Tuesday, 27 Mar 2018

Written Answers Nos. 126-144

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (126)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

126. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with Mr. Donald Tusk on 8 March 2018. [13931/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I was very pleased to welcome the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to Dublin on 8 March.

Our discussions, which took place ahead of the March European Council, covered the Brexit negotiations, EU trade policy, Economic and Monetary Union, and the taxation challenges posed in the digital era, as well as a number of foreign policy issues.

On Brexit, we discussed progress in relation to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, including on the Irish-specific issues. I stressed the importance of translating into the legal text the commitments and principles agreed in the Joint Report in December, including the backstop. President Tusk reiterated his strong solidarity with Ireland and said that our concerns were shared EU concerns. We also discussed the EU guidelines on the future relationship between the EU and the UK (then in draft form), which took into account the parameters outlined by Prime Minister May in her Mansion House speech.

I said that the draft guidelines reflected our ambition for a close partnership with the UK, while ensuring a level playing field and the integrity of the Single Market. I welcomed, in particular, the commitment to revisit our position should the UK approach evolve.

On digital taxation, I said that all companies, including digital platforms, should pay their fair share of tax. We are committed to global tax reform but we need an approach which is evidence-based, sustainable in the long-term, and focussed on aligning taxing rights with the location of real substantive value-creating activity.

That is why we have been working through the OECD to achieve the widest possible international consensus. This is a complicated area and it is important that we get it right. In our view, short term and uncoordinated measures could lead to unintended consequences.

On the future of the Economic and Monetary Union, President Tusk noted the Joint Paper which had been published by the Nordic, Baltic, Dutch and Irish Finance Ministers earlier this month, and looked forward to further discussions at the Euro Summit on 23 March.

We exchanged views on EU trade policy and agreed that Europe and the US should make every effort to work together.

We also discussed EU relations with Turkey and agreed the importance of continued engagement, notwithstanding our concerns in relation to human rights.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

127. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the Governor of Texas, the issues that were discussed, and if they included the Mexican border. [13557/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

128. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the Governor of Oklahoma; and the issues that were discussed. [13558/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

129. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the meetings he held while in Washington DC; and the issues that were discussed. [13559/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

130. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he discussed Russia with President Trump. [13560/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

131. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the response he received from President Trump when he discussed Brexit at their meeting. [13561/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

132. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the breakfast meeting he attended in New York with the Mayor during the St. Patrick's day festivities; and the issues that were discussed. [13761/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

133. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the companies he met while in the USA for St. Patrick's week; and the issues that were discussed. [13762/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

134. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the new proposal to address the issue of the undocumented Irish that was discussed during his visit to the USA recently. [13764/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 to 134, inclusive, together.

I visited the United States from 11-17 March for this year's St Patrick's Day programme. My visit included engagements in Austin Texas, Durant Oklahoma, Washington D.C. and New York.

In Austin, I paid a courtesy call on Governor Abbott. Our conversation focused on the bilateral economic relations between Ireland and Texas. We did not discuss the Mexican border. I spoke at the South by South West Festival, where I also visited the stands of a number of Irish-owned companies exhibiting at the Festival including; Tweak, Warduck, Food Marble, Mashable, Learnupon, Edgescan, Usheru, Digisoft, Video Elephant, and GirlCrew.

In Durant, Oklahoma, where I visited the Choctaw Nation of Native Americans, I also had a courtesy call with Governor Mary Fallin during which we discussed deepening bilateral relations between Ireland and Oklahoma, especially economically.

In Washington D.C. I held political meetings with President Trump, Vice President Pence, as well as with senior members of Congress including Speaker Ryan, House Majority Leader McConnell, Senators Schumer and Leahy, Congressmen Neal and King, and the Friends of Ireland Caucus. My priority in these discussions was to further develop the US - Ireland bilateral relationship, and to advance Ireland's interests, including in relation to trade, and the status of undocumented Irish citizens in the US.

As has been reported, President Trump indicated that he was favourably disposed towards the possibility of a bilateral agreement on immigration issues, based on a reciprocal arrangement for US and Irish citizens that could help resolve the difficult situation faced by undocumented Irish citizens in the US. However, it is important to recall that finding a solution remains a complicated question that requires support both from the Executive and from Congress. We will continue to work at all levels to secure a positive outcome.

In relation to our discussion on Brexit, this was an opportunity for me to brief the President on the state of play with negotiations, and Ireland's priorities and objectives. The President thanked me for the update and indicated his hope for a successful outcome to the negotiations process. I did not discuss Russia in detail with President Trump.

Also in Washington D.C. I attended a roundtable discussion at the US Chamber, which included representatives of Johnson and Johnson Vision, Google, Allergan, Amazon, Bank of America, Boeing, Dow Chemical, FedEx, Intel, MetLife, S&P Global and Zimmer Biomet. We discussed Ireland's economic progress, Brexit negotiations, International Trade & Taxation.

I also attended a roundtable discussion with representatives of Irish-owned companies with operations in the US, including; Kerry, Intuition, Icon PLC, Kingspan, Globoforce, CRH/Oldcastle, Ocean Energy and Wisetek. We discussed the achievements of Irish owned companies in the US, their contribution to the two-way trading relationship between Ireland and the US, as well as the role of Enterprise Ireland and other State Agencies in supporting their continued expansion and growth in the US.

I attended a series of events hosted by our enterprise agencies, including the Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick's Day medal presentation, and a joint Irish agency lunch event with 350 business and economic contacts at which I launched the Global Ireland communications campaign.

I also spoke at a number of events, including at the Brookings Institution, at an event hosted by Ireland Funds, at a Reception hosted by Ireland's Ambassador to the US, and at an event marking the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

In New York, I met Mayor Bill de Blasio on a number of occasions including at an event at the site of the new Irish Arts Center, and at the Mayor's Breakfast in Gracie Mansion which was a ceremonial occasion. My discussions with the Mayor were focused on the St. Patrick's Day celebrations and the Ireland-New York relationship.

Also in New York, I attended a lunch with business leaders, hosted by Michael Bloomberg. Companies represented included JP Morgan Chase, Barclays, Bank of America and Citigroup amongst others. The event was a further opportunity to highlight Ireland's economic progress and our advantages as location for inward investment, including of course in the context of Brexit.

Government Information Service

Ceisteanna (135, 136, 140)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

135. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he is planning to replace www.merrionstreet.ie as a website and a social media identification (details supplied). [13841/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

136. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he and his officials in the strategic communications unit have plans on the way to deal with fake social media accounts (details supplied). [13842/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

140. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the number of meetings the strategic communications unit has had with the managers and editorial staff of national newspapers to discuss content partnership arrangements; when they commenced; and the location in which they were held. [14144/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 136 and 140 together.

There are no plans to replace merrionstreet.ie as a website or as a social media identity. Twitter has procedures in place for reporting fake social media accounts. Staff in Merrionstreet have been in contact with Twitter regarding this. As a result, Merrionstreet is now part of Twitter's Partnership Support Portal. This means that future reports regarding fake websites impersonating as Merrionstreet.ie will automatically be escalated and dealt with immediately.

Staff in the SCU met the following national newspaper editors in the context of developing content partnerships for Project Ireland 2040:

The Managing Director, Irish Times and the team managing content partnerships;

Managing Editor INM and INM Editorial Board, covering the following titles, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Star, Sunday Independent, Sunday World;

Managing Editor and CEO of The Journal:

RTE News and Editorials Teams.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (137)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

137. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Taoiseach if he raised the issue of the appointment of a US ambassador here when he met recently with US President Trump. [13856/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

The President has already indicated his desire to see an Ambassador appointed at the earliest opportunity and the Irish Government understands that the US Administration is treating this matter as a priority. I did not have detailed discussions on the matter with the President on this occasion.

Taoiseach's Communications

Ceisteanna (138, 139)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

138. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach if he has used a personal email address for Government business since his appointment, including in an email to a person (details supplied) on 9 July 2017 at 15:38. [13959/18]

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

139. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach if his senior staff have used personal email addressees for official Government business since his appointment; and the policy in place regarding the use of private non-official email addressees. [13960/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together.

I and the staff working in my Private Office have been assigned official email accounts. These accounts are only accessible through my Department's secure network and, in some circumstances, remotely using officially supplied and appropriately secured mobile devices such as laptop computers or mobile telephones.

My Department's ICT Policy stipulates that where personal email accounts are used for business purposes, due regard must be taken of the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information being transmitted. The Policy further requires that, where personal email accounts are used for business purposes, a copy of any record created must be retained in an appropriate official electronic filing system and/or hard copy file which can be accessed should the record be the subject of a Freedom of Information request.

I and the staff working in my Private Office use our Departmental email accounts for official business. From time to time, a third party may email me or my staff about official business using a personal email address (such as occurred in the instance referenced by the Deputy). In line with my Department's ICT policy, if such correspondence is received, I or my staff copy the reply to Government officials thereby creating a record of the correspondence which can be accessed should it be subject to a Freedom of Information request. Indeed, the correspondence referred to by the Deputy was released in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Question No. 140 answered with Question No. 135.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (141)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

141. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he discussed regulatory matters when he met the CEOs of companies (details supplied) when he was in the United States of America recently. [14145/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

During a visit which I undertook to the United States in early November 2017, I met Mr. Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook. I did not have any substantive discussion on regulatory matters with Mr. Zuckerburg. I did not meet with the CEO, or any company representatives, of Twitter, during my visit.

Seanad Reform

Ceisteanna (142)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

142. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the process that has been agreed to appoint a chair to the Seanad Éireann reform group. [14147/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

The question of who might Chair the Implementation Group on Seanad Reform is still under consideration.

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Ceisteanna (143)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

143. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the Cabinet committee at which justice issues are discussed; and when it last met. [14148/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

Cabinet Committee G deals with justice issues. It last met on 18 January 2018 and its next meeting is scheduled to take place on 16 April 2018.

Central Statistics Office

Ceisteanna (144)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

144. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the frequency with which officials from his Department meet with the CSO. [14149/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach

The CSO is an independent Office under the Statistics Act 1993. Officials from the Department of the Taoiseach meet with CSO representatives as required to support the Taoiseach and Minister of State in performing their statutory functions with regard to the CSO. They also meet through participation in many different fora including the National Statistics Board (NSB) (which has an Assistant Secretary from the Department of the Taoiseach as a member), consultative groups set up by the CSO or other bodies, various civil service and public service networks and boards and at statistical briefings provided by the CSO at the time of the publication of certain key releases.