Results 16,121-16,140 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Prison issues in Northern Ireland, in particular those affecting prisoners in separated accommodation, regularly arise in my discussions with Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford MLA and, on non-devolved matters, with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP, both of whom I meet on a regular basis in the context of the ongoing political Talks at Stormont....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The 2008 Passports Act provides that I as Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be satisfied as to the identity of each applicant before a passport is issued. This serves to maintain the good reputation and integrity of the Irish passport worldwide which in turn protects Irish citizens as they travel abroad. The witnessing of applications by An Garda Síochána in the state has been a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Resolutions (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: On 27 October, Ireland joined with the rest of the EU Member States in voting in favour of Cuba’s resolution at the UN General Assembly in New York, which called for the ending of the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. In light of the welcome restoration of US-Cuba diplomatic relations earlier this year, the embargo serves no constructive purpose. Ireland, along...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Relations (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland enjoys a strong and growing bilateral relationship with China. It is therefore no surprise that we also have a thriving trading relationship from which both countries benefit. Trade has grown impressively in recent years to the extent that China was our 9th largest trading partner in 2014, representing around 2 and a half percent of our total trade. In 2014, exports in merchandise...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question 101 today on the same topic, which was as follows: The clearly deteriorating situation in Palestine, in East Jerusalem and now spreading to other areas, is a matter of very great concern. The main factors are the operation of policies on the ground intended to push Palestinians out of Jerusalem in favour of settlers, the absence of any...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Achieving relief for undocumented Irish migrants in the US remains a priority for the Government in our contacts with the United States. Through our Embassy in Washington and our Consulates throughout the U.S., we continue to work closely with high level Government contacts and with many other individuals and groups across Irish America and beyond. The aim of these contacts is to achieve...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The tragedy in Berkeley, California in June claimed the lives of six young Irish citizens and a further seven Irish students suffered serious injuries. Our response was led by my Department in Dublin and by our Consulate General in San Francisco, the latter reinforced by additional experienced officers from our Embassy in Washington. The Department quickly activated its Emergency Consular...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Relations (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Continued British membership of the EU remains a key strategic objective of this Government. The reasons for that are very well-documented: the UK’s presence in the EU is central to the health of our economy and to the broader British-Irish relationship. The people of Northern Ireland also benefit from our joint membership of the Union. It is the Government’s view as well that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI individuals is a priority for Ireland in our international human rights advocacy, including our engagement at the UN Human Rights Council, at EU meetings and through our diplomatic network. Ireland attaches importance to combating all forms of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity and we strongly believe that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Prison issues in Northern Ireland, in particular those affecting prisoners in separated accommodation, regularly arise in my discussions with Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford MLA and, on non-devolved matters, with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP, both of whom I meet on a regular basis in the context of the ongoing political Talks at Stormont. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The scale of the migration challenge facing the EU is an enormous one requiring a comprehensive and coherent response. The political and economic circumstances behind the displacement of millions of people must be addressed, if the flow of migrants is to be managed. The conflict in Syria (which is the biggest driver behind this year’s migrant flows) has led to the world’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Permission would not be granted for the landing of an aircraft of the type specified by the Deputy. The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. Arrangements under which permission is granted for foreign military aircraft, including US...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question 101 today on the same topic, which was as follows: The clearly deteriorating situation in Palestine, in East Jerusalem and now spreading to other areas, is a matter of very great concern. The main factors are the operation of policies on the ground intended to push Palestinians out of Jerusalem in favour of settlers, the absence of any...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I am aware of the campaign referred to by the Deputy. Policy on the placement and treatment of a country’s nationals in prison in the European Union is a matter for the democratically-elected government and the relevant competent authorities in each Member State in accordance with domestic, European and international law. Issues relating to Basque prisoners held in Spain are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question 101 today in relation to the recent upsurge in violence in the region, and to my reply to his Priority Question 103 in relation to EU discussions. Further to those replies, the events in East Jerusalem were not discussed in detail at the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 October. However, I expect this to be a key issue in the discussion at the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Membership (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I would begin by referring Deputy Durkan to my response to Parliamentary Question 36840/15 submitted by Deputy Broughan, which addresses a similar question. The Government is very much aware of the key significance of British membership of the EU for our national interests. We know how important it is not just for our economy but also for the continuing strength of British-Irish relations...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Achieving relief for undocumented Irish migrants in the US remains a priority for the Government in its contacts with the United States. Through our Embassy in Washington and our Consulates throughout the U.S., in conjunction with regular high level political visits, the Irish Government continues to work closely on promoting the immigration reform agenda with high level Government contacts...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. Arrangements under which permission is granted for US military aircraft to land at Irish airports, including Shannon Airport, are governed by strict conditions. These include stipulations that the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Charles Flanagan: In relation to the deteriorating and deeply concerning situation in the occupied territory, I would refer the Deputy to my replies today to a number of Questions from himself and other Deputies which appeared earlier on the Order Paper. It is of course important to recognize that this spiral of events has led to a number of deaths in both communities, not just on one side. The...