Written Answers Nos. 499-518
500. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of the new initiative on sexual and reproductive health, and rights, set out in A Better World, Ireland's policy for international development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37325/22]
View answerIreland’s international development programme has had a long-standing focus on improving the quality and availability of health services, particularly maternal and child health. A Better World, Ireland’s policy for international development, commits to a new initiative on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), building on our partnerships in health and HIV and AIDS. Access to health services, including access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, is essential for transforming women’s health outcomes. This is especially important during humanitarian crises and in fragile contexts, where health services can be extremely limited.
To inform the development of an effective SRHR initiative, my Department has deepened our engagement with key partners in this area since the launch of A Better World. This includes support to UN agencies including UNFPA, UNESCO and UNAIDS. It also includes innovative partnerships with organisations such as the International Partnership for Microbicides that are working to develop sexual and reproductive health products tailored to women's needs. Recently, in response to the crisis in Ukraine, my Department provided further support to UNFPA’s essential work in protecting women and girls from multiple forms of gender-based violence. Also informing the development of the initiative are the learnings from the gender sensitive interventions supported through the international development programme, frequently in partnership with the HSE, as part of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
My Department will continue to work with partners on SRHR, HIV and maternal health, and explore further avenues to take forward programming in line with our commitment in A Better World.
501. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline his plans to fund the United Nations Fund for Population Activities Supplies Partnership, which is the programme that delivers modern contraceptive and lifesaving maternal health medicines to women and girls who are most in need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37331/22]
View answerUNFPA is an important Irish Aid partner, which will receive €4 million in unearmarked core funding this year. This is an increase of €500,000 on last year's core funding to UNFPA. A further €1.5 million has been disbursed in support of UNFPA's activities in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
No specific funding for the UNFPA Supplies Programme is proposed.
502. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has spoken with the Irish Ambassador to Vietnam to date in 2022 [37367/22]
View answerAlthough I have not had a meeting so far in 2022 with Ambassador in Vietnam, I am kept fully informed of the Embassy's work by officials in my Department.
In April, I was pleased to host the first in-person gathering of our Heads of Mission and senior management since the onset of COVID-19. During the Conference I engaged with Ireland's Ambassadors and Consuls General from around the world. Ireland's Ambassador in Vietnam participated in the Conference.
Ireland’s Embassy in Vietnam maintains continuous communication with Department of Foreign Affairs headquarters and senior officials.
In line with established Department of Foreign Affairs reporting procedures, the Ambassador and Embassy team provide regular political and economic reports with respect to Vietnam and countries of secondary accreditation. These are in addition to frequent expenditure and operational reports.
Ireland and Vietnam maintain regular high level political contact. The Taoiseach met with President Phuc en marge of the UNGA in New York in September 2021 and with Prime Minister Chinh at the COP Summit in Glasgow in November 2021. The Minister of State with responsibility for Disability visited Vietnam in June and engaged with projects and programmes funded by the Irish Government. The Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora conducted a working visit to Vietnam in early July, prepared by the Embassy. The visit included meetings with the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Minister for Ethnic Minority Affairs, as well as a range of meetings concerning Ireland’s development co-operation programme.
503. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will address matters raised in correspondence in the case of a person (details supplied) concerning the waiting times for a foreign births register; the progress that has been made on the allocation of further resources to reduce the processing times for applications to the foreign births register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37409/22]
View answerDue to the complex nature of the FBR process, the large increase in applications received following the Brexit vote in the UK, and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of FBR applications at this time.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the subsequent reassignment of FBR staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the Foreign Birth Registration Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period.
The processing of Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) resumed in November 2021. FBR staff have since processed over 7,400 FBR applications while also continuing to provide support to Passport services due to the unprecedented levels of passport demand.
The FBR Service provides an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Such applicants may continue to contact the Passport Service directly. For other applications, the FBR service operates a transparent general policy of processing applications in order of receipt.
Supporting documentation for the application to which the Deputy has referred was received on 26 May 2022. All documentation received is being stored in a secure environment.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand for passports and FBRs since June of last year. A major recruitment drive, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, has been underway over the past several months. This has seen the Passport Service taken on over 560 staff since June 2021.
The unprecedented level of staff currently working in the Passport Service will be maintained in the months ahead. This will allow for the reassignment of additional staff to the processing of FBR applications with the aim of significantly reducing turnaround times for these applications.
506. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a foreign births registration can be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37550/22]
View answerDue to the complex nature of the FBR process, the large increase in applications received following the Brexit vote in the UK, and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of FBR applications at this time.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the subsequent reassignment of FBR staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the Foreign Birth Registration Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period.
The processing of Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) resumed in November 2021. FBR staff have since processed over 7,400 FBR applications while also continuing to provide support to Passport services due to the unprecedented levels of passport demand.
The FBR Service provides an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Such applicants may continue to contact the Passport Service directly. For other applications, the FBR service operates a transparent general policy of processing applications in order of receipt. It is not possible to expedite applications on residency grounds. Such applicants are advised to engage with the appropriate authorities for any required visas until such point that their entitlement to Irish citizenship may be ascertained.
Supporting documentation for the application to which the Deputy has referred was received on 6 July 2021. All documentation received is being stored in a secure environment.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand for passports and FBRs since June of last year. A major recruitment drive, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, has been underway over the past several months. This has seen the Passport Service taken on over 560 staff since June 2021.
The unprecedented level of staff currently working in the Passport Service will be maintained in the months ahead. This will allow for the reassignment of additional staff to the processing of FBR applications with the aim of significantly reducing turnaround times for these applications.
507. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland remains on track to deliver an increase in the overseas development aid allocation to €1.36 billion by 2025; if his Department remains committed to delivering an ODA allocation of over €2 billion by 2028 and €2.25 billion by 2030, respectively; the proposed incremental increases in ODA allocation to 2030, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37641/22]
View answerThe Programme for Government has committed to making incremental, sustainable progress towards achieving the UN target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA by 2030. In Budget 2022, €1.044 billion was allocated to Official Development Assistance (ODA), the highest ever amount allocated by any Government. This is an increase of €176 million on the 2021 allocation of €867 million or, in percentage terms, a 20 percent increase in the overall cash allocation. The budget day estimate was that this would equate to 0.32% of GNI in 2022: the final figures are calculated at year end, when full ODA eligible spending has been agreed in a statistical exercise conducted to agreed OECD standards and are published in the Government of Ireland Annual Report on International Development.
While the increased allocation for this year is significant, sustained increases in funding will be required if the 0.7% target is to be met. My Department, which accounts for approximately 60% of ODA expenditure this year, is currently reviewing and building systems that will enable our development programme grow further, including as a proportion of GNI, in a sustainable and responsible way. This also includes working in coordination with other Government Departments and bodies involved in spending Official Development Assistance, and with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, on how a growing ODA allocation can be managed most effectively and responsibly across all Departments. This work informs the path to 0.7% for 2030 considering inflation and the current trends in the economy.
My Department has previously charted out an indicative pathway to 0.7%: allocations to ODA are made annually as part of the normal budget process. The numbers in the indicative pathway will change depending on a number of factors, including annual allocations to ODA and economic growth.
|
Year |
Potential ODA* requirement € Million** |
Annual increase required |
ODA/GNI % Target |
|
2022 |
1,044 |
152 |
|
|
2023 |
1,250 |
206 |
0.34% |
|
2024 |
1,525 |
275 |
0.39% |
|
2025 |
1,800 |
275 |
0.44% |
|
2026 |
2,125 |
325 |
0.50% |
|
2027 |
2,400 |
275 |
0.55% |
|
2028 |
2,700 |
300 |
0.60% |
|
2029 |
3,000 |
300 |
0.65% |
|
2030 |
3,350 |
350 |
0.70% |
*Total ODA is estimates to the nearest 25 million.
**with the exception of 2022, these numbers are indicative and will change in accordance with future budget day allocations to ODA and evolving GNI growth.
508. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the European Union has considered a ban on Brazilian beef given record deforestation in the Amazon. [37662/22]
View answerI would like to assure the Deputy that Ireland is very actively engaged on issues of environmental protection and deforestation in Brazil, including through our Embassy in Brazil and in cooperation with our EU partners such as the EU Delegation in Brasilia. Indeed, the European Green Deal has been prioritised as one of two main areas of partnership for the EU in Brazil. In addition, for the current programming cycle, a multi-country Team Europe initiative with a focus on the Amazon basin is in development, with the aim of preserving the Amazon’s contribution to climate change mitigation and global biodiversity conservation, and of improving its peoples’ socio-economic development, through addressing root causes of key challenges affecting the region, including deforestation and forest degradation.
Our Embassy in Brasilia is also actively engaged on the Amazon; the Embassy team has supported indigenous groups in the region of the Amazon, engaged with civil society organisations focused on supporting these communities, and visited the region and met with federal Government.
Ireland will continue to remain engaged on these issues, including through our EU partners.
As the Deputy will be aware, questions relating to the import and export of beef do not fall under the remit of my Department and would be best directed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
509. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the engagements that the European Union has had with Brazil on record deforestation in the Amazon. [37663/22]
View answerThe issues of environmental protection and deforestation are key priorities for the EU in its relations with Brazil, and the EU Delegation in Brazil, as well as the Irish Embassy in-country, are actively engaged on the issue of deforestation.
I am aware that during his visit to Brazil in November 2021, for example, EU High Representative Borrell met with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Environment Minister Joaquim Leite, and Foreign Minister Carlos França, among others, and that a wide range of issues was discussed at these engagements, including the need for close cooperation to address challenges including climate change and the environment. In spring 2022, the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevicius, visited the region, including the Brazilian Amazon, and discussed EU environmental concerns with Minister Leite. The situation of indigenous, environmental and human rights defenders in Brazil is also regularly raised by the EU through the EU-Brazil mechanisms for political dialogue and cooperation, including by the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, in December, and again by Commissioner Sinkevicius during his recent visit.
The EU has stressed that fighting climate change and the loss of biodiversity must be a top priority for both the EU and the Latin America and Caribbean region. Before COP26 in 2021, the EU announced a €1 billion contribution to the Global Forests Finance Pledge, as well as a new edition of the EUROCLIMA+ programme, which will support LAC partners with €140 million to achieve their commitments under the Paris Agreement. This comes in addition to the EU’s planned multi-country Team Europe initiative focusing on the Amazon basin, which aims to address root causes of key challenges affecting the region, including deforestation and forest degradation. Continuous engagement with civil society is another important component of the EU’s ongoing work in this regard.
Ireland’s Embassy in Brasilia also remains actively engaged on issues of climate and environmental protection in Brazil, including through engagement with civil society organisations and support to indigenous communities in the Amazon region. In May 2022, the Irish Ambassador to Brazil visited the city of Manaus and met with the Secretary of the Environment of the State of Amazonas. The Irish Embassy also participated in an EU Delegation-led demarche on Brazil ahead of COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 to encourage stronger action on climate change, and again earlier this year ahead of COP15 on Biodiversity, calling for increased global ambition on biodiversity objectives, while addressing climate goals and Sustainable Development Goals.
513. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff employed by Irish embassies overseas; the salary grades for such staff, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37707/22]
View answerThere are currently 396 Irish civil servants from my Department assigned to roles across our network of missions overseas. A breakdown of those officers by grade is provided below. Irish civil servant salaries are based on the pay scales as issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In addition, there are currently 873 staff locally employed in Ireland’s network of missions overseas. Staff employed overseas are recruited subject to local labour law and the salary for each role is benchmarked using job descriptions on a mission by mission basis.
Other Departments have assigned a total of 85 officers to roles across Ireland's mission network. For example, 25 officials who remain on their parent department's payroll are serving in the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels. Salaries for these Irish Civil Servants are also based on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform pay scales.
Pay scales for Irish civil servants are available from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-public-expenditure-and-reform/).
|
Irish Civil Servant Grades |
Assistant Secretary & Above |
Principal Officer & Equivalent |
Asst. PO & Equivalent |
Higher Executive Officer, AO & Equivalent |
Executive Officer |
Clerical Officer |
TOTAL |
|
Total |
17 |
69 |
147 |
107 |
22 |
34 |
396 |
515. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe; the engagement which is now taking place with the European Commission on this matter; the approach Ireland is taking to the various recommendations made at the conference; the particular issues of concern to Ireland in respect of the conclusions of the conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37793/22]
View answerThe Conference on the Future of Europe was a year-long process that concluded on 9 May 2022. It has been an open and inclusive European democratic exercise that has offered citizens from across the EU the opportunity to provide their views on the EU’s optimal future directions. Whilst the first stage of the Conference has formally concluded, the real work and conversations about Europe’s future are to some extent only starting. Over 320 measures and recommendations have been presented during the Conference, spanning virtually the entire spectrum of EU activity.
Both the European Commission and Council have undertaken formal assessments of the proposals which have been published in recent weeks and EU leaders briefly discussed the results of the Conference at the European Council meeting last month, noting the recommendations and requesting each Institution to follow up in accordance with its own competences. In their assessments, both the Council and the Commission have expressed the view that the vast majority of the proposals can be implemented, if agreed, through existing policies, without the need to re-open the European treaties. Ireland has also consistently underlined that the EU’s immediate focus should centre on progressing those proposals that can be realised within the parameters of the existing treaty framework.
Arising from its assessment, the European Commission intends implementing some of the recommendations within the framework of the Commission Work Programme to be published later this year. President von der Leyen will outline intentions in her State of the Union address in September.
The General Affairs Council, in its responsibility for overall policy coordination, institutional issues and horizontal files affecting several Union policies, will be responsible for the Council's follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Government stands ready to work constructively with our Partners within the Council and with the European Parliament and Commission to help implement those changes that deliver a better Union for our citizens.
Nationally, a detailed assessment of all the recommendations will be carried out across all relevant government departments within the coming months, overseen by my Department.
A very small number of the recommendations would require changes to the current EU treaties in order to be implemented. These include making health a shared competence of the EU, switching from unanimity to qualified majority voting (QMV) in both the European Council and Council, and increased powers for the European Parliament.
517. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the case (details supplied) of a Zimbabwean national with Irish citizenship who had his or her personal documentation sent to the South African embassy in Dublin as part of an application for an Irish passport; if there is a basis for this process; and if he will clarify the pathway for a passport application for someone in this position. [37841/22]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service did not send the applicant's documents to the South African embassy in Dublin, or have any contact with that embassy in relation to the application. The Passport Service emailed scanned copies of the applicant's documents to the Embassy of Ireland in Pretoria, South Africa, for verification and authentication purposes. As there is no Irish embassy in Zimbabwe, the Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa covers consular and passport responsibilities for Zimbabwe. It is standard procedure for the Passport Service to email copies of documents to relevant embassies so that document authentication can be carried out.
The Passport Service retained the applicant's documents in a secure environment in the Passport Service offices for the duration of the processing of the application, and has since returned the documents to the applicant.
The Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.
518. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the parents of a child (details supplied) will receive a refund to the value of €195 from the Passport Office for an urgent same day passport renewal appointment that they cancelled with the Passport Office given that the refund has been due since late April; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37856/22]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a full refund to the applicant's parent.
