Niall Collins
Ceist:651. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28996/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTeaching Council of Ireland
Ceisteanna (651)
Freagraí scríofa
The Teaching Council is the statutory body that sets and upholds the standards for entry to the teaching profession. All initial teacher education programmes (primary, post-primary and further education) in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. It is open to any higher institute of education to design a programme of initial teacher education and to apply to the Teaching Council to have it accredited. St Angela’s College, Sligo is currently the only provider of initial teacher education for teachers of Home Economics.
Under the student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding, provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The handling of all student grant applications is a matter in the first instance for SUSI. Applications for grant funding should be made to www.SUSI.ie. It is important to note that the income thresholds for the student grant scheme take into consideration if there are more than four dependent children in the student’s family or if more than one child in the family is attending college.
There are some other supports available to students in financial need. This includes the Student Assistance Fund which provides funding, through the access offices of third-level institutions, to assist students in exceptional financial need. The access offices themselves also provide support and advice to students to enable them to continue with their studies.
Departmental Staff Relocation
Ceisteanna (652)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:652. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of staff under the remit of his Department that have applied to be transferred to Department or State agency offices located outside the Dublin region in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; the estimated average cost incurred for each staff member that relocated outside the Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29036/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not hold records of staff applying for transfers to other Departments or State Agencies.
In any case, transfers would be voluntary and there is therefore no cost incurred by the Department for members of staff re-located outside the Dublin region.
School Textbooks Rental Scheme
Ceisteanna (653)
Willie Penrose
Ceist:653. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider in the budget for 2018 increasing funding for the school book rental scheme by €15 million; if he will implement the recommendation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection made in 2013 to introduce a five year template for the delivery of an entirely free school book scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29109/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I am aware of the recommendations on school costs contained in the Joint Oireachtas Report that was published in 2013 and I wish to make clear that I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents.
School book rental schemes have an important role to play in reducing the cost of school books for parents. My Department supports the operation of book rental schemes through the funding provided under its school books grant scheme. Under this scheme, my Department provides funding of €16 million annually to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme. The arrangements in relation to this scheme are set out in Circular 0046/2013 which is published on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0046_2013.pdf.
In addition, €15.7 million seed capital was provided over three years to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools.
The most recent figures available indicate that 94% of primary schools and 65% of post-primary schools operate a book rental scheme.
One of the actions as part of the Action Plan for Education is to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents by increasing the financial support for book rental schemes, in order to reduce/eliminate school book costs for parents as resources permit.
It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to book rental schemes due to the many competing demands for the available funding. This commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan. However, it is important to note that there are limited funds available in Budget 2018 to meet a wide range of needs across all areas of Government.
Furthermore, my Department has published a circular to school authorities and ETBs regarding measures to be adopted by schools to reduce the costs which include the provision of a book rental scheme. The circular can be accessed on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0032_2017.pdf.
Fund for Students with Disabilities
Ceisteanna (654)
Willie Penrose
Ceist:654. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of expanding the eligibility to the fund for students with disabilities, the student assistance fund and the maintenance grant to part time students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29111/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) and the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) are managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of my Department.
While it is difficult to provide exact costs for future applications the HEA has estimated that the total cost of extending the scope of the Third Level Access Funds to students on part-time courses would be in the region of €2.1 million per year, assuming no other policy change, the estimated cost of SAF being approximately €1.9 million and FSD being €224,000.
Based on enrolment data for part-time students provided by the HEA the estimated cost of extending the maintenance grant to Higher Education students would be €32m per year.
Student Grant Scheme Eligibility
Ceisteanna (655)
Willie Penrose
Ceist:655. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the anomaly by which lone parents in receipt of rent supplement and the one parent family payments and jobseeker's transition payment who want to take up education or training are not eligible for SUSI maintenance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29115/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In general terms, there is nothing preventing a lone parent who is in receipt of Rent Supplement, One Parent Family Payment and/or Jobseeker's Allowance Transition payment(s) from applying to SUSI for maintenance funding under the Student Grant Scheme.
Rent Supplement, One Parent Family Payments (where paid to the applicant) and Jobseeker's Allowance Transition (where paid to the applicant), are treated as income disregards for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme and are not included in the calculation of reckonable income.
Furthermore, the One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers Allowance Transition payments are eligible payments for the special rate of maintenance grant.
DEIS Administration
Ceisteanna (656)
Robert Troy
Ceist:656. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the next round of DEIS status schools will be announced; and the timeframe for schools to apply for DEIS status or enhanced DEIS status; and if existing applications will be considered. [28000/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The next update of the DEIS Identification Process will take place later this year when the relevant Census 2016 and school pupil data become available for use in this process.
Schools are not required to apply for inclusion in the programme as the independent data on which assessment is based is available to my Department.
A key feature of the new DEIS identification process is its use of independent data which can be regularly updated to ensure a currency of the information on which resource allocation to schools is based.
The new Identification Process under DEIS Plan 2017, which is applied uniformly for all schools in the country across both the Primary and post Primary sectors, assesses the socio-economic background of the pupil cohort in each school using centrally held data. The Key Data Sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases and the CSO Small Area of Population Statistics (SAPs) from the National Census of Population 2011 as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (HP Index).
Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is applied uniformly to all schools in a fair and objective way, to identify the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in each school.
Schools are not required to apply for inclusion in the programme as the independent data on which assessment is based is available to my Department.
DEIS Status
Ceisteanna (657)
Robert Troy
Ceist:657. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider DEIS status for a school (details supplied) in view of the fact that the second school in the parish already benefits from DEIS status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28001/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Schools included in the list published by my Department on 13th February are those whose level of disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage. Schools which have not been included at this stage, including the one referred to by the Deputy, are those which have not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst their pupil cohort, under the new model.
The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.
I am satisfied that the new DEIS Identification Model used to assess the level of disadvantage among the pupil cohort of a school has been applied fairly using centrally held data adopting an objective and scientific approach which has been uniformly applied for all schools in the country including the school referred to by the Deputy.
For schools who have concerns about their non-inclusion in the most recent round of DEIS, the following process applies:
- a verification process is currently ongoing in relation to all schools who contacted my Department requesting that their data be validated. This is aimed at ensuring the model was run correctly and the data supplied by the schools through the POD/PPOD systems was correctly used. This process is expected to be concluded shortly and schools will be informed of the results.
- A further process will take account of updated data as it becomes available. All schools, not just those who queried the outcome of the February 2017 process, are being contacted to request them to ensure that their POD/PPOD data is fully correct and up to date, including Eircodes. As soon as the 2016 National Census data becomes available later this summer, this data will be run through the identification model with the fully up-to-date POD/PPOD data. If this exercise reveals that any school which did not qualify for DEIS in the February 2017 round actually meets the criteria applicable to schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage based on the fully up-to-date information then it will be included, subject to resources.
I also wish to inform the Deputy that a communication to all schools will issue shortly to provide information on the identification model, including details of how the datasets are used to determine a school's level of disadvantage; the importance of data quality to the process and the need for schools to provide detailed and up to date information to my Department's online pupil databases.
Gaeltacht Policy
Ceisteanna (658, 659)
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:658. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of implementing the policy on Gaeltacht education on a yearly basis for the next five years. [28005/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPeadar Tóibín
Ceist:659. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount allocated by his Department for the implementation of the policy on Gaeltacht; and if this is factored into fiscal space projections for the next five years. [28006/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 658 and 659 together.
An annual budget of €1 million has been allocated for the implementation of my Department's Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 for 2017. While it is expected that the allocation for the implementation of the Policy will rise annually over the term of the Policy (2017 to 2022), specific allocations in the Department's estimates for 2018 and later years will be determined in the context of agreeing budgets for those years.
Funding estimates are determined annually and approved by the Dáil in accordance with normal procedures for all Government Departments.
The next Circular letter will issue in Spring 2018 setting out the range of actions that will be implemented and supports provided for 2018/2019.
DEIS Status
Ceisteanna (660, 661)
Eugene Murphy
Ceist:660. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a decision not to award DEIS status to a school (details supplied) can be reversed. [28832/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraEugene Murphy
Ceist:661. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the appeals process that is in place for a school that has not been awarded DEIS status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28833/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 660 and 661 together.
Schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS on the basis of their identified level of disadvantage which was determined by the DEIS Identification Process using centrally held data available to my Department. Through this process a school was identified as having a concentrated level of disadvantage to be eligible for inclusion in DEIS. Therefore the question of reversing a decision does not arise as it is underpinned by data which shows the demographic of each school.
The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.
Full details of the process involved in the assessment of schools is available on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/
I also wish to inform the Deputy that a communication to all schools will issue shortly to provide information on the identification model, including details of how the datasets are used to determine a school's level of disadvantage; the importance of data quality to the process and the need for schools to provide detailed and up to date information to my Department's online pupil databases.
Schools included in the list published by my Department on 13th February are those whose level of disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage. Schools which have not been included at this stage, including the one referred to by the Deputy, are those which have not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst their pupil cohort, under the new model.
It is important to note that this is a first step in a process and the fact that a school has not been included now does not preclude its inclusion at a later date, should the assessment indicate a level of disadvantage that warrants additional supports. I am fully aware that there are further schools whose concentrated level of disadvantage may not be at the highest level, but may nevertheless be at a level which warrants additional supports for pupils under DEIS.
I am satisfied that the new DEIS Identification Model used to assess the level of disadvantage among the pupil cohort of a school has been applied fairly using centrally held data adopting an objective and scientific approach which has been uniformly applied for all schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, in the country.
A further process will take account of updated data as it becomes available. All schools are being contacted to request them to ensure that their POD/PPOD data is fully correct and up to date, including Eircode. As soon as the 2016 National Census data becomes available later this summer, this data will be run through the identification model with the fully up-to-date POD/PPOD data. If this exercise reveals that any school which did not qualify for DEIS in the February 2017 round actually meets the criteria applicable to schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage based on the fully up-to-date information then it will be included, subject to resources.
In terms of appeal DEIS Plan 2017 provided for a verification process, aimed at ensuring the model was run correctly and the data supplied by the schools through the POD/PPOD systems was correctly used. This is currently ongoing in relation to all schools who contacted my Department requesting that their data be validated, including the school in question whose application for verification of its data is also being processed. This process is expected to be concluded shortly and schools will be informed of the results.
Following on from the update of the process later this year it is the intention of my Department to make available to all schools information relating to the identification process and their own individual school data.
Student Grant Scheme Administration
Ceisteanna (662)
Willie Penrose
Ceist:662. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the cuts to the student grant implemented in 2011 and 2012 and restore the distance of adjacent rate to 24 kilometres from the current distance of 45 kilometres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29110/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.
The 24km distance criterion was originally set in 1968 and had not been updated in more than 40 years. Since then, significant improvements have taken place in the road and rail network and it is considered that the revised distance criteria is more consistent with the type of distances that students may legitimately be expected to commute to college.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe. Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.
Departmental Staff Data
Ceisteanna (663)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:663. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff employed in his department and in each State agency under the aegis of his Department, by county, in tabular form. [29253/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Staff in my Department by county are listed in the table - numbers are as of 31 May).
|
Location |
Number of staff – Fulltime and Temporary listed |
|
Co. Cork |
76 Full time equivalents 50 Temporary Clerical Officers 126 Total |
|
Co. Dublin |
726.5 Full time equivalents 187 Temporary Clerical Officers 913.5 Total |
|
Co. Limerick |
68.03 Full time equivalents |
Military Aircraft Landings
Ceisteanna (664)
Catherine Connolly
Ceist:664. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 50 of 30 May 2017, the procedures his Department uses to grant permission for military aircraft to land in Irish territory or to fly through Irish airspace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26642/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Further to my predecessor’s response to parliamentary question number 50 of 30 May 2017, the procedures in my Department for considering requests for landings by foreign military aircraft focus on ensuring that the information provided with regard to the flights and aircraft demonstrate that they comply with the applicable conditions. The Embassy of the requesting State must confirm in writing that the aircraft seeking permission to land is unarmed, carries no arms, ammunition or explosives and will not engage in intelligence gathering. Furthermore, the Embassy must confirm in writing that the flights in question do not form part of military exercises or operations. As part of the procedure for considering all requests for military aircraft to land at Irish airports, my Department also seeks the views of other agencies including: An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport prior to permission being granted.
A number of countries have applied for and been granted annual blanket clearance for overflights on the same conditions that apply to landings. Under these arrangements, the Embassy of the country concerned submits a notification of each proposed flight to my Department. My Department then notifies relevant Departments and agencies.
Overflights by US military aircraft are permitted without prior notification, on the basis that the aircraft are unarmed, carry only cargo and passengers and comply with navigational requirements. Where overflights by US military aircraft do not comply with these arrangements advance permission must be sought in respect of each overflight. The US Embassy provides my Department with post hoc monthly returns on the total number of overflights and the types of aircraft involved.
Immigration Status
Ceisteanna (665)
Frank O'Rourke
Ceist:665. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for a decision on the legal status of a person (details supplied) of a child born here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26668/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
At the outset, it is important to clarify that the legal status of any non-national in the State is a matter for the Irish immigration authorities, namely the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service and the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade I am responsible for implementation of the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, which provides, inter alia, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this legal requirement, each person must, therefore, demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship in his/her application.
The Deputy may recall from previous correspondence that –
(i) The child in question was born in Dublin in November 2015. Their entitlement to Irish citizenship is governed by the terms Section 6A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956 as amended (the 1956 Act). Section 6A provides that a person born in the State on or after 1 January, 2005, where neither parent is an Irish or British citizen or otherwise entitled to reside in the State or Northern Ireland without restriction at the time of that person’s birth may claim citizenship by birth in the State (and thereby establish eligibility for an Irish passport) only where a parent has been lawfully resident in the State for three years of the four preceding his/her birth; and
(ii) Proofs of the lawful residence in the State are required to determine if a parent has the required three year residence. In this case, the child’s mother submitted evidence lawful residence under Subsidiary Protection for the required period.
At the time of my previous correspondence, my Department was seeking clarification from the Department of Justice and Equality on the child’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. Specifically, these enquiries centered on whether residence under Subsidiary Protection could be reckoned for the purposes of Section 6A of the 1956 Act and how such residence should be calculated.
I accept that there has been a delay in reaching a decision and this can be partly explained by legal proceedings involving the Department of Justice and Equality that featured residence under Subsidiary Protection in another case. These proceedings have concluded and officials from both Departments met last week to discuss the application or otherwise of Subsidiary Protection residence to the requirements of Section 6A of the 1956 Act. These discussions are at an advanced stage.
Prisoner Welfare
Ceisteanna (666)
Clare Daly
Ceist:666. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will make representations to the British and Northern Irish authorities regarding prisoner issues in a prison (details supplied). [26681/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government has an ongoing interest in the humanitarian welfare of prisoners in the separated regime. The August 2010 agreement regarding certain matters in the Maghaberry Prison was a mechanism which allowed grievances to be addressed.
In 2014, four independent assessors appointed by the then Northern Ireland Minister for Justice published a Stocktake report on implementation of the 2010 agreement. Some of those independent assessors had been involved in brokering the 2010 agreement. The Stocktake report stated that not all the principles of the 2010 agreement were adhered to, nor had all undertakings been acted upon. The recommendations of the Stocktake report were accepted by the then Northern Ireland Minister for Justice. One recommendation was to the Northern Ireland Office.
There have been difficulties in delivery on the recommendations of the Stocktake report, which my predecessor raised with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice. These issues are also raised on an ongoing basis at official level, including by my officials in the Belfast Secretariat.
Underpinning the 2010 agreement was a commitment to uphold the safety of prison staff. The murders of two prison officers, that of David Black in 2012 and of Adrian Ismay last year, have impacted on the trust relationships within the prison and complicated the differences between prison management and those in the separated regime.
The Northern Ireland Executive’s Action Plan on Paramilitarism commits to establish a review of the separated regime in Maghaberry. This is a welcome initiative which I hope would assist in moving forward issues such as movement on landings in Maghaberry, for the betterment of all, prisoners and staff. I look forward to the review being put in place once there is a new Executive up and running at Stormont.
Prison Service
Ceisteanna (667)
Clare Daly
Ceist:667. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise with the British and Northern Irish authorities the question of whether they are committed to the August 2010 agreement regarding a prison (details supplied). [26682/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of the August 2010 agreement at Maghaberry Prison and my predecessor raised this matter with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and with the then Northern Ireland Minister for Justice.
The 2014 Stocktake report on conditions in the separated regime in Maghaberry makes clear that not all the principles agreed between prison management and prisoners in 2010 had been adhered to. Some undertakings were not acted upon and the potential of the 2010 agreement has not been fully realised. Implementation of the recommendations of the Stocktake report, which was carried out by an Independent Assessment Team, is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. My officials at the Belfast Secretariat will continue to raise with the relevant authorities the importance of moving forward on the Stocktake report.
The Stocktake report recommends that separated republican prisoners be given increased access to landings, up to six prisoners at a time, in a context where prisoners who come from different republican groups agree to share all the facilities and physical space. These groups do not always work in a unitary fashion. Progress to this goal has been complicated by searches on the wing, which in turn has contributed to heightened tensions.
Differences between prison management and prisoners in the separated regime on how this recommendation might be implemented remains a challenge which has not yet been addressed.
The Government attaches particular importance to the Northern Ireland Executive’s Action Plan on Paramilitarism and in particular the intention to establish a review of the separated regime in Maghaberry. This is a welcome initiative which I hope could provide a context to move forward to a more positive atmosphere within the prison. I look forward to the review being put in place once there is a new Executive up and running at Stormont.
Consular Services Provision
Ceisteanna (668)
Clare Daly
Ceist:668. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding progress to reopen the Irish Embassy in Iran in view of the fact that Ireland is the only EU country which does not have an embassy there. [26744/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Ireland is one of six EU Member States that do not currently have resident missions in Iran. Our bilateral relationship with Iran is sustained and promoted on a concurrent basis through the Ireland’s embassy in Ankara. Ireland is also represented in Iran by an Honorary Consul.
The configuration and scale of the State’s diplomatic network is kept under ongoing review by the Government. The Government is of course conscious of the political, economic, trade and other factors that might warrant the opening of a resident diplomatic mission in Iran – as in a number of other countries. However, resource constraints do not allow us to have resident representation in all the locations that might objectively justify it having regard to those factors.
Diplomatic Representation
Ceisteanna (669)
Clare Daly
Ceist:669. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding facilities available for diplomats here; and the details of changes regarding same over the past number of years. [26746/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The position of foreign diplomats in the State is governed primarily by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, incorporated into Irish law by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967. The Convention, which enjoys almost universal ratification, provides for various privileges and immunities for diplomats and diplomatic missions, while also providing for a duty to respect the laws and regulations of the host state. Diplomats are also exempt from VAT in respect of certain purchases on a reciprocal basis pursuant to the Value-Added Tax (Refund of Tax) (No. 29) Order 1996.
The Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which was published on the 5th of April of this year, is currently awaiting Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann. The purpose of this Bill is to enhance the efficiency, efficacy and clarity of various arrangements with respect to the staff of diplomatic missions and international organisations. To this end, the Bill proposes various amendments to the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967 as well as to citizenship, immigration and employment permits legislation, which have been developed in consultation with the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. These amendments are largely of a minor and technical nature.
Passport Services
Ceisteanna (670)
Jack Chambers
Ceist:670. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which a person (details supplied) can obtain a passport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26838/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Deputy will be aware, and as set out in the Passports Act 2008, it is only possible to issue Irish passports to Irish citizens. Entitlement to citizenship is in turn subject to the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended.
Accordingly, the Passport Service is obliged to seek documentary evidence of Irish citizenship by birth, parentage/descent, or naturalisation before a passport application can be processed. It is not possible to recognise a person as an Irish citizen in the absence of such evidence.
As the person you have referred to is a first time applicant, the Passport Service has advised that in order for him to obtain an Irish passport he must first obtain the birth certificate of one of his Irish-born parents in order for him to prove that he is an Irish citizen. A replacement birth certificate may be obtained by writing, with the details of the Irish born parents, to the General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon, F42 VX53. Alternatively, these may be obtained on line at : www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/General-Register-Office.aspx.
In addition to his own birth certificate and that of his Irish born parent, the Passport Service requires further documents to fully establish his identity. This information is listed on the Passport Service website at www.dfa.ie/passport.