Results 14,861-14,880 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Agreements (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am aware of the recent increase in the cost of visas to Saudi Arabia, which came into effect on 2 October 2016. Countries with existing bilateral visa agreements with Saudi Arabia, such as the United States, were excluded from the fee increase. Other countries, including other EU countries, are in the process of negotiating bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia so that their citizens...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The actions of Oireachtas Friendship Groups or their members is not a matter for my Department to monitor. If the Deputy considers that such activities may have been inappropriate this is a matter for the Oireachtas. It is the normal work of accredited diplomats to lobby host Governments and Parliaments on issues of importance to them. If the Deputy is aware of actions here by diplomats...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: This Government has already had a number of contacts with UK counterparts in the first weeks of the year. I have been in close contact over the past week with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, in relation to the political developments in Northern Ireland, including a face to face meeting in Belfast on 12 January. In that meeting, we discussed the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: US Presidential Election (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 6 January 2017, the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified version of an assessment by US intelligence services of Russian activities and intentions in relation to the 2016 US Presidential election. The US Government has taken a series of actions in response to the assessment report, including the imposition of sanctions on nine Russian entities and individuals: two...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 12 January, I travelled to Belfast and held meetings with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, the DUP leader Arlene Foster, and a Sinn Féin delegation led by Martin McGuinness. This followed on from contacts earlier in the week by telephone with the British Government and the leaders of the SDLP, UUP and Alliance Party. I had also spoken to Martin...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: During 2016, my Department received 645 requests for landings by military aircraft at Shannon Airport from 11 countries. The details are set out in the following table: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Bahrain 2 2 1 Belgium 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 Canada 1 2 1 Egypt 1 2 1 France 1 1 6 4 2 Germany 1 1 Italy 2 1 3 4 1 1...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: During 2016, my Department received 101 requests for landings by military aircraft at airports other than Shannon Airport from 17 countries. The details are set out in the following table: Countries Casement Aerodrome Cork Airport Dublin Airport Knock Airport Sligo Airport Waterford Airport Bahrain 2 Belgium 1 Canada 1 1 Cyprus 1 Czech Republic 1 France 6 17...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (17 Jan 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Under the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft require the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to overfly or land in the State. Arrangements under which permission is granted for foreign military aircraft to land at Irish airports are governed by strict conditions. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Naval Vessels (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: In response to a request from the Embassy of the Netherlands, my Department granted permission for a visit by the Dutch naval submarine, HNLMS Bruinvis, to visit the port of Cork from 4-7 November 2016. The purpose of the visit was crew rest and relaxation. Permission for the visit was sought and granted in accordance with Ireland’s longstanding policy that visiting naval vessels...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The vast majority of passport applications from both sides of the border are made through the post office networks on this island. This remains the most efficient and cost-effective way to apply and applications can be submitted at some seventy post offices in Northern Ireland and at over one thousand post offices in the state. To accommodate a relatively small number of people with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: As reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent agreements, including the 2014 Stormont House and the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement, is a priority for the Government. It is important to note that the status of the Good Friday Agreement, as an international agreement, has not been altered as result of the UK...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 248 together. Following the outcome of the referendum in the UK in June 2016 and in line with the Government’s contingency plans prepared in advance, capabilities and resources are being assigned to manage the complex process of the UK exit from the EU. As we approach the end of the year, I am happy to set out the resources which are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Data (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The number of passports issued in 2015 was 672,760. The number of passports issued to 13 December 2016 is 719,675. It is projected that by the end of 2016 the Passport Service will issue almost 740,000 passports. This would represent an increase in applications of 10% on 2015. Underlying demand for passports in 2016 was already running at an increase of over 9% on 2015 before the Brexit...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The Global Island: Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World, published in 2015, was the Government’s first major statement of foreign policy in nearly twenty years. It set out our policy priorities and ambitions across the full range of our external engagements. It remains a cornerstone for our planning and for the delivery of Government objectives and it is not intended...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Missions Data (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: The Government is committed to delivering an intensive programme of trade Missions as part of a concerted drive to expand the scope and reach of Irish exports and to support Irish companies seeking to capitalise on opportunities in overseas markets. Growth in trade and investment resulting from trade missions supports jobs in Ireland and is a vital element of the Government’s trade,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I wish to assure the Deputy that securing this citizen’s return home to Ireland continues to be a top priority for the Government. In this regard, the Irish Government is continuing proactively to use all the means that are available to us to ensure that the Egyptian authorities at the highest levels fully understand the importance that the Irish Government attaches to the resolution...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I discussed the Syrian conflict and the crisis in Aleppo with my EU colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 12 December 2016. We agreed that the EU must press Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Assad regime to ensure that the illegal siege of the civilian population in eastern Aleppo ends and that humanitarian agencies are allowed into Aleppo as a matter of urgency....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: As I noted in Parliamentary Question No. 137 on 14 December 2016, the Government welcomes the democratic transition which is currently underway in Myanmar/Burma following elections in November 2015, and the positive steps that the new Government of Myanmar/Burma has taken in pursuit of peace and reconciliation, democratic reforms and economic growth. However we are concerned about the recent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Prisoner Releases (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I am aware of the case to which the Deputy refers. My officials in the Belfast Secretariat monitor this and other cases as part of their ongoing work around prison issues generally in Northern Ireland. The particular personal circumstances of the individual in question, including issues relating to access to Maghaberry for family members, has been raised with the Northern Ireland Office. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (16 Dec 2016)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 258 together. The core functions of my Department are predominantly concerned with international political and security policy, advancing reconciliation and cooperation on the island of Ireland, representing Ireland at the EU level, and promoting Ireland’s economic and trade interests in Europe and internationally. The Deputy will find details...