Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2007 > Committee on Foreign Affairs > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2007

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Ghnóthaí Eachtracha

AN TUARASCÁIL DEIRIDH

1 Eanáir go 29 Aibreán 2007

JOINT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

FINAL REPORT

1st January to 29th April 2007

CONTENTS

Chairman’s Foreword

This is the fifth annual report of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and covers the activities of the Committee from the beginning of 2007 up to the dissolution of the 29^th Dail. I have served as Chairman of the Joint Committee since my election to that post on 12 November 2002. The Vice Chairman is Deputy Michael Mulcahy who was elected on 25 November 2004. The Joint Committee has two sub-Committees, one on Human Rights chaired by Senator Paul Bradford and one on Development Co-operation chaired by Senator Michael Kitt.

Meetings of the Joint Committee

The Joint Committee is a very active committee and has been particularly so over the past five years. Since becoming Chairman I have presided over 105 meetings of the Committee and 10 meetings of the Select Committee. In addition, under their respective Chairmen, the Sub-Committee on Human Rights has had 34 meetings and the Sub-Committee on Development has met on 23 occasions. As Chairman, I have had many informal meetings with visiting dignitaries to Ireland, with representatives of international organisations and NGOs or with other individuals active in the field of international relations who may have visited the Oireachtas outside normal committee meeting times. For many of these meetings I was joined by other members of the Joint Committee.

I have also met informally with incoming Ambassadors to Ireland. In this reporting period, I and members of the Joint Committee were pleased to meet a number of newly appointed Ambassadors to Ireland, including His Excellency Thomas C. Foley, the new Ambassador of the United States to Ireland, and His Excellency David Reddaway, the newly appointed Ambassador from the United Kingdom.

Focus of the Joint Committee

The work of the Joint Committee generally reflects the concerns of the Irish public on international affairs and on issues of importance to Ireland in its foreign relations. Topics discussed by the Committee are frequently determined by international events, such as the outbreak of a war, a civil war, the flaring up of a local or regional conflict, a glaring and persistent violation of human rights, the outbreak of a famine, a severe humanitarian crisis or a particularly serious natural disaster. Committee discussions can arise from requests from Committee Members or from members of the public or from the NGO community. Visits to Ireland by foreign political or other dignitaries also provide opportunities for discussions by the Committee.

Issues discussed in the reporting period.

From the above it can be seen that the work of the Joint Committee is driven primarily by international events. This is confirmed by the discussions at meetings of the Committee in the period under review. Since January of this year we have discussed the position of the Irish Emigrants Abroad and particularly the situation of the undocumented Irish in the United States. We had a very useful discussion on the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the United Nations Programme on AIDS. We discussed the situation in Kosovo and had a most interesting presentation on low cost medical diagnostics. Another issue with particular resonance in Ireland was our discussion on Chernobyl with Ms. Adi Roche, Executive Director of the Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI). In the area of human rights we discussed the situation pertaining to the human rights of people of the Bahá’í faith in Iran.

During the reporting period we launched our Project Report on Vietnam, the fourth such report prepared by the Committee during my term as Chairman and we completed the work on our fifth Project Report, this time on Mozambique. The Select Committee also discussed the estimates for the Department of Foreign Affairs with Mr. Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and with Mr. Conor Lenihan T D, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Irish Abroad

The position of the Irish Abroad has been a matter of continuous interest for the Joint Committee over the past five years. We have had a number of discussions on the issue and our discussions in January of this year brought us up-to-date with respect to the situation of the undocumented Irish in the United States. The Joint Committee remains concerned about their plight, especially in light of the impact of recent legislative restrictions in the United States. All the members of the Joint Committee look forward to the introduction of comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the United States.

Concluding Comments

The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs includes members from both the Government and Opposition as well as members from the Dáil and the Seanad. This ensures that the Committee takes broad, robust and independent views on issues which arise in Ireland’s foreign policy and in Ireland’s international affairs generally. Over the past five years Ireland’s role in international affairs as well as our development cooperation programme have expanded considerably. As a result, the work of the Joint Committee has increased both in terms of the breadth and complexity of the issues we discuss but also in terms of the far greater geographical reach of the Committee’s interests.

As acknowledged in previous reports, the work of the Joint Committee is greatly facilitated by the cooperation and assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs. We value and appreciate the excellent and highly professional support provided by Mr. Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mr. Conor Lenihan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for Human Rights and Development.

We are particularly appreciative of the assistance afforded to the Committee by Mr. Dermot Gallagher, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and his staff. A special word of thanks goes to officials in Irish Aid and in our Embassies for their assistance in helping in the planning and organising the foreign visits undertaken by the Committee and in briefing Committee members prior to their departure.

Given the Committee’s ongoing interest in Ireland’s development co-operation programme we would like to thank in particular Mr. Ronan Murphy, Director General for Irish Aid, and his officials in Irish Aid for their cooperation in the work of the committee in this area.

Much of the Committee’s work would not be possible without the co-operation of the Irish NGO community and of Irish missionaries. We thank them for their help and co-operation. The ongoing interest of the Irish public in the work of the Committee is of course of great important to us.

Finally, the hard work and dedication of the Committee’s Secretariat staff is greatly appreciated by myself and by all the other members of the Joint Committee.

____________________

Dr. Michael Woods TD,

Chairman.

17^th April 2007

Members of the Joint Committee

1. Content and Format of Report

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to-

•make an annual report to both Houses

•prepare an annual work programme

•lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally

At its meeting on 3rd April 2007, the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this annual report.

2.Establishment and Functions

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds which come within the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —

•public affairs administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs

•matters of policy for which the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible

•legislative and expenditure proposals of the Department

•scrutiny of EU legislative proposals

•certain matters relating to bodies under the aegis of the Department

•such aspects of Ireland’s international relations as it may select

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy Michael Woods was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 12 November 2002. The present Vice-Chairman is Deputy Michael Mulcahy who was elected on 25^th November 2004. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies Tony Dempsey and Michael D. Higgins are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and other Committee activities and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

The Members of the Joint Committee are listed at Appendix 2.

4. Establishment of sub-Committees

Standing Order 81(3) (Dáil) and Standing Order 65(3) (Seanad) confer on Committees the power to appoint sub-Committees and to refer to such sub-Committees any matter covered by its orders of reference and to delegate any of its powers to such sub-Committees, including power to report directly to the Dáil and Seanad.

a)The Joint Committee agreed at its meeting on 18 December 2002 to create a sub-Committee on Development Co-operation to consider such aspects of

iIreland’s relations with developing countries in the field of development co-operation, trade and debt;

iithe Government’s official Development Assistance Programme; and

iiithe role of the United Nations in the field of development co-operation

as the sub-Committee may select or as may be referred to it by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs.

It was also agreed that the sub-Committee would consist of 7 Members (5 Dáil and 2 Seanad). The Orders of Reference of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 1(A). The Members of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 2.1.

At its first meeting on 13 February 2003, the sub-Committee elected Senator Michéal P. Kitt as Chairman.

b)The Joint Committee agreed at its meeting on 18 December 2002 to create a sub-Committee on Human Rights to consider such aspects of international human rights, including the role of the United Nations in this field, as the sub-Committee may select or as may be referred to it by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The sub-Committee has 7 Members, 4 from Dáil Éireann and 3 from Seanad Éireann. The Members of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 2.2. The Orders of Reference of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 1(B)

At its first meeting on 27 February 2003, the sub-Committee elected Senator Paul Bradford as Chairman and Senator Paschal Mooney as Vice-Chairman.

5. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee, Select Committee and sub-Committee(s) took place in the Committee Rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the relevant Committee. Televised coverage of public meetings was broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by RTE, TV3 and other networks.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of public meetings is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.oireachtas.ie

Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, telephone: 01-6183000, email:foreignaffairs@oireachtas.ie. A list of these reports is set out at Paragraph 9.

6. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 7 occasions in the period from 1^st January to 30^th April 2007. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 9 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in Appendix 3.

The sub-Committee on Development Co-operation met once during the period from 1^st January to 30^th April 2007 and the discussion involved in this meeting lasted 42 minutes. The date and subject matter of the meeting is set out in Appendix 3.1.

The sub-Committee on Human Rights met on 2 occasions the period from 1^st January to 30^th April 2007 and the discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 1 hour. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in Appendix 3.2.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 2 occasions the period from 1^st January to 30^th April 2007 and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 2 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in Appendix 4.

Minutes of the proceedings of the Joint Committee and its sub-Committees meetings held in public session are attached at Appendix 5.

7. Work of the Committee

7.1 Joint Committee

The Joint Committee met and it dealt with the following matters:

7.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 2 occasions the Dáil Select Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

7.3 Sub-Committee on Development Co-operation

On the occasion that it met, the sub-Committee on Development Co-operation dealt with the following matter:-

7.4 Sub-Committee on Human Rights

On the 2 occasions that it met, the sub-Committee on Human Rights dealt with the following matters:-

8. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In 2007, the Joint Committee met with the following organisations, groups and individuals:

The sub-Committee on Development Co-operation met with the following groups and individuals —

The sub-Committee on Human Rights met with the following groups and individuals —

In addition to the formal meetings of the Joint Committee, the Chairman also had a series of meetings on behalf of the Joint Committee during the year, including meetings with Ambassadors and other distinguished visitors, incoming delegations and individuals. Details are set out on Appendix 6.

9. Reports

9.1 Joint Committee Reports

During the period under report, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

10. Travel

The Joint Committee travelled abroad on fact finding missions and to attend international conferences in accordance with its Orders of Reference in connection with its Work Programme. Details of this travel are set out in Appendix 7.

11. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role. It has no plans to request changes to its Orders of Reference in 2007.