Written Answers Nos. 101-116
101. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he had further communications with the ESB following correspondence to the company in September 2019 requesting further information regarding the outsourcing of coal from the Cerrejón mine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22974/22]
View answerAs the Deputy mentions, I wrote to the ESB in September 2019 requesting further information regarding their sourcing of coal from Cerrejón.
I received a response in October 2019 from the ESB, the content of which I have reported on previously in my response to a Parliamentary Question in March 2020. I have not had further communication with the ESB on this matter. However, ESB is a member of the multi-stakeholder Implementation Group for the National Plan on Business and Human Rights. This Group regularly engages with experts and considers best practice. Most recently, at the Group’s request, my Department’s Civil Society Forum, which took place on 27 April, included a session on the EU draft Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence.
As the Deputy will appreciate, queries regarding the ESB and the sourcing of coal would be more appropriately directed to my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications.
More broadly, my Department continues to monitor all issues raised with us by human rights, environmental and indigenous rights defenders in Colombia, including through the EU Delegation in Bogota and our own Embassy in Colombia, which is actively engaged on these issues. We recognise that addressing social, land-related and environmental issues is an essential component of Colombia’s peace process and we remain committed to supporting Colombia in the comprehensive implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and in its transition to a post-conflict society, including by means of funding channelled through the EU, the UN and various NGOs operating in-country.
103. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 21 of 27 January 2022, if the March 2022 deadline was met for the submission of proposals for the analysis of accession to the Antarctic Treaty System; the progress that has been made since; the expected timelines for future decisions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22879/22]
View answerI updated the House on the question of Ireland’s accession to the Antarctic Treaty System on 27 January 2022.
In line with public procurement rules, a suitably qualified and experienced person was contracted by the Department of Foreign Affairs on 18 February 2022 to carry out a detailed assessment of the administrative, policy and legislative requirements for accession to the Antarctic Treaty System.
A report outlining the range of administrative, policy and legislative requirements has been prepared by this individual, and was submitted to my Department on 13 April 2022. It is currently under review within the Department, and I look forward to providing an outline of the main elements to Cabinet in the coming weeks.
As indicated previously, this report will form the basis for subsequent work with other relevant Government Departments. Following review of the report, officials from my department will establish a timeline for consultation with the relevant departments, and formulation of a consolidated, cross-departmental recommendation for consideration by Government on the question of accession to the Antarctic Treaty System.
I look forward to providing further updates on this process in the months ahead.
104. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if consideration will be given to opening an Irish passport office in Northern Ireland given the demands on the Passport Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22984/22]
View answer120. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider using a passport printer in the Cork Passport Office. [22891/22]
View answer139. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will initiate discussions with the aim of opening a Passport Office for urgent appointment services in the west, similar to the Office that is in place for the south and east of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22973/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 120 and 139 together.
The Passport Service is a unified service composed of three constituent offices located in Lower Mount Street and Balbriggan in Dublin and South Mall in Cork, respectively. Passport applications from all citizens - whether at home or abroad - are distributed for processing across the three Passport Offices, on the basis of the type of application rather than county or country of residence of the applicant.
Over 90% of all passport applications, including first time applications, are now being made through Passport Online. The Passport Service is committed to continuing to offer a range of application channels, including an offline service for citizens who are not eligible or do not wish to use the Passport Online service.
Passport Online is the priority channel for applications as there are many efficiencies built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world. Passport Online can be accessed by all first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, South Africa, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Lesotho, Colombia, Panama, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications.
The paper-based, mail-in "Passport Express" service is available to citizens at almost 1,000 An Post post offices and at over 70 post office locations in Northern Ireland. With the availability of both Passport Online and Passport Express very few applicants are required to travel a significant distance in order to apply for their passport. In the relatively small number of cases where citizens need to travel urgently and do not have a valid passport, the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork offer an Urgent Appointment service for passport renewal with a 1 or 4-day turnaround. The Passport Service offices in Dublin and Cork have processed 4,774 Urgent Appointments to date in 2022. These Urgent Appointment applications represents just 0.9% of the total 540,000 applications received by the Passport Service since January of this year.
The Passport Service operates three passport printing machines, two of which are located in the main production facility in Balbriggan and the third in the Passport Office in Lower Mount Street, Dublin. All production facilities can print a passport, irrespective of the channel through which the application is processed. Each passport printer has a printing capacity of 250 passports per hour and the system allows for flexibility between printing machines if any one machine has reached capacity.
The Cork office can facilitate the issuance on the spot of an emergency passport where there is an urgent need to travel for medical reasons or due to a bereavement abroad.
I am satisfied overall that the range of service options and the printing capacity of production equipment meets the current needs of passport applicants and that recent service improvements allow the Passport Service to provide this essential citizen service in an efficient and effective manner. While there are no plans to open additional passport offices, the Passport Service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance customer experience for citizens.
I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports online in plenty of time.
105. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the support that is being made available by Ireland directly to support the ongoing efforts to shelter and provide for Ukrainians driven from their homeland by the aggression of the military forces of President Putin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23174/22]
View answerI remain extremely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
In addition to prepositioned funds with UN and other partners, my Department, through the Irish Aid programme, has made over €20 million available to respond to the needs of Ukrainians most affected by the Russian invasion. This includes funding through UN agencies including UN OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO, as well as the Red Cross Movement. This includes support to refugees in Poland and Moldova, as well as those internally displaced and has enabled immediate assistance to be delivered to Ukrainians in need.
My Department is also supporting Irish NGOs working in partnership with local civil society in Ukraine and its neighbours are being supported through a dedicated civil society fund. Ireland has provided In-kind assistance of medical supplies in response to a request by the Ukrainian government.
Taken together, these Irish Aid interventions are enabling partners efforts to support over 3.5 million Ukrainian people in need, with our focus on the priorities for assistance identified by the UN. These include cash, education, food security, health, protection for women and children, shelter and sanitation. For example, Irish Aid assistance is enabling UNHCR to maintain 145 temporary reception centres. To date, more than 66,000 children have been engaged in formal or non-formal education provided by UNICEF. The ICRC has distributed over 2,000 tonnes of medical supplies, food and relief items.
The Irish Aid rapid response register has been activated and a number of Irish rapid responders have been deployed to work with our UN stand-by partners in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
This Irish Aid support is additional to the efforts at home, which have seen over 27,000 Ukrainian refugees welcomed in Ireland so far.
108. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the engagement he has had at a European Union and United Nations level in relation to the war in Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22971/22]
View answer109. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the plans to offer support for Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22107/22]
View answer121. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps that are being taken by Ireland and the European Union to support Ukraine and Ukrainian people given the current conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22910/22]
View answer126. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of Ireland in tackling the future challenges for the European Union in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine. [22925/22]
View answer137. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 119 of 24 March 2022, if he will report on his engagement with Russia, either bilaterally or through Ireland’s membership of the United Nations Security Council, to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22872/22]
View answer141. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of Ireland in supporting efforts to end the war in Ukraine. [22924/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 109, 121, 126, 137 and 141 together.
Ireland has been staunch and unwavering in its support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
Since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, my officials have formally registered Ireland's opposition to Russia's actions with the Russian Ambassador. Ireland stands ready to support any initiative which can deliver peace, in line with international humanitarian law as well as international human rights norms and standards, and which respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
I witnessed with my own eyes the shocking aftermath of the devastation in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. I expressed to the Mayor of Bucha the sincere condolences of the Irish Government and people. I committed to bearing witness to these terrible atrocities and to raising the situation internationally. Those who perpetrated these heinous crimes must be brought to justice.
On 19 April, as I promised to the mayor of Bucha and Foreign Minister Kuleba, I briefed the UN Security Council on my visit to Ukraine. I described how I stood at the edge of one of the mass graves, where the work of carefully exhuming bodies continued. 503 civilians had been identified at that stage - and just 4 soldiers. At the UN Security Council, I was clear that these facts speak to an utter disregard by Russian forces for their clear and unambiguous obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. Ireland will continue to use our membership on the UN Security Council to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
Ireland is one of over 40 countries that referred the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is providing a further €3 million to the ICC. Investigation teams from the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC are already actively collecting evidence from Ukraine.
On 4 May, the European Commission presented proposals for a sixth package of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia and Belarus of the ability to wage war on Ukraine. The package will include additional listings of individuals and entities, including high-ranking military officers and other individuals deemed to have been involved in committing atrocities in Bucha and in the siege of the city of Mariupol.
The package also targets additional Russian and Belarussian banks, including Sberbank, Russia's largest bank. Three big Russian state-owned broadcasters responsible for Russian state propaganda will be sanctioned, and will be unable to distribute their content in any form in the EU or attract advertising. The package also targets services, including accountancy, public relations and consultancy services to Russian companies.
A complete import ban on all Russian oil is also proposed, to be introduced in an orderly fashion, it is hoped agreement can be reached soon to ensure that EU Member States can secure alternative supplies. Crude oil will be phased out within six months, and refined products such as petrol and diesel by the end of the year. There are also provisions to prevent Russia from diversifying its client base for oil products, including a ban on the provision of insurance and financing for the shipping of Russian oil.
Ireland has allocated €20 million in direct humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, via the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN agencies. Additionally, at EU level, Ireland has contributed €11.5m to an EU humanitarian assistance package of €550m.
The EU is providing a €1.5 billion package of European Peace Facility (EPF) support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ireland is contributing its full share (€33 million), which will go towards non-lethal elements only.
As I re-iterated when I met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba in April, Ireland fully supports Ukraine's application for EU Membership. We have come together with a group of other Member States, with a view to providing political and practical assistance in support of Ukraine’s European perspective.
In February, the EU Council agreed a €1.2 billion emergency macro-financial assistance package for Ukraine. Preparations for the swift disbursement of the second €600 million tranche of this assistance are underway.
EU leaders agreed to develop a Ukraine Solidarity Trust Fund with a view to the reconstruction of a democratic Ukraine, once the Russian onslaught has ceased.
Ireland has and will continue to play an active, constructive and compassionate role at EU level in meeting the challenges which arise from Russia's illegal military aggression.
110. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will have further discussions with the British Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the need for the British government to respond positively and without further delay to the unanimous requests of Dáil Éireann concerning the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of May 1974; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22651/22]
View answerNext week, the 17th May will mark the 48th anniversary of the appalling attacks of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in which 33 people were murdered, the largest loss of life on a single day in the Troubles. The Government stands in solidarity with all those who lost loved ones or were injured on that day, and who suffer still as a result of these bombings.
The implementation of the All-Party Dáil motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings is a priority for the Government, as highlighted in the Programme for a Partnership Government.
The All-Party motion on the 1974 Dublin Monaghan bombings adopted by the Dáil on 25 May 2016 has, like those adopted in 2008 and 2011, been conveyed to the British Government.
These motions call on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973, the bombing of Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk and the murder of Seamus Ludlow.
The Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of these all-Party Dáil motions. We have consistently raised the issue with the British Government on a bilateral basis, including at the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference, most recently on 23 March.
I made clear to my counterpart at the Conference that the absence of a response from the British Government is of deep concern to the Government, and that there remains an urgent need for a response.
The Government will continue to engage with the British Government on this request, at senior political level and in official level engagement by my Department, to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on this issue, consistent with the request made by this House and until a resolution is found.
The Government has welcomed the work of Operation Kenova and former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who is heading an Independent Police Team to conduct an analytical report on collusion in what has become known as the Glenanne Gang series of cases. This is very relevant to a number of cases including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
The Government maintains a close and cooperative relationship with Justice for the Forgotten, as we continue work to seek the full facts of the appalling events of 17 May 1974 and of other attacks in this jurisdiction during the Troubles.
111. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts being made by the Irish and British governments as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement to ensure that the Northern Ireland institutions are fully functional and operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22634/22]
View answerAs co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government will continue to work closely with the British government and with the parties in Northern Ireland in support of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent implementing Agreements.
I am in frequent contact with the British Government. I have remained in close contact with the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis both in the run up to and after the Assembly election, including on the day of the election itself. We discussed the importance of calm and measured leadership in the period ahead, and how the Governments will work together to support the restoration of fully functioning institutions. On 4 May, I spoke with the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss where I emphasised the importance of our position as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement.
Both governments remain in close contact, including through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC). The BIIGC is an institution of the Good Friday Agreement under Strand Three, which brings together the Irish and British Governments to promote bilateral cooperation at all levels on all matters of mutual interest within the competence of both Governments. At the most recent meeting of the BIIGC, on 23 March, SoSNI and I discussed the importance of both governments co-operating in the period ahead to ensure the full functioning of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. It was also agreed that the next meeting of the BIIGC will take place in London in June. I look forward to an enhanced role for the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), as set out in the Programme for Government.
This Government has taken every opportunity in our regular engagements with the British Government to emphasise our shared commitment to the full functioning of the Northern Ireland institutions. Officials in my department meet regularly with their counterparts in the British Government.
The full implementation and effective operation of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement is a central priority for this Government. The Agreement, 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.
112. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the next European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22653/22]
View answerI will attend the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 16 May.
EU Member States are continuing to coordinate our response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine closely. This will be the sixth time that the Foreign Affairs Council has convened since the invasion of Ukraine just over two months ago and the discussion will assess the effectiveness of the different strands of the EU response. My officials have been intensively engaged in the preparations for this Foreign Affairs Council and, in particular, the proposed adoption of a sixth package of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia and Belarus of the ability to wage war on Ukraine.
We are also aware of the impact this conflict is having on other regions and the need for the EU to step up its engagement to help our partners. Therefore, the Foreign Affairs Council will also consider the EU's relations with the Western Balkans against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, and possible supports the EU can provide. We have invited the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans countries to join the Foreign Affairs Council for a discussion on these issues. This will be a fresh opportunity to bolster EU-Western Balkans engagement, to discuss the European ambitions of each country and to set out the expectations of the EU.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell will also brief the Council on his recent visit to Chile and Panama. Ireland has requested that the situation in Ethiopia be discussed again by Ministers, as the humanitarian situation in the conflict-affected regions of Ethiopia remains dire.
113. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the representations that he has made to the British Government in respect of the murder of a person (details supplied). [22661/22]
View answerThe murder of Sgt Joe Campbell in Cushendall, Co. Antrim on 25 February 1977 was a tragedy and my thoughts are with the Campbell family who have campaigned tirelessly for over 40 years, seeking to establish truth and justice for their loved one. In February, I met with Paula Rainey, daughter of Sgt Campbell, and a cross community group to hear their views and concerns in relation to a number of cases, including cases involving the ‘Glenanne Gang’.
With regards to cases involving the Glenanne Gang, the Government supports the work of Operation Kenova and former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher who heads up the Independent Police Team that are conducting an analytical report on the Glenanne Gang series of cases. We are conscious that this work is very relevant to a number of cases of the utmost concern for victims’ families and survivors, both North and South, who suffered in the murderous attacks by the Glenanne Gang. It is to be hoped that the report being conducted by Chief Constable Boutcher will contribute to the long process of justice, truth and acknowledgement of what happened in these awful cases, where collusion is a feature.
The Government will be as supportive as possible in facilitating this, subject to the requirements of the law, as we have other investigative processes in Northern Ireland, in relation to the attacks conducted by the Glenanne Gang and of course other cases from the Troubles.
Every family deserves access to truth and justice for their loved one. It is vital that we make progress in addressing the painful legacy of the past, in a way that meets the legitimate needs of victims and survivors. We will continue to engage with the British Government, as we have done at every opportunity on both a political and official level, to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on these issues and until a satisfactory resolution is found.
114. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Government has concerns regarding rule of law issues in Hungary; if so, the actions that should be taken by the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22883/22]
View answerIreland is committed to ensuring that foundational European values, including the rule of law, are upheld across the EU. Accordingly, we remain very concerned about ongoing challenges relating to adherence to rule of law standards in Hungary. The EU has engaged a multifaceted response to challenges to the rule of law within the EU and its Member States. This includes the Article 7 Treaty on European Union (TEU) procedure, the Commission’s Annual Rule of Law Report and related peer review process at the General Affairs Council, the Regulation on a General Regime of Conditionality for the Protection of the Union Budget or the so-called conditionality mechanism, and the use of infringement procedures. Ireland supports this multifaceted approach and actions taken under these procedures and mechanisms by the Commission in exercising its role as guardian of the treaties and ensuring all Member States uphold the EU’s values and standards as well as their obligations under the Treaties.
The Article 7 TEU procedure, whereby the European Council can determine whether there is a clear risk or existence of a breach of EU values by a Member State, was launched in relation to Hungary in 2018. Since this procedure’s initiation, Ireland has participated actively in the hearings held to date at the General Affairs Council where we have urged Hungary to address its rule of law difficulties. Ireland will continue this participation, including at the next hearing on Hungary at the General Affairs Council on 23 May 2022, and values the opportunity for peer dialogue this procedure provides.
Ireland believes that the Regulation on a General Regime of Conditionality for the Protection of the Union Budget is fair and serves an important purpose. Rule of law challenges risk endangering the appropriate use of EU financial resources. We hoped Hungary would have engaged constructively with the rule of law issues which the Commission identified in its informal correspondence with the Hungary government in late 2021 under the conditionality mechanism. We support the Commission’s subsequent activation of the regulation in respect of Hungary in April 2022 given Hungary’s lack of sufficient clarification and commitment to action. Ireland urges Hungary to engage productively with this conditionality regulation procedure and to undertake the necessary reforms to address rule of law problems. Ireland will engage fully in any Council discussions that will ultimately determine any withdrawal of EU funding to Hungary pursuant to this mechanism.
