Written Answers Nos. 180-187
180. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a decision will be made in respect of an application for foreign birth registration (details supplied); the reason for the delay in making a decision on said application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23677/23]
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.
FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
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 FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was registered on 27 June 2022. The application was initially processed on 14 March 2023, and the Passport Service requested further supporting documents from the applicant on that day. The further supporting documents were received for the application on 4 April 2023, and the application is being processed by the Passport Service.
181. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of ODA drawn down for science capacity building in the past year for which data is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23931/23]
View answerThrough the Government's international development programme, Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs supported partners for research in related fields in 2022.
• The Irish Research Council received €221,980 for a strategic partnership involving challenge-based research calls. It funds collaborative, interdisciplinary teams of Irish and international researchers, seeking innovations to address societal challenges.• Science Foundation Ireland received €1 million for the SFI-DFA Sustainable Development Goals challenge. It supports interdisciplinary research on the implementation of the SDGs. The focus in 2022 was on research on climate and the environment.• The Marine Institute received €500,000 for the Our Shared Ocean programme, which facilitates collaboration on larger scale research projects. The programme focuses on marine and ocean science, with funding aimed at small island developing states.• The Trinity Impact Evaluation Unit received €40,000 to provide scholarships for participants from Irish Aid partner countries to attend an online impact evaluation course, aimed at building capacity in development economics in developing countries.In addition, the Embassy in South Africa has provided €100,000 funding for a research partnership between the representative bodies for the university of technology and technological university sectors in South Africa and Ireland. The areas covered have included tourism education, space science, bio-medical engineering, work integrated learning, circular economy, food security, and the Covid 19 pandemic.The Department of Foreign Affairs' Ireland Fellows Programme, which has operated since 1974, also offers individuals from ODA-eligible partner countries the opportunity to study for a Master’s qualification at an Irish Higher Education Institution. Eligible Master’s level programmes are in a wide range of areas aligned with Ireland's development objectives and the achievement of the SDGs, including environmental leadership, engineering, science and technology and health. The programme is intended to develop in-country capacity, nurture future leaders, and build positive relationships with Ireland.
182. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and 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. [23940/23]
View answerThe implementation of the All-Party Dáil motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings continues to be a priority for the Government, as highlighted in the Programme for a Partnership Government. The continuing absence of a substantive response from the British Government on these motions is of deep concern and is an issue I consistently raise with the British government, both at senior political and official level. I raised this with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland most recently on 16 May, reminding him of the urgent need for a considered response.
I will continue to engage with the British Government to achieve progress on this issue, with a view to ensuring access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings.
This year marks the 49th 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.
I attended an event in Dublin on 17 May hosted by Justice for the Forgotten, to remember those that lost their lives in those attacks and to meet with the families of those killed and injured. I assured those families that the Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of the all-Party Dáil motions, and to maintaining a close and cooperative relationship with Justice for the Forgotten, as we continue to seek the full facts of the appalling events of 25 May 1974 and of other attacks in this jurisdiction during the Troubles.
In this context, it is important to restate my concerns regarding the Legacy Bill currently before the UK Parliament. The Bill is not fit for purpose and should not be enacted in its current form. In my meeting with the Secretary of State on 16 May, I once again relayed the Government's deep concerns about the UK Bill.
183. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 92 of 4 May 2023, the national processes to which he refers by which the Chair of the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy was appointed; the number of other persons who were considered in appointing a Chair to the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy; and who made the final the decision to appoint a person (details supplied) to the role of Chair. [23944/23]
View answerIn my capacity as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, I have responsibility for appointing the independent Chairperson of the Consultative Forum.
As Deputies will be aware, Louise Richardson DBE, the highly respected former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, has kindly agreed to take on this important role. Ms. Richardson is a distinguished political scientist with a strong expertise in security policy in her own right. I am grateful to her for taking on this task.
Ms. Richardson has been appointed with due consideration to the experience and expertise required to execute the main functions of Chair. The appointment of Ms. Richardson was taken in-line with other national processes such as the Citizens’ Assembly, Commission on the Defence Forces and others.
I am confident that Ms. Richardson will play a hugely positive role in chairing and overseeing the discussions.
184. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of stakeholders that will take part in the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy; when details of the speakers and participants will be made public in advance of the forum; where a list of such stakeholders can be viewed by members of the public; the number of spaces that are reserved for members of the public to attend the forum in-person; the way in which public participation will be publicised; if he will consider running a media campaign through broadcast, print and online media to inform members of the public of their right to participate in the forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23945/23]
View answerAttendance at the Forum will consist of invited experts and practitioners, from Ireland and internationally, with expertise in the areas to be discussed. Space will be reserved for members of the public to attend the forum in-person, along with representative groups to ensure equality and plurality of voice. All 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.
Full details of the arrangements for registration, live-streaming and the making of submissions will be published by the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence and on the Government website “Gov.ie” before the end of this month.
185. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the Government’s consideration of joining a NATO subsea group would breach Ireland’s neutrality as reported (details supplied); and the estimated cost to the State to finance membership of the NATO subsea group. [23946/23]
View answerIreland’s relationship with NATO is set within the framework of the Partnership for Peace, which Ireland joined in 1999. The relationships between NATO and its partners are based on the principle of self-differentiation, allowing partners to determine the specific elements of cooperation.
Ireland is in the process of renewing its partnership through the Individually Tailored Partnership Programme mechanism. This new framework provides an opportunity to enhance our cooperation in areas such as cyber and hybrid, enhancing resilience and improved maritime situational awareness.
In this context, Ireland, together with other non-NATO members and other industry and civilian stakeholders, will also examine engagement with NATO’s Critical Undersea Coordination Cell. The Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell at NATO is itself a new entity, the details and modalities of which remain under discussion within NATO.
186. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will expedite a passport application for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23948/23]
View answer187. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will expedite the passport application of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23949/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 187 together.
With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.
