Vol. 1032 No. 4
63. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether efforts to further the search for peace in Palestine have been further hampered as a consequence of the inflammatory rhetoric and actions emanating from the newly elected Government in Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4613/23]
I was beginning to think the Tánaiste had forgotten he had taken on the new role of Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Would the Deputy believe my pass would not work and I was locked in?
There are no free passes here.
As it is my first opportunity to question the Tánaiste as the new Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to congratulate him on taking on that role. I look forward to our engagement over the next while.
I will start off our questions with a question on foot of the new Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office in an extreme right-wing Government. Unfortunately, we have seen a continuation of inflammatory language and, worse still, over 35 Palestinians being killed since the start of this year.
This is an introduction.
I ask the Minister whether he sees prospects of moving a peaceful dialogue forward jeopardised now as a result of this new right-wing Government.
I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I appreciate them and I look forward to working with the Deputy and others on these issues.
At the outset, I want to put on record again my strong condemnation of last Friday's shocking attack in Jerusalem, and to convey my thoughts and sympathies to the victims and their families.
Turning to the Deputy's question, it is Ireland's long-standing position that policies and practices of successive Israeli Governments relating to illegal settlements and their expansion, as well as expulsions, forced transfers and demolitions, undermine prospects for a two-state solution and are a major obstacle to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
We have also repeatedly underlined that long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians cannot be achieved through the use of excessive force or by acts of violence by anyone. I was appalled by the violence during an operation by the Israeli security forces in Jenin last Thursday, resulting in the death and injury of a number of civilians. I am also very concerned by the sharp rise in settler violence in recent days.
It is imperative that all policy responses and actions are in line with international law and contribute to de-escalation. Now is not the time to double down on responses that only serve to inflame tensions. Proposals announced earlier this year to further expand settlement activities are deeply concerning. I also urge that there be no repeat of unilateral actions that undermine the status quo of the holy sites.
The imposition by the Israeli Government of punitive measures on the Palestinian people, following the request by the United Nations General Assembly for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, was not acceptable and should be reversed.
In addition, a number of the steps proposed by the Israeli Government on Sunday in response to the terrible attack on Friday evening give rise to significant concern.
These tragic developments serve as a stark reminder of the need to break this continuing cycle of violence. The current trajectory cannot be sustained. The focus of all parties, including the international community, must be on urgent de-escalation and on the restoration of a genuine political horizon. The only lasting solution to the conflict can be through relaunching meaningful negotiations between the parties on realising a two-state solution.
This is the most right-wing government in the history of Israel. It came to power on the back of an agenda that can only contribute to the worsening violence and to the way in which Palestinians are treated. We have seen since the start of the year that more than 35 Palestinians, including eight children, have been killed. Unfortunately, that has led, as the Tánaiste mentioned, to the killing of Israelis in Jerusalem last week. We see a ratcheting up of tensions. That has come about following the inflammatory language and actions of the new Israeli Government. These actions should not be a surprise. In May 2021, the House adopted a resolution stating that Israel had breached international law by annexing Palestinian land, and it continues to do so. The Israeli Government has said it will go further in annexing more Palestinian land, including parts of East Jerusalem. The time for rhetoric has passed. We need action. What action are the Government and the Tánaiste, who has responsibility for foreign affairs, prepared to take now to hold Israel to account for its continuous breach of human rights and international law?
We are concerned about the situation in Palestine and about the position of the new Israeli Government, especially in the context of its attitude towards expansion. There is real concern regarding the statements that have been made, the visit to the holy site and so on. Ireland has been active on this issue at the UN Security Council over the past year and a half to two years, so much so that UN Secretary General Guterres has been appreciative of the Irish effort. At European Union level, we and like-minded countries have pursued justice and fair play for the Palestinians. The EU remains the Palestinian Authority's biggest donor. Last week at the Foreign Affairs Council, Prime Minister Shtayyeh and the foreign minister, Mr. al-Maliki, of the Palestinian Authority gave a presentation. It was a useful exchange. We are pushing for a stronger relationship between the European Union and the Palestinian Authority, for an annual dialogue and an association agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the European Union in order to achieve a better balance in the context of the relationship between the EU and Israel as opposed to that between the EU and the Palestinian Authority.
The Minister is right to be concerned about what is happening on the ground, but this has not just come about since the start of the year. It has been a systematic approach by successive Israeli Governments to displace Palestinians from their land, demolish and destroy their homes and disperse them into fragments of their land. We need to move beyond the rhetoric of concern. We need definitive action from the international community, the EU and, in this instance, the Tánaiste.
This Dáil unanimously agreed to recognise the state of Palestine. Now is the time to move ahead and do that. The Tánaiste's predecessor, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, stated that recognition of the state of Palestine could only be done in tandem with a peace process. Unfortunately, I do not see that peace process coming about at any time in the near future. We need to do what we can do, namely, recognise the state of Palestine. Fianna Fáil needs to follow through on its commitment in respect of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. Will the Tánaiste move that legislation forward?
The Deputy is correct that the programme for Government states that the Government will honour its commitment to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe that doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-state solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory. We are working with like-minded states in the European Union on this issue. The objective is that any such decision would be taken at the optimal time to have the best impact. The context has always been to try to move towards a two-state solution and to get a proper negotiation process in place. It was interesting talking to Prime Minister Shtayyeh and the foreign minister, Mr. al-Maliki, of the Palestinian Authority last Monday. They are committed to the two-state solution. They do not want to abandon that. We must have that within our horizon in any moves or decisions we make and we must do it when it will have the most impact.
64. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he intends to make to try to prevent further escalation of the war in Ukraine in his new role as Minister for Foreign Affairs of a neutral country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4515/23]
I wish the Tánaiste well in his new role. In his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs in a neutral country, what does he intend to do to send the message of neutrality, especially regarding the conflict in Ukraine? As most people have seen, this is a brutal war carried out by a brutal regime.
I thank the Deputy for his comments and for raising this issue.
While Ireland is a militarily neutral country, meaning that we do not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements, we are not politically or morally neutral in response to Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Ireland strongly condemns the ongoing, despicable and indiscriminate missile and drone attacks against civilian targets across Ukraine. These are having a devastating impact on Ukraine's energy and other critical civilian infrastructure. The sole aim of such attacks is to terrorise the Ukrainian population. This exacerbates the already challenging humanitarian situation in Ukraine, where millions have been displaced, particularly in the context of a harsh winter. These attacks constitute another unacceptable escalation of the war, and civilians are paying the highest price. Those responsible must be held to account.
During our tenure on the United Nations Security Council we clearly, consistently and unambiguously called on Russia to end its aggression, comply with its obligations under international law and withdraw all its forces unconditionally from the entirety of the sovereign and internationally recognised territory of Ukraine. Ireland will continue to use its voice, including at European Union level and in relevant multilateral fora, to call on the Russian Federation to end its illegal war against Ukraine, to withdraw its forces and to engage in genuine dialogue and diplomacy towards peace. We have received President Zelenskyy's ten-point peace plan and have been studying it closely. We will reflect on how Ireland might best contribute to its objectives. We are already involved in many of the areas it covers, including food security, accountability and nuclear safety. We are grateful to the United Nations and other partners for their ongoing efforts. We know there is only one way to end the suffering in Ukraine and that is for Russia to end its illegal war, withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine and restore peace.
I will not mince my words. I do not believe that anyone minces their words in this Chamber. Putin is a war criminal. The crimes he has committed in the past year against the Ukrainian people are tantamount to war crimes; they are akin to what Nazi Germany did to most of Europe and Russia. He has caused untold suffering to the Ukrainian people. The resistance by the Ukrainian people has been heroic to the detriment of thousands, including Ukrainian and Russian soldiers. Putin is fixated on continuing this conflict.
Alarm bells start ringing when I see NATO sending hundreds of tanks. I fear that this conflict could escalate into something that is uncontrollable.
That means it could be NATO versus Russia, and that is a completely different kettle of fish.
I appreciate the Deputy’s comments, and their bona fide nature, in respect of Putin's conduct of the war. Russia must be held to account, which is why Ireland supports an international tribunal to bring Russia to account in terms of the crime of aggression. War crimes are being committed. It was disappointing in the European Parliament last week that two Irish MEPs refused to support a resolution to establish such a tribunal on the crime of aggression. European Parliament Members Mick Wallace and Clare Daly went against the resolution, which I was shocked to see, while a total of 472 MEPs voted in favour of it.
As for NATO, I note NATO leaders, including Chancellor Scholz and President Macron, did everything they could to stop this war. They did not want this war. President Macron went to Moscow and pleaded with Putin not to go to war. They did not want a war. They would love for the war to end. The UN Charter affords the right to self-defence. That is what is involved here, unfortunately.
Looking at the past year and the evolution of this conflict, who knows where it will end. With continued escalation and more heavy weaponry, such as the tanks provided by the western alliance, someone somewhere will have to ask where we are going with this conflict. Is it escalation or de-escalation? All wars end but this war has the potential to escalate into a war that could go beyond the borders of Ukraine. When heavy weaponry is provided, as the US, Germany and France have done, one wonders how this war will end, where it will end, and the impact on Ireland's neutrality itself. Our neutrality has been questioned over the past year based on our stance towards Ukraine. One can look at Ireland's neutrality particularly in regard to Shannon Airport.
Please, Deputy. Féach ar an gclog.
To the best of my knowledge, the only country to question Ireland's neutrality last year was Russia. In my view, Russia has zero credibility in that regard. We are militarily neutral. We are not politically neutral. We are members of the European Union and the United Nations. The UN Charter is very strong on self-defence. Ukraine is entitled to defend itself against appalling aggression. Every major leader in Europe went to President Putin before the war and pleaded with him not to go to war, that there were better routes, such as dialogue and negotiations. If he was worried about the security architecture of Europe, it could have been resolved. Even when the war started, and as it has continued, President Macron has maintained dialogue with President Putin, as has the German Chancellor. Every effort has been made throughout this to try to get the war stopped but Putin has no interest in peace and has shown no interest in peace. He wants to annihilate Ukraine. He wants to make it a puppet regime under his dominance. He does not want a democracy alongside him.
65. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures being put in place to ensure that there will be no unnecessary backlog in the issuing of passports in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4614/23]
67. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the Passport Office is prepared for the influx of passport applications for this spring and summer (details supplied). [4615/23]
The year 2022 was an unmitigated disaster when it came to the handling and issuing of passports. It saw many families, unfortunately, missing out on their holidays due to chronic delays in the issuing of passports. What lessons have been learned from last year's mess? More importantly, what actions will be put in place to ensure people get their passport in a timely manner and that we do not see a repeat of some of the scenes from last year?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 67 together.
Last year was an exceptionally busy year for the passport service, with over 1.085 million passports issued. This represents the first time in the history of the State that over 1 million passports were issued in a calendar year. The passport service surpassed its previous busiest year of 2019, when 935,000 passports were issued. The year 2023 is set to be similarly busy. In recent weeks, there has been a marked increase in applications received, signifying that the next busy season for passports is commencing. Applications have increased from an average of 1,400 per day in December to almost 5,000 per day in recent weeks. The majority of online renewal applications are currently being processed in three working days or less.
Thanks to significant investment by the Government and the dedicated work of the passport service staff, substantial improvements were made in 2022 and full normal service was restored. All processing times for applications are in line with normal pre-Covid processing times.
In recent months, my Department has been planning to ensure that demand for passports continues to be met in 2023 with target processing times maintained throughout the year. Staffing of the passport service to respond to demand continues to be a priority for my Department in 2023 and is kept under constant review. My Department ran 15 competitions in 2021 and 2022 to address staffing needs in the passport service. New office space on the Balbriggan campus is now open and provides more than 200 additional workstations to accommodate the increase in staff numbers. The focus on intensive training and upskilling of staff in 2022 has increased the resources available that can process complex applications, such as first-time child applications.
My Department is also actively working to assign new staff to the passport service throughout the first quarter of this year. Approximately 100 successful candidates from a temporary clerical officer competition run by the Department are currently going through the Garda vetting process and will be assigned in the coming weeks and months.
The passport service's customer service hub saw a record-breaking 2,615 calls answered on Monday, 23 January. Currently, 100% of calls received are being answered. The staffing plan for 2023 aims to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained during periods of peak demand. Passport Online can be used by 97% of applicants across the world for both first-time and renewal applications. The Passport Online service is four times faster than paper-based applications for adult and child renewal applications. Over 90% of applicants now apply through Passport Online.
The passport service is pursuing a digital first strategy, which promotes Passport Online as the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to apply for a passport. The focus of our current communications campaign for winter-spring 2023 is to highlight the benefits of the digital-first approach, in that Passport Online is the most efficient way to apply for one's passport. The campaign also reminds citizens to check their passport is in date.
Indications are that the campaign is having the desired impact. January application numbers to date in 2023 have increased by 24% when compared with the same period in 2022. Additionally, we have seen a 245% increase in website traffic to dfa.ie/passports compared to early December, prior to the campaign. The passport service's website is regularly updated to ensure that clear information is given to applicants regarding the documentary requirements for their application, including in relation to a change of name.
I am confident the staffing and accommodation measures implemented, along with other improvements, will continue to have a positive impact on passport processing times for 2023.
First and foremost, I pay tribute to all the staff in the Passport Office who did exceptionally good work in very difficult circumstances. When I say "difficult circumstances" I mean the failure to prepare and foresee what was coming post Brexit. There was always going to be a surge in the number of people looking to travel post Covid and we did not have the proper people or resources in place to deal with what was a predictable increase in passport applications.
I welcome some of what the Minister said in regard to the increase in workforce, the increase in space on the Balbriggan site, as well as the online information campaign, of which we are seeing the benefits. However, there are still challenges with how first-time child passport applications are processed, in getting members of the Garda to witness the application, and the Garda contacting witnesses, which was a huge problem last year.
That needs to be addressed. Will the Tánaiste touch on that? This involved witnesses via An Garda Síochána and caused huge problems. The other area is getting to talk to a real person, so will the Tánaiste tell us how many additional staff have been deployed to man the lines and the hub to respond to people's concerns?
I appreciate the Deputy's comments on the staff in the passport service. We now have 763 people working in the service, which is the largest number ever employed. We are committed to maintaining and improving that level, if we can.
The Deputy is correct. There are issues relating to the role of An Garda Síochána, which is an essential part of the verification process. There are certain passport applications that require forms to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. We appreciate the work of An Garda Síochána in that respect. It is a vital element in terms of the identity and consent verification process for the passport service.
During the peak period for passport demand in 2022, a system was established between the passport service and An Garda Síochána to verify applications in cases where the Garda signature could not be verified by calling the Garda station. This new system assisted in reducing the number of applications that were delayed due to a failure to verify witness details. During the busiest summer months, an average of 15 applications per day were verified in this manner. We are constantly looking at ways to innovate, improve and make the system more effective.
What analysis has taken place? I asked the previous Minister a number of times about increasing capacity, that is, opening new passport offices. I appreciate that a lot of the demand is online and that is where we are trying to drive people, but there will always be the need for people to walk into a passport office. What analysis has been done regarding opening a new passport office somewhere in the State? What analysis, if any, has been done on opening one in the North? Last year saw for the first time a significant increase of more than 128,000 passport applications - new and renewals - from the North, of which 50,000 were brand new. There is a real need for a passport office in the North. What analysis has been done on opening an additional office in the State and one in the North, where there is significant growing demand?
Of the 1.1 million, 11% were from Northern Ireland, but 90% of those were online. The approach of the Department has been digital first and to encourage and incentivise more and more people to go online because it is the most convenient, quickest and least expensive channel for applicants. People have made representations in respect of new passport offices in Northern Ireland and the west, but the online approach is working very effectively and has allowed for the centralisation of passport processing, resulting in greater efficiencies for the service and customers. The majority of passport service operations take place at the newly expanded Balbriggan campus, which now has capacity for 500 staff. Up to 90% of applicants from Northern Ireland applied for their passport online last year. There are passport offices in Mount Street and Cork, which have public counters and offer urgent appointment services. We keep all this under constant review, but at the moment, the push is towards the digital first side.
A significant amount of time was spent in all our offices to get passports through on time in 2022. Difficulties include the Passport Office timeline differing from what is available online. I am calling for additional resources to be provided to address the backlog in processing passports. Will the Tánaiste confirm whether postal applications from 2022 are still on the system from 2022? I believe that is the case. If there are, how long will it take to clear the backlog given the number of people who are there at the moment? What is the Government going to do to address the situation for people waiting on a passport since last year?
There is no backlog as such. We are meeting turnaround times. Passport applications are being processed in line with normal turnaround times. As I said, 2022 was an exceptionally busy year with more than 1,085,000 passports. This year, 2023, looks like being similar, with 61,000 passports issued to date. About 56,000 fully complete applications are in the passport service system, including 10,700 paper applications. They are not considered outstanding because they are being processed in line with normal turnaround times. There will always be people applying. The issue is how quickly we are turning them around. They are now being turned around within the normal timeframe. The turnaround time for passport applications does not begin until the required supporting documents have been submitted.
I am very concerned about how many of our nurses, doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare workers are going abroad to work. It is the hopelessness I can see in them when I meet them that is the biggest issue. When is the Government going to tackle the issue of our healthcare workers leaving this country? The reason I know this is the case is because they are coming to us for help with their passport applications so they can leave this country when our health system needs them so badly. When is the Government going to tackle the problem and keep our health workers here? This comes from them coming to me for help with passport applications so they can leave the country because they see no future here with the way the health system is run.
That is more a question for the Department of Health, but I would make the point that-----
The Tánaiste was Minister for Health once.
I was, once upon a time. Thousands of people are coming into the Irish health service every year. I recently attended an event relating to nursing for very sick young children and met two young nurses who had come back from Australia to work in the service in Ireland. It was a foreign NGO but it highlighted for me that the traffic is two-way. These were young Irish nurses who had been in Australia and had now decided to come back to Ireland
And they turned around and went back home again.
No, these particular nurses are here. I accept that others go out.
After coming home.
The health world has always been highly mobile. We must do more to attract and create better working conditions in our health service to retain staff there. That is important.
They came home for the call and now they are going back.
66. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an update on the ongoing discussions regarding possible changes to the Brexit protocol that can assist the movement of goods between the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. [4793/23]
Will the Tánaiste advise regarding the ongoing new revised negotiations around the Brexit protocol in terms of the movement of goods on and off the island in respect of the preservation of the open Border?
I have consistently heard in my engagements with business and people in Northern Ireland that resolving issues around the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a key priority for them. This is recognised by both the EU and the UK, which are devoting substantial time and effort to finding joint solutions that address these concerns.
European Commission Vice President Šefčovič met the UK Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in London on 9 January to take stock of this ongoing technical work. They also held a follow-up video call on 16 January. On 9 January, the EU and the UK reached agreement on EU access to UK IT systems. Access to these data was a key issue for the EU in building trust and providing assurance. However, both sides also noted that a range of critical issues still need to be resolved. They agreed that their technical teams would work rapidly to scope the potential for solutions.
I have been clear in my engagements with my EU and UK counterparts that it is essential we give the teams space to try to find comprehensive joint solutions. The Government fully supports the approach led by Vice President Šefčovič. I met him most recently in Brussels on 10 January and continue to keep in close contact with him.
Agreeing shared solutions on the protocol will provide the certainty and stability that people and businesses in Northern Ireland need to take advantage of opportunities offered by the protocol, not least access to both the EU Single Market and the UK internal market, a combined market of more than half a billion people. More broadly, resolving the protocol issues will also open up opportunities for greater EU-UK co-operation, which is vital given the shared global challenges we face. I have been consistent in making the point that we should give space to the UK and EU teams to continue the discussions on the protocol in order, it is hoped, that they arrive at a satisfactory resolution to these issues.
It is fair to say that the Northern Ireland protocol is being used for political leverage, specifically by the northern unionists, to seek concessions. It is also being used to stymie the resumption of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is holding up effective governance in the North of Ireland. This is especially noted with regard to the IMF announcement on the UK economy today. The Minister has answered part of my second question, which is whether the business community is being consulted widely about its ideas about what the softening of the protocol might mean and about the movement of goods.
On capital, is there any chance of extra infrastructural moneys coming from either the UK Government or possibly from Europe that could be made available to the Northern Ireland economy to act as an incentive to restore the power-sharing Executive?
The Deputy made some fair points in the latter part of his question. From the outset, we have acknowledged that issues have arisen in the operation of the protocol, particularly with regard to consumer goods. In my meetings with all political parties in Northern Ireland, including unionist parties, we have acknowledged that. I think Vice-President Šefčovič and the European Union have acknowledged it too. It is now a matter of the European Commission and the UK Government seeing if they can resolve those issues. They are in discussions about that. The voice of business, particularly the business working group, has been heard. Over the last year, the Taoiseach and I have been in constant contact with the voice of business to understand its needs. We have highlighted its needs to the British Government in respect of certain legislative proposals that the British Government had because businesses have to make the operational details work on the ground in the end.
We all agree that the resumption of the Executive is needed to offer hope and better governance and administration of the Northern Ireland budget and economy. What might be on offer in the shared island initiative? When I look at Derry, I see many similarities with my own city of Waterford. That city has suffered from a lack of per capita resourcing for its university and hospital, which is similar to Waterford. It aligns with the experience of Waterford, which has suffered because of political strategies, the interests of Dublin and the temporary government in Cork, which has denied resourcing to Waterford, the south east and the wider region. Why should Derry consider that its place would be any better in a shared island initiative as it looks at the Government's continuing failure to provide per capita resourcing to Waterford and the south east?
I have been to Derry in the context of the shared island initiative over the last two and a half years. People there are pleased with the shared island initiative. The North West Strategic Growth Partnership is particularly pleased. It involves all of the councils in the north west working together in harmony by leaving politics and party politics outside the door to advance the cause of the region. The A5 is in a public inquiry process. The most submissions on the all-island rail strategy came from the north west because connectivity is a significant issue for the north west. We said to the university, particularly the Magee Campus, that we are awaiting proposals on the shared island initiative. It has submitted proposals and we have supported projects in the north west, particularly relating to research. Over €40 million has been allocated to research proposals on the island of Ireland through the shared island initiative. We stand ready to do more.
