Wednesday, 31 Mar 2021

Covid-19 Tests

Ceisteanna (508, 509)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

508. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a PCR test is needed to travel from Ireland to the UK. [16357/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

509. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if mandatory quarantine rules apply to those arriving from Ireland into the UK and from the UK into Ireland. [16358/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 509 together.

Guidance on travelling to Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic and Ireland's new mandatory hotel quarantine system is maintained on gov.ie.

At present, those travelling into Ireland, except those travelling from Northern Ireland, are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form and provide evidence that they have a negative or "not detected" result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland. A legal requirement to quarantine in Ireland has also been introduced for all passengers arriving, except those whose journey originates in Northern Ireland. The requirements to complete the form, to provide appropriate evidence of testing and to quarantine apply to those travelling from Great Britain. These requirements also apply to persons who arrive via Northern Ireland and have been overseas in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland.

Those travelling to Ireland who have been in a high risk Category 2 country, including those who have transited an airport in such a country, in the previous 14 days before they arrive must complete mandatory hotel quarantine. Great Britain is not currently on the list of Category 2 countries. Mandatory hotel quarantine is therefore not currently required for those travelling from Great Britain, who have not been in a Category 2 country in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland.

The UK Government and the UK's devolved administrations have established testing and quarantine regulations for those travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, those whose journey begins in Ireland and who have remained in Ireland, or elsewhere in the Common Travel Area, for 10 days prior to travel, do not require a pre-travel PCR test to travel to any part of the UK. They are also not subject to mandatory quarantine rules once they have entered the UK, but remain subject to the local restrictions and travel advice in place.

Passport Applications

Ceisteanna (510)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

510. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport applications that were processed in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16414/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The numbers of passports issued in the years requested are as follows:

Year	Number of passports issued
2015	685,330
2016	758,005
2017	809,635
2018	835,055
2019	936,555
2020	450,070

The figures cited in the table above include both passport books and passport cards.

The passport card was launched in October 2015 and offers Irish citizens the convenience of travel to 31 countries including the EU/EEA, Great Britain and Switzerland, with a credit card sized travel document.

Passport Applications

Ceisteanna (511, 512)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

511. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport applications that were processed by the Irish Embassy in London in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16415/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

512. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of new passport applications that were processed by the Irish Embassy in London in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16416/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 511 and 512 together.

All passport applications are processed by the Passport Service in Ireland. The number of passports issued to applicants resident in Great Britain are provided below in two tables. The first table is paper based applications from 2015 to 2020. The second table is for the Passport Online Service from 2017-2020. The Passport Service introduced online renewal of adult passports in 2017 and expanded this service in 2018 to include the renewal of child passports. In 2019, Passport Online expanded to allow first time applicants from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the EU, the EEA and Switzerland to apply through this channel.

Approximate number of paper applications which were issued in Great Britain from 2015-2020.

Year	Total
2015	46,400
2016	63,500
2017	65,500
2018	61,900
2019	63,800
2020	11,800

Approximate number of passports which were issued to applicants in Great Britain from 2017 to 2020.

Year	Total
2017	16,900
2018	34,900
2019	57,000
2020	46,800

Foreign Conflicts

Ceisteanna (513, 517)

Matt Carthy

Ceist:

513. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken to ensure the safety of Irish citizens currently living in Myanmar; his plans to use Ireland's position on the UN Security Council to highlight the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16423/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

517. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to support the people of Myanmar either at the UN level or through other avenues. [16555/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 513 and 517 together.

I strongly condemn the coup carried out by the Myanmar military, and the escalating and systematic use of force on peaceful protesters by the Myanmar military, resulting in the deaths and critical injury of peaceful protesters.

I was deeply shocked and saddened by the abhorrent and indefensible killing of unarmed civilians, including children, on the 76th Myanmar Armed Forces Day. As I have stated, the role of the military in society is to protect its citizens, not to murder and terrorise them.

I have called upon the Myanmar military to demonstrate restraint, respect the freedoms of expression, association, and assembly, to restore unimpeded access to telecommunications and to uphold human rights and the rule of law. I have also called for the immediate release of political detainees and for the reinstatement of the legitimate civilian Government.

In support of sanctions against the perpetrators of the coup and the economic entities that sustain them, I endorsed the strong and comprehensive approach set out in the Council Conclusions adopted by the FAC on February 22, and the adoption of sanctions on March 22.

At the UN Security Council, Ireland set out its concerns in discussions on the situation in Myanmar on 2 February and 5 March. It is welcome that the Security Council took united positions following these meetings in the press statement of 4 February and presidential statement of 10 March. The unity in the international response sends a strong message to the Myanmar military. The crisis remains on the agenda of the Security Council and our Mission to the UN continues to follow developments closely.

I emphasise the importance of a united response to this crisis, in particular, we need to recognise the importance of engaging partners in the region to ensure an effective, appropriate, and sustainable outcome to the crisis. Through the UN and our Embassy network, we are encouraging those who have influence on the military leadership, including countries within the region, to use it to protect the human rights of the Myanmar people.The Embassy of Ireland in Bangkok, which is accredited to Myanmar, is closely monitoring the situation. The Embassy is liaising closely with EU Missions and other like-minded partners in Myanmar regarding the situation on the ground. We are currently advising Irish citizens in Myanmar to leave the country by commercial means as soon as possible. This is reflected in the Department’s Travel Advice for Myanmar, which we are reviewing and updating on a regular basis.

Our Embassy in Bangkok is also maintaining regular communication with all registered Irish citizens in Myanmar to provide advice and information, including in relation to travel options. The Embassy continues to advise citizens regarding resident Embassies on the ground, which can provide consular assistance if and where required..

Foreign Birth Registration

Ceisteanna (514)

Matt Carthy

Ceist:

514. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken to ensure that the foreign birth registration of a person (details supplied) will proceed as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16424/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Passport Service has paused the processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications as Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas.

My Department operates a clear and transparent general policy of processing FBR applications in order of receipt. However, we will consider urgent requests to expedite an application on a case by case basis. During Level 5 restrictions, applicants can make contact with the Passport Service through the WebChat service.

A comprehensive plan is in place to resume all services, in line with the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Applications will be processed when services resume at Level 3 of the Framework.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has no record of an FBR application received in this name.

Passport Applications

Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or for travel with a reasonable excuse, should contact the Passport Service via our Customer Service Hub Webchat function on our website.

Irish citizens who are resident overseas should make contact through the local Irish Embassy or Consulate General.

While normal processing of passports has been paused, the staff of the Passport Service continue to produce emergency and urgent applications, to offer customer service through WebChat and to assist with consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas. The Passport Service has issued approximately 2,000 urgent applications, approximately 170 emergency applications and approximately 20,000 simple adult renewals since the beginning of the year. Our Webchat team have answered more than 30,000 queries. The Passport Service has continued to make excellent progress with the Passport Reform Programme. This will deliver a modern passport processing system to replace the current software designed nearly 20 years ago. In addition, the Passport Online system will be expanded to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States next month. This will provide an improved service to our citizens overseas.

The Passport Service has a comprehensive plan in place to resume all services, in line with the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. When operations resume at Level 4, all applications received via Passport Online will be processed. The Passport Service is confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace, that any Passport Online backlog can be cleared in six to eight weeks.

The Passport Service plans to resume processing of routine paper based applications such as Passport Express, Northern Ireland Passport Express and applications for Foreign Birth Registrations at Level 3 of the framework.

Consular Services

Ceisteanna (516)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

516. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the health and well-being of three Irish children (details supplied); if the case has been brought to the attention of the recently appointed ambassador of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; and the steps his Department is taking to bring these citizens home. [16554/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I can advise the Deputy that my Department has been providing consular assistance to the mother of these three young citizens since first notified of the case in 2015. Through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin and our Embassy in Berne, which is accredited to Algeria, our consular officials have provided advice and support to the mother, as she seeks to arrange their return to Ireland.

I can also confirm that my Department has raised the case with the Algerian authorities. As with all consular cases, it would not be appropriate to comment on the details of this case, or on a legal process in another jurisdiction. However, I can confirm that our Consular Assistance Unit stands ready to continue to provide all possible consular assistance where requested.

Question No. 517 answered with Question No. 513.

Northern Ireland

Ceisteanna (518)

Patrick Costello

Ceist:

518. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the projected cost to the State of the implementation of the independent commission on information retrieval as committed to by the Government under the Stormont House Agreement. [16583/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Government is committed to the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, which was collectively agreed by the two Governments and the political parties in Northern Ireland after extensive talks.

The framework of the Stormont House Agreement provided for a set of institutions to deal comprehensively and fairly with the legacy of the Troubles, and this framework included an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) for truth recovery, to be available to victims and survivors across the UK and Ireland.

The Irish and UK Governments concluded an agreement on the establishment of the ICIR in October 2015.

Under the terms of the ICIR agreement, the Commission will have premises in Dublin and Belfast and, if required, in Great Britain. The cost of staffing, equipping and administering the ICIR will be borne by the two governments. Estimates of costs are not available at this stage, as the work of the ICIR will be demand led, producing reports on the circumstances of troubles-related killings on foot of a request of a family member of a victim.

The ICIR agreement was signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in October 2015 and laid before the Oireachtas in January 2016. The Independent Commission can only be formally established once the necessary legislation has been enacted in both jurisdictions and the two Governments have notified each other of completion of all other domestic legal procedures required to bring the agreement into force.

I have engaged extensively with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on these issues, and we remain in ongoing contact to support a way forward on the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement legacy bodies, including the ICIR.

Departmental Legal Cases

Ceisteanna (519)

Mairéad Farrell

Ceist:

519. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to instances of litigation or the threat of litigation arising from the inclusion of social clauses in public procurement contracts in each of the years 2017 to 2020. [16593/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Department of Foreign Affairs operates in a number of locations in Ireland and approximately 90 locations worldwide and comprises of two Votes; Vote 27 International Cooperation and Vote 28 Foreign Affairs.

The Department ensures that there is an appropriate focus on good practice in procurement and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant procurement guidelines. Procurement takes place in compliance with Directive 2014/24/EU and supported by procurement guidelines published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). Procurement rules require the Department to award contracts under procedures designed to achieve value for public money in an open, transparent, non-discriminatory and competitive manner.

The Department, as a contracting authority, recognises that public procurement can be used to promote wider social considerations. The general position from a procurement perspective is that social criteria can be included in the procurement process provided that they are linked to the subject matter of the contract and are contract specific. The use of social clauses are most effectively utilised in large-scale works contracts as opposed to contracts for goods and services. The majority of the Department's procurement contracts are with small firms or individuals providing professional, consultancy and general services. However, procurement contracts in the Department for general services and ICT managed services requires contractors, as employers, to be fully compliant with labour rules, collective agreements and the EU Employment Directives. Tenderers are excluded from competition if they fail to meet the required social criteria.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is not aware of any instances of litigation or the threat of litigation arising from the inclusion of social clauses in the Department’s public procurement contracts in 2017, 2018, 2019 or 2020.

Question No. 520 answered with Question No. 515.

Diplomatic Representation

Ceisteanna (521)

Martin Browne

Ceist:

521. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the nature of diplomatic ties between Ireland and Thailand; and his plans to further develop these links. [16880/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Thailand is an important partner in delivering Ireland's Asia Pacific Strategy. My Department is working to build long-term, strategic partnerships throughout the region, develop stronger two way economic partnerships and increase the visibility of Ireland. The strategy, published in January 2020, sets out in detail my Department's plans for strengthening our relations in Thailand and the region.

Since establishing an Embassy in Bangkok in 2015, our ties with Thailand have continued to strengthen and grow. Ireland's Mission also continues to monitor political developments in the country.

I have met with the Ambassador of Thailand accredited to Ireland on several occasions, most recently in November 2020, as part of an engagement with ASEAN Ambassadors. I am also pleased that in December, the EU relationship with ASEAN was upgraded to the level of strategic partnership. This provides a strong framework for deeper political and economic bilateral ties with all countries in the region, including Thailand.

Ministerial Communications

Ceisteanna (522)

Martin Browne

Ceist:

522. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has spoken to his Swedish counterpart since the last EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting [16881/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 22 March with Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde and other EU colleagues. Our agenda included the Southern Neighbourhood, Turkey, and an exchange of views with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. I remain in regular contact with Minister Linde and look forward to meeting her again soon.

Question No. 523 answered with Question No. 515.

Foreign Birth Registration

Ceisteanna (524)

Cian O'Callaghan

Ceist:

524. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of pending foreign birth registrations for minor children; the average processing times by applications based on having an Irish citizen parent, applications based on having a parent who is an Irish citizen through naturalisation and applications based on having a grandparent born here, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17253/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The total number of Foreign Birth Registration applications submitted on behalf of minors that are waiting to be processed by the Passport Service is 7,176. A breakdown of this figure is set out in the table below.

Applicant Details	Numbers
Grandparent born in Ireland	4980
Naturalised parent	634
Parent already entered on FBR	1484
Adoption	47
Post nuptial Declaration	31

My Department operates a clear and transparent general policy of processing FBR applications in order of receipt. However, we will consider urgent requests to expedite an application on a case by case basis. During Level 5 restrictions, applicants can make contact with the Passport Service through the WebChat service.

The delivery of the FBR service has been paused under Level 5 restrictions of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19 since 24 December 2020. This service will resume to full operations once Level 3 restrictions of the Framework are in place. However, it should be noted that given the loss of output in this service due to Level 5 restrictions in the last year and given the continued large volume of applications received over this period, it is anticipated that it will take approximately eighteen months to process applications.

The Passport Service is planning to increase resources, once the service is resumed, to clear all arrears and to make efforts to return to a six month processing time.

Foreign Birth Registration

Ceisteanna (525)

Cian O'Callaghan

Ceist:

525. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of pending foreign birth registrations for minor children being processed by the Irish Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria; the average processing time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17254/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department processes Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications within the Passport Service in Ireland, rather than at individual Missions as was previous practice. The transfer of this work was completed in December 2020. There are currently 49 applications under process with addresses in Nigeria that have been submitted on behalf of minors.

My Department operates a clear and transparent general policy of processing FBR applications in order of receipt. However, we will consider urgent requests to expedite an application on a case by case basis. During Level 5 restrictions, applicants can make contact with the Passport Service through the WebChat service.

The delivery of the FBR service has been paused under Level 5 restrictions of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19 since 24 December 2020. This service will resume to full operations once Level 3 restrictions of the Framework are in place. However, it should be noted that given the loss of output in this service due to Level 5 restrictions in the last year and given the continued large volume of applications received over this period, it is anticipated that it will take approximately eighteen months to process applications.

The Passport Service is planning to increase resources, once the service is resumed, to clear all arrears and to make efforts to return to a six month processing time.