Written Answers Nos. 183-191
183. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will revert to this Deputy on (details supplied) regarding air fares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42079/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll official travel undertaken by Ambassadors and Officers of my Department based overseas, is in accordance with the central aims of the Department’s travel policy, which is based on the travel policy for all Government Departments laid down by the Department of Finance, which is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.
It is the policy of the Department not to use first class air travel. Economy air travel is the preferred option. Business class air travel may be used in specific circumstances where the distance or the business need justifies it.
In the time available to answer this question it was not possible to extract details of travel by individual Ambassador as this would involve a significant trawl of records to prepare the list. The table below details the 2014 cost of air travel by Embassy. This includes the travel of the Ambassador and other Departmental Officers from that Embassy. The total cost of economy and business class air travel taken in 2014 is outlined in the table. There were no first class flights in 2014.
|
Embassy |
Economy Class € |
Business Class € |
|
Abu Dhabi |
8,128 |
|
|
Abuja |
8,179 |
|
|
Addis Ababa |
25,192 |
1,839 |
|
Ankara |
7,217 |
|
|
Athens |
2,164 |
|
|
Beijing |
16,207 |
|
|
Berlin |
5,774 |
|
|
Berne |
144 |
|
|
Brasilia |
13,129 |
|
|
Bratislava |
135 |
|
|
Brussels |
89 |
|
|
Bucharest |
2,671 |
428 |
|
Budapest |
1,651 |
|
|
Buenos Aires |
10,283 |
|
|
Cairo |
3,495 |
|
|
Canberra |
34,487 |
|
|
Copenhagen |
570 |
|
|
Dar Es Salaam |
22,010 |
|
|
Freetown |
5,026 |
|
|
Hanoi |
64,859 |
|
|
Helsinki |
885 |
|
|
Holy See |
3,837 |
|
|
Jakarta |
7,496 |
|
|
Kampala |
28,639 |
|
|
Kuala Lumpur |
3,167 |
|
|
Lilongwe |
26,876 |
|
|
Lisbon |
1,936 |
|
|
Ljubljana |
485 |
|
|
London |
3,864 |
|
|
Lusaka |
8,809 |
|
|
Luxembourg |
166 |
|
|
Madrid |
2,282 |
|
|
Maputo |
101,558 |
5,900 |
|
Maseru |
1,616 |
2,562 |
|
Mexico |
14,157 |
1,040 |
|
Moscow |
7,753 |
|
|
New Delhi |
11,644 |
|
|
Nicosia |
708 |
|
|
Oslo |
1,755 |
|
|
Ottawa |
18,860 |
|
|
Paris |
4,374 |
|
|
Prague |
3,683 |
|
|
Pretoria |
28,932 |
6,268 |
|
Riga |
340 |
|
|
Riyadh |
5,572 |
|
|
Rome |
2,932 |
|
|
Seoul |
3,281 |
|
|
Singapore |
7,626 |
|
|
Sofia |
2,051 |
|
|
Stockholm |
265 |
|
|
Tallinn |
781 |
|
|
The Hague |
306 |
|
|
Tokyo |
9,580 |
|
|
Valletta |
1,401 |
|
|
Vienna |
5,374 |
|
|
Warsaw |
1,268 |
|
|
Washington DC |
9,551 |
|
|
Total |
565,220 |
18,037 |
184. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of young persons who are expected to participate on the Fréamhacha programme in 2016; the activities the programme will entail; the approximate cost of the programme to his Department and overall; and given that the programme in 2016 will be a pilot, the metrics that are being used to evaluate it as a success or a failure. [42086/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the course of the Global Irish Economic Forum my colleague Mr. Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Diaspora Affairs, announced his intention to pilot a summer camp programme designed to enhance connection with the Irish diaspora. It had already been indicated in ‘Global Irish: Ireland’s Diaspora Policy’ that this pilot programme would take place.
It is proposed that this programme would allow younger members of the Irish diaspora the opportunity to visit Ireland on a short immersive visit in the summer of 2016. The programme will be primarily educational in nature and designed to encourage students to develop a deeper connection with Ireland. Participants will have the opportunity to travel to visit rural and urban areas, to learn about the country’s history and to experience the modern face of Ireland.
Work is currently underway in my Department to elaborate the details of this programme and to tender for an external partner to assist with its administration. The costs of the programme will be dependent on the number of young people participating and further details will be available in the coming weeks.
With regard to the evaluation of the programme following its pilot phase, my Department is committed to developing a clear methodology which will fully evaluate the pilot programme before any decision is taken on its future.
185. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that a family (details supplied) is fighting against immediate eviction from their East Jerusalem home in favour of an Israeli family with no ties to the building; that the resident family has resided in this home for 65 years; and if he will raise this case and other illegal evictions with the Israeli authorities. [42092/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs have other Deputies, I have received a lengthy submission relating to this case.
There is clearly a long legal history to the case, on which I am not able to make a judgement.
I have consistently focused on the issues surrounding settlements, including evictions and seizures of property, as a major driver of the continuing conflict and an obstacle to peace. These pressures on Palestinians in Jerusalem in particular have contributed to the tensions which have recently erupted in violence.
These views have been clearly communicated both at international level and directly to the Israeli authorities, including in a meeting at senior diplomatic level last week.
Ireland also funds Israeli and Palestinian NGOs which monitor and fight these cases in the courts. However, it is not possible for Ireland to directly examine and follow up on every individual case which is brought to our attention.
In this case I am aware that EU partners in Jerusalem have visited the family home and attended some of the hearings. I understand that for the moment an injunction has been granted against the threatened eviction.
186. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that from 9 November 2015 to 13 November 2015, in the space of less than one week, three prominent Colombian human rights defenders (details supplied) were killed; if he is aware that it has been claimed they were killed by right-wing paramilitaries with the complicity of the Colombian authorities and army; and if he will raise the case with the Colombian authorities. [42093/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra187. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the killing of one peasant farmer and the injuring of many more after heavy military operations in Argelia in Cauca in Colombia; if he is concerned that such a military operation was carried out against one of the most marginalised communities in one of the poorest regions of Colombia, who were all unarmed; and if he will raise the case with the Colombian authorities. [42094/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra189. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on recent reports of violence and murder during coca eradication in Argelia in the south-western department of Cauca in Colombia; his plans to hold talks with the Colombian Government with regard to alternative approaches, such as crop substitution programmes, to aggressive coca eradication efforts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42233/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 186, 187 and 189 together.
I am concerned by the killing of three human rights defenders in separate incidents in Colombia in recent weeks. I am also aware of reports of recent violence relating to coca eradication in Argelia in the Department of Cauca, Colombia. The incidents are reminders that Colombia still faces significant challenges in overcoming decades of violence in order to secure a lasting peace.
I echo the call of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia which urges the different state agencies responsible for the protection of human rights defenders to implement effective policies and measures to prevent and mitigate the risk to human rights defenders. I also support the call of the OHCHR on the Prosecutor General's Office to advance the investigation into those responsible for the killings of three human rights defenders.
Ireland regularly discusses human rights issues with Colombia as part of our bilateral dialogue. On June 18 2015, I raised the issue of human rights in Colombia during my meeting in Dublin with Dr. Patti Londoño, Colombian Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. The promotion and protection of human rights and human rights defenders is a core principle of Ireland’s foreign policy.
Officers from our Embassy in Mexico discuss human rights with government interlocutors during their visits to Colombia and meet with international and local civil society organisations working on human rights issues. In addition, my Department provides funding to the OHCHR in Colombia which is specifically targeted to the work of promoting human rights in Colombia.
Human rights are also a priority for the EU and its member states, and are addressed in detail in the context of the EU-Colombia Human Rights Dialogue. Through this mechanism, the Union engages with the relevant Colombian authorities in a structured manner across the full range of human rights issues, including as regards human rights defenders and trade unionists, land restitution, economic and environmental issues. I believe that this policy of engagement, dialogue and scrutiny, which is ongoing, regular and structured, is the best way to promote human rights in Colombia.
188. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the consultations he has had with a Deputy (details supplied) in the Deputy's capacity as European Union envoy for the peace process in Colombia in regard to his assessment of the current situation on the ground in Colombia, particularly in Argelia in the south-western department of Cauca, with regard to coca eradication. [42232/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI met the Deputy in question on 27 October to congratulate him on his appointment as EU Special Envoy to the Peace Process in Colombia.
Ireland has consistently supported the peace talks underway in Havana. We have engaged with the Colombian government and advisers to the talks to share our experience of peace-building and conflict resolution, and I have offered the Deputy the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in carrying out this important work. I warmly welcomed the decision of High Representative Mogherini to assign him the role of spearheading the EU’s support to the implementation of a peace agreement in the country.
Officials of my Department have met with the Special Envoy on a number of occasions since the announcement of his appointment to talk about the Colombian peace process and to offer him our support. Our discussions have focused on how the EU can best support the peace process and future implementation. Our Embassy in Mexico, which is accredited to Colombia, is in ongoing contact with the Deputy and the Ambassador recently travelled to Bogota to meet him during his first visit to Colombia as Special Envoy.
190. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a statutory instrument has been put in place in respect of the Protestant block grant, which has a fund of approximately €6.5 million per year and which was established in 1966 as a scheme of assistance for Protestant students receiving post-primary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42052/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided by my Department to the Secondary Education Committee (SEC), an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools.
The SEC then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.75 million annually. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice. These arrangements in relation to the Protestant Block Grant are underpinned by way of a Memorandum of Understanding as distinct from a Statutory Instrument. The Memorandum of Understanding is agreed between the Department and the Secondary Education Committee and was last updated in April 2015.
191. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills when two schools (details supplied) in County Meath will proceed to construction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42065/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe first school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of the tender process. My Department is currently awaiting receipt of the Supplementary Tender Report from the Design Team. Subject to no issues arising it is envisaged the project will proceed to site very shortly thereafter. The second school is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2B Detailed Design Stage. A brief change request from the Board of Management of the school to use an adjoining site to fully decant the school during construction was approved by my Department on 15th September. The school and its design team were authorised to secure planning permission, fire cert and DAC for the temporary decant accommodation in parallel with the pre-qualification of contractors for the main project. The stage 2(b) cost plan and tender documentation need to be updated by the design team to reflect the brief change and resubmitted to the Department once the statutory approvals have been secured. Assuming no significant issues arise from this, the project will then be authorised to proceed to tender and construction.
