Results 141-160 of 1,631 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (19 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade operates in a complex and diverse environment, given both the range of its work and the variety of locations where it operates. The Department recognises that the risk of fraud is an ever-present threat to its assets, resources and reputation. The Department has a zero tolerance towards fraud, and managing risk, including the risk of potential...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (19 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 to 136, inclusive, together. The Irish Aid programme, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has a strong focus on value for money, transparency, accountability and sustainable results. A key function of Embassies in countries where Ireland has a development co-operation programme is to actively monitor risk and ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (19 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government is committed to ensuring that aid is spent efficiently and effectively to tackle global challenges. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has a zero tolerance approach towards fraud, and has in place policies and procedures for the prevention, detection and dealing with instances of fraud, or suspected fraud. These policies and procedures are in place in all Embassies...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (13 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I refer the Deputy to the response to Parliamentary Question 109 of 19 December 2018, which provided detailed information on the mustering of the new election observation roster, including on the assessment of applications. All potential volunteers were assessed solely on the basis of the information they provided in the application process. No other information was made available to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (12 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including its Development Cooperation and Africa Division, is fully compliant with its duties under article 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014, which provides that a public body shall in the performance of its functions have regard to the need to: (a) eliminate discrimination; (b) promote equality of opportunity and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (12 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains and administers a roster of suitably skilled individuals who are available to participate in election observation missions overseas, organised in the main by the EU and the OSCE. A new roster was put in place in January 2019. This followed a Call for Volunteers which issued in July 2018. Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Funding (12 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a long standing supporter of UNFPA. We provide non-earmarked core funding to the agency on an annual basis and intend to continue this in 2019. Between 1990 and 2015, maternal mortality was reduced by 44%, yet approximately 830 women die each day from preventable causes related to maternal and child health. Virtually all maternal deaths occur...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (7 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Development Cooperation and Africa Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade facilitates participation in a range of volunteering opportunities overseas. Typically these opportunities involve placement with, or by, third party organisations, and are facilitated by the Department through a range of rosters, registers, initiatives and programmes. Depending on the role and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (6 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I refer the Deputy to the response to Parliamentary Questions No. 80 of 30 January 2019 and No. 60 of 23 January 2019 on this matter. No request for a reasonable accommodation was received before the deadline for applications. If such a request had been received, it would have received full and thorough consideration.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (6 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: Support to civil society organisations is a very important element of the Irish Aid programme, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognises the vital contribution that civil society makes in international development cooperation. Irish Aid funding to civil society organisations supports both long term development projects and programmes, and humanitarian assistance for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Funding (6 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 64 together. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a long standing supporter of UNFPA. We provide non-earmarked core funding to the agency on an annual basis and intend to continue this in 2019. In 2018, my Department provided €3,500,000 to UNFPA, an increase of €700,000 on our 2017 core contribution. As the Tánaiste...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Election Monitoring (6 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I refer the Deputy to the responses to previous Parliamentary Questions No. 60 and 61 of 23 January 2019. In line with the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty, in the event of any candidate with a disability requesting a reasonable accommodation at the time of application, such a request would have been given full and thorough consideration. No request for reasonable accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Sanctions (5 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Irish Government does not support a policy of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in relation to Israel, and does not fund any activities that promote such a policy. However, we also recognise that both NGOs and citizens are entitled to hold and express peaceful political views, including views which are not shared by their Governments. While the Government does not support a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Election Monitoring (5 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together. I refer the Deputy to the responses to previous Parliamentary Questions on this matter, Question 109 of 19 December 2018 and Questions 59 and 61 of 23 January 2019. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade administers and maintains a roster of suitably skilled volunteers, who are available to participate in international...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (5 Feb 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade facilitates participation in a range of volunteering opportunities overseas. Typically these involve placement with third party organisations. Depending on the role and local context, volunteers may need to be able to operate in challenging circumstances. Where prospective volunteers with a disability...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Funding (31 Jan 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a long standing supporter of UNFPA and provides non-earmarked core funding to the agency on an annual basis. In 2018, the Department provided €3,500,000 in core funding to UNFPA, an increase of €700,000 on our 2017 core contribution. As outlined in the speech of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (31 Jan 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I am deeply concerned about the violence which has accompanied recent protests in Sudan, including credible reports of the use of live fire by the Government of Sudan and of multiple deaths. Demonstrations, triggered by spiralling costs of living, began in the city of Atbara in the north east of the country on 19 December last year, spreading to over twenty towns and cities. While...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (30 Jan 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: As a result of a selection process held during 2018, a new roster of international election roster observers was put in place in January 2019. There was a particularly high number of applications, with almost twice the number of applications to roster places. A number of unsuccessful candidates have asked that their applications are formally reviewed by way of an appeals process. It would not...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (30 Jan 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade administers and maintains a roster of suitably skilled individuals who are available to deploy on international election observation missions organised, in the main, by the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). A new roster was put in place in January 2019. This followed a selection process...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 67 together. Ireland is a longstanding and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian people and of a two-State solution. In 2018, we provided €15.38 million in development and humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian men, women and children, our highest level ever.   In the Tánaiste's recent...