I propose to take Questions Nos. 72 to 74, inclusive, together.
I refer the Deputy to the responses to previous parliamentary questions on these matters, including Question 109 of 24 July 2018, Questions 167, 166 and 172 of 25 October 2017 and Question 397 of 26 July 2017.
For each election observation mission, the EU or OSCE set out their specific requirements and as per normal practice all roster members are invited to apply to participate in any mission which Ireland proposes to deploy observers with a view to ensuring the widest possible participation in missions by roster members.
In many cases, the EU and OSCE also invite Member States to nominate new observers or observers with limited experience. In selecting nominees to be put forward, the specific criteria set by the EU or OSCE, including relevant local and regional experience, language proficiency, gender and length of time since serving on a mission, provide the main basis for decision-making. In cases where observers participated in a higher number of missions, this can be due to specific language requirements, the overall number of applications received, or other specific requirements which the EU or OSCE may identify from time to time depending on the specific circumstances of the election observation mission.
As previously communicated, a system to record data on withdrawals was put in place in 2015. Since then, 21 individuals have withdrawn from 22 missions, including one roster member who withdrew on two occasions, at a total cost to the Department of €1,268.82. In all but one case funds advanced by the Department were fully repaid.
In one case repayment was not sought, as the pre-departure grant of €600 had been paid to a nominated observer who had already advanced their preparations for an upcoming EU observation mission. At a late stage, this observer was appointed by the EU to a different function. Given the extreme lateness of the change – within a day or two of their anticipated departure on mission – pre-departure expenditure (such as vaccinations) had already been incurred. Under the circumstances the Department did not seek the repayment of the grant. In any case, the observer was selected by the EU for a separate mission within twelve months, and on that occasion was not paid the pre-departure grant.
Officials in my Department advise that early return from Election Observation Mission occur rarely, as Observers have committed to being available for the duration of the deployment. From the records available, only one Observer has returned early and this was due to the OSCE Election Observation Mission being cancelled and thus out of the control of the individual concerned. The Observer refunded the outstanding expenses paid in advance of their departure.
Taking account of members who have left the roster, and those who have been added from the reserve panel, the current roster complement stands at 191 and the reserve panel has been fully utilised. The Department does not hold records regarding previous roster memberships. For privacy reasons, the Department does not disclose the date that members resigned or were removed from the roster, as these may relate to illness or bereavement among other reasons.
Names of the Election Observation Roster appointed in 2013:
Dermot Ahern
Suhail Ahmad
Les Allamby
Chris Andrews
Frances Ball
Peter Ballagh
Tania Banotti
Patricia Barker
Richard Barrett
Leila Blacking
Donal Blake
Mary Boland
Michael Boyle
Adrienne Boyle
Noel Brennan
Caroline Brennan
Damien Brennan
Fionnuala Brennan
Paul Brennan
Andrea Breslin
Gabrielle Brocklesby
Catherine Brophy
Gerard Buckley
William Bulman
Colm Burke
John Burke
Eric Byrne
Elaine Byrne
Barry Cannon
Philippe Carr
Pat Carroll
Anne Choiseul
Michael Cleary
John Paul Coakley
Dermot Cogan
Pauline Conway
Sandra Conway
Ciara Conway
Peter Cotter
John Cousins
Michael Coyne
Evanna Craig
Kevin Cronin
Marie Cross
Mary Cummins
Diarmuid Cunniffe
John Curran
Asa (Karl) Cusack
Kieran Dalton
Bernard Daly
Eamonn Daly
Thomas Daly
David Denny
Anne Donnellan
Patricia Donnelly
Peter Donovan
James Doody
Mary Dowling
Terence Duffy
Mary Dunne
Patrick Durcan
John Durnin
Thomas Faolán Earlie
Peter Emerson
Brian Fagan
Colm Fahy
Gerard Finnegan
Annetta Flanigan
Terence Fleming
Marja Foley
Michael Gannon
Frederick Gilligan
Fergus Gleeson
Brendan Gogarty
Michael Good
Niall Gormley
Patrick Grant
Deirdre Grogan
Kevin Grogan
Munyikwa Hamadziripi
Dominic Hannigan
Nuala Haughey
Anne Harris Hennon
Frank Heslin
Sarah-Jane Hillery
Edward Horgan
Maca Hourihane
Michael Humphreys
Richard Humphreys
Jas Kaminski
Michael Kavanagh
Patricia Kearns
Cecilia Keaveney
Cathal Kelly
Patricia Kelly
Thomas John Kelly
Frank Kennefick
Helen Keogh
Maria Kiernan
Emily King
Ciaran Kinsella
Tom Kitt
Dorcha Lee
Jimmy Lenehan
Mark Long
John Lynch
Grattan Lynch
John Lyons
Ruadhán MacAodháin
Eithne MacDermott
Fidelma MacHale
Jean Celeste Mackenzie
Brian MacMahon
Desmond MacMahon
Patrick Maher
Elaine Mahon
Joseph Mangan
Anne Marlborough
Seamus Martin
Raymond Maxwell
Bernard McCabe
Ellen McCabe
James McCarthy
Michael McCarthy
Vincent McCorley
Fergal McCusker
Robert McDaid
Ronan McDermott
Donal McDonald
Finola McDowell
Padraic McDunphy
Richard McEvoy
Amy Rose McGovern
Jean McGrath
Una McGurk
Peter McMahon
Gerard McNamara
Michael McNamara
Peter Miles
John Minihan
Olivia Mitchell
Andrew Montague
John Martin Moore
Alison Moore
Rebecca Moynihan
Siobhan Mullally
Elizabeth Mullan
John Mulvihill
Karen Murphy
Nicholas Murphy
Ray Murphy
Edward Naessens
William Nolan
Robert Norris
Fiachra O' Luain
Seosamh O Murchu
Jerry O'Brien
Ronán O'Brien
Sean O'Callaghan
Eimear O'Casey
Charlie O'Connor
Shane O'Connor
Annette O'Gorman
Almha O'Keeffe
Anne Ormonde
Aidan O'Shea
Barbara O'Shea
Mary O'Shea
Paul O'Shea
Finbar O'Sullivan
Nora Owen
Diarmuid Peavoy
John Paul Phelan
Ann Phelan
Geraldine Power
John Purcell
Pat Quinlan
Theresa Reidy
Andrew Richardson
Marion Roche
Bill Rolston
Paul Rowe
Mary Russell
Audrey Ryan
Robert Sampson
Joseph Scanlon
Gisela Claire Schmidt-Martin
Frank Scott
Colin Smith
Jimmy Somers
Victoria Somers
Traolach Sweeney
Paul Tighe
Michael Verling
Brendan Walsh
Eamonn Thomas Walsh
Jacinta Walsh
Sheena Walsh McMahon
Emma Warwick
Steve Wrenn
Members of the Election Observation Roster appointed (from the reserve panel) after May 2013 to fill vacancies that arose:
Paddy Donnelly
Camilla Fanning
Denis Kirby
Niall O'Cinnseala
Larry O'Loughlin
Joy Orpen Kanter
Geraldine O'Neill
The number of missions undertaken by Observers since the formation of the Election Observation roster in 2013: Names marked with an asterisk are officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who work on relevant geographic desks or as election Focal Points, and on occasion also participate in such missions.
|
Name
|
|
|
Adrienne Boyle
|
2
|
|
Aidan O'Shea
|
3
|
|
Aisling Schorderet*
|
1
|
|
Almha O'Keeffe
|
4
|
|
Andrea Breslin
|
1
|
|
Andrew Richardson
|
4
|
|
Ann Ormonde
|
2
|
|
Anne Choiseul
|
2
|
|
Anne Donnellan
|
3
|
|
Annetta Flanigan
|
3
|
|
Asa Karl Cusack
|
3
|
|
Audrey Ryan
|
3
|
|
Barbara O'Shea
|
5
|
|
Bernard (Brian) Daly
|
3
|
|
Brendan Gogarty
|
3
|
|
Brian Fagan
|
2
|
|
Brian McMahon
|
1
|
|
Caroline Brennan
|
3
|
|
Cathal Kelly
|
2
|
|
Catherine Brophy
|
2
|
|
Cecilia Keaveney
|
7
|
|
Christopher Andrews
|
1
|
|
Ciara Gilvarry*
|
1
|
|
Ciaran Kinsella
|
2
|
|
Claire Coughlan*
|
1
|
|
Colin Smith
|
1
|
|
Colm Fahy
|
2
|
|
David Denny
|
1
|
|
Deirdre Bourke*
|
1
|
|
Deirdre Grogan
|
2
|
|
Denis Kirby
|
2
|
|
Dermot Ahern
|
1
|
|
Diarmuid Cunniffe
|
2
|
|
Diarmuid Peavoy
|
3
|
|
Dominic Hannigan
|
1
|
|
Donal (Daniel) Blake
|
2
|
|
Donal Mac Donald
|
1
|
|
Dorcha Lee
|
3
|
|
Eamonn Walsh
|
1
|
|
Edward Horgan
|
2
|
|
Edward Naessens
|
2
|
|
Eimear O'Casey
|
3
|
|
Eithne MacDermott
|
3
|
|
Elaine Byrne
|
1
|
|
Elizabeth Mullan
|
2
|
|
Ellen McCabe
|
1
|
|
Eric Byrne
|
3
|
|
Fergal McCusker
|
2
|
|
Fergus Gleeson
|
3
|
|
Fiachra O Luain
|
1
|
|
Fidelma McHale
|
2
|
|
Finbar O'Sullivan
|
3
|
|
Fionnuala Brennan
|
1
|
|
Frances Ball
|
2
|
|
Frank Kennefick
|
3
|
|
Frank Scott
|
1
|
|
Gabrielle Brocklesby
|
2
|
|
Geraldine O'Neill
|
2
|
|
Geraldine Power
|
3
|
|
Gerard Buckley
|
2
|
|
Grattan Lynch
|
1
|
|
Helen Keogh
|
1
|
|
Jack (John) Purcell
|
1
|
|
James Doody
|
3
|
|
James McCarthy
|
2
|
|
James Somers
|
2
|
|
Jean Celeste MacKenzie
|
3
|
|
Jean Marie McGrath
|
1
|
|
Jerry O'Brien
|
1
|
|
John Burke
|
4
|
|
John Crowe*
|
1
|
|
John O'Sullivan*
|
1
|
|
John Cousins
|
1
|
|
John Durnin
|
2
|
|
John Lynch
|
3
|
|
John Moore
|
2
|
|
John Mulvihill
|
4
|
|
John Paul Coakley
|
2
|
|
John Paul Phelan
|
1
|
|
Joseph Mangan
|
2
|
|
Joseph Scanlon
|
3
|
|
Kevin Cronin
|
3
|
|
Kevin Grogan
|
4
|
|
Kieran Dalton
|
2
|
|
Lelia Blacking
|
2
|
|
Marga Foley
|
3
|
|
Maria Kiernan
|
3
|
|
Marie Cross
|
2
|
|
Marion Roche
|
4
|
|
Mark Long
|
1
|
|
Mary Boland
|
3
|
|
Mary Jo Dowling
|
3
|
|
Mary O'Shea
|
1
|
|
Michael Boyle
|
4
|
|
Michael Coyne
|
2
|
|
Michael Gannon
|
1
|
|
Michael Good
|
1
|
|
Michael Kavanagh
|
2
|
|
Michael Verling
|
3
|
|
Niall Gormley
|
1
|
|
Niall O'Cinnseala
|
1
|
|
Nicholas Murphy
|
1
|
|
Noel Brennan
|
2
|
|
Olivia Mitchell
|
1
|
|
Paddy Donnelly
|
2
|
|
Padraic McDunphy
|
2
|
|
Pat Carroll
|
1
|
|
Patricia Barker
|
1
|
|
Patricia Donnelly
|
1
|
|
Patrick Maher
|
3
|
|
Patrick McDaniel*
|
1
|
|
Patrick O'Reilly *
|
1
|
|
Patrick Quinlan
|
2
|
|
Paul Brennan
|
3
|
|
Paul O'Shea
|
2
|
|
Paul Rowe
|
1
|
|
Paul Tighe
|
2
|
|
Pauline Conway
|
1
|
|
Peter Ballagh
|
1
|
|
Peter Cotter
|
2
|
|
Peter Donovan
|
3
|
|
Peter Emerson
|
2
|
|
Philippe Carr
|
2
|
|
Peter McMahon
|
4
|
|
Raymond Maxwell
|
1
|
|
Raymond Murphy
|
1
|
|
Rebecca Moynihan
|
1
|
|
Robert McDaid
|
1
|
|
Robert Sampson
|
2
|
|
Ronan O'Brien
|
1
|
|
Ruadhan Mac Aodhain
|
1
|
|
Seamus Martin
|
4
|
|
Sean O'Callaghan
|
2
|
|
Sheena Walsh McMahon
|
2
|
|
Steve Wrenn
|
1
|
|
Suhail Ahmad
|
3
|
|
Terence Duffy
|
4
|
|
Terence Fleming
|
2
|
|
Theresa Reidy
|
2
|
|
Thomas Earlie
|
2
|
|
Thomas John Kelly
|
2
|
|
Tom Kitt
|
1
|
|
Traolach Sweeney
|
2
|
|
Una McGurk
|
1
|
|
Victoria Somers
|
1
|
|
Vincent McCorley
|
3
|
|
William Bulman
|
1
|
|
William Nolan
|
1
|
