Results 17,161-17,180 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (15 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Passports Act 2008 provides that only Irish citizens may obtain Irish passports. Each applicant must therefore provide documentary evidence that demonstrates his/her entitlement to Irish citizenship and which verifies his/her identify. In general, first time applicants should provide the following: - a completed and suitably witnessed application form and photographs; - an original...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Employment Rights (15 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I am aware of the matter referred to by the Deputy. I have raised my concerns in relation to this matter with the diplomat concerned and his authorities and I hope that it will be possible to achieve a satisfactory resolution in these cases. While I am not in a position to comment further on the matter in question, I would like to reiterate my strong commitment to the protection of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I am appalled by ongoing reports of outrageous acts of violence perpetrated in Nigeria by the terrorist group Boko Haram. These include the very recent killing of a large number of civilians, estimated by Amnesty International to be as high as 2,000, in an attack by militants in the north-eastern state of Borno. I am utterly appalled by reports of the use of innocent young children to carry...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The conflict in Ukraine is not formally on the agenda of the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 19 January. However, Ministers will have a comprehensive discussion on the EU’s relationship with Russia and it is likely that the situation in eastern Ukraine will be raised in the context of this debate. The crisis in Ukraine and its impact on relations with Russia remains...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Relations (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland has many Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with China, signed by Ministers or senior officials, as appropriate, and their Chinese counterparts. These are wide-ranging and boost the bi-lateral relationship across a wide array of sectors. In the past ten years, the following MOUs have been signed: On 9 December 2014, while accompanying the President on his State Visit to China, I...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Bodies Data (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: In September 2013, the Development Education Advisory Committee (DEAC), which was responsible for providing advice on development education, was officially abolished. This followed the publication of One World One Future, Ireland’s new Policy for International Development, which provided for a member of the DEAC to be appointed to the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group. The Committee...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I warmly welcome the historic decision by President Obama and by President Castro on the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. As noted in my press statement of 18 December 2014, this is a positive step towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries. Ireland’s concerns about the US economic, commercial and financial measures...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: No monies have been paid by my Department to external consultants, professional companies or advisors on the Action Plan for Jobs for the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Schemes (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Together with the Department of the Taoiseach, my Department is working with the Public Appointments Service to strengthen our promotion of career opportunities in international organisations, including in the United Nations. Ireland has been a long standing partner of the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), the UN organisation that promotes volunteerism as a means of achieving...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: A core objective of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the provision of high-quality consular assistance to Irish citizens who find themselves in difficulty while travelling abroad. This assistance is delivered through the Department’s network of diplomatic missions abroad and through the Department’s Consular Division based in Dublin. The Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 729 and 742 together. The Government decided in January 2014 to expand Ireland's diplomatic network, with the establishment of five new embassies and three new consulates general. With these and other changes to the diplomatic network, my Department now operates a global network of 80 overseas missions consisting of 61 Embassies, 7 multilateral missions, 11...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge sa Stát Seirbhís (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Tá mo Roinn go h-iomlán tiomanta do sheirbhísí trí Ghaeilge a sholáthar agus freagraí a thabhairt ar comhfhreagras trí Ghaeilge nuair atá siad de dhíth. Is iad Oifig na bPasanna agus an Rannán Consalachta na príomh rannóga ina mbíonn idirgabháil idir an Roinn agus an pobal agus tá riachtanais acu i dtaca le...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: My Department only avails of the services of external photographic agencies where it is warranted, in particular, for major events and State occasions. This is a service which my Department provides so that the media can easily and freely avail of photography where their own staff photographers cannot be fully accommodated. Events such as the visit of State Visit of Queen Elizabeth, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Public Relations Contracts Data (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Over the years 2011 to 2014, my Department did not incur expenditure on external public relations and communications services. Although it has been our practice not to engage the services of external public relations firms, we have from time to time commissioned consultants or companies with a public relations and communications background to provide other professional services such as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: A passport application for this child was received by the Department on 29 May, 2012. However, it could not be finalised for passport issue under the Passports Act, 2008 on the grounds that his entitlement to Irish citizenship had not been demonstrated. The Department wrote to the applicant’s mother on three occasions about the application. The key points of this correspondence...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts Data (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: The Department commissions professional external service providers and consultants where specialised knowledge and/or skills are not available within the Department. These services can be provided by individual contractors, partnerships or by organisations. In 2014 the Department engaged the following consultancy firms and paid fees as detailed. Consultancy Firms Engaged in 2014 Groundworks...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: There have been no further developments in our interactions on this case since 11 December 2014. The case currently remains under consideration in the United Arab Emirates’ legal system. My Department is therefore restricted in what it can appropriately do and it may be more helpful for the family to seek expert advice from their lawyers. Officials of my department both in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Religious Persecution (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 736 and 737 together. The persecutions of religious minorities, including Christians, while not appearing as a stand-alone item for discussion at recent Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings, is regularly reviewed as a critical dimension of developments on the ground in many regional crises. In recent months, discussion in this area has been dominated...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: Following eleven weeks of discussion, political talks in Stormont House, Belfast concluded successfully on 23 December. The Stormont House Agreement covers a broad range of political, social and economic issues and has the potential to advance significantly its twin aims of reconciliation and economic renewal. It sets out a plan for financial and budgetary reform. It proposes a way forward...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland Issues (14 Jan 2015)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 739 to 741, inclusive, together. Key outstanding matters from the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreement were discussed in the recent Stormont House talks. In relation to the particular outstanding matters raised by the Deputy, the following is the position. During the course of the talks, the Government advanced the view that a Bill of Rights could set out...