Written Answers Nos. 137-154
137. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the case of a detained person (details supplied); if he will give his support for their immediate release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17880/23]
View answerMy Department has been contacted by Ms. Donghua Li in relation to her mother, Mrs Pingjun Ma.
The Government closely follows reports regarding the treatment of Falun Dafa practitioners by the Chinese authorities. Human rights concerns are regularly discussed with the Chinese authorities in bilateral meetings and in the appropriate multilateral fora.
The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue is the primary formal framework through which Ireland and other EU Member States share with China our experience in the field of human rights protection and promotion, and strongly urge China to take clear steps to improve the human rights situation there. The latest session of this dialogue took place on 17 February, and the EU raised a number of issues relating to freedom of religion and belief, as well as the rights of persons belonging to minorities, freedom of expression and association, arbitrary detention.
Ireland calls on all States to adhere to their international commitments and obligations, including for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons in arbitrary detention. Ireland also routinely expresses concerns at the discrimination, persecution, intimidation and violence endured by religious or other minorities in various parts of the world. In February 2021, Ireland joined a newly established coalition of 63 countries, led by Canada, to endorse a Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State to State Relations. The Declaration aims to protect citizens of all countries from arbitrary detention abroad through coordinated action to uphold core human rights principles.
We strongly condemn all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are. The promotion of freedom of religion or belief is a priority for our human rights engagement at both multilateral and bilateral levels.
Ireland, together with our EU partners, will continue to address human rights concerns with China, in frequent and regular dialogue, through our contacts in both Dublin and Beijing, and through the relevant multilateral channels.
139. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will review the passport issued to a person (details supplied) who wishes to have their full name on their Irish passport; if a new passport including their full name can be issued to this person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17999/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has contacted the applicant directly in relation to the application.
140. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if construction works have commenced on a new Chancery Building in Abuja, Nigeria; and the estimated completion timeframe for this building. [18045/23]
View answerConstruction work on a new Chancery Building in Abuja, Nigeria is anticipated to start in May 2023. On commencement, the estimated timeframe for building completion and fit out is 21 months. The new Chancery will be located on the European Union compound in Abuja, a high security location for the work of the Irish Embassy team.
This Embassy building project will support the achievement of the high level goals of Global Ireland: Ireland’s Strategy for Africa to 2025. These goals are to deepen and strengthen Ireland’s political, economic and cultural relationships with Africa, thereby contributing to peace, prosperity and sustainable development. The project is also a demonstration of the importance of Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Nigeria and with the West Africa region more broadly.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation (220 million) and largest economy (circa $ 450 billion). Nigeria remains one of Ireland’s largest trading partners in Africa and in 2021 represented Ireland’s second-largest African export market, with exports worth €297 million. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is also headquartered in Abuja, and provides an important means to engage with all fifteen ECOWAS member States and their combined population exceeding 400 million people.
141. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an update on the status of a passport renewal for a person (details supplied) as the applicant's date of travel is imminent and the timeframe has exceeded the ten-day turnaround for online passport renewals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18106/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the turnaround time for this type of application is 15 working days, as it constitutes a complex online renewal. Turnaround time begins from the date supporting documents are received by the Passport Service. Supporting documents for this application were received on 7 April 2023. This application is within its turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date. The Passport Service has advised the applicant of the possibility of booking an Urgent Appointment for passport renewal.
142. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when an applicant (details supplied) can expect to hear from his Department on their application for citizenship. [18154/23]
View answerMy Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.
Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The service was also impacted by necessary Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 and the unprecedented demand for passports seen in 2022.
During 2022, my Department implemented a number of measures to address the volume of FBR applications on hand, with a view to significantly reducing the processing time for these applications. These measures, which include increased staffing directed towards the processing of FBR applications, have been successful in reducing the waiting time for applicants. FBR applications are now being processed within the normal turnaround times of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents, down from over 2 years in September 2022.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was registered on 17 August 2022 and is currently being processed by the Passport Service. The Passport Service will be in contact with the applicant in due course.
143. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an update on FBR applications (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18156/23]
View answerMy Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.
Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The service was also impacted by necessary Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 and the unprecedented demand for passports seen in 2022.
During 2022, my Department implemented a number of measures to address the volume of FBR applications on hand, with a view to significantly reducing the processing time for these applications. These measures, which include increased staffing directed towards the processing of FBR applications, have been successful in reducing the waiting time for applicants. FBR applications are now being processed within the normal turnaround times of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents, down from over 2 years in September 2022.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, online applications were received 8 August 2022. No supporting documents have been received for either application, so they have not yet entered the queue for processing.
144. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs how the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy will work; who the members of the forum will be; how 'expert' contributions will be selected by the forum; if contributions from the public will be accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18245/23]
View answerA Consultative Forum on International Security Policy will be convened with a view to initiating an open and evidence-based discussion on the State’s foreign and security policy. The Consultative Forum is designed to build public understanding and generate discussions on the link between the State’s foreign, security, and defence policies.
The Consultative Forum will take place in three different locations across four days in June 2023; on 22 June at University College Cork, on 23 June at the University of Galway, and on 26-27 June at Dublin Castle. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Defence will work alongside the Chairperson, Louise Richardson DBE, on planning and delivering the Consultative Forum and associated events.
The Consultative Forum will be open and inclusive. It will involve a wide range of stakeholders, with participation from civilian and military experts and practitioners. Attendance at the Forum will consist of invited guests, from Ireland and internationally, with expertise and practical experience in the areas to be discussed. There will also be space reserved for attendance by the general public. Discussions will be live-streamed and there will be an option for online submissions. Anyone interested in engaging in the process will be able to do so.
145. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of WTE staff by grade that are currently dealing with enquiries on the passport webchat service; and if this number will be increased especially for the upcoming summer peak season. [18250/23]
View answerThe busy season for passports in 2023 is underway, and demand forecasts indicate that the Passport Service will issue just under 1.1 million passports this year. The Passport Service is successfully meeting current high demand. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs.
The Passport Service has implemented operational and staffing plans for 2023, to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained during periods of peak demand.
My Department has run 16 recruitment and promotion competitions since 2021 to fill vacancies in the Passport Service, and works closely with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to secure new staff.
The Passport Service and the Department’s Human Resources Unit have been actively working to assign new staff to the Passport Service since the beginning of 2023. Approximately 100 successful candidates from a Temporary Clerical Officer competition run by the Department have been assigned in recent months. The Department is currently running an additional Temporary Clerical Officer competition, from which candidates will be appointed in the coming weeks.
The Passport Service Customer Service Hub, which currently comprises of 98 staff, will continue be the priority for allocation of new staff at the Passport Office in Mount Street. The Customer Service Hub officers respond to customer queries by phone and webchat as well as with enquiries related to emergency passport cases. The Customer Service Hub handled over 414,000 enquiries in 2022 and is currently handling over 14,000 customer contacts each week.
There are on average 17 full-time equivalent staff working on webchat (over the last 20 working days), with an average breakdown of 3 Executive Officers and 14 Clerical Officers or Temporary Clerical Officers. The teams have answered 11,298 webchats in the past four weeks.
146. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to a person (details supplied) who has been incarcerated in Iran since October 2022, and who has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison, given the reports that his health is suffering and that he has had to endure very difficult conditions in prison, the actions the Government is taking to ensure his release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18261/23]
View answerI remain extremely concerned about the continued detention of this Irish citizen, especially given his ill health. I can assure the Deputy that the citizen's release remains a strong priority for me and my Department.
To that end, there continues to be extensive engagement by the Government with the authorities in Iran on the case, including through my own discussions with the Foreign Minister of Iran.
In our engagement we are stressing the urgent importance of the citizen being released from prison on humanitarian grounds, in light of his deteriorating medical condition.
My Department is providing ongoing consular support and assistance to the citizen, and to his family - with whom I have been in direct contact. We are liaising with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter.
As with all consular cases, it would not be appropriate to discuss the specific details of the case.
147. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the human rights and political situation in Peru; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18297/23]
View answerIreland and Peru have a strong and wide-ranging bilateral relationship, reinforced by the launch of Ireland’s Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022, which seeks to enhance relations with the countries of the region across several key areas of engagement. My Department and the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs engage regularly on issues of importance in the relationship.
Following the outbreak of political unrest and associated protests in Peru in late 2022, Ireland and our EU partners strongly condemned all violence and any disproportionate use of force by security forces. Subsequent statements by the EU further underscored this message, while also deploring the large number of casualties, reiterating support to peaceful social protest, and welcoming the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decision to observe the human rights situation in Peru and engage with a range of interlocutors.
Ireland and the EU have called on the government in Lima and all political actors to take urgent steps to reduce tension and engage in inclusive dialogue in order to reach a lasting solution to the crisis. The EU also made clear that it trusts that the relevant national institutions will investigate and bring to justice those responsible for abuses or violations of human rights; the Peruvian authorities’ investigations in this regard are ongoing.
Ireland, together with our EU partners, will remain actively engaged on these issues, including through the EU Delegation in Lima and through our accredited Embassy in Santiago de Chile. We will also remain fully committed to supporting Peruvian efforts to engage in dialogue with all parties involved in, or impacted by, the unrest, including civil society and affected communities.
149. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s position on an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16075/23]
View answerIreland deeply regrets the passing of an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” by Uganda’s parliament on 21 March, which introduces discriminatory measures against Ugandan citizens and violates their fundamental human rights.
Through our Embassy in Kampala, and in cooperation with other like-minded partners, Ireland continues to raise concerns with the Ugandan government on the need to protect the rights of LGBTI+ people. We will continue to engage the Ugandan authorities with the aim of ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have their human rights promoted and protected, and are treated with dignity and respect. Ireland stands in solidarity with marginalised groups and works closely with civil society groups to promote human rights in Uganda.
Ireland’s engagement in Uganda, including through our international development programme, is based on our international development policy, A Better World, and by the Government’s Strategy for Africa to 2025. We are committed to supporting the work of civil society organisations and human rights defenders on the ground. We recognise clearly, and support, the vital role played by civil society in building peaceful, inclusive and prosperous societies and the central importance of a human rights-based approach.
Through our development programme in Uganda, Ireland is supporting education, inclusive growth and gender equality in Karamoja, one of the poorest regions in the country. We also promotes access to justice, accountability and respect for human rights and the rule of law, working with a variety of partner organisations, UN agencies and international NGOs.
The promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI+ people, who continue to suffer disproportionate levels of violence and face systematic discrimination in many countries, is a foreign policy priority for Ireland. Together with our EU and other like-minded partners in Uganda, Ireland will continue to be a strong advocate of LGBTI+ rights.
150. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the passport for a child (details supplied) will issue on time for a school trip abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16090/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the application is being processed and the Passport Service has been in direct contact with the applicant's parent in relation to the application.
154. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the detention of an Irish citizen (details supplied) who has been held in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, Iran since 3 October 2022; if he is engaging to assist in their release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16404/23]
View answerI remain extremely concerned about the continued detention of this Irish citizen, especially given his ill health. I can assure the Deputy that the citizen's release remains a strong priority for me and my Department.
To that end, there continues to be extensive engagement by the Government with the authorities in Iran on the case, including through my own discussions with the Foreign Minister of Iran.
In our engagement we are stressing the urgent importance of the citizen being released from prison on humanitarian grounds, in light of his deteriorating medical condition.
My Department is providing ongoing consular support and assistance to the citizen, and to his family - with whom I have been in direct contact. We are liaising with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter.
As with all consular cases, it would not be appropriate to discuss the specific details of the case.
