Written Answers Nos. 649-669
649. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if any Irish foreign aid to either other countries, charities or international bodies has been appropriated by terrorist organisations or foreign governments between 2015 and 2020; and if so, the details of same. [30678/21]
View answerThe Counter Fraud policy of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which affirms our zero tolerance towards fraud, sets out the procedures for the prevention, detection and dealing with instances of fraud or suspected fraud, including in partner organisations. Information regarding suspected frauds, along with information regarding recovered and unrecovered funding, in Irish Aid’s areas of work are published and updated quarterly on the Irish Aid website at this address. Web Report Oct 2019 (irishaid.ie). We are unaware of misappropriations of the type described by the Deputy.
ODA funding is allocated, monitored and evaluated using the standard approaches of the Department of Foreign Affairs including risk analysis, with particular attention given to the design of humanitarian funding.
The OECD Development Assistance Committee’s extensive review of Ireland’s ODA programme in 2020 reported that “Ireland is widely seen as an excellent partner, providing quality financing and supporting its investments with a presence on key partner bodies such as boards and donor support groups where Ireland uses its influence to improve effectiveness and coherence”.
650. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he raised the illegal detention of an Irish citizen (details supplied) and the alleged genocide of the Uighur Muslims by the CCP with the Chinese Foreign Minister; and if so, the details of same. [30679/21]
View answerI had a substantial and productive discussion with my Chinese counterpart, Minister Wang Yi, in Guiyang, China, on Sunday 30 May, covering an extensive agenda of bilateral relations, EU-China relations as well as issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
In terms of bilateral issues, while I cannot comment on the details of a consular case, I can confirm that we discussed again the case of the Irish citizen mentioned, as part of our ongoing and extensive efforts to achieve an early resolution of the matter.
On the topic of EU-China relations, both sides expressed a wish to have stronger cooperation, while also recognising that there are several outstanding issues that need to be resolved.
In that discussion, I outlined Ireland and the EU's position on the treatment of Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. I emphasised the importance of allowing unrestricted access to the region to independent observers in order to make an objective assessment of the situation, particularly through the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
While there are many areas where Ireland and China do agree, I believe it is important to also have constructive engagement in areas where we do not agree and in order to address areas of concern. Ireland will continue to engage with Chinese authorities both bilaterally and in multilateral fora to raise such issues.
651. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has spoken formally with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to date in 2021. [30737/21]
View answerI, along with other EU Foreign Ministers, had the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges facing Ukraine with Minister Kuleba, in an exchange after the VC of EU Foreign Ministers on 19 April 2021. At that time I assured Minister Kuleba of Ireland's commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as I have consistently done when Ukraine is discussed in any forum.
I am particularly pleased that Ireland recently opened an Embassy in Ukraine, with our inaugural Ambassador to Ukraine commencing her post on 7 June 2021. I am confident that our enhanced presence in the country will help to increase bilateral relations between Ireland and Ukraine in the coming months and years.
652. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to upgrade the Irish Honorary Consul in Cancun, Mexico to a consulate general office. [30744/21]
View answerGlobal Ireland – Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025 sets out the Government’s ambitions for expanding and deepening our international presence, influence and impact. It includes the expansion of Ireland’s Mission network which will deepen our impact across priority regions, provide opportunities to grow our trade and inward investment, strengthen political relationships with our partners, promote our values, and support Irish citizens and our diaspora abroad.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to a whole-of-Government strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean. This Strategy will act as a framework for Ireland’s developing bilateral relations with the region and I look forward to it being finalised and published in the period ahead. The forthcoming strategy will help to further strengthen the longstanding and important bilateral relationship between Ireland and Mexico.
Under Global Ireland 2025, we have expanded our footprint in Latin America and the Caribbean, with new Embassies in Bogotá and Santiago de Chile. The Embassy of Ireland in Mexico works closely with the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Cancún in the provision of consular services to Irish citizens. While the possibility of opening new Missions is considered on an ongoing basis, there are currently no plans to establish a Consulate General in Cancún.
653. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to open a new Irish consulate general office in Osaka, Japan. [30745/21]
View answerGlobal Ireland – Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025 sets out the Government’s ambitions for expanding and deepening our international presence, influence and impact. It includes the expansion of Ireland’s Mission network which will deepen our impact across priority regions, provide opportunities to grow our trade and inward investment, strengthen political relationships with our partners, promote our values, and support Irish citizens and our diaspora abroad.
"Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025", launched in January 2020, places this strategy in a regional context and contains measures to significantly enhance Ireland's impact in Japan, including through the development of a new Ireland House in Tokyo.
Ireland enjoys excellent relations with Japan, fostered by our diplomats and State Agencies working together in Tokyo. While the possibility of new Missions is considered on an ongoing basis, Japan is not one of the countries currently earmarked for further expansion of our Mission network.
654. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current timeframe for all backlogged applications for passports to be cleared; the emergency procedures in place for persons who must undertake travel to other countries but are affected by the current delays in passport applications processing and also delays in the registration of births as a result of the cyber-attack; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30856/21]
View answer658. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make provisions for parents to apply for passports for their children who are unregistered and without a birth certificate deeming them unable to apply for a passport due to the ongoing HSE hacking issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30952/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 654 and 658 together.
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”.
The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we are confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace that the commitment made to clear all applications on hand at the end of April within 6-8 weeks is on target to be met. Simple Adult Renewals continue to be processed within 10 working days.
All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 ("The 2008 Act"). The 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him or her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.
Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
Accordingly, the Passport Service is obliged to seek documentary evidence of Irish citizenship by birth, parentage/descent, or naturalisation before a passport application can be processed. It is not possible to recognise a person as an Irish citizen in the absence of such evidence.
The onus is on the applicant to provide documentation proving their entitlement to Irish citizenship. Birth Certificates which are issued by the General Register Office (GRO) must be submitted in support of a passport application to prove this entitlement. Neither baptismal certificates nor any other non-civil form of documentation can be considered in support of a first time passport application.
In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, the applicant should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of the situation.
655. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the expenditure incurred by staff in his Department under the heading of travel and subsistence from 1 January 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30866/21]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs has responsibility for two separate votes, Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs and Vote 27 - International Co-operation.
The travel and subsistence costs across both Votes from 1 January 2020 to date are detailed below:
|
€ |
|
|
Travel costs (including accommodation) |
€2,339,564 |
|
Subsistence |
€328,274 |
My Department complies with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines on official travel. The central aim of the Departmental travel policy is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.
656. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of each value for money and policy review conducted by his Department from 1 January 2019 to date; if external costs were incurred; if so, the details of such costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30883/21]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs has not conducted a value for money study since 1st January 2019. However, as part of the Department's wider evaluation work programme, and in line with the Public Spending Code, a Spending Review of the Ethiopia Country Strategy (2014-2019) was completed in 2020. There were no external costs involved.
659. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a foreign birth registration application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30970/21]
View answerThe processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications has been temporarily paused as a result of COVID-19 related restrictions.
Prior to this pause, it took twelve to eighteen months to process applications. This was due to the high volume of applications being received, the complex nature of FBR applications, as well as the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.
The FBR application referenced was registered on 18 February 2020, and is currently waiting to be processed. All documentation submitted is being stored in a secure environment.
The Passport Service will resume processing FBR applications as soon as possible. In the event of particular urgency the Passport Service can be contacted directly.
662. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has raised abuses of human rights in Morocco in the context of the opening of an Embassy in Morocco including the ongoing annexation of Western Sahara, the rights of the LGBTQ community and the Berber people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31191/21]
View answerMy Department has ongoing contact with Morocco on the range of issues which are of interest to both countries, including human rights. We have an active engagement through our respective Embassies and the opening of an Irish Embassy in Rabat this year will allow us to deepen our bilateral engagement and dialogue with Morocco.
I had a virtual meeting with H.E. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, in April 2021. During that meeting, we had a frank and useful exchange on a range of political, trade and economic issues, including human rights and the opening of our new Embassy in Rabat. Respect for human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy and we consistently seek to discuss human rights issues through the most appropriate and effective channels, including at a bilateral and EU level, and through the United Nations Universal Periodic Review mechanism.
The rights of LGBTI+ persons are a human rights priority for Ireland and we continue to support initiatives condemning violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and promoting the rights of LGBTI+ individuals in international fora. At Morocco’s most recent Universal Periodic Review in 2017, Ireland made a recommendation on addressing the stigmatisation lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.
On Western Sahara, Ireland’s longstanding position is one of full support for MINURSO, the UN-led process and the Secretary General’s efforts to bring about a definitive and mutually acceptable political settlement on this issue. We support the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, but we do not have a view on the outcome of that decision – be it independence, integration, autonomy, or some other solution – so long as it is decided in a genuine exercise of self-determination. Ireland's position in this respect has been clearly set out at the UN Security Council at its consultations on 21 April 2021.
663. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit are meeting the requirement to have a statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with the regulations under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31284/21]
View answerMy Department takes its obligations in relation to web accessibility seriously, and we are committed to meeting the requirements set out under the directive 2016/2102 (EU).
The Department operates a number of websites including dfa.ie, irishaid.ie, and ireland.ie. A review of accessibility statements across our sites is ongoing.
664. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit are meeting the requirement to subject to Regulation 6, public sector bodies shall, in accordance with Regulation 3, take necessary measures to make their websites and mobile applications more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31302/21]
View answerMy Department takes its obligations in relation to web accessibility seriously, and we are committed to meeting the requirements set out in S.I. No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020.
The Department operates a number of websites including dfa.ie, irishaid.ie, and ireland.ie and is committed to achieving AA standard under WCAG 2.1 Guidelines. We regularly undertake accessibility reviews to monitor progress and quality in this regard.
665. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when it is intended that that Passport Express services will resume; if his attention has been drawn to the serious impact the delay in resuming this service is having on passport applicants who are required to submit documentation in support of their applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31319/21]
View answerThe 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.
Applicants who need to submit supporting documentation for their application, such as first time applicants or applications on behalf of children can use the Passport Online service and submit the documentation required directly to the Passport Service via the address provided in the application process.
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.
The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we are confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace that the commitment made to clear all applications on hand at the end of April within 6-8 weeks is on target to be met. Simple Adult Renewals continue to be processed within 10 working days.
The Passport Service plans to resume processing of paper based applications such as Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express as soon as possible. There are currently approximately 1,500 paper based applications in the system.
666. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31321/21]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008. The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.
Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
First-time applications require additional security measures including robust identity verification and entitlement checking and, as a result, take longer to process.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Office will be in direct contact with the applicant regarding this application.
667. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 277, 278, 279, 280 and 281 of 3 June 2021, if no European Council decision is required to approve Israel association with the Horizon Europe Regulation once negotiations are concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31439/21]
View answerNo decision of the European Council or of the Council of the European Union is required to approve Israel's association to Horizon Europe.
Israel’s participation in EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, is governed by the specific conditions laid down in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. In accordance with EU policy, this Agreement does not apply to the geographic areas that came under the administration of the State of Israel after 5 June 1967.
As a category c country under the Horizon Europe Regulation, the European Commission has a mandate to negotiate and conclude an agreement with Israel on its participation in the programme.
668. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way persons (details supplied) can acquire a passport in order to travel for essential reasons with their newly born child given the current situation in relation to registering births and delays in accessing passport and so on; the course of action the couple can take in relation to the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31468/21]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 ("The 2008 Act"). The 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him or her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.
Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
Accordingly, the Passport Service is obliged to seek documentary evidence of Irish citizenship by birth, parentage/descent, or naturalisation before a passport application can be processed. It is not possible to recognise a person as an Irish citizen in the absence of such evidence.
The onus is on the applicant to provide documentation proving their entitlement to Irish citizenship. Birth Certificates which are issued by the General Register Office (GRO) must be submitted in support of a passport application to prove this entitlement. Neither baptismal certificates nor any other non-civil form of documentation can be considered in support of a first time passport application.
In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, the applicant should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of the situation.
669. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government plans to begin proceedings at the European Union for the suspension of the free trade agreement signed by the EU and Colombia in view of the serious and ongoing human rights violations in the context the national strike in Colombia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31580/21]
View answerMy Department, including the Embassy of Ireland in Bogotá, closely monitors the human rights situation in Colombia and has been active, in co-ordination with our EU partners, in responding to human rights concerns that have arisen in the context of the ongoing national strike. It is our hope that progress can be made in the period ahead on negotiations on a national dialogue.
The human rights situation in Colombia is closely linked to the implementation of the peace agreement and Ireland supports the Colombian Government’s full implementation of these accords. Between 2016 and 2021, Ireland provided more than €13 million in funding to Colombia in areas such as human rights, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We also continue to deepen our lesson-sharing programme based on the experience in Northern Ireland.
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There is no consideration at EU level of any suspension of the EU-Colombia trade agreement. Matters relating to trade agreements are the responsibility of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
