Written Answers Nos. 421-440
422. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if concerns raised by a person (details supplied) in regard to the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan will receive a response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42016/21]
View answerLast month I announced, together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, that places would be allocated to Afghan nationals under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).
The IRPP was created in 2015 as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe. It allows a predetermined number of people in need of international protection to be granted refugee status in Ireland. Places on the programme have been allocated to approximately 300 Afghans. Priority was given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.
The Department of Justice is responsible for visas for travel to Ireland, including in cases where people wish to join a family member residing in Ireland. Full consideration, I know, is being given to the humanitarian context in that regard.
We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focusing on the protection of the human rights of the Afghan people, and the humanitarian situation. In response, Ireland has offered an additional €1 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR to support Afghan refugees and other host countries. We will continue to engage in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan at the upcoming High Level Ministerial Meeting on 13 September 2021, in Geneva.
425. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an itemised list of sections of the Good Friday Agreement; and the status of the implementation or lack thereof of each section. [42055/21]
View answerThe full implementation and effective operation of the Good Friday Agreement and all subsequent agreements is an utmost priority for this Government. The Agreements, as well as the principles and values underpinning them, are at the core of the Government’s commitment to peace, reconciliation and prosperity on this island.
The Good Friday Agreement addressed the constitutional status of Northern Ireland on the basis of the ‘principle of consent’. The Agreement recognised the legitimate aspiration to a United Ireland as well as that for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and affirmed the right of self-determination by the people of the island of Ireland, on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South. This was also reflected in changes, by referendum, to the Constitution of Ireland.
The Agreement put in place a framework which is made up of three strands, together representing the relationships that exist within and between the islands of Britain and Ireland. Strand One consists of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive; these institutions are the basis by which political parties in Northern Ireland share power. Strand Two of the agreement saw the North South Ministerial Council established to develop cooperation and action within the island of Ireland, between the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government. Strand Three established the British-Irish Council and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to promote relations East-West between Ireland and Britain.
The agreement also looks at issues related to Citizenship; Rights, Safeguards and Equality of Opportunity; Decommissioning; Security; Policing and Justice and Prisoners.
The Peace Process has succeeded over the last two decades in moving definitively beyond the violence of the Troubles. However, it is necessarily an ongoing process, requiring the continued active oversight and involvement of the two Governments as co-guarantors. Since the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, it has been necessary to pursue a series of successive further political and legal agreements to consolidate the peace settlement provided for in the GFA and to address crises of political confidence in Northern Ireland.
In 2005, the Independent Decommissioning Body confirmed that IRA decommissioning had taken place. In 2006, the St. Andrew's Agreement was published, which set out a path to full devolution of policing and justice and a stable power-sharing arrangement. In 2010, the signing of the Hillsborough Agreement allowed for the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which then began later that year.
In 2014, the Stormont House Agreement was reached. The Stormont House Agreement envisaged the establishment of a new institutional framework for dealing with the past. Addressing the difficult legacy of the past remains an ongoing challenge at the core of the Peace Process, and as the Deputy will be aware, a process of intense engagement in currently underway with respect to legacy.
Following the collapse of the Executive in 2017, there was a three year absence of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement before the New Decade, New Approach agreement was reached and they were restored to operation. The North South Ministerial Council has begun its vital work again, with two plenaries and a range of sectoral meetings now having taken place. The Government is committed to working in support of the full implementation of the NDNA and our own commitments. We also look forward to enhanced roles for the British Irish Council and British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), as set out in the Programme for Government. A BIIGC took place on 24 June, with the next meeting planned for later this year. The first NDNA Implementation Review meeting took place on 11 January, and a second is planned in the weeks ahead.
A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland is a central provision of the GFA. An Ad-Hoc Assembly Committee has been established, and the Committee published its research paper on the “Key Issues for a Bill of Rights” in March 2020, and launched a public consultation in May. The Government remains firmly committed to the provision of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
All parties to the GFA recognised the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, which in Northern Ireland includes the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities. There is now a commitment in place from the British Government to legislate to implement the relevant provisions of the NDNA agreement if the Norther Ireland Assembly has not done so by October. Progress has also been made regarding the Government’s commitments supporting the Irish language in Northern Ireland, including the allocation of: €3m as part of the commitment in Budget 2021 for Irish language broadcasting; €1.8m over three years (2020-22) to support the Irish language in Northern Ireland; and an All Island expansion of existing Irish Language Network strategy.
The Government continues to support the establishment of a dedicated structure for civic engagement by the Northern Ireland Executive as set out in the Good Friday Agreement under Strand One. In the NDNA agreement, it was agreed that the Compact Civic Advisory Panel would be reformed to propose the most appropriate model for civic engagement on specific issues.
The Government also continues to support the establishment of the North South Consultative Forum, as provided for under Strand Two of the GFA, and has worked to move the issue forward, submitting proposals to the Northern Ireland Executive for its consideration. We have also raised the issue at successive plenary meetings of the North South Ministerial Council.
426. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the total amount of funding provided to date through his Department to UNESCO for its programme on comprehensive sexuality education; the countries in Africa that have been and will be supported by such funding; his plans to continue funding this UNESCO programme into the future and if so, the amounts to be allocated; if his attention has been drawn to the actual content of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42106/21]
View answerMy Department has supported the UNESCO programme, Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) since 2017, providing €1,850,000 in funding to-date. As part of the programme, which is the largest comprehensive sexuality education programme in Africa, funding from Ireland supports the empowerment, health and resilience of adolescents and young people in Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This support is in line with A Better World, the Government's policy for international development and is part of Irish Aid, the Government's development cooperation programme. My Department intends to continue to support the O3 programme in 2022.
427. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the situation in Pakistan (details supplied); if discussions have taken place within his Department in respect of the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42110/21]
View answerOur Embassy in Ankara, which is accredited to Pakistan, is aware of the situation in question which arose out of alleged blasphemy charges against a minor. Media reports, based on comments by the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Interfaith Harmony, indicate that the case against the minor has been closed and that action is being taken against the police officers who registered the case.
Ireland has consistently condemned all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which has been ratified by Pakistan. I am concerned by reports regarding the position of religious minority groups in Pakistan and alleged misuse of blasphemy laws.
Ireland actively engages with Pakistan on human rights issues both bilaterally and multilaterally through EU and UN channels. In the context of our bilateral relationship Ambassador Sonya McGuinness met with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari, earlier this year to discuss human rights challenges in Pakistan, including freedom of religion.
EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Mr. Eamon Gilmore also met with Minister Mazari, as part of ongoing EU-Pakistan human rights dialogue in the context of the EU's Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) with Pakistan which aims at strengthening cooperation in many areas, including to “enhance intercultural and inter-faith dialogue and understanding to promote tolerance and harmony”.
Most recently, at the EU-Pakistan Joint Commission in June 2021, the EU raised its concerns specifically about the abuse of blasphemy laws by certain groups. Ireland participates actively in EU dialogues with Pakistan.
429. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will address a series of matters (details supplied) in relation to European court cases. [41465/21]
View answerDetails of 237 cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court of the European Union and the Court of Justice of the European Free Trade Association on which Ireland made Statements in Intervention or made Observations between the years of 2010 and 2020 are set out in the table below. The table includes a small number of cases from the period 2003-2009 which were still ongoing in 2010.
433. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures taken by his Department to assist in the transfer and relocation of Afghan citizens following the takeover of the government of Afghanistan by the Taliban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42177/21]
View answerLast month I announced, together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, that places would be allocated to Afghan nationals under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).
The IRPP was created in 2015 as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe. It allows a predetermined number of people in need of international protection to be granted refugee status in Ireland. Places on the programme have been allocated to approximately 300 Afghans. Priority was given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.
Meanwhile, we are liaising with partners, including those who have a presence on the ground, to advise on safe options for Irish citizens and immediate family members, and people who have a right to Irish residency who are in Afghanistan, who wish to leave the country in the period ahead.
We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focusing on the protection of the human rights of the Afghan people, and the humanitarian situation in that country. In response, Ireland has offered an additional €1 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR to support Afghan refugees and other host countries. We will continue to engage in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan at the upcoming High Level Ministerial Meeting on 13 September 2021, in Geneva.
435. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position of Ireland regarding recent political events in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42245/21]
View answerI am gravely concerned at recent developments in Afghanistan. In particular I am concerned at the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, the Taliban’s approach to human rights, and to the rights of women and girls and minorities in particular, as well as the need for safe passage out of Afghanistan for foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans.
I have raised these issues internationally, including at the UN Security Council. At an emergency meeting of the Council on Afghanistan on 16 August, Ireland reiterated earlier calls on the Taliban to end its violent campaign, called for compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law and the protection of civilians, and highlighted the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Ireland worked intensively with other Council members on the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2593/21 on 30 August. That Resolution strongly condemned the Kabul Airport attacks on 26 August, reaffirmed the importance of human rights, humanitarian assistance, and the need to allow safe passage. Language proposed by Ireland on the importance of ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in a negotiated political settlement is a key part of that Resolution and its adoption by the Council has sent a clear and united message to the Taliban.
I will also be chairing a meeting of the Council on Afghanistan on 9 September. A key issue at that meeting will be the future role of the UN Assistance Mission and how it can contribute to supporting the people of Afghanistan, ensuring humanitarian access, and protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls to education, healthcare, and participation in public life.
I also participated in detailed discussions on Afghanistan with EU Foreign Ministers and EU Defence Ministers at our informal meetings in Slovenia on 2-3 September. EU Ministers agreed that engagement with any future Afghan government will be conditional on criteria including a peaceful and inclusive political settlement and respect for fundamental rights of all Afghans, particularly women and girls, and minorities. EU Council Conclusions outlining this position in more detail are likely to be adopted in the coming week.
At national level, on 16 August I announced, with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Justice, that places would be allocated immediately to vulnerable Afghan nationals under the Refugee Protection Programme. Approximately 300 places have since been allocated. Priority has been given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs, independent media and European and international organisations.
Finally, I have approved the provision of an additional €1 million in humanitarian support to the UN High Commission for Refugees to help the people of Afghanistan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries.
436. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent ECAT mission sent to Kabul airport; the role of Dáil Éireann in this regard if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42246/21]
View answerAn Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) deployment is provided for in Section 3(f) of the Defence (Amendment) Act, 2006. This states that a contingent or member of the Permanent Defence Force may, with the prior approval of and on the authority of the Government, be dispatched for service outside the State for the purposes of "undertaking humanitarian tasks in response to an actual or potential disaster or emergency".
On the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence, and taking into consideration the security advice and a threat assessment from the Defence Forces, I approved the deployment of an ECAT mission to Hamad Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on 23 August.
The ECAT team comprised two officials from my Department, one of whom led the Mission, and nine members of the Defence Forces. The ECAT deployed in the early hours of Tuesday 24 August with the support of the French Armed Forces. This was a short-term support to the consular response to the situation in Afghanistan. The goal of the ECAT Mission was to provide consular advice and assistance, including by assisting in the process of safe evacuation.
The ECAT Mission built on the close cooperation and coordination on the evacuation process through Hamad Karzai International Airport which was ongoing with EU Member States, the UK, the US and other partners. Ten Irish citizens had been successfully evacuated between 17 and 22 August. It became clear however that there were enormous challenges for people to get to the airport safely, and to gain access when there. With the support of ECAT, which operated within the environs of the airport, 26 Irish citizens and residents were successfully supported to evacuate Afghanistan.
There are approximately 70 Irish citizens and dependents still in Afghanistan, the majority of whom, in addition to a number of Afghan citizens with Irish residency, have expressed a desire to leave the country. My Department, and the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi, continues to provide assistance and advice in that regard. We are liaising with partners, including those who have a presence on the ground, to explore safe options for exit in the period ahead.
437. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if consideration is being given to reducing the two year waiting time for a person to change their name on their passport after having their name changed by deed poll; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42256/21]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the Act“). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and procedures that are applied by the Passport Service in the issue of passports.
Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his/her birth certificate or naturalisation certificate. However, a name change for a passport from that which appears on a person’s birth certificate is permitted under the Act in situations such as marriage, civil partnership etc. where civil, or legal documents are available to verify this change
In cases where name change arises, other than by marriage or civil partnership etc, the Act requires evidence of the use of this new name over a two year period. In very sensitive cases there is discretion under the Act for accepting evidence of usage for less than two years.
The question of what a person’s name is at any given moment in time depends upon its usage and the evidence to support the constant and sustained use of this new identity. Evidence of this for at least two years’ through documentation such as bills/bank statements/official correspondence is required as a deed poll is not adequate evidence of the constant use of a new name. This policy seeks to protect the integrity and security of the Irish passport and guard against passport or identity fraud.
440. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he plans to take in relation to aid and the relocation of Afghan citizens at risk of torture and murder given the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42275/21]
View answerThe Government through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme, Irish Aid, announced funding of €1m in humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan in mid-August. This funding will be channeled to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and is on top of €1m already provided to support humanitarian relief in Afghanistan in 2021. In addition, Ireland contributes to global funds and core funding to key agencies that allocate funding to Afghanistan, including through the EU, WHO, UNHCR, IFRC, ICRC and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
Ireland will continue to engage, including at the UN Security Council, to support peace in Afghanistan and to protect and promote the human rights of all Afghans, especially for women and girls. Ireland has also called for full and safe humanitarian access to allow life-saving support to reach all Afghans, including to respond to the urgent needs of families forced to flee their homes.
With regards to relocation, last month I announced, together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, that places would be allocated to Afghan nationals under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).
The IRPP was created in 2015 as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe. It allows a predetermined number of people in need of international protection to be granted refugee status in Ireland. Places on the programme have been allocated to approximately 300 Afghans. Priority was given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.
We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focusing on the protection of the human rights of the Afghan people, and the humanitarian situation in that country. In response, Ireland has offered an additional €1 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR to support Afghan refugees and other host countries. We will continue to engage in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan at the upcoming High Level Ministerial Meeting on 13 September 2021, in Geneva.
