Written Answers Nos. 674-696
674. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the Tús scheme is limited to one year placements; if there are grounds for an extension whereby both the scheme and participant are seeking an extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1942/17]
View answerTús was set up to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. It is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the labour market. In addition, as a community work placement scheme, Tús provides valuable services to local communities.
There are no circumstances under which a person’s term on Tús can be extended beyond one year. The twelve month duration of a Tús work placement was set to reflect a number of inter-related requirements. These include the need to ensure that the places on the scheme are open to the maximum number of people on the live register. It also ensures that weaknesses identified in other work programmes resulting from longer duration placements are not replicated. Furthermore, the twelve month term ensures that the scheme fits with the objectives set out in the Government’s activation policies, including Pathways to Work.
The existing placement period on Tús also ensures that as many unemployed people as possible are able to benefit from the scheme and it is considered to be optimal in meeting the scheme’s objectives.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
675. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1946/17]
View answerI confirm that my Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 17 November 2016. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
676. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if a disability benefit will be approved and expedited for a person (details supplied). [1972/17]
View answerThe application for disability allowance (DA) from this lady was disallowed by a deciding officer (DO) who decided that she did not satisfy the medical conditions for the scheme. Notification of this decision issued on 14 September 2016.
The person in question has lodged an appeal with the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO). All the relevant papers requested by that Office recently were submitted by my Department and the SWAO will be in touch with the person in due course in relation to the progress of the appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
677. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his Department continue to engage with colleagues in the EU, UK, Northern Ireland and Scotland with a view to ensuring that notwithstanding Brexit, Ireland retains full and unconditional access to the Single Market and the UK market. [41010/16]
View answerSince the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, the Government has been very clear that Ireland’s own position is unchanged: we remain a committed member of the EU and of the Eurozone. EU membership has been central to Ireland’s economic and social progress of recent years. Now, more than ever, our membership of the EU must remain at the heart of our engagement with the wider world. Continued EU membership guarantees access to a Single Market of 500 million consumers and is vital to the economic well-being of the Irish people.
In facing the challenges of the UK withdrawal from the EU, the priority areas for the Government also remain unchanged – this is about our citizens, our economy, Northern Ireland, our Common Travel Area and the future of the EU itself. We continue to outline these priority issues at all of our meetings with EU counterparts – at both official and political level. From an EU perspective, the Taoiseach, the Minister of State for European Affairs and I remain actively engaged with our European counterparts, as do other Ministers and senior officials. At this critical phase, building on the round of contacts I have had since 23 June with each one of my EU counterparts, efforts are intensifying to ensure that an understanding of our priority issues is reinforced and factored into negotiations with the UK when these formally commence. I spoke with several EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels yesterday, and had an in-depth discussion with the newly appointed Spanish Foreign Minister; I plan to meet more of my colleagues in the period ahead. My officials have also had a range of recent engagements with their colleagues in other EU Member States and with the EU institutions, and these will continue in the weeks and months to come.
In parallel, the Government continues to engage closely with the UK government and the devolved administrations and of course more broadly with Northern Ireland, including through the All-Island Civic Dialogue. The Taoiseach met with Prime Minister May in July last and is due to meet her again at the end of January. I have met with the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU and his Parliamentary Under Secretary, as well as the UK Foreign Secretary and on a number of occasions, with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. There have also been very constructive discussions at political and official level within the framework of the British Irish Council, while the First Minister of the Scottish Government, Nicola Sturgeon, visited Dublin at the end of November and met with me in Iveagh House.
Our planning ahead of the negotiations – both for the risks and opportunities for Ireland – is currently intensifying and Departments are deepening and refining their understanding of the key issues. This work is still challenging as it is still not known what kind of relationship the UK will seek to have with the EU post-departure. On this, we await further clarification from Prime Minister May in due course, and of course the outcome of subsequent negotiations. But it is the Government’s hope that the future EU-UK relationship will be close and positive, and that within that context our thriving economic and trading relationship with the UK will continue to develop.
678. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised the issue of Christian persecution and genocide in the Middle East, Syria and Iraq at European Council level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1154/17]
View answerI have repeatedly addressed the question of the protection of Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq in particular in my meetings and engagements at both the EU and the UN. The protection of minorities from violence and terrorism is inseparable from achieving peaceful resolutions to the conflicts in both Syria and Iraq.
Ireland has also raised our concerns over the protection of minority populations, including Christians, at the UN Human Rights Council.
Allegations of genocide and other reports of violations of international law are a matter for legally competent and internationally recognised tribunals, in particular the International Criminal Court. Ireland has repeatedly called for the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
I welcome the recent and overwhelming support by the UN General Assembly on 21 December 2016 to establish an “International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 under the auspices of the United Nations”, which was supported by Ireland and 104 other Member States of the United Nations.
Ireland has long stressed the importance of accountability for the victims of such crimes and believes that this is essential to the protection of human rights.
679. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the exact location of the 12-mile fisheries and territorial limit on the Irish Sea at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1371/17]
View answer680. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the fisheries and territorial limit on the Irish Sea is not where the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, allows, if it can be changed in view of the fact that current legislation which predates the UNCLOS seems to be used to define the limit territorial waters can extend to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1372/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 679 and 680 together.
Since the 1930s the territorial sea and fishery limits of the State have been progressively extended in line with developments in international law. The present rules are set down in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Ireland became a party in 1996. The Convention extended the maximum permissible limits of a coastal state’s territorial sea from three nautical miles to 12 and, by creating the new exclusive economic zone, extended the maximum exclusive fishery limits to 200 nautical miles. Provision for these rules of international law is currently made in statute by Part 3 of the 2006 Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, which replaced and updated the Maritime Jurisdiction Acts 1959-1988.
The outer limits of the territorial sea in the Irish Sea are established by reference to Section 83 of the 2006 Act, which provides that the limits are ‘the line every point of which is at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline.’ The baseline is defined by section 85 of the Act and means that in the Irish Sea the outer limit of the territorial sea is the line every point of which is at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the coast of the mainland or of any off-shore island.
Under section 88 of the Act ‘the exclusive fishery limits of the State comprise all seas that lie inside the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone.’ The outer limits of the exclusive economic zone are established by section 87 of the Act.
As the Deputy will be aware, under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union member states have transferred to the Union exclusive competence for the conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy. That policy rests on the principle of equal access to fishing grounds within the member states’ 200 mile fisheries limits, which in turn is a concept that stems from the fundamental Treaty principle of non-discrimination among member states.
As a temporary derogation from that policy the arrangements made under the 1964 London Fisheries Convention for fishing within 12 miles of the coasts of the states in North West Europe have been maintained within the European Union, and were again temporarily preserved for a ten year period at the time of the most recent reform of the common fisheries policy in 2013. The 1964 Convention allowed the states concerned to extend their exclusive fisheries limits to 12 nautical miles at a time when international law permitted a territorial sea of just three miles in breadth, subject to the condition that the vessels of states that had traditionally fished in the six to 12 mile band be allowed to continue doing so. These limits, and the arrangements applying within them, are currently set out in Irish law in the 1984 Fisheries Limits (European Communities) Regulations.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 1989 that the six and 12 mile limits established by the 1964 Convention cannot be altered for the purposes of the common fisheries policies to take advantage of subsequent developments in international law because the arrangements that apply within them are a derogation from the principle of equal access and non-discrimination under European law.
681. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement which has taken place with the new ambassador to the European Union from the United Kingdom by Irish officials and representatives in Brussels. [1881/17]
View answerI can confirm that our Permanent Representative to the EU met with the new UK Permanent Representative at last week’s Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper II) meeting. He and the other staff at the Representation will continue to engage fully with their British counterparts, as with their counterparts from all other Member States, in the normal course of EU business.
682. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the obligations on member states to raise public awareness of rights under EU directives once implemented; the steps he is taking to ensure public awareness of rights under EU directives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1939/17]
View answerThe responsibility for transposing EU measures into Irish law rests with those Departments with responsibility for the policy areas covered by those measures.
Consequently, it is the responsibility of each Department, and of relevant agencies, to make the public, including concerned organisations and businesses, aware in an appropriate and timely manner of the implications of EU measures in their respective areas. This is obviously of particular importance where measures create new rights, for example in consumer protection.
683. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the recent events at the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah, Pakistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41018/16]
View answer684. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to an armed raid conducted by Pakistani police on the administrative offices at the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah, Pakistan on 5 December 2016 (details supplied); if he will protest to the Pakistan Government regarding this state-sanctioned sectarian violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41129/16]
View answer707. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the armed raid conducted by Pakistani police on the administrative offices at the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah, Pakistan on 5 December 2016 and that according to media reports the police caused needless damage to property and arrested four persons; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the Ahmadiyya have suffered decades of repression by state and federal governments in Pakistan; his views on this latest raid; and if he will raise the issue with his Pakistani counterpart. [1620/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 683, 684 and 707 together.
I am aware of a raid at the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah, Pakistan. Ireland’s Embassy in Ankara, which is accredited to Pakistan, is monitoring this situation.
Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are. We attach great importance to combatting all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief and incitement to religious hatred. We firmly believe in tolerance, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.
Ireland has repeatedly voiced its commitment to defending the right to freedom of religion or belief, including in my address to the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2016, during a UN Security Council debate on the victims of attacks and abuses on ethnic or religious grounds in the Middle East in March 2015 and during my meetings with the former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, in September 2014 and May 2015.
Ireland has consistently pressed for effective action to counter the persecution of minorities in relevant international fora, including at the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Ireland presented statements addressing the importance of freedom of religion or belief at Interactive Dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Professor Heiner Bielefeldt, at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016 and most recently, at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in October 2016. Ireland was also active in the successful negotiation of EU-led resolutions on Freedom of Religion or Belief at both of these sessions
Ireland also works within and alongside the EU to address the persecution of religious minorities, notably with the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief which were adopted during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013. Furthermore Ireland pressed for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief to be included in the EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2015-2019, which was adopted by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in July 2015.
Ireland will continue to raise this matter where and when it can, stressing the responsibility of governments to protect all citizens and minorities, irrespective of their religion or belief.
685. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the prosecution of a person (details supplied). [41238/16]
View answerThe constitutional status of Catalonia in Spain is the subject of ongoing debate. As I have previously stated, constitutional and political issues in any country of the European Union can only be determined by its own institutions and people. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on any particular country.
686. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the expected changes the recently signed EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement will have on Ireland's bilateral relations with Cuba; and his plans to explore improving trade and relations with Cuba or sending a high level delegation from his Department to Cuba. [41239/16]
View answerThe Government warmly welcomes the conclusion of the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, which I had the honour to sign on behalf of Ireland, along with my EU colleagues and the Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 December 2016. As the Deputy will be aware, this is the first bilateral agreement between the EU and Cuba. Its signature marks a further positive step forward in relations between Cuba and the EU, which have improved considerably in recent years.
The agreement itself is robust and comprehensive, consisting of three main pillars, namely Political Dialogue, Cooperation and Sector Policy Dialogue, and Trade and Trade Cooperation. The core aim of the PDCA is to open channels of dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Cuba in order to assist the modernisation of the Cuban economy and society, strengthen human rights and democracy, and work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
I believe that improvements in the EU-Cuba relationship will in turn have helpful consequences for the Ireland-Cuba relationship. Ireland has a good relationship with Cuba and in addition to participating with him in the signing ceremony of the EU-Cuba agreement, I met my Cuban counterpart, Mr Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York last September. I took the opportunity to welcome Cuba’s positive role in the negotiation of the recent peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), hosting four years of talks in Havana. We also had a good discussion on taking forward our bilateral relations, including in the area of trade.
In addition, there has been an increased frequency of contacts between Ireland and Cuba at official level in recent times, both directly from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Dublin and via our Embassy in Mexico which is accredited to Cuba.
My view is that the PDCA and the improved relationship between the EU and Cuba provides a solid framework and welcome opportunity to improve areas of Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Cuba which as yet remain somewhat underdeveloped, such as our trade links. I look forward to continued positive developments in the period ahead.
687. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has read the report by a person (details supplied) into the British Government’s handling of legacy issues from the conflict in Northern Ireland; his views on whether the report is a damning indictment of the British Government’s approach to dealing with the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41240/16]
View answerI have received the report to which the Deputy refers, which was presented by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2016 and published in November. The report was prepared following the UN Special Rapporteur’s visits to Northern Ireland in November 2015 and May 2016.
I met with Special Rapporteur de Greiff in the course of his visit in May, to discuss the Government’s role and approach in working to deliver a comprehensive legacy framework for Northern Ireland, focused on the needs of victims and survivors. My officials have considered Mr. de Greiff’s report in detail and remain in contact with him.
The Special Rapporteur’s comprehensive report is a welcome contribution to the discussion on dealing with the difficult legacy of the past in Northern Ireland. The report provides the Special Rapporteur’s valued and expert international perspective on how that legacy can be effectively addressed.
The report notes important achievements made so far in Northern Ireland in moving beyond the legacy of the Troubles, particularly on non-recurrence of violence and police reform. The report also analyses the truth-seeking initiatives and work on the criminal justice system that has been undertaken, and makes a number of recommendations on ways to address remaining challenges.
The Special Rapporteur emphasises the importance of a mechanism to capture the structural nature of the violations that took place during the Troubles. This function will be provided by the Implementation and Reconciliation Group, as an integral part of the legacy framework provided for under the Stormont House Agreement of 2014.
The Special Rapporteur is also supportive of the proposals for dealing with legacy inquests that were made by the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland in early 2016. I have and will continue to engage with the British Government and the parties in Northern Ireland, as appropriate, to support the implementation of the Lord Chief Justice’s proposals on legacy inquests.
The UN Special Rapporteur rightly emphasises that dealing with the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland is vital to achieving genuine reconciliation. The Government believes that the most effective way to do this is through the comprehensive framework of legacy institutions provided for in the Stormont House Agreement and this is reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government.
As Mr. de Grieff states in his report, the achievements made in Northern Ireland deserve to be acknowledged, but much work remains still to be done. I will continue to engage closely with political leaders in Northern Ireland and the British Government, to seek a way forward on the outstanding issues relating to the legacy of the past. It is essential that these are addressed in order to bring a measure of healing to the individuals affected and to society as a whole.
688. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg on 7 December 2016 when a number of legacy cases, including the case of a person (details supplied), were discussed; if his Department made a statement at the discussion; and if it included continued support to the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval and the legacy bodies established under the Stormont House Agreement. [41241/16]
View answerAt its meeting in Strasbourg on 7 December, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers discussed the implementation of the judgments in the McKerr and Others group of cases which includes the case of the late Pat Finucane, to which the Deputy specifically refers.
Ireland’s statement to the Committee expressed the Government’s disappointment that the legacy institutions provided for in the Stormont House Agreement have not yet been established and its determination to continue to work to achieve this as soon as possible. Our statement also proposed that the Committee of Ministers should strongly encourage the UK to do all it can to make progress in these matters, in recognition of its obligations under the Convention and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the McKerr group of cases.
The Committee of Ministers’ review of the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the McKerr group of cases relates to the need for effective investigations compliant with Article 2 of the Convention. The Committee therefore did not directly consider the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR). The ICIR is one of the bodies provided for under the Stormont House Agreement and Ireland’s statement made clear the Government’s support for this comprehensive legacy framework; this framework included a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) which will deal specifically with the investigation of Troubles related deaths.
In relation to the case of the late Pat Finucane, the Government underlined its long standing position that a satisfactory outcome will be best achieved through a full public inquiry, and called on the British Government to fulfil the commitment made in this regard at Weston Park in 2001. The Committee of Ministers maintained their decision that it would reconsider the re-opening of measures on the Finucane case when the ongoing domestic proceedings have concluded.
The full text of Ireland’s statement to the Committee of Ministers is available on my Department’s website at: www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2016/december/legacy-issues-council-of-europe/.
689. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the fact that the current President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, is refusing to accept defeat in recent elections and step down; his further views on the fact that there is reportedly an increased military presence in Banjul; and if he will join the calls for Mr. Jammeh to accept the result of the democratic elections and step down. [41242/16]
View answerI share the concern about the current situation in the Gambia, and the statements by President Jammeh suggesting that he does not accept the result of the democratic elections held in December. I fully support the statement on behalf of the EU High Representative last month calling on the President to respect the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the election result.
I am also concerned by the recent closure of a number of independent radio stations in the country.
I welcome the efforts of international organisations, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the United Nations, to find a solution to the present difficulties. In particular, I commend the continued engagement of ECOWAS leaders, and hope that this will lead to a smooth and peaceful transition of power in Gambia.
690. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the recent efforts made to ensure that Israel meets obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, with particular reference to Palestinian children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41246/16]
View answerThe Convention on the Rights of the Child requires regular reporting by States parties on how the rights contained in the Convention are being implemented. The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) engages in dialogue with states on the basis of these reports, raising concerns and making recommendations for improved implementation. Ultimately, implementation is a matter for the State Party.
My Department and I myself have frequently raised issues of concern in relation to treatment of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, including children, directly with the Israeli authorities or in discussions at EU level and in international fora, such as the Human Rights Council. We have discussed many of these issues in response to specific Questions here in the House. Ireland has had a particular focus on issues related to children detained by the security forces, for instance on the legal age of majority under the law, and some improvements have been made. However, much remains to be done and there are still many issues of concern.
Similar concerns about the protection of children exist in relation to many other states besides Israel, both elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond.
691. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar, Burma; if his attention has been further drawn to the reports of rape, violence and massacres being carried about by the Myanmar Government forces and that tens of thousands of Rohingya have become refugees; and his plans to assist the Rohingya people. [41379/16]
View answer693. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his officials have raised the position of the Rohingya people of Myanmar, Burma, with the authorities there. [41493/16]
View answer694. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the position of the Rohingya people of Myanmar, Burma, due to the reports of ethnic cleansing against them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41494/16]
View answer695. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to allegations of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people; if so, the efforts he and his European counterparts are making to protect the Rohingya and to ensure their human rights are upheld; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41498/16]
View answer696. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to human rights abuses carried out against the Rohingya in Burma; if he will raise this with the Burmese Government, the European Union and United Nations; the contacts made by him or his officials regarding the human rights situation for the Rohingya; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41538/16]
View answer700. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State and Myanmar at EU level and the UN; the action he can take or has planned to highlight the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1135/17]
View answer706. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to discuss reports emerging from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar with the European Union and United Nations that detail the infliction of serious human rights violations including torture, rape, sexual assault, summary executions and the destruction of mosques and homes upon the Rohingya people, 160,000 of whom are reported to be at risk of starvation and diseases; if there has been any change to the diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar since the reports emerged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1584/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 691 and 693 to 696, inclusive, 700 and 706 together.
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. We in Ireland understand that building peace and trust takes time, and that there is a need to ensure that respect for the human rights and access to livelihoods for all communities is central to enabling long-term peace and stability.
However, as I noted in Parliamentary Question 255 on 15 December 2016, the Government is deeply concerned about recent violence in Rakhine State. The Government calls for an end to this violence, and is of the view that there is a pressing need for an impartial, independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations in this region, as well as the full restoration of access for humanitarian aid.
Officials from my Department met recently with members of the Rohingya Community in Ireland and representatives of Burma Action Ireland to discuss their views and information they had collected from families and friends in Myanmar/Burma, some of which involved allegations of serious human rights abuses.
Ireland has been active in raising our concerns at bilateral level with the authorities in Myanmar/Burma. We have also been active in raising our concerns in the context of our membership of the EU and the UN, where the situation in Rakhine State continues to receive attention since the latest outbreak of violence began in October 2016.
There has been no change in the diplomatic relations between Ireland and Myanmar/Burma, since the reports emerged. Ireland’s Embassy in Bangkok, which is accredited to Myanmar/Burma, is monitoring the situation closely. Earlier this month Ambassador Brendan Rogers travelled to Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon, where he raised Ireland’s concerns about the situation in Rakhine State with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin. He conveyed the Government’s recognition of the complexity of the issues involved, while urging the Government of Myanmar to ensure that allegations of human rights violations are addressed, and to restore access to the region for humanitarian aid and the media.
On 9 December 2016, the Embassy joined a number of like-minded diplomatic missions in a statement which expressed serious concerns about access for humanitarian aid to the region. The statement welcomed the Government of Myanmar’s agreement to allow a resumption of humanitarian assistance and initial deliveries to some villages, but expressed serious concerns about delays and urged Myanmar’s authorities to overcome the obstacles that have so far prevented a full resumption. In relation to attacks against security personnel in Rakhine State and allegations of abuse in the subsequent security operations, the statement said that security forces must ensure protection of all civilians, and that the creation of an Investigation Commission offers an opportunity to investigate these incidents and allegations objectively and transparently, as well as expose acts of violence and abuse.
The third EU-Myanmar Human Rights Dialogue took place on 22 November 2016. At the meeting, the EU similarly expressed concerns about the recent security and human rights situation in northern Rakhine state, reiterating calls for an independent, credible investigation into both initial attacks and subsequent actions, as well as for the urgent re-opening of humanitarian access to the populations in need.
Ireland also supported the EU-led resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar/Burma at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in March, which conveyed the HRC’s serious concerns over human rights violations in the country, including the situation in Rakhine State and particularly with respect to religious and ethnic minorities, including the Rohingya minority. Ireland also raised this issue in a statement at the 32nd session of the HRC in June 2016 and during the review of Myanmar’s human rights record at the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2015.
In addition to these efforts, Ireland has provided development assistance and humanitarian aid to address the needs of people in Rakhine State, including the Rohingya community. Since 2014 Ireland has provided €284,000 to Plan International for interventions in the region.
The Irish Government is of the view that the underlying root causes of tensions in Rakhine State must be addressed with long-term solutions led by the Government of Myanmar/Burma. The need to guarantee respect for human rights and the rule of law for all people in Myanmar/Burma remains central to achieving this. Ireland has also called for more investment in early recovery and support for livelihood opportunities for both the Rohingya and Buddhist communities in Rakhine State.
692. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to re-open the Irish Embassy in Iran; the steps being undertaken by the Government to promote and grow trade links between the two countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41410/16]
View answerMy Department takes a range of factors into account when considering the expansion of the Embassy and Consular network overseas. These factors include our national political, economic and trade priorities, as well as the availability of resources. The configuration and scale of the State’s diplomatic and consular network is kept under ongoing review by the Government.
My Department and the Embassy in Ankara provide appropriate assistance and advice to Irish companies interested in trading to Iran. The regular visits to Iran by the Ambassador in Ankara include a strong trade focus, including visits arranged to coincide with visiting Irish business groups. Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland have also conducted exploratory visits to Iran and further such visits are expected.
