To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a new secondary school for the Swords area of County Dublin as announced in November 2015; if he has identified locations for these proposed schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY. As the Deputy may be aware, the building project for the new post-primary school to serve Swords is included on my Department’s six year construction programme. My Department has worked closely with Fingal County Council in respect of this and conveyancing is currently underway in respect of a site for the permanent school accommodation. Due to commercial sensitivities relating to site acquisitions generally I am unfortunately not in a position to provide further details regarding the permanent location at this time. I can, however, assure the Deputy that the site acquisition process for this school is being advanced by my Department as a priority. The school will open as scheduled in September 2017 in suitable interim accommodation pending completion of construction. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current expenditure of GNP on overseas development aid; the cost based on current growth forecasts of reaching levels (details supplied) of the United Nations target for overseas development aid, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9800/17 0.34%, 0.35%. 0.36, 0.37, 0.38%, 0.39%, 0.4%, 0.41%, 0.42%, 0.43%, 0.44%, 0.45%, 0.46%, 0.47%, 0.48%, 0.49% and 0.5% REPLY (Minister of State, Mr. Joe McHugh T.D.) This year the Government has allocated a total of €651 million for Official Development Assistance (ODA), an increase of €10 million on the 2016 allocation. This is the second consecutive year we have increased the overall allocation to ODA. Of this total, €486 million will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under Vote 27 International Cooperation. A further estimated €165 million will come from other Government Departments and Ireland’s share of the EU Development Co-operation Budget. This allocation represents a very substantial investment of public funds in Ireland’s aid programme and is a clear indication of our commitment to increase allocations in a sustainable manner as resources permit. It is worth restating that since 2011 the Government has made annual contributions in excess of €600 million to ODA, amounting to a total of some €4.5 billion up to the end of 2017. This is a hugely significant contribution to the fight to eradicate global hunger, reduce extreme poverty and provide live-saving humanitarian assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The table below sets out the potential levels of ODA required to deliver the ODA/GNP percentage levels outlined in the Deputy’s Question. These calculations are based on the Department of Finance Budget Day forecast for GNP for 2017. ODA as a % of GNP Potential ODA 2017* 0.34% 760 0.35% 790 0.36% 810 0.38% 850 0.39% 880 0.40% 900 0.41% 920 0.42% 940 0.43% 970 0.44% 990 0.45% 1,010 0.46% 1,030 0.47% 1,060 0.48% 1,080 0.49% 1,100 0.50% 1,120 * Calculated to the nearest €10 million To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to open new embassies in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9799/17 REPLY My Department periodically reviews Ireland’s representation abroad, taking a range of factors into account when considering the expansion of the Embassy and Consular network overseas. These factors include our national political, economic and trade priorities. A further consideration is the availability of resources to expand the diplomatic network. In recent years, my Department has been able to achieve savings across the network (in the period 2009-2013, cost savings of 21% were achieved), while ensuring that the Government was in a position to open new embassies in Indonesia, Kenya, Croatia, Thailand and the Holy See. In addition, three new Consulates General were opened in the following cities: Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, and Austin, Texas. These locations were principally chosen on the basis of their strategic value in the promotion of Ireland’s economic interests. The Department is committed to keeping the Mission Network under review and to ensuring that it maintains the ability and agility to respond to new opportunities for Irish citizens and businesses. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the programmes under his department's remit that support and engage the diaspora and Irish overseas; the planned expenditure in 2017 for each of those programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9798/17 REPLY [Minister of State, Mr. Joe McHugh, T.D.] The Emigrant Support Programme administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides funding for projects to support and engage Irish communities overseas and to facilitate the development of deeper and more strategic links between Ireland and the global Irish community. The Emigrant Support Programme prioritises culturally sensitive, frontline welfare services that address the needs of the most vulnerable Irish emigrants. The programme also supports a wide range of other diaspora engagement projects, particularly cultural, community and heritage projects that foster a vibrant sense of Irish community and identity, as well as strategic capital projects. The overall budget for the Emigrant Support Programme in 2017 is €11,595,000. This matches the allocation for 2016. The 2017-18 grant closed on the 15 February and the received applications are currently being reviewed. In addition to the Emigrant Support Programme which is specifically targeted at funding projects supporting and engaging the global Irish community, this important objective is also an integral part of the wider work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and in particular the work of our Missions abroad. As such this important area of the Department’s work attracts significant other resources, both human and financial, but this expenditure is not part of a specific allocation or diaspora activity budget that is reported on separately. Rather this work is undertaken annually as part of the core work of Missions, within the wider Departmental and Mission budget. For 2017 an additional budget of €400,000 was allocated to my Department to support local diaspora engagement. My Department is currently considering strategic priorities around this aspect of our engagement with the global Irish and how that new fund can be best structured and administered to achieve priority outcomes. A full list of previously funded organisations under the ESP can be found at https://www.dfa.ie/global-irish/support-overseas/emigrant-support-programme/ To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of meetings he has attended of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit chaired by An Taoiseach since it was established; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9797/17 REPLY The Cabinet Committee on Brexit, chaired by the Taoiseach, has met six times to date. A further meeting is scheduled to take place on 8 March, just in advance of the European Council in Brussels (9-10 March). I have attended five of the six meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit, missing only the Committee meeting on 7 November 2016, as at that time I was accompanying President Higgins on the State Visit to Vietnam. In addition to this Cabinet Committee, Brexit related matters are also regularly discussed at plenary meetings of Cabinet and in a wide variety of other meetings and fora. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of persons assigned to the reestablished EU division within his department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9796/17 REPLY There are currently twenty-six officials assigned to EU Division. Its resources will be kept under constant review in response to evolving needs. I would also add that a number of officers of my Department are seconded to the Department of the Taoiseach and working on EU matters, while two officers are seconded to the International and EU Relations Division of the Department of Finance. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the need for a special status for Northern Ireland in view of Brexit has been placed on the agenda and discussed formally at any EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9795/17 REPLY In the immediate aftermath of the UK referendum on EU exit, the European Council agreed, inter alia, that there would be no negotiations with the UK in advance of the Article 50 application being triggered. Accordingly, the UK’s decision to withdraw from the European Union has not to date been an item on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). Although formal discussions on Brexit have not taken place at the FAC, I have since June spoken at least once with each of my EU Foreign Minister colleagues on the issue of Brexit, over the course of more than 35 engagements; my programme of meetings continues in the weeks ahead. Protecting the peace process and Northern Ireland is one of the Government’s four headline priorities in dealing with the UK decision to leave the European Union. The established framework for all engagement on Northern Ireland is the Good Friday Agreement. This has been strongly reaffirmed by the Government and the British Government following the UK decision to leave the European Union. The Good Friday Agreement is an international treaty, registered with the United Nations and it provides for a unique political and constitutional settlement in Northern Ireland, which is the foundation of the peace process. This is something the European Union as a whole has long recognised and supported. On 23 February, the Taoiseach held a very positive meeting with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at which the Commission President expressed his support and solidarity with Ireland in dealing with the challenges of Brexit, including to uphold the Good Friday Agreement and seek the maintenance of the open border. The Taoiseach will have a further round of meetings in Brussels this week, when he will meet with President Tusk of the European Council and Michel Barnier, Chair of the European Commission Taskforce. On 30 January, the Taoiseach discussed with Prime Minister May the serious implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland and the imperative of retaining the open border on the island of Ireland. There will be a need for the British Government to reflect the unique challenges Brexit poses for Northern Ireland in the position they adopt in the negotiations with the EU27. I reinforced this message in my meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire in our meeting on 14 February. The Government has been clear that there are entirely unique circumstances in respect of the island of Ireland that must be taken account of in the negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and the future EU-UK relationship. While the Irish Government is actively seeking recognition and accommodation of the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, our extensive discussions with partner governments across the EU – including the UK - have made clear that concepts and terms like “special status” give rise to serious concerns for other EU partners about precedents that might be set elsewhere. This would risk undermining the Government’s efforts to specifically address and mitigate the very real impacts facing our island – and the people of Northern Ireland in particular - due to Brexit. While I entirely understand the rationale of those seeking a “special status” designation, the fact is that such a proposal would unnecessarily distract from work to secure arrangements which reflect the genuine uniqueness of Northern Ireland’s situation, founded in the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, as well as its geographic status as the only land border between the UK and the EU27. On 21 February, I outlined to the House the need for specific, effective, and realisable measures that could address the major issues of concern under Brexit, whether these relate to the border, or to the citizenship, constitutional and human rights provisions of the Agreement, or otherwise. The Government will also be advocating for the continuation of the range of EU policy supports to Northern Ireland and the peace process, including in relation to EU funding and is looking at existing precedents and potential innovative approaches in this regard. The Government will continue to work with our EU partners and EU Institutions and prepare comprehensively in support of our overall negotiating objectives. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts he and his European counterparts will make to assist South Sudan, in view of the fact that a famine has been declared; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien. * For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. Ref No: 9585/17 REPLY (Minister of State, Mr. Joe McHugh T.D.) I am very concerned about the situation in South Sudan, particularly in light of the declaration of famine in parts of the country this week. The UN has estimated that 100,000 people are facing starvation, with a further one million people on the brink of famine. Three UN agencies have also warned that urgent action is needed to prevent more people from dying of hunger. Ireland has provided €39 million in humanitarian assistance for South Sudan since 2012. Our assistance is focused on saving lives and alleviating the suffering of the South Sudanese people through meeting their immediate and most basic needs, providing food and livelihoods assistance, treating acute malnutrition, providing shelter and enhancing their protection. In 2016 alone, Ireland contributed just over €11 million to South Sudan. In view of the rapidly deteriorating situation this year, we have released €265,000 for South Sudanese refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo and for internally displaced persons in South Sudan. Further assistance is now being planned to support the humanitarian and emergency response operations of our UN and NGO partners on the ground. The concern is shared strongly at EU level. On 21 February 2017, the European Commission announced an emergency aid package of €82 million which is aimed at addressing the urgent humanitarian situation in the country. Since December 2013, the EU Commission has provided €381 million in humanitarian funding, which, including vital assistance for internally displaced people, refugees, returnees and other vulnerable people. In addition to our humanitarian assistance, Ireland and our EU partners have issued strong political statements, most recently through the Foreign Affairs Council in December 2016, condemning the outbreak of violence in South Sudan, and clearly stating that there can be no military solution to the crisis. The Conclusions called on all parties to observe the ceasefire in full and to take the decisive steps necessary to end the conflict. The Conclusions also underlined the need for a political solution through the implementation of the existing peace agreement, agreed in 2015, and urged the Government of South Sudan to work with regional and international bodies such as the UN, the African Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development to resolve the political crisis. The EU also called on all parties to allow the full, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to all those in need, which is essential in order to save lives. At the UN level, Ireland co-sponsored a resolution on South Sudan at the Special Session of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council, stressing the need for all parties to end the conflict and respect international humanitarian law in December 2016. At the Universal Periodic Review of South Sudan in November 2016, Ireland requested that the South Sudanese authorities provide unimpeded humanitarian access to vulnerable populations. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, with our EU partners, through our Embassy in Addis Ababa, which is accredited to South Sudan, and our Embassies in Kampala and Nairobi. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the moneys which have been allocated to the pyrite remediation scheme for 2017; the amount of this which has been spent in 2017 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. - Darragh O'Brien. For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 28th February, 2017. REPLY The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In addition, applicants under the scheme must be able to demonstrate to the Board that they have no practicable options, other than under the scheme, to secure the remediation of their homes. A sum of €22 million was announced under Budget 2017 to fund the operation of the pyrite remediation scheme in 2017 of which €3.1 million has already been drawn-down by the Housing Agency. This allocation will build on the 553 dwellings already remediated under the scheme and is a clear signal of the continuing importance attached by Government to addressing the issue of significant pyritic damage in private dwellings. It is envisaged that an additional 400 dwellings will be either remediated or under remediation by end 2017. |
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January 2020
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