John Brady
Question:959. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s response to the recent situation in the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40374/22]
View answerForeign Policy
Questions (959)
Written answers
As the Deputy is aware, Karakalpakstan is a nominally autonomous republic in the northwesternmost region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
On 27 June 2022, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan proposed amendments to the Uzbek constitution. Among other provisions, the amendments would remove a constitutional clause guaranteeing Karakalpakstan's right to seek full independence should citizens so choose in a referendum.
On 1 July, residents of Nukus, the regional capital of Karakalpakstan, began to protest on the streets, with protests also occurring in other regional towns. The protests appear to have been initially peaceful, but it has been reported that security forces later acted to break up the crowd and violent clashes broke out.
According to the government, 18 people died and 243 people were wounded.
On 2 July, President Mirziyoyev announced that the proposals on Karakalpakstan would not be included among the constitutional amendments. The government also announced a one-month state of emergency in the region.
I endorse the comments of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who has raised concerns about serious violence, including killings, during the protests, and has called on the Uzbek authorities to immediately open a transparent and independent investigation into any allegations of criminal acts committed in that context, including violations by agents of the state.
I understand that on 6 July, President Mirziyoyev indicated that a commission appointed to investigate the unrest would include members of the public and independent activists.
Visa Applications
Questions (960)
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Question:960. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Embassy in Bucharest will be contacted in relation to a visa (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40375/22]
View answerWritten answers
The visa matter in question is currently being handled by our Embassy in Bucharest. I have been advised that the visa in question has now been printed, stamped, and the family of the applicant has been advised of this. Arrangements are being made for collection of the passport, duly endorsed with the relevant visa. The slight delays which arose in issuing the visa were due to factors beyond the control of my Department.
I am satisfied that the issue is now resolved and that arrangements can now be made for the applicant to obtain the visa and travel in due course.
Question No. 961 answered with Question No. 855.
Passport Services
Questions (962)
Pádraig MacLochlainn
Question:962. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure that a passport for a child (details supplied) is processed on time for travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40404/22]
View answerWritten answers
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired the Passport Service has cancelled this application. The Passport Service has emailed the applicant in relation to this on 20/07/2022.
The applicant already had a second application in the system. The Passport Service has provided an update on the status of that passport application to the applicant.
Question No. 963 answered with Question No. 855.
Question No. 964 answered with Question No. 857.
Question No. 965 answered with Question No. 855.
Disaster Response
Questions (966)
Jennifer Whitmore
Question:966. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions that Ireland will be taking from now until September to address famine and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40671/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Horn of Africa is in the midst of a rapidly deteriorating food security crisis, with the impact of a long drought compounded by the strains on global grain and fertiliser supplies resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, has responded with over €50 million in direct humanitarian support to drought-affected Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia since 2021, as part of an overall humanitarian contribution of €74.3 million to countries in the Horn. Further assistance is under active consideration. This support is channelled through partners providing life-saving assistance to those who most in need it. My Department also investing in anticipatory action, mitigating the impact of future shocks.
These interventions complement the €12 million my Department has provided over the past year in development funding to communities across the region, including in partnership with Irish NGOs. This funding is helping tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity and to build community resilience.
In addition, communities in the Horn are being supported through Ireland’s contributions to multilateral humanitarian action, such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which reacts immediately to crises as they happen. Ireland is the eighth largest contributor to CERF, providing €11.5 million in 2022. Since 2021, the CERF has allocated over $228 million for emergency relief across the region.
Ireland consistently advocates for increased international support to the Horn of Africa, including in our work on hunger and conflict, and on climate, at the UN Security Council, together with leadership on a number of other Security Council agenda items relating to the wider political issues affecting the Horn.
On 20 June, the EU Foreign Affairs Council approved conclusions on the Team Europe response to global food insecurity, including an endorsement of the Team Europe pledge of €1 billion in support of the Sahel and Lake Chad regions, as well as a €600 million pledge in support of the Horn of Africa.
On 7 July, Minister Coveney met with UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Amina Mohammed in New York to discuss the situation in the Horn of Africa.
Foreign Birth Registration
Questions (967)
Seán Canney
Question:967. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the cause of the current delay in applications to join the foreign birth register; the steps that he is taking to address the current two-year waiting time and backlog of 39,000 applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40710/22]
View answerWritten answers
Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration (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 over 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of FBR applications at this time.
Arising from the COVID-19 restrictions, and the subsequent reassignment of FBR staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the FBR Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period.
The processing of FBR applications resumed in November 2021. FBR staff have since processed over 7,600 FBR applications while also continuing to provide support to passport services due to the unprecedented levels of passport demand.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand for passports and FBR applications 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 take on over 500 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 in the coming months.