Latest news with #Tánaiste
Agriland
a day ago
- Business
- Agriland
Tánaiste unconvinced Irish Mercosur concerns have been ‘adequately addressed'
The Tánaiste is unconvinced that Ireland's concerns about the Mercosur trade agreement have been 'adequately addressed'. According to Simon Harris both he and his officials continue 'to engage at EU level at every opportunity, with both the European Commission directly through the trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and with counterparts in EU member states, including France, to 'voice our concerns with the agreement'. Harris, also the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said both he and his officials have sought to 'interrogate the outcome of negotiations to assess if our concerns have been adequately addressed'. But speaking in the Dáil on trade agreements last week the Tánaiste said: 'I am not convinced they have been'. The Tánaiste also reiterated to TDs that the government's policy is to 'work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal'. Mercosur But, the Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, challenged the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Dáil to detail exactly what engagement the Irish government has had with the commission and 'what answers have been given by the commission' in relation to the Mercosur agreement. The Tánaiste said he had a 'significant one-on-one meeting' with his French counterpart specifically about Mercosur and that the government's 'links and engagement with France on this remain intense and ongoing'. 'Our position within the European Commission is very well understood. I do not think other member states would be in any way surprised by Ireland's position. What happens next is important. 'At the moment, the agreement is undergoing a legal scrubbing, after which it will be translated into all the EU languages. 'It is worth repeating that there is still a degree of uncertainty over what form the final commission proposal to member states will take,' the minister stated. According to Simon Harris 'there is one of two ways it can go'. 'It can go as what is called a mixed agreement – this would require unanimous member state approval, which clearly does not exist, or it could go as a split agreement, with the trade elements applied on an interim basis, which would require approval at council under qualified majority voting. 'That is where the question arises as to whether there is a blocking minority, for want of a better phrase,' he added. The Tánaiste emphasised that it is his 'sense of the situation is that a number of member states remain resolute in their opposition' to Mercosur. He is also of the opinion that Europe, including its member states and the European Commission, 'must get better at working out how we can engage with farmers and the agriculture sector earlier on in the process'. The minister said: 'As we go forward, we must look at how we can involve farmers and the agriculture sector in protecting their interests much earlier in the process in order that we do not end up with a trade agreement that has good elements but leaves us asking, 'what about the farmers?' 'That is not a clever way for us to proceed'.
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Father of soldier killed in Lebanon in 1989 appeals to government to update Army Pensions Act
THE FATHER OF Private Michael McNeela, an Irish peacekeeper who was shot dead by Israeli-backed militia in Lebanon in 1989, has said that he feels 'let down' by the government's stance that they cannot transfer his late wife's bereavement payment to him. Michael McNeela was 21-years-old when he was shot dead on his second tour in South Lebanon in February 1989. His mother Kathleen was supplied with a bereavement payment following his death. Following Kathleen's death last year, her husband John reached out to have the payment transferred to his name. 'They sent me a letter saying that it wasn't transferable to me,' John told Justin McCarthy on RTÉ Radio today. 'I feel very let down, to be honest with you. The act that says this now is 80 years old, 1946, and it was never updated, because there's not many cases like mine come up, and that's why it was never brought out in the open.' In the Army Pensions Act 1946 , Part IV states that only the six people set out are entitled to be deemed a dependent of a deceased soldier: his mother, his grandmother, his grandfather, his permanently invalided brother, his permanently invalided and unmarried sister, and his father – if over 60 years of age or incapacitated by ill health. As John was neither over 60 nor in ill health when his son was killed, he is not entitled to the payment, despite his wife's death. Advertisement John, who is now 84-years-old, said that the payment would make the world of difference to him. 'It means I can run a car, and I need a car because I'm not very good at walking, and if I hadn't a car, I'd be a prisoner in my own home.' He appealed to the Tánaiste and Defence Minister Simon Harris to reexamine the current act to allow bereavement payments for relatives of Irish soldiers killed in active duty to be transferred. 'It's very rare, but Ireland will always be sending peacekeepers to maybe different countries, and the thing can happen like it happened, Michael, the way one or two might get killed, which I hope not,' John said. 'I am very hopeful [for change], and I would ask the Minister to do all he can. He's the only man that can change it.' Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú said that he has been engaging with the Tánaiste on John's behalf. 'They stated that there would be an engagement at General Secretary level, but in fairness, I think John McNeela has said it, made the most cogent point, which is the Act needs to be updated. 'Everyone would accept that we should be looking after those families of people, of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and a very small number of people. There may never be another case like this again,' Ó Murchú said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Man feels 'let down' after refused son's army allowance
A man whose son was killed while serving with the Irish Defence Forces has found that he is not entitled to keep an allowance which was granted to his wife. John McNeela's son Private Michael McNeela was killed in Lebanon in 1989 by an by an Israeli-backed militia while on peacekeeping duties. His mother Kathleen was given a dependents allowance following his death. She died last year and Mr McNeela asked the State to transfer that allowance to him, but his request was refused. Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Mr McNeela called for the Army Pensions Act to be amended. He said the monthly allowance of €340 "would make a difference to him". Mr McNeela said that the Defence Forces "couldn't have done enough" for his family after his son's death, but that at the moment he feels "let down and disappointed" and called on Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris to act. "Not many cases like this comes up. I think there is more the Tánaiste could do," he said. He added that the military pension system is "not right and is obsolete". "I would ask the minister to do all he can as he's the only man that can change it," Mr McNeela said. Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú described the situation as "unfair and mean". "We require the Government to step up to the mark," he said, as the State should be looking after the families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice "I would much prefer that this was dealt with quietly, that there wasn't a need to do it in the public domain. But unfortunately, that is not the case. "We've all seen pension anomalies before. We're all open to some sort of interim solution, and there is a requirement to change the legislation". In a statement, the Department of Defence said it "treats any case involving a deceased soldier with the utmost of sensitivity". "In this specific case, under the current law, the Army Pensions Act, there is no provision to transfer a Dependants Allowance to another person, at any stage. "The Secretary General of the Department of Defence will this week raise this case with her colleagues in the Department of Social Protection to see what other supports may be available to Mr McNeela. "Like all families of deceased soldiers, we will do all we can to support them," it said.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Current and former students join together to celebrate Wexford school's milestone jubilee
The school was officially opened on September 25 in 1975 by the then Tánaiste Brendan Corish. This was a significant event as it marked the amalgamation of female and male students for the first time. Many members of the community attended to celebrate the occasion, including Bishop Ger Nash, Cllr Barbara- Anne Murphy, and FCJ Secondary School principal Brendan Daly. Two former as well as the current principal, gave speeches as they reflected over how far the school has come over the years. Michael Dee spoke about how surprisingly seamless the entire process had been when opening the school, while James Roberts took great pride in leading the school to become more involved in the Rackard League and getting more funding for class equipment. Current principal Tomás Moriarty, who has been at the helm since 2019, spoke about how special working in the school has been, despite the obstacles created by Covid-19 soon after he took on the role. "From my first visit, to meet James Roberts and the children, it was clear that OLOL NS was a special place. Walking in through the gates, I remember that the school grounds were sparkling in the early Summer sun and from the first meeting with the children and staff I was made feel welcome,' he said. A special mass also took place on the day, as well as refreshments, with music proudly provided by students on their instruments.
The Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Ireland issues formal rebuke of Israel via UN after troops came under fire in Lebanon
IRELAND HAS ISSUED a formal rebuke of Israel after its troops fired in the direction of Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon this week. The Irish troops, who are stationed in Lebanon on a UNIFIL peacekeeping mission and were on patrol with the Lebanese Armed Forces, were fired upon by Israeli troops on Thursday. No-one was injured in the incident. On the direction of Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris, a formal 'demarche' has been served on the Israeli Government via the UN, the Department of Foreign Affairs said today. The demarche states that Ireland considers the incident in the Lebanese village of Yaroun 'completely unacceptable in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties'. 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish government and the Defence Forces, the rebuke added. Advertisement The Tánaiste, who described the incident as 'reckless, intimidatory, totally unacceptable and a clear breach of the international rules surrounding peacekeeping',was briefed yesterday by the new Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. Harris paid tribute to 'our personnel deployed with UNIFIL, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment'. Today in Lebanon, an Israeli strike killed one person in the south of the country despite a six-month-old supposed ceasefire. Israel said it targeted a Hezbollah militant. The state-run National News Agency said a man was killed when an Israeli drone targeted his car as he was heading to pray at a mosque in Deir al-Zahrani, about 20 kilometres from the Israeli border. Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon despite the 27 November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of open war. The Israeli army said the strike killed a regional commander 'of Hezbollah's rocket array'. With reporting form AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
