Foreign Affairs (Houses of the Oireachtas)

Foreign Affairs - Consular services - provision

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his plans to re-open the Irish consulate general office in Cardiff; the estimated cost of re-opening the office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 102 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Consular services - provision

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers] At present, Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, 7 multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. The scale and presence of the network is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis. Any decision to adjust the State’s external rep...

Foreign Affairs - Emigrant support services - issues relating to

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the reason for the cut to expenditure on a programme (details supplied); and the elements of this programme that will be affected by these cuts. [Q. No(s) 101 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Emigrant support services - issues relating to

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers] There has been no reduction in my Department’s Emigrant Support Programme or the programme to promote reconciliation. Programme A, Our People, has increased current expenditure by €2.2m, from €69.6m in 2017 to €71.8m in 2018. It has reduced capital expenditure by €3.9m as the sp...

Foreign Affairs - United Nations - declarations

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers] I wholeheartedly support the aims of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and will use the day in December to raise awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities. I would encourage groups operating in the Disability Sector to highlight and support the occasion....

Foreign Affairs - United Nations - declarations

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his plans to mark the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 46 to Minister for Justice and Equality ]

Foreign Affairs - Visas - applications

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if a working visa will be renewed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 108 to Minister for Justice and Equality ]

Foreign Affairs - Visas - applications

Sitting date: 19/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned submitted an application for De Facto Partner Immigration Permission on 18 July 2017. An acknowledgement letter was issued on 19 July 2017. Applications are deal...

Foreign Affairs - Emigrant support services - issues relating to

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if his attention has been drawn to the significant increase in the level of rejections for J1 trainee programmes by young Irish citizens by the US Embassy in Dublin; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that a number of young persons that are legally in the USA and...

Foreign Affairs - Emigrant support services - issues relating to

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am aware of media reports that the J1 programmes are being reviewed by the US administration, in the context of President Trump's "Hire American" Executive Order. Any cuts to the J1 trainee programme or any significant increase in the level of rejections would be of serious conc...

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if his attention has been drawn to the reports that at least 4,000 refugees, including pregnant women, newborn babies and unaccompanied children were caught up in violence between rival factions battling for control of Sabratha in Libya and had to be rescued; if his attention has...

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers] The situation in Libya is very unstable, and the violence in Sabratha and the humanitarian consequences for civilians, are a cause for serious concern. As I have stated before in this House, the ongoing fighting in Libya exacerbates the situation for migrants. The government has ...

Foreign Affairs - Visas - applications

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the reason SOIN applications are taking 12 months to process; the steps that are being taken to reduce this time; the options available to a person that wants to work while waiting for their application to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 130...

Foreign Affairs - Visas - applications

Sitting date: 18/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that while the Spouse of Irish National Unit endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications ...

Foreign Affairs - Diplomatic representation - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his views on the announcement that Ireland will open five new diplomatic missions between 2018 and 2019; the timeframe for opening these new embassies and consulars; the estimated cost of each mission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 207 to Minister for F...

Foreign Affairs - Diplomatic representation - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the way in which the €2 million allocated in budget 2018 to expanding Ireland's global footprint will be utilised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 208 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Diplomatic representation - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the way in which the €3.5 million allocated in budget 2018 to the Article 50 negotiations will be utilised; if it will result in additional staff in his department; the details of the way in which the money will be spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 2...

Foreign Affairs - Diplomatic representation - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers] I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 to 209, inclusive, together. The opening of three new embassies in Santiago, Chile, Bogotá, Colombia and Amman, Jordan and two new consulates general in Vancouver, Canada and Mumbai, India between 2018 and 2019 is an important first step in do...

Foreign Affairs - Overseas development aid - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the way in which the €13 million allocated to ODA in budget 2018 will affect our ODA to GNP target; the resulting estimated ODA as a per cent of GNP as a result of this increase; the percentage of ODA to GNP in each of the years 2007 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will ma...

Foreign Affairs - Overseas development aid - expenditure

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers] Last week for budget 2018, the Government announced a total allocation of €707 million to Official Development Assistance (ODA). This represents an increase of some €26 million on the current year, and is the third consecutive year the Government has increased budget allocations t...

Foreign Affairs - Undocumented Irish in the USA - issues relating to

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the progress to date in addressing the undocumented Irish in the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 211 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Undocumented Irish in the USA - issues relating to

Sitting date: 17/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am acutely aware of the very understandable concerns which exist among members of the Irish community in the U.S. in light of recent developments in the area of immigration under the new U.S. Administration. The changed political landscape in the US has resulted in a renewed fo...

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 12/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if clarification will be sought of the incidents which occurred in Tumaco on 5 October 2017 (details supplied). [Q. No(s) 84 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 12/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will make representations to ensure that those responsible for the massacre in Tumaco on 5 October 2017 in Colombia are brought to justice and held to account for their crimes. [Q. No(s) 85 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 12/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will condemn the violence in Colombia, the militarisation of territories and the use of repressive strategies against rural dwellers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 86 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 12/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will propose immediate political dialogue in Argelia and Cauca in Colombia to ensure the end of the militarisation of the area and the ongoing threat of state violence. [Q. No(s) 87 to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ]

Foreign Affairs - Foreign conflicts - issues relating to

Sitting date: 12/10/2017
[Written Answers] I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 to 87, inclusive, together. I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families of those killed and my sympathies to those injured in the violence which took place in Tumaco in the Nariño province of Colombia on 5 October, which resulted i...

Foreign Affairs - Israeli - settlements

Sitting date: 11/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he has raised at the EU Foreign Affairs Council the intensive extension of Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights; if the difficulties in the Golan are given active consideration in the Middle East peace initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 1...

Foreign Affairs - Israeli - settlements

Sitting date: 11/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am aware of the extension of Israeli settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan, and of the broader difficulties faced in the region, which are certainly a cause for concern. Officials from my Department have recently met with NGOs operating in the Golan, and I will continue to mo...

Foreign Affairs - Dublin-Monaghan bombings - issues relating to

Sitting date: 10/10/2017
[Written Answers] As I reported on October 3rd, I have raised the Dublin/Monaghan Bombings and other legacy cases with Prime Minister May and have stressed the importance of making progress on legacy issues and the overall arrangements for dealing with the past. The Government will continue to en...