Written Answers Nos. 861-878
861. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of civil servants under his remit who have been reinstated in recent years after taking a career break; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38728/15]
View answerAll career breaks since 2013 are granted under the provisions of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 4/2013: Career Break Scheme in the Civil Service. The relevant employment law is Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2006. Prior to 2013 there was a special incentivised career break scheme that operated from 2009 under provisions of Circular 13/2009: Special Civil Service Incentive Career Break Scheme 2009.
Since 2013, a total of 6 people returned to work in my Department from career breaks. Of those, 3 had been on Incentivised Career Breaks.
862. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Government's commitment to the percentage of national income allocated towards overseas development aid; the projection for the percentage of national income to be allocated for this purpose in 2016 and for each of the subsequent years for which targets are in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37198/15]
View answer868. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the rationale behind increasing the Irish contribution to the European Union development co-operation budget by €18 million; and the way this budget is operated. [37337/15]
View answer874. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on increasing the overseas aid budget; if this will be raised to the 0.7% target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37433/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 862, 868 and 874 together.
The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme, which is at the heart of our foreign policy. "One World, One Future", our policy for international development, clearly articulates the Government's commitment to the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA). We have consistently stated we would make progress towards the 0.7% target once economic conditions allow. As our economic recovery now gains momentum and becomes more widely established, we can begin to deliver on that commitment.
Last month the Government announced the first substantial increase in the aid budget in over seven years. For 2016, we have provided a total of over €640 million in Official Development Assistance, an increase of €40 million, or almost 7% on the 2015 level. €486 million will be managed by Irish Aid in my Department through Vote 27 International Cooperation. A further estimated €155 million will be accounted for by allocations to other Government Departments and Ireland’s share of the EU Development Cooperation budget. We estimate this level of allocation will result in a projected ODA/GNP percentage of 0.36 % in 2016, a small increase on the 0.35% projected for 2015.
The EU’s international cooperation and development policy is managed and implemented by the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development. In any given year, Ireland’s share of the EU Development Cooperating budget is calculated by attributing our percentage share as a Member State to the total EU expenditure on ODA. Based on the increase in the EU Development Cooperation budget which the Commission is forecasting for 2016, and an expected increase in Ireland's percentage share, we project our share for 2016 will be just over €100 million, an increase of €18 million on the 2015 projection.
863. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the presence of aircraft with tail numbers (details supplied) in Shannon Airport on 18 April 2015; the reason for those aircraft being there on that date; if they had permission to land; and if assurances were sought or received that these aircraft were unarmed. [37302/15]
View answerI can confirm that permission was granted by my Department for the landing of these four aircraft at Shannon Airport subject to the strict conditions which apply to all foreign military aircraft. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form part of a military exercise or operation. In requesting permission from my Department in respect of these aircraft, the United States Embassy indicated that the purpose of the landings was crew rest.
864. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated expenditure of his Department in 2015, in tabular form; the budget for expenditure agreed at the start of the year for 2015; the extra expenditure or savings in this budget during the year to date; when and under what process this expenditure and these savings were approved; and his Department's budget for expenditure in 2016. [37263/15]
View answerMy Department manages two Votes – Vote 28 Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 27 - International Cooperation. The 2015 allocation is outlined below:
|
Vote |
Current - € |
Capital - € |
Total - € |
|
27 International Cooperation |
476.37 m |
0.25 m |
476.62m |
|
28 Foreign Affairs and Trade |
205.25 m |
4.75 m |
210.0 m |
|
Total |
681.62 m |
5.00 m |
686.62m |
A total of €686.62 million (gross) was provided to my Department of which €210 million was allocated to Vote 28 – and €476.62 million was allocated to Vote 27.
The Department has robust financial controls in place which are audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General's Office. These controls include an appropriate system of budgeting and regular expenditure reviews by senior management of expenditure performance against budget.
As part of the budgetary process, the Department has indicated to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that it is likely to surrender €1.2m of the 2015 Capital Allocation which will not now be spent in the current year.
The Department is continuing to closely monitor expenditure to year-end under all subheads of Votes 27 and 28 and remains on target to spend the 2015 Current Expenditure Allocation. Additional expenditure for 2015 is not envisaged.
The Department’s gross Budget allocation for 2016 is outlined below:
|
Vote |
Current - € |
Capital - € |
Total - € |
|
27 International Cooperation |
486.0 m |
0.5 m |
486.5m |
|
28 Foreign Affairs and Trade |
208.5 m |
3.5 m |
212.0 m |
|
Total |
694.5 m |
4.0m |
698.5m |
865. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the allocation for his Department in 2016 which covers the Lansdowne Road agreement; and the demographic or other inflationary pressures. [37279/15]
View answerThe Government’s voted expenditure allocations and measures for 2016 were presented to Dáil Éireann in the Expenditure Report for Budget 2016. The table below shows the estimated gross pay bill for my Department’s two votes for 2016 as reflected in the Report.
|
Vote |
Allocation |
|
Foreign Affairs and Trade (Vote 28) |
€78,858,000 |
|
International Co-operation (Vote 27) |
€14,916,000 |
|
TOTAL |
€93,774,000 |
These allocations take account of the current anticipated expenditure pressures facing the Department in 2016.
My Department, like the Civil Service and public service as a whole, has benefited from the productivity and reform measures provided for under the Haddington Road agreement and previous agreements. These measures will continue to apply under the Lansdowne Road Agreement.
866. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of mid-air refuellers of the United States of America which passed through Shannon Airport in 2014 and in 2015 to date; the direction that they were going; their destination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37207/15]
View answer882. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 317 and 318 of 22 October 2015, his views on whether he did not provide the information requested regarding the numbers of refuellers granted permission from the US en route to Saudi Arabia and with regard to the reply that he provided, the reason for each of the 46 refuelling aircraft landings and if they were filling up with fuel that was likely to be used for refuelling other aircraft. [37936/15]
View answer884. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of military refuelling aircraft belonging to the US that were given permission to overfly Irish airspace in 2015 to date. [38040/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 866, 882 and 884 together.
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 military aircraft, including US aircraft, to land at Irish airports are governed by strict conditions. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form any part of military exercises or operations.
As indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 317 and 318, permission subject to these conditions had been granted between 1 January 2015 and 20 October 2015 in respect of landings by 46 aircraft that can operate as refuelling aircraft. None of these had Saudi Arabia as the next destination. Two further such requests have since been approved. Again, neither of these requests listed Saudi Arabia as the next destination.
The majority of the 48 landings were for the purposes of crew rest or refuelling the aircraft.
In 2014, 104 requests for landings at Shannon Airport by aircraft that can operate as refuelling aircraft were approved.
The countries of destination for the landings approved in 2014 and 2015 were as follows: Canada, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.
From 1 January to 29 October 2015, there were 92 overflights by US military aircraft that can operate as refuelling aircraft.
867. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will indicate, in respect of State boards under his Department's remit, the name of each appointed from 7 March 2011 to date in 2015; the date of appointment; whether or not each appointee came through an advertised public application process; the number of vacancies which presently exist on State boards under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37363/15]
View answerThere are no State Boards under the aegis of my Department.
869. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will support the students at Bethlehem University by strongly condemning their exclusion from the European Union Student Mobility Programme, ERASMUS, while Israeli students are permitted full membership but Palestinian institutions such as the University of Bethlehem are not; his views on whether this is unfair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37338/15]
View answerPalestinian students are fully eligible for participation in ERASMUS programmes, as are Israeli students, and are not excluded as suggested.
It has been the case that some students may have been deterred from taking part in ERASMUS by more general movement and access difficulties experienced by Palestinians, in terms of exiting and re-entering the territory, and questions of residency rights. In the past this has applied particularly to students from East Jerusalem or, more recently, Gaza.
I have had no recent information that this has continued to be a significant problem. I have asked our mission in Ramallah to be alert to this issue, insofar as resources permit, and if the Deputy has any specific information bearing on this issue my Department would be glad to receive it.
We have from time to time discussed in this house the ways in which Bethlehem University in particular has been affected by wider movement and access restrictions, and we have raised these issues with the Israeli authorities. I would be quite willing to do so again.
870. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the progress on his request for answers through the release of British Government files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37339/15]
View answerThis is a repeat of my reply to oral question no. 135.
The Government fully supports the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all original documents in their possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I have raised this issue with the British Government on a number of occasions, including most recently on 8 October, and have received assurances from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government is actively considering how it can respond to the Dáil motions.
The Taoiseach has also raised this issue with Prime Minister Cameron, most recently on 18 June, emphasising the Government’s continued support for the Dáil motions.
Cases, such as the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, must be adequately addressed if we are to achieve a genuinely reconciled society. Successive Irish Governments, in our ongoing bilateral relations and through the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, have raised the issue of collusion with the British Government.
Many families, including those bereaved by incidents in which collusion has been alleged, continue to deal not only with the awful pain of losing a loved one, but with the struggle for answers decades after these traumatic events. I understand and acknowledge the frustration of families who for too long have had to contend with inadequate mechanisms for addressing their cases. For that reason, the establishment of a new comprehensive framework for dealing with the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement, remains a priority of the Government. We believe that these mechanisms offer the best hope of helping the thousands of families touched by the Troubles – including those affected by collusion.
These institutions will include a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to take forward investigations into Troubles-related deaths, as well as an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) to enable victims and survivors seek and privately receive information about Troubles-related deaths. Good progress is being made in the current political talks on the establishment of these institutions which I believe will assist all victims, including the victims of collusion, in their quest for justice and the truth.
871. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason the interdepartmental committee on development has not met since the publication of One World, One Future: Ireland's Policy for International Development; and when it is expected to meet. [37340/15]
View answerThe Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN Summit at the end of September are central to the new global development agenda, Agenda 2030, for the next fifteen years. Unlike the Millennium Development goals, they are universally applicable, and all countries are required to take action to implement them, domestically and internationally.
The Inter-Departmental Committee on Development (IDCD) met shortly after the publication of One World One Future. It was clear that Agenda 2030 would provide the context for Ireland's whole-of-government approach to development and this would necessitate a whole-of-government approach to the UN negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
Throughout the UN negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, which culminated with the Summit in New York, Ireland's approach and positions were agreed through a whole-of-Government coordination process involving all relevant Government Departments. My Department, together with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government co-chaired a dedicated inter-departmental coordination mechanism comprising all relevant Government Departments, to ensure a comprehensive Irish position. This inter-departmental committee met six times including with civil society representatives.
With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by world leaders, we will now focus on developing the most appropriate institutional framework to deliver the new development agenda domestically and internationally. I have asked officials to review the structure and working of the IDCD to ensure it can deliver effectively on our commitment to policy coherence for development, on the basis that the new development agenda, 'Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ', requires action across Government.
872. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will condemn the treatment of 43 students participating in a demonstration in Mexico who were rounded up by police and handed over to Guerros Unidos, a criminal gang, and not seen again; if he will offer his support to the Justice for the 43 Campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37341/15]
View answerFirstly, allow me to reiterate my sympathies to the families of the 43 students who disappeared in Iguala, Mexico in September 2014. Those families need and deserve answers, and it is critically important that a full and comprehensive investigation of their disappearance be carried out.
Ireland fully supports the work of the Group of Independent Experts appointed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate these tragic events. I welcome the agreement reached on 19 October between the Group of Independent Experts and the Mexican authorities to extend their investigating mandate. I also welcome the commitment by the Mexican authorities to appoint a new Special Prosecutor to continue the investigation and to work closely with the Group of Independent Experts in this regard.
Ireland, along with its EU partners, has urged the Mexican government to ensure that a comprehensive investigation into the events in Iguala in September 2014 takes place, and to continue to take steps to address human rights challenges in Mexico.
Ireland's Embassy in Mexico is actively engaged, in cooperation with EU partners, on human rights and civil society issues in the country, and participates in a constructive dialogue with Mexico on these issues through the EU-Mexico High Level Dialogue on human rights.
873. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade given the recent parliamentary elections in Switzerland, his views regarding the renegotiation of bilateral treaties between the European Union and Switzerland concerning the free movement of persons and banking secrecy. [37393/15]
View answerSwitzerland and the European Union are close partners who enjoy mutually beneficial relations. I understand that the issues to which the Deputy refers will be the subject of relevant discussions between Switzerland and the European Commission, which is the competent authority in this area. Ireland will be supportive of an outcome consistent with European law.
875. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the terror attacks in Turkey and the protest movement against these attacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36989/15]
View answerI was utterly appalled by the devastating terrorist attack in Ankara on Saturday, 10 October. This brutal act resulted in a tragic loss of life and wide-scale injuries. I expressed my condolences to the families of the deceased and to the people of Turkey, in a statement on 12 October and I also signed the book of condolences at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Dublin on 13 October. While at the Embassy, I asked the Turkish Ambassador in Ireland, H.E. Mr Necip Egüz, to convey my condolences and those of the Irish people directly to Prime Minister Davutoglu.
It is clear that the situation in Turkey remains difficult, with the authorities there facing a number of serious challenges, not least in the aftermath of the 10 October attack. However, I call on all sides to exercise the utmost restraint and, in that context, I was pleased to see that the elections which took place on 1 November took place in a peaceful manner.
Officials in my Department, in Dublin and at our Embassy in Ankara, continue to follow developments in Turkey very closely.
876. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had any contact with the Israeli embassy regarding the tone and manner of its online discourse, which is incredibly inaccurate and aggressive towards any person who highlights the plight of the Palestinian people. [37746/15]
View answerMy Department has regular contact with the Israeli Embassy here in Dublin on a range of issues. The Department does not hesitate to raise issues of concern directly with the Israeli Embassy, if that is deemed the most appropriate channel.
877. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent election that took place in Egypt. [37767/15]
View answerMy Department has received reports from the European Union Expert Election Mission on the first phase of Egypt's parliamentary election.
This first phase took place on 18 - 19 October, in 14 out 27 governorates. According to the High Election Committee, 27,402,353 voters were registered to vote in these governorates at 13,485 polling stations (PS) located in 5,459 polling centres. Individual constituencies were contested by 2,548 candidates and 60 seats were contested by eight lists registered by four coalitions (six lists) and two parties (two lists). Of the individual candidates, 1666 were party non-affiliated ('independent') and 882 were registered by parties. Out-of-country voting (OCV) was held on 17 and 18 October in 139 Egyptian embassies abroad.
According to the EU Mission, the environment on the two election days was generally calm, with heavy security by police and military around the Polling Stations. Polling took place from 09.00 to 21.00 with a one hour lunch break from 14.30 to 15.30.
At the time of reply, my Department has received no reports on the conduct of the second round of voting. I do not propose to comment on the elections as this would be inappropriate while the process is still ongoing.
878. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding banking costs and charges for Irish exporters; his plans to address this matter, which is impacting on trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37816/15]
View answerThe issues raised by the Deputy relate to the sanctions placed on Iran as part of the dispute over aspects of Iran's nuclear programme.
There were no sanctions on food exports, nor were there general sanctions on Iranian banking. However, over time most individual banks in Iran were placed under sanctions because of their involvement in efforts to evade the sanctions on the nuclear and military sectors. For this reason, and because of other specific US sanctions on financial dealings with Iran, many banks in Ireland and other countries became reluctant to engage in business with Iranian banks, including in relation to business activities which were not themselves subject to sanctions.
It is important to be clear that these sanctions are still in place. While it is anticipated that, in line with the agreement on the nuclear issue reached in July, the EU sanctions and some of the US sanctions will be removed in the next few months, this has not yet taken place. So the constraints under which banks were operating still apply.
I have strongly welcomed the nuclear agreement with Iran, and like others I hope that this may lead to increased opportunities for Irish trade with Iran. I hope that Irish banks and other banks in Europe will feel able to provide normal services in support of such trade, once sanctions are removed. But that point has not yet been reached.
When, as is anticipated, sanctions are removed, it will be for the banks as commercial entities to decide how far and how fast they are willing to re-engage in business with Iran. My Department will be happy to provide any assistance and encouragement, and a policy of openness and transparency on the part of the Iranian authorities will also be important.
