Written Answers Nos. 21-39
21. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his role in authorising the transit of military aircraft through Irish airspace, including the use of airports/fields; the role he has with regard to whether such aircraft may carry munitions; the actions taken to ensure that any stipulations in relation to such transit are complied with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37451/23]
View answerThe Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland and in Irish airspace.
Ireland requires diplomatic clearance for all landings in Ireland and overflights in Irish sovereign airspace by foreign state and military aircrafts. Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions, with full respect for Ireland’s policy of military neutrality.
These conditions include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form part of military exercises or operations.
Specific arrangements for US overflights were established in 1959. Overflights of 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. The US Embassy provides my Department with post hoc monthly returns on the total number of overflights and the types of aircraft involved.
22. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the engagements he had with his European counterparts regarding the blockade of the Lachin corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37469/23]
View answerThe ongoing obstruction of movement along the Lachin corridor and the consequent deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is a cause for considerable concern. Together with our European partners, we are following developments closely and continue to call on the Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee freedom and safety of movement along the Lachin corridor, in line with the preliminary measure indicated in the Order of the International Court of Justice on 22 February, which was reaffirmed on 6 July, as well as the interim measures indicated by the European Court of Human Rights on 21 December 2022.
On 11 August, I had a call with my Armenian counterpart, Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, on this issue. Minister Mirzoyan outlined the dire humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the ongoing eight month blockade by Azerbaijan of the Lachin corridor, the only access route from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, which is home to 120,000 Armenians. Minister Mirzoyan emphasised in particular the difficult conditions for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and some 30,000 children.
I expressed deep concern at the alarming reports of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and underlined that the impact of this conflict on the civilian population remains Ireland’s focus. At the emergency session of the UN Security Council convened on 16 August at Armenia’s request, the EU reiterated its call, which is strongly supported by Ireland, for direct dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians.
On 24 August, Ireland's Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee, together with our EU colleagues, received an update from the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, who had recently visited the region and held meetings with high-level interlocutors in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The EU remains fully engaged on this issue, and Ireland continues to support the mediation efforts of European Council President Michel aimed at facilitating a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the conflict, including on the long-term status of Nagorno-Karabakh. I am aware that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the only international humanitarian body with access to Nagorno-Karabakh. Ireland commends its invaluable work to mitigate the suffering of civilians in the region and is deeply concerned by reports communicated by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on 28 August that the population is lacking essential medical supplies.
I discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation with my European counterparts at an informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 31 August. I also note the statement by the President of the European Council Charles Michel on 1 September, reiterating the EU’s support for the opening of the Lachin Corridor.
Ireland will continue to monitor the situation and to raise the welfare of the civilian community residing in Nagorno-Karabakh at the bilateral, EU and multi-lateral level.
23. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Passport Office ever facilitates walk-ins to the passport appointment service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37491/23]
View answerThe Urgent Appointment service operates by appointment only and is available for one and four day turnaround times at the Passport Office in Dublin 2 and for a four day turnaround time at the Passport Office in Cork.
Applicants who have a query about their application should contact the Passport Service Customer Service Hub via phone or webchat. The Passport Service website also provides comprehensive guidance to applicants in relation to all aspects of the application process, from video guides to tracking an application in real time. The Passport Service public counters in Dublin and Cork also provide a service for queries from the public on passports and passport applications. No appointment is needed to use this service.
Passport Online is by far the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to apply for a passport. It is an award winning online platform, which places the Irish Passport Service amongst the most innovative in the world. Over 90% of applicants across the world now apply using Passport Online, and that figure will continue to grow as the Passport Service's Digital First strategy continues to roll out.
More than half of all simple adult online renewals issue within two working days, meaning that, for many, the online renewal service is faster than the urgent appointment service offered at the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.
24. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will state from which departmental budget was the announcement of the allocation of an additional €5 million in funding to Ukraine; and if such funding is subject to the same monitoring and transparency criteria under the Official Development Assistance Programme. [37528/23]
View answerOn 19 July, the Taoiseach travelled to Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky, and to pledge solidarity with the people of the country. During his visit, the Taoiseach announced an additional €5 million in humanitarian assistance for the ongoing emergency response, drawn from the Humanitarian Assistance budget line of Vote27, Department of Foreign Affairs . Of this, €2 million is being allocated to the United Nations Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, which is supporting local NGO and civil society organisations across the country. €3 million is being allocated to the International Federation of the Red Cross, as support for the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross. This funding will be subject to the monitoring and transparency criteria applied to all of Ireland's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming.
25. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to provide a breakdown per country, of total funding allocated from Ireland's Aid Programme from the start of 2022 to date; if funding allocated to Ukraine since 2022 falls under Ireland's Official Development Assistance (ODA) Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37529/23]
View answerThe Government's international development policy, A Better World, focuses on addressing the needs of countries and communities who are furthest behind. Ireland's assistance is channeled through multilateral organisations such as the UN, and international financial institutions such as the World Bank; funding to Irish civil society organisations; and bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) delivered in programmes implemented by our Embassies abroad.
Each year the Department of Foreign Affairs reports to the OECD Development Assistance Committee on overall expenditure on ODA against a set of internationally agreed statistical standards. This analysis informs the annual Irish Aid report which includes details of the top 30 recipient countries of Ireland’s bilateral ODA. The 2021 Irish Aid annual report is available publicly on the internet at October - Irish Aid Annual Report 2021 - Department of Foreign Affairs.
For 2022, the Government provided a total allocation of €1.045 billion for ODA: €605 million allocated to Vote 27 of the Department of Foreign Affairs and a further €440 million accounted for by the contributions of other Government Departments and Ireland's share of the EU Development Cooperation budget.
Reporting for 2022 is being completed and will be included in the 2022 Annual Report, to be published in October. It will show the exceptional impact of first-year costs for Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, which are ODA-eligible, and the impact of Ireland's increased share of the EU development cooperation budget. As a result, total ODA in 2022 reached €2.29 billion, representing 0.63% of GNI. Excluding costs related to Ukrainian refugees, total ODA stood at €1.41 billion, or 0.39% of GNI. It should be noted that in 2022, and again in 2023, none of the costs associated with the reception of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland has been sourced from the original ODA Budget allocation.
In addition to the first-year costs for hosting Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, the Government provided a total of €52.8 million in bilateral ODA for Ukraine in 2022, including €45 million from the Department of Foreign Affairs. This includes €20 million in humanitarian assistance, €20 million through the World Bank to support the Government of Ukraine to sustain critical government services and core government functions, €4 million to the European Reconstruction and Development Bank to support small businesses, and €1 million to the Council of Europe Development bank Ukraine Solidarity fund.
Other departments also provided significant contributions in bilateral ODA to Ukraine in 2022, both in monetary contributions and through aid in-kind such as medical supplies and assistance. For example, the Department of Health provided over €7 million in medical supplies including ambulances, blood bags, bio-protection suits and medical protection masks, while the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided €750,000 through the World Food Programme to assist small farmers in Ukraine.
27. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to passport applications for individuals under the age of 18 years if a sole guardian affidavit is required to be submitted in the case that there is just one parent/guardian named on the birth certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37805/23]
View answerAll passports are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008 ("the Act") as amended. With regard to guardianship, the Passport Service is bound by Section 14 of the Act. Section 14 requires the consent of a child’s guardians before a passport can issue to the child, subject to very limited exceptions.
In cases where a child has only one guardian within the meaning of the legislation, this guardian is required to complete a Sole Guardian Affidavit to confirm that there is no other person holding guardianship rights in respect of the child applying for a passport. This is necessary in order to verify that the requirements for guardian consent have been satisfied. While only one parent may be named on a child's birth certificate, circumstances in relation to guardianship may have changed since the child's birth was registered.
28. Deputy David Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a renewal passport application is considered on a first-time basis once a period of 15 years from date of issue of the previous passport has elapsed; the reason 15 years is the timescale chosen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37820/23]
View answerAn adult whose passport was issued more than 15 years ago is required to apply for their next passport as a first time applicant.
All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. Section 8 of the Act provides for the processing of personal data by the Passport Service as required for the issuance of passports and the maintenance of the integrity of the Passport Service system.
In order to comply with its obligations under data protection legislation, the Department will hold data that has been collected for the purposes of processing an application only as long as there is a business need to do so in line with the purposes for which it was collected.
In the case of passport issuance, the data will be held by the Passport Service for 15 years after the date of issuance, as stated in the Passport Service's Data Privacy Notice. After this time the data will be marked for destruction and will be destroyed in line with internal guidelines or guidelines for destruction received from the National Archives. A minimum amount of personal data is held beyond this period for the purpose of fraud prevention in order to maintain the integrity of the Passport Service system.
Under Section 7 of the Passports Act, the Passport Service may require the applicant to produce such documents as are considered necessary for the purposes of issuing a passport. In the case of applicants who are applying after more than 15 years since the issuance of their last passport, it is also possible that documentary requirements may have changed since the issuance of the last passport.
30. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37915/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.
31. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of persons who applied for the recent post of housekeeper at the Irish Consulate General in New York; and if he will provide a breakdown on the gender ratio of the applications. [37934/23]
View answerThe Irish Consulate in New York held a recent recruitment campaign for the role of Housekeeper. No applications were received.
32. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to look favourably on a foreign birth registry application in order that a person (details supplied) can fly home to Ireland with their baby; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37999/23]
View answerForeign Birth Registration (FBR) applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
The FBR service operates a transparent general policy of processing applications in order of receipt except in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, the applicant does not meet these criteria.
33. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs given the ongoing delays in the processing of passports, some of which is caused by the delays in managing to get confirmation of signatures of members of An Garda Síochána, if consideration has been given to setting up a system by which a Garda can certify their signature on a passport application contemporaneously via a Passport Office secure portal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38014/23]
View answerThe Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports, and has issued over 764,000 passports to date in 2023 and all turnaround times are at their target level. There are no application backlogs, all applications are being processed in the normal way. Over half of all simple adult online renewals are processed within 2 working days. It is not the experience of the Passport Service that there are widespread issues in the system of witnessing passport applications by An Garda Síochána generally, or in particular, causing applications to be cancelled or delayed.
The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. The Irish passport was recently ranked 3rd in the Henley Global Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 189 countries.
There are certain passport applications for applicants resident in Ireland that require forms to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. The witnessing of these forms is a vital element of the identity verification process for the Passport Service, as it provides initial assurance that the person in the photograph is the same person submitting the passport application form.
In the case of children's applications, it ensures that the consent of guardians is verified. Garda stations maintain logs of these witnessed forms for verification purposes. For each application that requires a Garda witness, the Passport Service calls the relevant Garda station to confirm that the Garda witness recorded the witnessed form in the station logbook. Passport Service staff will call the relevant Garda station up to three times to verify the Garda's signature. Where the Passport Service cannot reach the Garda station, there is a system in place whereby the Passport Service contacts the relevant Superintendent’s Office to verify the details.
The Passport Service is continuously looking at ways to make the application process easier for applicants, including the enhancement of digital services. My Department would welcome the digitisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications.
In addition to this, the Passport Service maintains a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána and regularly offers training and guidance to Gardaí on the correct completion of the required identity and consent forms. The Passport Service published an informational advertisement in the May issue of An Garda Síochána’s magazine, the Garda Review, to assist Gardaí with the process of witnessing passport identity and consent forms. Further to this, informational leaflets were also be shared with An Garda Síochána with detailed guidance on the matter during August 2023.
36. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the sanctions that have been imposed by the EU on North Korea following on from North Korea's involvement in the war with Ukraine. [38088/23]
View answerIreland implements both United Nations sanctions, as adopted by the United Nations Security Council, and EU restrictive measures adopted as part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The sanctions adopted in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine are the most expansive and hard-hitting sanctions in EU history. Overall, the sanctions measures introduced include extensive import and export bans, travel bans, asset freezes, transport bans and media restrictions. In June 2023, Ireland welcomed the adoption of the EU’s 11th sanctions package, which introduced new measures to address circumvention via third countries and strengthen implementation.
To date, no new EU restrictive measures have been imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) specifically in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a number of sanctions Resolutions relating to DPRK, targeting its nuclear-related, other weapons of mass destruction-related, and ballistic missile-related programmes; most recently UNSCR 2270 (2016). In addition to applying UN sanctions, the EU has also put in place additional autonomous measures.
The current restrictive measures regime related to the DPRK includes a range of export and import restrictions including on arms and related materiel of all types; all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology, which could contribute to the DPRK's nuclear-related, ballistic-missile-related or other weapons of mass destruction-related programs; key components for the ballistic-missile sector; any other item that could contribute to the development of the operational capabilities of the DPRK's armed forces. Related financial assistance, technical training, advice, services, assistance or brokering services, or other intermediary services are also prohibited. Further details on the range of restrictions on DPRK established under current EU measures can be found here: www.sanctionsmap.eu/.
Ireland supports the continued use of EU sanctions to maintain pressure on Russia.
37. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Consul General or Vice Consulate based in Atlanta in the United States has spoken formally with the Governor of North Carolina in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [38089/23]
View answerIreland's Consulate General in Atlanta, Georgia, has consular responsibility for several states in the American Southeast, including North Carolina.
The Consul General met with the Governor while attending an event held in the Governor's Mansion in Raleigh, North Carolina in June 2023.
Beyond this, officials from the Consulate General have had other engagements with political, economic and Irish community representatives in North Carolina during the period under reference. These include a meeting between the Consul General and the President Pro-Tempore of the North Carolina State Senate as well as with a major Irish employer in the state in June this year. In October 2022, the Consul General met with the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina’s Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, as well as economic development agencies, universities, and a wide range of Irish community representatives in the State.
38. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will support the request from the Spanish government for Basque, Catalan and Galician to be recognised as official languages of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38108/23]
View answerEU Member States, including Ireland, were informed on 18 August of the decision of the Spanish Government to request the modification of Regulation No. 1 “determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community”, so as to include Catalan, Basque and Galician. The relevant provision of the Treaties is Article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which provides that the ‘rules governing the languages of the institutions of the Union shall… be determined by the Council, acting unanimously by means of regulations.’
Spain has requested that this matter should be included on the agenda for presentation to Ministers at the General Affairs Council (GAC) on 19 September next. It is too early at this stage for Ireland to take a definitive position on the Spanish Government's proposal in the absence of detail and before a formal presentation. However, Ireland has always been a strong proponent of linguistic pluralism and encouraging the greatest possible access by all EU citizens to information about the Union and its Institutions and this context will inform Ireland’s position on the issue in discussions at Council.
39. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a person (details supplied) who applied to the foreign birth register will have their application processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38133/23]
View answerForeign Birth Registration (FBR) applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications that require further supporting documents will take longer to process. Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was registered on 25 May 2023. In line with current turnaround time of 9 months, this application will fall due for processing February 2024.
