Written Answers Nos. 441-460
441. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he plans to take specifically in relation to female academics and legal academics who have received death threats given the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42276/21]
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.
We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focussing 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.
443. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a person [details supplied] is included on the foreign births register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42419/21]
View answerMy Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register. Based on the information provided by the Deputy, there is no corresponding entry for this individual on the Register.
They may however be entitled to apply for citizenship by Foreign Births Registration if one of their grandparents was born in Ireland. Further information on entitlement and documentary requirements can be found on the Department’s website at www.dfa.ie.
444. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there is a discretionary process to renew a passport card in circumstances in which an old age pensioner has very limited finances (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42442/21]
View answerThe Passport Service does not provide a reduced fee to any category of adult applicant for a passport or passport card, whether for the renewal of a passport or for a first time application.
445. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of E3 visas between the United States of America and Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42478/21]
View answerImmigration issues remain a key priority for the Government in our relationship with the United States. This includes working towards secure legal pathways for Irish people to live and work in the US as well as addressing the situation of undocumented Irish. We have continued to raise these matters in our engagement with successive US Administrations, Members of the US Congress, and leaders from across the political spectrum. The Taoiseach raised the matter in March this year while meeting with President Biden during his St. Patrick's Day virtual visit. He also discussed the issue of the E3 visa bill, and of creating pathways to citizenship, with the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
I am glad to see that immigration issues, including possible pathways to citizenship, are a priority for President Biden, as demonstrated by his proposed US Citizenship Act of 2021. We continue to pursue the E3 Visa Bill, which, if passed, could allow access to thousands of US visas each year to Irish citizens, providing new opportunities to live and work in the US. Our Embassy in Washington D.C. continues its extensive outreach in support of the Bill, working with a range of Members of the US House of Representatives and the Senate. We will seek the reintroduction of the Bill to Congress at the earliest opportunity.
We will also continue to actively engage with the Administration as they pursue comprehensive immigration reform in the US.
446. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that persons have had in making contact with the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan; if he will provide appropriate contact details for the embassy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42499/21]
View answerI thank the Deputy for raising this issue. There is no resident Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Dublin. The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in London is accredited on a non-resident basis to Ireland.
The postal address of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom is 1 Holland Park, London, W11 3RP. The general switch number for the Embassy is 0044 020 7229 7679.
Email addresses for the different sections of the Embassy are:
General - info@uzembassy.uk
Political Affairs - politics@uzembassy.uk
Consular Section -consul@uzembassy.uk
Trade & Investment - economy@uzembassy.uk
Culture & Education -culture@uzembassy.uk
Ambassador’s Office - secretary@uzembassy.uk
My officials will be happy to follow up with the Deputy in relation to any specific query.
447. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of standard passport applications and renewals that are currently awaiting processing to date in 2021, broken down by each county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42500/21]
View answerThe Passport Service has received nearly 500,000 applications in 2021 to date, with approximately 110,000 under process. The current turnaround times are 10 working days for Simple Adult renewals, 15 working days for Complex renewals, 40 working days for First Time applications on Passport Online and 8 weeks for Passport Express for applications which have been completed correctly.
The approximate number of complete Passport Online book applications per county under process currently in the system is set out in the following table.
|
DONEGAL |
1,300 |
|
DOWN |
3,500 |
|
DUBLIN |
1,600 |
|
FERMANAGH |
400 |
|
GALWAY |
2,600 |
|
KERRY |
1,300 |
|
KILDARE |
2,700 |
|
KILKENNY |
800 |
|
LAOIS |
800 |
|
LEITRIM |
300 |
|
LIMERICK |
1,900 |
|
LONGFORD |
300 |
|
LOUTH |
1,500 |
|
MAYO |
1,200 |
|
MEATH |
2,300 |
|
MONAGHAN |
500 |
|
OFFALY |
700 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
500 |
|
SLIGO |
600 |
|
TIPPERARY |
1,400 |
|
TYRONE |
1,200 |
|
WATERFORD |
1,200 |
|
WESTMEATH |
800 |
|
WEXFORD |
1,400 |
|
WICKLOW |
1,700 |
These figures are correct to 3 September 2021.
There are currently approximately 9,463 paper based applications in the system. It is not possible to break these down by county.
449. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts being made to repatriate to Ireland Irish nationals and Afghans currently in Afghanistan who have Irish residency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42507/21]
View answerThere are approximately 70 Irish citizens and dependents currently 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 our Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi, continues to provide assistance and advice in that regard.
Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, there has been close cooperation and coordination on evacuation with EU Member States, the UK, the US and other partners. The Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) which I deployed, led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and with participation of Defence Forces personnel, succeeded in enabling 26 Irish citizens and residents to evacuate safely through Hamad Karzai International Airport, following on from the earlier evacuation of 10 Irish citizens.
The UN Security Council, of which Ireland currently holds the Presidency, passed a Resolution on 30 August that calls for the Taliban to facilitate safe passage for people wishing to leave Afghanistan, allow humanitarians to access the country, and uphold human rights, including for women and children.
We will continue to liaise with partners, including those who have a presence on the ground, to explore safe options for exit in the period ahead.
450. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42518/21]
View answer467. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures he is prepared to take in order to protest at the imprisonment for human rights activism of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42842/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 450 and 467 together.
I note with concern the details in the cases referred to by the Deputies.
Respect for human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy and we consistently seek to raise our concerns on human rights issues through the most appropriate and effective channels.
Officials from my Department have raised concerns over the human rights situation in Bahrain directly with the Bahraini authorities, including the specific case of Dr. Abduljalil Alsingace.
Our active participation at the UN Human Rights Council is a particularly important fora in which to raise our concerns regarding human rights. Ireland has raised the human rights issues in Bahrain at the Human Rights Council in the form of national statements and through support to EU Statements.
Ireland also engages on the issue of human rights in Bahrain as a member of the European Union. At the most recent EU-Bahrain Human Rights Dialogue in February 2021, issues of concern were raised by the EU including rule of law, prison conditions, right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, freedom of association, death penalty, torture and the impact of Covid-19 on the human rights situation.
The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, has also made representations to the Bahraini authorities on human rights issues, including the detention of a number of individuals, including Mr. Hasan Mushaima.
Ireland will continue to monitor developments in Bahrain, and calls on the Bahraini Government to deliver on its stated commitment to make progress in relation to human rights.
451. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a person (details supplied); if he has spoken to Chinese authorities on the person's case; his plans to ensure the person's safe return; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42585/21]
View answerThis is a complex case involving an Irish citizen who has been prevented from leaving China since March 2019. My Department has been providing ongoing consular assistance to the citizen since that time through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, our Embassy in Beijing and our Consulate General in Shanghai, while he and his legal teams work on the legal, commercial and financial issues through the appropriate channels. Our Consul General has met and engaged very regularly with the citizen, and continues to provide all possible consular advice and support.
There has also been extensive and regular engagement at the most senior political and diplomatic level with the Chinese authorities in Beijing and Shanghai, and with the Embassy of China in Dublin, in relation to the humanitarian aspects of this case, and the importance of the citizen being allowed to return home as soon as possible. During my visit to China in May this year I discussed the case with a view to achieving a resolution of the matter.
As the Deputy will appreciate, as with all consular cases, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific details of the case. However, I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to provide all possible consular assistance to the citizen until he is permitted to return to Ireland.
453. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the circumstances whereby his mobile phone was hacked; the information taken from the phone; the reports that were made to An Garda Síochána; the date on which they were made; the investigations that were conducted by An Garda Síochána or his Department in relation to the hacking; and the measures in place to minimise the chance of his phone being hacked again. [42596/21]
View answerIn August 2020, I was subjected to a phishing attack via the “Telegram” messaging app on my mobile phone. Using credentials created on this platform, my identity was used to contact several foreign ministries.
The phone was taken out of use and a replacement issued. On the advice of my officials, the incident was reported to An Garda Síochána.
An Garda Síochána, in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), carried out a digital forensic investigation on the phone.
The risk of cyber-attacks and compromises in my Department is addressed through mandatory cyber security awareness training, technical controls and close liaison with the NCSC
454. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures taken to ensure that his text messages used for official business are filed as part of the records management process as required by the decision of the Information Commissioner (details supplied). [42597/21]
View answerMy Department is committed to a robust records management process and to the fulfilment of its obligations under the 1986 National Archives Act. As required by this Act, all records made or received in the course of the official business of the Department that are not subject to a disposal certificate are retained and then transferred to the National Archives at the 30 year mark, or the 20 year mark in the specific case of records relating to Northern Ireland. My Department has consistently completed the largest transfer of all Government Departments since the first intake of records in 1990.
The ICT revolution and new technologies over the last 35 years have ushered in transformation in the operations of business and Government, and records keeping policies internationally are evolving to address the substantial challenges. In Ireland, our National Archives Act is clear that it is the content and context of information, and not its format, that determines whether it is a record. Digital communications becoming the norm for Government work presents real practical difficulties for all Government Departments in terms of the retention, filing and storage of communications that could be of sufficient evidential value to constitute records.
There is also the important challenge of reconciling the various obligations of cybersecurity, Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts. The latter Act rightly obliges us to retain no records containing personal data beyond the time required by their limited, lawful purpose.
My Department is currently undergoing a programme of change similar to other Departments as we are in the process of transforming records management practices and working to introduce a new modern system to meet the demands of our current work practices. These efforts are led by the OGCIO (Office of the Government Chief Information Officer) and include the roll-out of eDocs Records and Document Management platform. My Department will commence its migration to the eDocs platform next year.
In preparation for this, my Department initiated a comprehensive Records Management Reform Project in 2019. This will include an updated Retention Policy and Schedule based on the Guidelines issued by the National Archives in January of this year. It will also look at technical solutions for the efficient transfer and retention of records formed on new electronic technologies. We will incorporate these solutions and other innovations that came from our management response to the Covid-19 pandemic in our future ways of working.
456. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps the Government has taken through its role on the UN Security Council and by other means to address the high volume of violence against Christians in Nigeria in 2021 given that an organisation (details supplied) has reported that 3,462 Christians have been hacked to death since 1 January 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42643/21]
View answerI am deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in Nigeria. Conflict poses a serious challenge to that country’s stability, and impact on the wider region.
The particular acts of violence referred to are between nomadic herders and settled farmers. While in Nigeria the vast majority of herders are Muslim and many of the farmers are Christian, conflict arises from differences of perspective regarding access to land. This is exacerbated by climate change and by rapid population growth in Africa's most populous country, which has increased strain on resources.
Resource conflict such as that between herders and farmers also complicates the ongoing efforts by the Nigerian authorities to contain the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram in Nigeria and the wider region. Ireland supports international efforts to reduce its influence and to strengthen the protection of civilians.
The Embassy of Ireland in Abuja actively monitors developments in Nigeria and advocates for the protection of human rights, including the free expression of thought, conscience and religion. Through the Irish Aid programme, Ireland provides humanitarian support those affected by conflict in Nigeria and the wider region. Ireland also provides funding to the Institute for Integrated Transitions, an NGO working in Nigeria, which has assisted in the establishment of an inter-ethnic and inter-religious committee on long term solutions to ethnic, religious, and resource based violence, including conflict between sedentary farmers and nomadic herders.
Ireland, bilaterally and as a Member State of the EU, works with the Nigerian authorities and with UN partners to promote peace and security in areas affected by armed groups and insecurity, including as an elected member of the UN Security Council.
As co-penholder on the Security Council file on the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), together with Niger, Ireland’s key priority is to support and facilitate UNOWAS in its work on conflict prevention and peacebuilding in West Africa and the Sahel, and promoting democracy and human rights in the region. In its most recent Presidential Statement on this matter, on 17 August 2021, the Security Council strongly condemned continued attacks against civilians in the region, and expressed the need for accountability for human rights violations and abuses. The Council also recognised the adverse effects of climate change on security and stability in the region, and the need for long-term strategies to support stabilisation and build resilience.
The Embassy of Ireland in Abuja continues to closely follow developments in Nigeria in cooperation with government authorities, civil society organisations, and our EU and UN partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to continuing to provide much needed support to strengthening peace and security in the region.
457. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions the Government is taking in relation to human rights in North Korea given that Ireland is chairing the UN Security Council; if Ireland will call for the implementation of the recommendation from the 2014 UN Human Rights Council’s report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (details supplied) that the UN Security Council should refer to the situation to the International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42644/21]
View answerIreland has consistently raised the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), both in the UN and through other international fora. In March 2021, Ireland made a national statement at the Human Rights Council, during an Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the DPRK, to raise serious concerns about human rights violations in the country.
Ireland urged the DPRK Government to take immediate steps to halt all human rights violations, to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and to fully implement the human rights treaties to which they are party.
Ireland is fully aware of the recommendation regarding a possible referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We recently co-sponsored a resolution at the Human Rights Council welcoming General Assembly resolution 75/190, which encourages the Security Council to continue consideration of a referral and also condemns in the strongest terms the gross human rights violations committed by the DPRK.
In February, Ireland signed a joint letter to the President of the UN Security Council, requesting that the agenda item, ‘The situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ remain on the list of items of which the Council is seized. This provides a possibility to discuss the DPRK, including human rights issues, at Security Council level. Ireland joined others in repeating this request at a meeting of the Security Council on 25 August.
Ireland has consistently called on the DPRK to allow humanitarian access to address assistance needs, both at the Council and 1718 (DPRK) Sanctions Committee levels. Equally, Ireland has supported ongoing expedited humanitarian exemptions by the Committee.
459. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps being taken to facilitate remote working within his Department in particular to encourage remote working for those who live in the regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42707/21]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs supports the aims of the National Remote Working Strategy and is committed to implementing a model of blended working that will provide flexibility to staff, while supporting the continued delivery of high quality services to Government and the Irish people.
While a formalised policy is currently under consideration and due for development by March 2022, it will align with the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service organisations.
At present, and with the exception of the Passport Office, the majority of staff continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance. This has been achieved through the use of laptops, the majority of which were issued prior to the pandemic.
Coupled with this, the Department earlier this year approved the rollout of a Reimbursement for Home Working Equipment scheme. This scheme covers the costs associated with the purchase of a home office set-up subject to certain limits both at HQ and across our mission network and includes provision for a desk, chair, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Combined these actions have supported our staff to work remotely.
