Written Answers Nos. 395-419
395. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the processing of a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be finalised; the reason for the delay in processing this application despite the fact that all supporting documentation requested was submitted to the Passport Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14398/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the most recent supporting documents required were received in mid-February, and the application is being processed as normal. The Passport Service has contacted the applicant's parent directly to advise as to the status of the application.
396. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Irish-born children of foreign nationals are automatically entitled to an Irish passport upon turning 18 years of age or if they must apply for citizenship first; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14402/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to that person. In order to meet this requirement, each passport applicant must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement when making a first time passport application.
An individual born on the island of Ireland before 2005 or born to a parent who was born on the island of Ireland before 2005 is automatically an Irish citizen.
The citizenship of persons born on the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 is determined by the citizenship or residency status of one of their parents at the time of the person’s birth. Where one of the parents is an Irish or British citizen then the person is automatically an Irish Citizen. Where at least one of the parents is not an Irish or British citizen, the citizenship of a child born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 is determined by the residency status of one of the parents at the time of the child’s birth. A child born on or after 1 January 2005 may claim citizenship by birth where a parent has been lawfully resident in the State for three years of the four years preceding his/her birth (a total of 1,095 days).
Currently, all children born on or after 1 January 2005 are under 18 and their parent or guardian applies for a passport on their behalf. In order to prove the residency period of one of the parents when applying for a passport on behalf of their child, the parent must provide acceptable documentary evidence. The documents required to prove the residency period vary depending on whether the parent was an EU or non-EU citizen at the time of the child’s birth.
If the parent was an EU citizen at the time of the child’s birth, it is necessary to rely on the following list of documents to prove the parent’s residency in Ireland for three of the four years before the child’s birth (not all of the documents on the list may be required in every case):
- Tax records (P60 / P45 / P35L / Employment Detail Summary) for each year showing at least 35 weeks insurable employment.
- Notice of Assessment / Self Assessment records for each year and supporting documentation e.g. bank statements / domestic bills for each month
- Letter from Social Welfare/Intreo confirming type of benefit payment received and the dates to and from when the benefit was paid directly, this must be accompanied by a photocopy of parent’s PPS card front and back
- Rent Lease (must include contract page and signature of the parent whose residency is being considered) with receipts / utility bills/ rent book to confirm payments for each month
- Bank statements for each month showing regular transactions in and out of the account
- School/college letters confirming dates of attendance, full time courses undertaken and proof of exam results
- Declaration Form A: This is a sworn statement by the parent, giving details of their period of residency in Ireland.
If neither of the parents was an Irish, British or EU citizen at the time of the child’s birth, one of the parents will be required to provide proof of residency in Ireland for three of the four years before the passport applicant’s birth with the following original documents:
- Original national passport of the parent showing residency stamps for 3 of the previous 4 years before the child is born. Expired passports can be submitted.
- Parent’s Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card / Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card.
- A summary statement, signed by parent of parent’s ‘permission to remain’ stamps in the passport. The summary should include:
- Number of the passport.
- Name of passport holder.
- Description of the stamp(s).
- Dates of the permission.
In addition to the documents outlined above, all first time child applications require the submission of:
- Guardianship documents (if required).
- Full original civil birth certificate.
Information on what is required for all first time passport applications, including details on documentary requirements, guardianship and consent, are available at my Department’s recently updated website (www.dfa.ie/passports/documentary-requirements/).
The documentary requirements outlined above with regard to their parent's residency will continue to apply to people born to non-Irish parents on or after 1 January 2005, if they are applying for a passport for the first time after they turn 18.
397. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and expedited due to a family emergency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14412/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service contacted the applicant directly to advise on their circumstances and to discuss requirements for expediting the applications on the grounds of a travel emergency.
398. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14434/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service contacted the applicant's parent directly to discuss requirements for expediting the application on the grounds of a travel emergency.
399. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of diplomats from the Russian Federation that have been afforded diplomatic status in Ireland. [14458/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently 14 diplomats at the Embassy of the Russian Federation who have been officially notified to my Department under Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
400. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Russian officials that are based at the Russian embassy in Dublin; and if all of these persons have been afforded diplomatic status. [14459/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 (VCDR) identifies three categories of Mission staff as follows:
- Diplomatic staff
- Administrative and Technical staff, and
- Service staff
Pursuant to Article 10, VCDR, the Department of Foreign Affairs shall be notified of the appointment of members of the mission, their arrival and their final departure or the termination of their functions with the mission.
There are currently 30 officers at the Embassy of the Russian Federation who have been notified to my Department under Article 10 - 14 Diplomats and 16 Administrative and Technical staff.
410. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to open a new Irish Consulate General office in Luxor City, Egypt.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14541/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has no plans to open a Consulate general in Luxor City. The Embassy team in Cairo manages Ireland’s relations with Egypt, and there is an Honorary Consul in Alexandria.
Since the launch of the Global Ireland programme in June 2018, 14 new Missions have been opened. Four were opened in 2021: Kyiv, Manchester, Manila and Rabat. Global Ireland aims to double Ireland's influence in the world by 2025, including through an expanded and strengthened Diplomatic presence. A Government decision in 2021 approved the opening of a further four new Missions in Dakar, Lyon, Miami and Toronto. Ireland will also reopen our Embassy in Tehran; this will bring to 19 the number of new Missions opened as a key deliverable of the Global Ireland programme.
The strengthening of existing, and strategically important Missions (including Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, New York UN, Tokyo and Beijing), has complemented Mission expansion, including the assignment of additional staff from several Government Departments.
All Missions are located in regions where there are opportunities for Ireland to advance our national, political and economic priorities. Missions work as part of an integrated 'Team Ireland' model, in cooperation with State Agencies and other Government Departments, to strengthen Ireland's international reputation and drive the development of trade, tourism, investment, science, technology and innovation, culture and education.
416. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will contact the Moldovan Government to assess the immediate needs of financial assistance, technical assistance and humanitarian assistance to help Moldova support Ukrainian refugees (details supplied); and if he will ensure that the Irish and EU response to the Ukrainian crisis will include specific supports for the Moldovan people and government in providing such assistance given that they are at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the crisis in Ukraine. [14626/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe response of Moldova to this crisis has been very impressive under extremely difficult circumstances.
The €20 million Irish Aid humanitarian package responding to the crisis in Ukraine includes support to Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries, including Moldova. €5 million of the Irish Aid package is allocated to the UNHCR inter-agency Regional Response Plan (RPP) for the Ukraine crisis, which in turn has allocated a fifth of its overall budget to Moldova and where UNHCR has opened an office. €1 million of our contribution is earmarked directly for Moldova.
Ireland is also providing €1.5 million to UNFPA, whose work in Moldova focuses on the protection of women and girls.
Many of Ireland’s humanitarian partners are expanding their activities to help the Moldovan government cope with the influx of refugees. The humanitarian package also includes a €1 million grant to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), which is also supporting the local response via the Moldovan Red Cross.
Ireland has also contributed to the inter-agency Regional Response Plan through Irish Aid core funding to key participating organisations, including UNICEF, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, UNFPA, WFP, WHO and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). We continue to encourage all our humanitarian partners to use their core funding to respond to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis including by supporting neighbouring countries.
The EU has also announced a rapid assistance package of €500 million to help civilians affected by the conflict. This will include support to the inter-agency RRP and additional funding of €5 million to Moldova in the European Commission’s revised Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP).
418. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will use its seat at the United Nations Security Council to raise the plight of the people of Tibet; if Ireland will specifically raise matters that have been raised in recent reports by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14672/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe promotion and protection of human rights is a core pillar of Irish foreign policy, and Ireland is active bilaterally and in multilateral fora on human rights issues, including in relation to China. During my trip to China in May 2021, I raised Ireland’s concerns in relation to human rights directly with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Ireland has also been actively engaged on these issues in multilateral contexts. At the 48th UN Human Rights Council in September in 2021, Ireland joined an EU Group Statement of 26 Member States which called on China to abide by its obligations under national and international law to respect, protect and fulfil human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including in Tibet, Xinjiang and in Inner Mongolia. The EU reiterated these concerns in a statement at the UN General Assembly last October, which Ireland supported.
The EU also makes use of its dialogue with China to address human rights concerns. The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue provides opportunity to raise specific concerns, including in relation to Tibet. Ireland and our EU partners remain committed to ensuring that the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue resumes as soon as possible. The situation of minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang was also raised at the most recent full EU-China Summit in 2020. The next EU-China Summit is scheduled to take place on 1 April.
Together with our EU partners, Ireland will continue to engage with Chinese authorities, bilaterally and in appropriate multilateral fora, to address our concerns.
419. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the date that a passport which has less than three months to expire is deemed invalid and cancelled; if it is the date on which a new passport application is received; if not, if it is the date on which a new passport is dispatched (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14679/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPassport applicants who are seeking to renew their passports do not need to submit their current passport with their application if it is due to expire in the next 12 months.
Once a new passport is issued, their previous passport will be cancelled within 4 weeks.
Further information on the documentary requirements for the renewal of adult passports is available on the Department’s website - www.dfa.ie/passports/documentary-requirements/anadult/renewal/.
