, which is at the core of the political institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. I strongly...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (30 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I thank all Members for their contributions to the statements on Northern Ireland. There were many views and perspectives expressed. There was a good measure of accord around the House for the Government’s principles and approach on Northern Ireland. That approach is consistent with our role as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, in which the Government is supported and...

Northern Ireland: Statements (29 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am pleased to have the opportunity to update the House on the Irish Government's engagement in Belfast with the Northern Irish parties and the British Government over the past number of weeks and to give consideration as to how all participants in the process can move on from here and ensure that a devolved power-sharing Government is reinstated and restarted at the earliest opportunity....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Contracts Data (29 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: No private investigation firms have been hired by my Department in the past five years and to date in 2017.

Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Second Stage (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The purpose of this Bill is to make the necessary provision in Irish law to enable the State to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and the 1999 protocol that supplements it. The 1954 convention and the 1999 protocol are instruments of international humanitarian law,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The British Government has confirmed that it will trigger Article 50 on 29 March. Once Article 50 has been triggered, the Government’s immediate focus will be on working as part of the EU 27 team to adopt guidelines defining the framework for the negotiations. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has committed to circulating draft guidelines to the EU27 within 48...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266, 271 and 272 together. I am aware of the resignation of the former UN Under-Secretary General and Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Executive Secretary, Rima Khalaf, and also of the report commissioned and published by the ESCWA member states on 15 March. I understand also that another ESCWA report was withdrawn last month on the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am concerned about reports of cases of DPRK refugees and asylum seekers being arrested in China and facing refoulement to the DPRK. I would urge the Chinese authorities to ensure that they do their upmost to meet their international and humanitarian obligations in this regard. The risk of serious harm for the returned is very high, as documented by the 2014 Report of the UN Commission...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Every country has of course the right to determine for itself the conditions for entry to its territory. Nonetheless I consider that the recent Israeli law on visa restrictions, which was strongly opposed by many parties in the Knesset, is deeply regrettable and unjust. It aims to exclude people on the basis of their having expressed non-violent political opinions, and is cast in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Protected Disclosures Data (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Any worker in my Department who has a reasonable belief in relation to one or more of the serious wrongdoings set in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 can disclose the relevant information to any designated person of grade equivalent to or not lower than Principal Officer in my Department in the first instance. Where, after an initial assessment, it is decided investigation of a disclosure...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: This matter is an urgent priority for the Government and exceptional levels of resources are being devoted to the provision of consular support to the citizen and his family. My Department does everything possible to monitor the health and welfare of this citizen and we have at all times emphasised the need to protect his health and welfare directly with the Egyptian authorities. I raised...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Mar 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 274 together. For a number of months now, we have experienced a rise in passport applications. This increased volume of applications is likely be sustained into the summer months and my Department has put in place a number of measures to mitigate the impact. The Passport Office is working hard to address the rise in applications. 230...