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Thursday, 9 Sep 2021

Written Answers Nos. 461-480

Flexible Work Practices

Questions (463)

Holly Cairns

Question:

463. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are accommodating requests for persons to work from home. [42757/21]

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Written answers

The 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, 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.

Question No. 464 answered with Question No. 406.
Question No. 465 answered with Question No. 406.

United Nations

Questions (466)

Seán Haughey

Question:

466. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his aims and objectives for Ireland’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42840/21]

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Written answers

Ireland holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of September 2021. In this role, we are chairing all meetings of the Council and are responsible for managing its agenda. I look forward to bringing Ireland’s values and perspectives to this important task.

The Council Programme of Work for September includes meetings on a range of issues, including Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and the Middle East Peace Process. Developments in Afghanistan continue to be a high priority and I look forward to chairing a Council discussion on the situation on 9 September. We will also continue to closely monitor the situation in Ethiopia and Myanmar.

The Presidency provides an important opportunity to highlight a number of Ireland’s priorities and we will convene three High Level signature meetings during our Presidency.

With over sixty years unbroken service, peacekeeping is a longstanding priority for Ireland. On 8 September, Ireland chaired an Open Debate of the Security Council on peacekeeping operations, with a specific focus on transitions from UN peace missions to a reconfigured UN presence designed to sustain peacebuilding gains. Work is underway on a Resolution on this issue, which we hope will be adopted during our Presidency.

The Taoiseach will chair a High-Level meeting on Climate and Security on 23 September, during the UN General Assembly High Level Week. The meeting will deepen substantive awareness of how climate security risks are relevant to the work of the Security Council, and explore what tangible actions can be taken.

Our third signature event will be a High-Level meeting on 27 September to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The meeting will enable the Council to mark this important multilateral instrument as part of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.

Ireland will continue to prioritise the Women, Peace and Security agenda during our Presidency. We are working with Kenya and Mexico, who will hold the Presidency of the Council in October and November respectively, to mainstream the WPS Agenda during this period.

We will also continue our work to protect human rights, uphold International Humanitarian Law, and promote accountability for violations.

It is crucial that the Council hears the voices of those affected by its decisions. We will ensure the participation of civil society speakers in Council meetings during our Presidency, with a particular focus on women peacebuilders.

We will continue to work openly and constructively with all partners, as a solution-oriented member of the Council both during our Presidency and throughout our term on the Council.

Question No. 467 answered with Question No. 450.

Asylum Seekers

Questions (468)

John Brady

Question:

468. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland is prepared to offer asylum to Afghan academics who are at threat from the Taliban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42843/21]

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Written answers

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 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.

Asylum Seekers

Questions (469)

John Brady

Question:

469. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government is prepared to intervene to offer asylum to persons (details supplied) under direct threat from the Taliban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42849/21]

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Written answers

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 focussing 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.

In relation to the cases raised by the Deputy, I would ask that he send me on the full details, although I would emphasise that there are many more applications than places in the current programme.

Question No. 470 answered with Question No. 413.

Visa Applications

Questions (471)

Jennifer Whitmore

Question:

471. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a matter regarding a holiday visa for a person (details supplied) will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42881/21]

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Written answers

Officials at the Irish Embassy in question are aware of the case and have been in contact with the individual concerned. 

As part of ongoing Government efforts to tackle the Covid-19, short stay visa applications were not accepted since 21 March 2020, unless the application meets certain emergency or priority criteria. Unfortunately, this particular case did not fall under the relevant criteria up to this point.

It was announced on 8 September 2021 that, with effect from 13 September 2021, all remaining restrictions on entry visa processing will be lifted and the processing of short stay entry visas will resume. This move is in line with the Government's next phase of response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It should be noted that travellers arriving into Ireland must continue to comply with all public health measures. For travel from outside the EEA into Ireland, based on the current EU position, evidence of an approved vaccination or acceptable proof of recovery removes the requirement for any quarantine or on arrival testing. In the absence of that proof, evidence of a negative PCR test, self-quarantine and further testing will be required. 

The applicant in this particular case may apply from 13 September 2021 for a short stay visa through the Embassy of Ireland under reference.

Question No. 472 answered with Question No. 406.

Government Communications

Questions (473)

Gary Gannon

Question:

473. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Ministerial phones have been hacked or attempted to be hacked during the term of office. [42925/21]

View answer

Written answers

In 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, a replacement issued and on the advice of officials, the incident was reported to An Garda Síochána.

An Garda Síochána, in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre, carried out a digital forensic investigation on the phone.

Government Communications

Questions (474)

Gary Gannon

Question:

474. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has ever used his personal phones for Government business; and if so, if the personal phones have been hacked during his term of office. [42943/21]

View answer

Written answers

I can confirm that I only use the official phone provided by my Department for Government business.

Freedom of Information

Questions (475)

Matt Carthy

Question:

475. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of freedom of information requests responded to by his Department in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of responses that included documents related to text messages and other phone message communications such as messages sent through an application (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42965/21]

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Written answers

The table below shows the total numbers of Freedom of Information requests responded to by my Department for the years listed.

Year

Number of FOI requests answered

2016

214

2017

262

2018

316

2019

364

2020

241

2021 to date

206

The FOI Act covers information contained in both physical and electronic formats. That would include text messages and other phone message communications, including the particular application specified in this request. With the expansion in available forms of electronic communication, we have seen a pattern of increasing interest in specific forms of phone message communication in the FOI requests that my Department receives. We expect that this trend will continue. While, my Department does not currently track the form of the records released under the Act, we have conducted a manual search through our FOI files and found 17 records in the form of text messages or other phone message communications. These formed part of the 111 records released yesterday under section 15 (1) (f), which comprised the largest ever set of records released by the Department.

Question No. 476 answered with Question No. 404.

Consular Services

Questions (477)

Seán Haughey

Question:

477. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position generally regarding Irish embassies in non-EU countries assisting Irish citizens in their endeavour to receive a Covid-19 vaccine locally; the position in respect of the Irish embassy in Bangkok, Thailand in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43021/21]

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Written answers

The Government of Ireland does not provide healthcare to Irish citizens residing outside the State. The Irish Embassy network globally has no role in the procurement of vaccines or the registration of Irish citizens for vaccinations abroad anywhere in the world. The roll-out of vaccinations in the Kingdom of Thailand is entirely a matter for the Government of Thailand.  

The Embassy of Ireland in Bangkok, along with other like-minded nations, has made multiple representations to the Government of Thailand regarding the equitable provision of Covid-19 vaccines to all citizens, including Irish citizens resident in Thailand, on the basis of age, vulnerability and need.

On 1 August 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand launched a dedicated online portal for foreign citizens resident in Thailand to register for vaccination (https://expatvac.consular.go.th). Individuals registering through this portal have been successfully included in vaccination roll-out. Thailand is now providing almost one million vaccine doses per day, and has secured supply for another 100 million doses during quarter four. 

It should also be noted that following the successful rollout of the initial implementation phase of the EU Digital Covid Certificate in Ireland, the Government is creating a specific portal to enable Irish citizens vaccinated outside of the EU, with vaccines authorised for use in Ireland, to obtain a Covid certificate valid in Ireland and across the EU.  

Government Communications

Questions (478)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

478. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he and or his special advisors and or officials use or have used services (details supplied) to communicate in the past 18 months. [43072/21]

View answer

Written answers

I confirm that I have not used the applications mentioned for official communications in the last 18 months, nor have my advisors.

A number of other officials across the Department use the Signal for IOS application on official phones in accordance with business needs. There is minimal use of the Slack for IOS application.

Question No. 479 answered with Question No. 408.

Fishing Industry

Questions (480)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

480. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of negotiations with the British government to reinstate access for the Irish fishing fleet to the waters around Rockall. [43162/21]

View answer

Written answers

I continue to work closely with my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to resolve the current difficulties regarding access for our fishing fleets to the waters around Rockall.  

Over the course of the past year, I have outlined Ireland's position in relation to Rockall and considered possible  ways forward in contacts with both the UK and Scottish Governments.

Irish officials also remain in ongoing contact with the European Commission on all matters relating to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including fisheries. 

Following elections in Scotland earlier this year, I spoke with my Scottish counterpart, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson on 21 July on this matter. We also had a further opportunity to discuss Rockall at an in-person meeting in the margins of the British Irish Association conference in Oxford on 3 September.  We agreed at this recent meeting to intensify efforts to identify a way forward.  Irish and Scottish officials are in ongoing contact in follow-up.

Through the range of engagements set out, the Government is seeking to address the issues involved, reflecting longstanding fisheries patterns in the area.

The Government's  position in relation to territorial claims on Rockall is consistent with longstanding Irish Government policy.  Ireland has never made any claims to Rockall, which is a small uninhabitable granite rock located approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda and some 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal. Nor has Ireland ever recognised British sovereignty claims over Rockall, and accordingly has not recognised a 12 nautical mile territorial sea around it either.

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