Written Answers Nos. 59-71
59. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6960/24]
View answerOfficials in my Department engage on a regular basis with representatives of Bangladesh, both in Dublin, through the Embassy of Bangladesh, and through the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi, which is accredited to Bangladesh.
Under the Government's refreshed Asia Pacific Strategy, Ireland is committed to deepening its footprint in countries across the region, including Bangladesh. A new Honorary Consulate in Dhaka is expected to open in the coming period.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD, is due to travel to Dhaka as part of his engagements for St. Patrick’s Day in March. This will be an opportunity to engage with political and economic stakeholders.
Ireland engages with Bangladesh at multilateral level, including at the UN and as a member of the EU, including within the framework of the EU-Bangladesh Joint Commission.
Ireland continues to monitor the broader human rights situation in Bangladesh, including though the UN’s Universal Periodic Review mechanism, where Ireland most recently presented a statement on Bangladesh in November 2023. At EU level, human rights are raised in the framework of the EU-Bangladesh Joint Commission.
60. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if will report on his engagements with the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6961/24]
View answerEthiopia is Ireland’s largest bilateral international development partner. In 2022, we provided some €40 million in development and humanitarian assistance, through programmes managed by our Embassy in Addis Ababa and through NGO and international partners. Our assistance supports development priorities related to health and education, women’s economic empowerment, democracy and human rights, and humanitarian response. Following several years of severe drought, along with the impact of conflict in Ethiopia, up to 30 million people in the country are in need of assistance.
While Ireland’s bilateral relations with Ethiopia were affected during the conflict in Tigray and Ireland's work on the UN Security Council, in 2021 and 2022, to highlight humanitarian access and other issues, we have normalised relations with the government following a series of high-level meetings and visits, and ongoing engagement by our Embassy in Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian Government agreed last October to the return of the full complement of diplomatic staff at the Embassy.
In November 2023, I visited Ethiopia to reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to partnership on peace and development, including support for transitional justice and accountability measures and the ongoing National Dialogue process. I met with Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide and State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mesganu Arega and was pleased to announce the resumption of Ireland’s support to flagship social protection and health programmes.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD, had earlier met with then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen in New York in September 2023.
In addition, senior Department of Foreign Affairs officials have travelled several times since 2022 to meet with Ethiopian government counterparts in Addis Ababa.
61. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the assistance available to Irish citizens who require repatriation via air ambulance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6969/24]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs provides Consular Assistance within the remit of the Department's Consular Assistance Charter. The Charter sets out in a clear and accessible manner the assistance that the Department can provide to Irish citizens in difficulty overseas, including in cases of serious injury or illness.
With regard to air ambulances specifically, this is a matter for the Health Service Executive, which is the competent authority.
As part of the Department’s regular public communications campaigns on international travel, the Department strongly encourages all Irish citizens travelling overseas to purchase comprehensive travel insurance. The Department’s TravelWise: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/overseas-travel/ website provides information on a range of different issues, including travel insurance, the latest travel advice for countries and the contact details for the nearest Embassy/Consulate in the event that a citizen requires assistance while abroad.
63. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with his European counterparts and international partners regarding the ongoing occupation of part of northern Syria by the Republic of Türkiye; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6989/24]
View answerOver 12 years of conflict in Syria has caused severe levels of hardship and suffering for the Syrian people. Hostilities continue in northern Syria, and ongoing military action has resulted in a needless loss of civilian life. I am particularly concerned by the escalation of conflict in recent months, including by Turkish forces. This comes at a time when humanitarian needs are greater than ever in Syria. UN OCHA estimate that a projected 16.7 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024, an all-time high.
During Ireland’s tenure on the United Nations Security Council, we were engaged on the Syria humanitarian and political file, serving as co-penholders for the UN resolution on the delivery of cross border humanitarian assistance into northwest Syria. In this role, Ireland actively engaged with international partners, including Türkiye, on the importance of extending this lifesaving humanitarian assistance measure. We also called on all parties to the conflict in Syria to de-escalate hostilities and expressed our concern directly to the Turkish government on the possibility of further military action in northern Syria.
I recognise the security threats that Türkiye faces, and am mindful of the attacks on Turkish territory in the past year alone. The Turkish government has a legitimate right to fight terrorism, but it must do so in a proportionate manner and in full compliance with the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law. In its October 2019 Council Conclusions, the EU called on Türkiye to cease its military action in Syria and to withdraw its forces, and I echo that call.
A solution to the crisis in Syria cannot be obtained by a continuation of military activity and must be found through a genuine political transition, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the 2012 Geneva Communique.
64. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider calling on the Israeli government to lift its restriction on supplies of insulin, other diabetes supplies and all other medications for long term conditions from entering Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7017/24]
View answerA public health disaster has been unfolding in Gaza in recent months. In addition to mass displacement of 85% of the population of Gaza, the World Health Organisation has confirmed that the healthcare system has largely collapsed as a result of the conflict.
As of 30 January, the WHO estimate that just 13 of 36 hospitals in Gaza were partially functioning. As of 31 January, just 4 of UNRWA’s 22 health centres were operational.
Health facilities are also facing acute shortages of supplies. This includes insulin, anaesthetics, antibiotics, and other medical supplies. It also includes the very basics - water, food, fuel, and electricity. Without power, medical equipment dependent on electricity cannot function.
This dire public health situation underlines the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which Ireland has consistently called for. It also underlines the need for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into Gaza. The amount of assistance entering the strip has increased in recent weeks but remains completely inadequate. There is an urgent need for fuel, water, food and other humanitarian supplies, including medical supplies such as insulin and other medical supplies, to reach those in dire need. Such supplies should not be subject to restriction.
Ireland’s support to the people of Palestine, including development funding and the response to the war in Gaza amounted to €36 million in 2023. This included €18 million to UNRWA and €4.75 million to the UN OCHA Palestine Humanitarian Fund, which channels resources to key humanitarian partners on the ground, based on needs, and is active in life-saving sectors including health, shelter, food security and protection. I will be meeting the UNRWA Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, in Dublin this week and will be discussing with him how Ireland can continue to support UNRWA's essential work.
65. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a person (details supplied) who applied to the foreign birth register will have their application processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7082/24]
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 or Naturalisation.
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.
FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 8-9 months from receipt of all required supporting documents, a decrease in turnaround time of 75% from over two and a half years in 2022. Applications that require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, the online application was made and supporting documents received by the Passport Service in May 2023. Further supporting documents for the application were requested from the applicant on 11 February 2024. The application cannot proceed until the required supporting documents are submitted.
The Passport Service Customer Service Hub has dedicated agents to deal with Foreign Birth Registration application queries. The contact number for urgent Foreign Birth Registration queries is +353 1 568 3331. This number is also available on the Department's website.
66. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he can review an application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7088/24]
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 or Naturalisation.
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.
FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 8-9 months from receipt of all required supporting documents, a decrease in turnaround time of 75% from over two and a half years in 2022. Applications that require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
With regard to the specific Foreign Birth Registration application about which the Deputy has enquired, the online application was made in May 2023. Supporting documents were received by the Passport Service in July 2023. In line with current processing times, this application will be processed by April 2024.
All supporting documents will be returned to applicant once the application has been processed.
The Passport Service Customer Service Hub has dedicated agents to deal with Foreign Birth Registration application queries. The contact number for urgent Foreign Birth Registration queries is +353 1 568 3331. This number is also available on the Department's website.
67. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when infrastructure to ensure access to high-speed fibre broadband will be installed in the case of a property (details supplied); when assistance will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6706/24]
View answerIn December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard. There may be a choice of operators offering this service in any given area. Further information in this regard is available at www.comreg.ie/compare/#/services.
High speed broadband should already be available at the premises referred to in the question, however, in terms of fibre connectivity, your constituent can raise a query via the DECC webform at secure.dccae.gov.ie/forms/NBP-Customer-Service.aspx and DECC will escalate with open eir to investigate this matter further.
The Department expects that the majority of the Blue area of the NBP Map will be served with high-speed broadband from commercial operators. The European Electronics Communications Code (EECC) requires a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) to be implemented by Member States, which provides an assurance that all premises can access a high-speed broadband connection. This provides another tool to help deliver upon the NBP’s policy objectives that every home and business in the country will have access to high-speed broadband.
The EECC legislation now transposed into Irish Law provides a broadband USO, which will designate a Significant Market Power (SMP) for broadband in specific areas. Therefore, premises that do not have access to “adequate” broadband will be covered by the USO. The timeframe for implementation of the USO is yet to be finalised, however it is likely to provide some safeguards to citizens in the commercial areas, ensuring they get access to adequate broadband services from operators in these areas.
Commercial operators’ fibre roll-outs are progressing at pace. Open eir have already passed over over 1.1 million homes. SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 545,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years, to date it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 2 of 2023 saw a 7.4% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to the first 3 months of the year, and a 33.7% increase when compared to Quarter 2 of 2022. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable. The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (576,856) or cable (359,669) infrastructure.
68. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware of concerns that the deposit return scheme will discriminate against those with disabilities; how he plans to mitigate these concerns; if he will consider requesting that the CCPC conduct an examination of the roll-out of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6709/24]
View answerRe-turn, the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) operator, has committed to continually review accessibility practices considering the needs of all users. This includes the early convening of a consultative group to ensure that the concerns of all parties, in particular those with accessibility challenges, are heard and addressed. I understand that Re-Turn has invited a number of disability organisations to participate.
Individuals with accessibility issues who may face difficulties returning bottles and cans to their local retailer may contact Re-Turn directly. My Department and Re-Turn will monitor this issue closely as the scheme builds momentum in the coming months.
Prior to launch, both my Department and Re-Turn engaged with the CCPC in relation to some aspects of DRS. The scheme is still in the early days of its roll out and in my view, such an examination of its performance would be premature at this point.
69. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what support can be offered to assist homeowners to change their heating systems to biofuel and HVO systems; if he recognises that heat pump systems are not suitable for many older houses or may be unaffordable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6743/24]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan (CAP) includes a range of measures to address the use of fossil fuel in heating systems in buildings and the National Heat Study contains the detailed analysis that is informing the development of options, policies and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050. The Study considered a number of potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of dwelling and business types. This included the use of liquid biofuels such as Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO), solid biomass, biogases and other technologies such as heat pumps and district heating networks.
The recommendation of the Heat Study is that heat pumps are the optimal decarbonisation path for domestic heating systems, with district heating also being an option that can be widely deployed. There are, therefore, no current plans to provide grants for conversion to biofuel or HVO.
In line with CAP commitments, my Department is working on the development of a Heat Policy Statement and a Roadmap for the Phase Out of Fossil Fuel heating as part of the requirement to transition to zero carbon heating by 2050 at the latest.
70. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures he is taking to ensure that organisations, including State bodies under the aegis of his Department as well as non-governmental organisations and charities that are in receipt of funding from his Department, do not use any portion of such funding to campaign or promote a position in favour or against any outcome of the forthcoming referenda on Articles 41.1.1, 41.2.1 and 41.2.2 of the Constitution, thereby breaching the McKenna principles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6759/24]
View answerMy Department circulated to all staff guidance it received from the Department of an Taoiseach in respect of the application of the principles of the various Court judgments relevant to the Government’s role in referendum campaigns.
It is the responsibility of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, under Chapter 5, Part 2 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022, to provide a general explanation of the subject matter of the proposals for the referendums and to promote public awareness and encourage voting at the referendums.
Funding provided by my Department to organisations is subject to terms and conditions as set in oversight and/or funding agreements. Funding may only be drawn down for the purposes specified in these agreements.
71. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what his plans are to reduce the average two-year waiting time for the free energy upgrades (warmer homes) scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6795/24]
View answerThe Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the Warmer Homes Scheme on behalf of my Department. Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households and reducing the waiting times for the Warmer Homes Scheme is a top priority for my Department and the SEAI. My officials continue to work with the SEAI to maximise and accelerate the output of free energy upgrades provided under this important scheme.
In recent years, the Warmer Homes Scheme has delivered a greater volume of deeper and more complex upgrades. This is reflected in the average cost of upgrades which have seen an almost tenfold increase from €2,600 in 2015 to just approximately €24,000 in 2023.
These deeper upgrades mean that more lower income homeowners are benefitting significantly from warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and reduced emissions. However, it is important to acknowledge that deeper retrofits take longer to complete.
This improvement in the upgrades provided under the scheme in tandem with increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit are driving significantly increased levels of demand. Approximately 24,000 applications from homeowners were received in 2022 and 2023 combined.
At the same time, significantly increased budget allocations from Government have seen output and expenditure increase under the scheme, from 2,242 homes and a spend of €38.1million in 2021 to 5,897 homes and a record spend of €158 million last year.
For the homes completed in 2023, the average waiting time from application to completion was 20 months. This is a reduction from 26 months for homes completed in 2022.
A range of measures introduced by my Department and SEAI contributed to the reduction in waiting times, including:
• significantly increased budgets and budget certainty with an allocation of almost €210 million in place for 2024;
• increased staffing resources in SEAI; and
• actions to address supply chain challenges.
SEAI also established a new contractor panel in September 2023, which increased the number of contractors operating under the scheme.
