Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Written Answers Nos. 303-318

Election Monitoring Missions

Questions (303, 310)

Patrick Costello

Question:

303. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 425 of 18 May 2021, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the OSCE Election Observation Mission to Armenia is headed by an Irish citizen; if, in view of this he will review the decision not to deploy any Irish election observers to these elections especially those observers that are vaccinated against Covid 19; if he will now give active consideration to nominating experience Irish election observers from the current and previous rosters that have experience of elections in Armenia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28403/21]

Pa Daly

Question:

310. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 413 and 425 of 18 May 2021, the process by which a person became head of the OSCE Election Observation Mission to Armenia (details supplied). [27966/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 310 together.

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) manages its election observation mission through a core team of experts, which leads the monitoring and is directly recruited, which can be supplemented by long-term observers (LTOs) and short-term observers (STOs) nominated by OSCE Member States.

Applications to join the core team are managed directly by the OSCE-ODIHR through a recruitment procedure that is open to citizens of OSCE participating states, including Ireland. The Department of Foreign Affairs has no role in this process. Roles as head of electoral missions, or core team members for either the OSCE or the EU are thus entirely separate from the process of nomination by Member States for LTO or STO roles, including the volunteer election observation roster operated by this Department.

I refer the Deputies to the responses to Parliamentary Question Nos. 413 and 425 of 18 May 2021 and the comprehensive response on all matters concerning the election roster Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 24 March 2021 of which reiterated that in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health considerations concerning international travel, Ireland has not nominated volunteer election observers since March 2020.

Participation in EOMs poses particular risks in the context of the public health pandemic due to the requirement of overseas travel, including often through busy airport hubs, compounded by factors such as extensive in-country travel and interactions with observers from a significant number of other countries, potentially exposing to Covid-19 not only election observers but also those with whom they come into contact with in the host country.

Resumption of nominations remains under review in the light of evolving public health considerations, particularly, as regards international travel, and will not include either the Armenian or Moldovan calls received this month.

In the meantime, planning is underway to prepare for resumption of nominations to election missions, including identifying the requirements for volunteers prior to, during and post participation in EOMs based on Ireland’s public health advice and requirements and requirements in destination countries, including on vaccination, testing and quarantining, as well as conditions set out by the EU/OSCE-ODHIR. When nominations resume, those will be from the current international observation roster of individuals who succeeded in the competitive mustering and have been suitably vetted.

Election Monitoring Missions

Questions (304, 305, 311)

Patrick Costello

Question:

304. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to replace the 2018 election observation roster; if any preparation work has been done on this to date; if Department officials have been in formal contact with the Public Appointments Service seeking them to organise a professional recruitment competition; if the existing roster can be increased to take account of observers that no longer wish to travel internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28404/21]

Patrick Costello

Question:

305. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 425 of 18 May 2021, if he will explain the reason that insurance premiums are being paid for election observers when no Irish election observers have been deployed for over a year; if, in view of zero deployments he will seek a rebate of premiums paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28405/21]

Neale Richmond

Question:

311. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department has responded to the invitation from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to send election observers to Armenia ahead of the June 2021 general election there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28032/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 304, 305 and 311 together.

I refer the Deputies to the comprehensive response to Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 24 March 2021 on international election observation. In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health considerations concerning international travel, Ireland has not nominated volunteer election observers since March 2020. Participation in election observation missions poses particular risks in the context of the public health pandemic due to the requirement of overseas travel, including often via busy airport hubs, compounded by factors such as extensive in-country travel and interactions with observers from a significant number of other countries, potentially exposing to COVID-19 not only election observers but also those with whom they come into contact in the host country.

Resumption of nominations remains under review in the light of evolving public health considerations, particularly, as regards international travel, and will not include either the Armenian or Moldovan calls received this month. In the meantime, planning is underway to clarify conditions required for volunteers prior to, during and post participation in EOMs based on Ireland’s public health advice and requirements and requirements in destination countries, including in relation to vaccination, testing and quarantine, as well as conditions set out by the EU and/or the OSCE-ODHIR, as appropriate. When nominations resume, those will be from the current international observation roster of individuals who succeeded in the competitive mustering process and have been suitably vetted.

The Inter-Departmental Committee on Ireland’s Official Development Assistance (IDC) approved a budget of €180,000 for election observation in 2021. To date, €4,616 of that budget has been spent, reflecting insurance costs for coverage for the entire year (2021). The Department of Foreign Affairs has an insurance policy in place to cover this and other rosters. The costs allocated from the election observation budget represent a cost-effective contribution towards this premium, based on both efficiency and value for money. The absence of an insurance policy would result in further delays in resuming participation in election observation missions once safe to do so in the context of the public health pandemic.

Ireland's current International Election Observation Roster, which is facilitated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, is effective as of 1 January 2019 and is scheduled to run until 2023. Roster members were selected on the basis of an open competitive application process in 2018. Issues related to the size and duration of the roster were addressed in Parliamentary Question No. 410 of 24 November 2020. The roster consists of 199 volunteers and thus there is a large pool of high-calibre election observers available, all of whom have been suitably vetted, for nomination to international election observation missions organised by the EU and OSCE. Pre-COVID, there were an average of 45-60 observers deployed on EU and OSCE-ODIHR missions each year.

With regard to the next mustering process, it is anticipated that planning will include engagement with the Public Appointments Service.

Question No. 305 answered with Question No. 304.

Foreign Policy

Questions (306)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

306. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to urgently support the population of Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27523/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

I would like to begin by welcoming the announcement of a ceasefire which began on 21 May. The humanitarian consequences of the hostilities have been devastating and two million people in the Gaza Strip, who were already suffering extreme hardship, including poverty, food insecurity and the Covid-19 pandemic, are now suffering the consequences of another cycle of violence.

On 19 May, Ireland announced an additional €1.5 million in funding to our UN partners for emergency humanitarian relief in the occupied Palestinian territory. €1 million will be provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide emergency food, water and sanitation supplies and health and psychosocial services to the people of Gaza. This will bring 2021 funding to UNRWA to a total of €7 million, following the disbursement of €6 million in March.

In addition, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will receive €500,000 to support child protection, medical and sanitation services for thousands of children in acute need. This includes emergency psychosocial services to 5,000 children suffering trauma as a result of the hostilities. The plight of children as a consequence of this conflict is shameful and our support for UNICEF seeks to alleviate the brutal situation they are facing.

In addition to this €1.5 million, Ireland is providing €500,000 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in the oPt, €300,000 of which is for a Humanitarian Fund used to respond to emergencies. This will bring Ireland’s funding in support of the Palestinian people to more than €16 million in 2021.

I pay tribute to staff from the UN and other humanitarian agencies who are providing support to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip under very difficult circumstances.

Human Rights

Questions (307)

Denis Naughten

Question:

307. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he can undertake to raise awareness through the EU of the plight of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27740/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ireland strongly condemns the ongoing repression in Belarus. While security forces continue to act with impunity, ordinary citizens face lengthy sentences and heavy fines for even the most trivial expressions of dissent. This is an issue of concern across the political spectrum in Europe and many members of the Oireachtas, and Irish MEPs, joined a Belarusian civil society campaign earlier this year to raise awareness of political prisoners.

Ireland and the EU have repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those unjustly detained, including political prisoners such as the individual in question. Our Embassy accredited to Belarus are aware of this case and his situation is part of internal EU officials' discussions. The EU will continue to raise their cases in international settings.

It is also imperative that those responsible for human rights violations are brought to justice and made accountable for their actions. In that regard, Ireland played a constructive role in the successful adoption of an EU-led resolution at the UN Human Rights Council that extended the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate human rights violations in Belarus.

The High Commissioner is currently assembling her team and we welcome the recent appointments of expert investigators. Ireland is also supportive of other international accountability efforts that complement the High Commissioner's investigation. Along with our EU and international partners, we will continue to press the Lukashenko regime to adhere to their international obligations and to fully respect the human rights of the Belarusian people.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (308)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

308. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to make the Covid-19 vaccine more available to persons in less developed countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27899/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

Ireland is playing its full part in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all.

Last year, Irish funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) was quadrupled, given its role as lead UN agency for health and co-host of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Launched in April 2020, the ACT Accelerator, is a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Through the Irish Aid programme, the Government has also allocated approximately €100 million in 2021 to global public health, to help ensure that health systems in developing countries can respond effectively to the pandemic. In some cases, this is with the support of the HSE Global Health Programme.

Irish Embassies in partner countries are also working alongside WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance ,and others to support the vaccine rollout effort, which is challenging for many countries. Irish Aid support so far this year includes a direct contribution to the COVAX facility of €4 million, with further contributions under active consideration. Accompanying the COVAX payment was an additional €1 million to the WHO to oversee the process of vaccine procurement and distribution.

Ireland’s support sits within the broader EU response. So far, the EU and Member States have committed €2.5 billion to COVAX. COVAX is beginning to show some real results; shipping over 68 million vaccines to 125 participant countries as of May 20th. COVAX has secured options on a total of 4.06 billion doses of vaccines.

Officials across the relevant Government Departments are also considering the recommendations put forward by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence in their recent Report on the Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines to Developing Countries.

Diplomatic Representation

Questions (309)

Carol Nolan

Question:

309. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 435 of 18 May 2021, the dates and the particulars of each occasion on which he has summoned the Chinese Ambassador to meet with him from 14 June 2017 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27923/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

As I stated in Parliamentary Question No. 435 of 18 May 2021, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 there are a suite of measures provided for the conduct of relations between States.

In addition to ongoing regular diplomatic engagements at senior official level between my Department and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to Ireland, I have, since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs in June 2017, had two standalone meetings with the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Ireland; on 1 February 2018 and 24 June 2020. On each of these occasions, a wide range of issues were discussed, covering bilateral political, economic and cultural ties, the relationship between the EU and China, and cooperation between Ireland and China at the United Nations.

I can assure the Deputy that I, along with officials in my Department, maintain regular close contact with the Chinese Ambassador and Embassy officials, and that we raise any concerns we have where necessary.

Question No. 310 answered with Question No. 303.

Question No. 311 answered with Question No. 304.

Military Aircraft

Questions (312)

Paul Murphy

Question:

312. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will address a series of matters (details supplied) in relation to an aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28046/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The provision of diplomatic clearance to land in, or overfly, the State is subject to strict conditions, namely, that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in intelligence gathering; and that the flight in question does not form part of a military exercise or operation.

I can confirm that in advance of the flight the US Embassy submitted a request for diplomatic clearance for the specified aircraft to land at Casement aerodrome, Baldonnel, which stated that these conditions would be met. On that basis the requisite permission was granted.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (313)

Pa Daly

Question:

313. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding providing medical aid to Nepal which is currently experiencing a severe crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [28052/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I am acutely aware that Nepal, like other countries in South Asia, is severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is exacerbated by shortages of medical equipment.

The Government of Nepal made a request for emergency assistance to the EU through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 7 May and Ireland, along with its EU partners, is considering its response. Nepal has requested specific quantities of certain medical equipment and supplies, including PPE and respiratory support equipment.

I am hopeful that Ireland will be in a position to offer assistance and provide some relief to those suffering from Covid-19 in Nepal and to its front-line health workers. We expect to be in a position to confirm Ireland’s response in the coming days as soon as officials have concluded their assessment of the available equipment and supplies in relation to request from Nepal.

Departmental Data

Questions (314)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

314. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there is a policy of data back-up in the operations of his Department and all agencies under his remit. [28119/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department implements a strict daily back up policy in line with best practice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre. There are no Agencies under the remit of my Department.

Registration of Births

Questions (315)

David Cullinane

Question:

315. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will advise on a matter raised in correspondence in relation to foreign birth registration (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28180/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register. At present, there are 30,000 applications in the Foreign Births Registration (FBR) system that are awaiting processing. It is anticipated that further resources will be allocated to this service to assist with this volume of applications when regular processing resumes.

Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (“the 1956 Act”), as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.

The 1956 Act provides, inter alia, that persons born abroad to parents who themselves were born abroad, are eligible for entry into the Foreign Births Register (FBR) if their parents were Irish citizens at the time of the person’s birth. To change this, an amendment of the 1956 Act would be required.

The Department of Justice is responsible for citizenship matters. Any amendment to the 1956 Act is a matter for the Minister for Justice.

The Department of Foreign Affairs operates a clear and transparent general policy for processing FBR applications. In situations where the completion of registrations potentially impact on the rights of a person, it will consider urgent requests to expedite registered applications on a case by case basis. Such applicants are advised on the Department’s website to make contact with the Passport Service through the WebChat service.

Departmental Legal Services

Questions (316)

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

316. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount spent by his Department on external professional legal services in 2014, 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [28303/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department generally seeks advice on domestic legal matters from the Office of the Attorney General and/or the Chief State Solicitor’s Office. Depending on the subject matter, litigation is dealt with on my Department’s behalf by the Attorney General’s Office, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office or the State Claims Agency which engage lawyers to act for the Department where necessary.

The expenditure incurred in respect of external legal fees in 2014, 2019 and 2020 is presented in tabular form below.

Year	Amount €
2014	3,811
2019	47,941
2020	41,156

The Department’s Missions abroad engage local legal advisers from time to time to deal with a range of miscellaneous matters.

Passport Services

Questions (317)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

317. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if the person's documents are in the Irish Consulate in San Francisco or in the Passport Office, Dublin. [28351/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”.

Passport Online will continue to be the priority channel given the efficiencies that are in-built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. The processing of an online application is up to four times as fast as a paper application. In addition, the use of Passport Online can facilitate social distancing, given that a renewal application for an adult does not require the signature of a witness.

Passport Online can be accessed by first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.

In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, they should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of their situation.

Paper applications received at a Mission are, after the appropriate checks have been completed by consular staff, processed and subsequently printed in Ireland before being sent back to the originating Mission for dispatch to applicants.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, staff at the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco have been in regular contact with the applicant since the application was received and the application is in process. If the applicant wishes to request the return of any original supporting documentation, the Consulate General would be happy to assist in this regard.

United Nations

Questions (318)

Neale Richmond

Question:

318. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. [27999/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I will focus my response on Ireland’s engagement since the Deputy previously requested an update in March 2021.

Since 10 May, the Security Council has met four times on the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. At the Security Council Open Debate on the situation on 16 May, I made it clear that the Council and its Members have a responsibility to speak out, and send a united message that the cycle of violence must end now. I welcome the ceasefire announced last Thursday, which must now be supported and implemented. Our immediate focus must be on getting vital humanitarian assistance to those who need it.

In the context of our role as Security Council Facilitator on the Iran nuclear agreement (the JCPOA), we continue to work to restore full compliance. I discussed this with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Dublin last Wednesday. This followed on from my visit to Iran in March. I am pleased at progress in the talks in Vienna, and hope that agreement can be reached. I have also discussed the JCPOA with US Secretary of State Blinken and other Security Council Members.

We continue to work closely with Norway as co-penholders on the humanitarian situation in Syria. I visited Bab al-Hawa in January, and saw first-hand the vital role that the one remaining UN-authorised crossing plays in the provision of humanitarian assistance. Since then I have had regular discussions on this issue with counterparts, including last week with the Foreign Ministers of France, Russia and Iran. The coming period will be crucial as we work towards ensuring the renewal of the mandate for cross-border operations in July.

Ireland has also been at the forefront of efforts to address the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Ireland initiated Council meetings on the dire humanitarian situation and the ongoing lack of humanitarian access in February and March, and led the negotiation of a Council statement in April, the first time the Security Council has spoken on this issue since the start of this crisis. We will work to maintain the Council’s focus on this issue in the months ahead.

Improving peacekeeping mandates is a priority throughout our term. A specific focus is the protection of civilians during peacekeeping transitions and I will speak at an event that Ireland is organising tomorrow, 26 May, during UN Protection of Civilians week.

Over the past two months, the Council has addressed the situations in Iraq, Yemen, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, the Sahel, the Great Lakes Region, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Myanmar. We been active in the negotiation of resolutions on strengthening the mandate of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia and on UN support for the Libya Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism.

I participated in a number of Security Council meetings over the past two months, including on post-pandemic recovery and addressing root causes of conflict in Africa; multilateralism and the United Nations; the protection of indispensable civilian objects; mine action; and UN cooperation with regional organisations. Promoting human rights is also integral to our approach across the Council’s country-specific and thematic agenda items.