Conor D McGuinness: Cuba blockade, Rory Byrne, fisheries reform
Conor D McGuinness speaks on three urgent issues: the humanitarian impact of the long-standing US blockade of Cuba, the detention of 22-year-old Rory Byrne in Croatia who is without insulin, and the need for fisheries reform ahead of the Agri-Fish Council meeting in Cork later this month. He urges Ireland and the European Union to act politically and humanely, and asks ministers to intervene in the consular case and in upcoming EU negotiations.
Conor D McGuinness warns that decades of blockade against Cuba have produced a slow attrition of health care, nutrition and civilian wellbeing. He notes that despite the blockade Cuba has achieved strong regional health outcomes, but that progress is now under attack and requires a humanitarian and political response from Ireland, the EU and the United Nations.
McGuinness raises the case of Rory Byrne, a 22-year-old from County Waterford detained in Croatia after an incident at a festival. He says Rory, who has type 1 diabetes, has been without insulin for several days and has not been able to access medical care, consular assistance or legal advice. He asks Ministers to urgently intervene to secure hospital transfer and uphold Rory's rights.
With Ireland holding the EU Presidency, McGuinness calls on the government to use the Agri-Fish Council meeting in Cork to push for reform of the common fisheries policy. He condemns last year's outcome, calling it a calculated ambush on Irish coastal communities, and highlights the disproportionate quota allocations such as Belgium receiving more quota despite a 17 kilometre coastline.
McGuinness requests that ministers relay these concerns to colleagues and take immediate action: pursue a UN and bilateral resolution on Cuba, press for urgent consular intervention for Rory Byrne, and set a firm negotiating agenda at the Agri-Fish Council in Cork. The address frames Ireland's Presidency as a chance to protect health, citizens and coastal livelihoods.
Cuba and humanitarian concern
Conor D McGuinness warns that decades of blockade against Cuba have produced a slow attrition of health care, nutrition and civilian wellbeing. He notes that despite the blockade Cuba has achieved strong regional health outcomes, but that progress is now under attack and requires a humanitarian and political response from Ireland, the EU and the United Nations.
Consular emergency: Rory Byrne
McGuinness raises the case of Rory Byrne, a 22-year-old from County Waterford detained in Croatia after an incident at a festival. He says Rory, who has type 1 diabetes, has been without insulin for several days and has not been able to access medical care, consular assistance or legal advice. He asks Ministers to urgently intervene to secure hospital transfer and uphold Rory's rights.
Fisheries policy and the Agri-Fish Council
With Ireland holding the EU Presidency, McGuinness calls on the government to use the Agri-Fish Council meeting in Cork to push for reform of the common fisheries policy. He condemns last year's outcome, calling it a calculated ambush on Irish coastal communities, and highlights the disproportionate quota allocations such as Belgium receiving more quota despite a 17 kilometre coastline.
Implications and next steps
McGuinness requests that ministers relay these concerns to colleagues and take immediate action: pursue a UN and bilateral resolution on Cuba, press for urgent consular intervention for Rory Byrne, and set a firm negotiating agenda at the Agri-Fish Council in Cork. The address frames Ireland's Presidency as a chance to protect health, citizens and coastal livelihoods.
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Transcript
First of all, Minister, I wish to raise the situation faced by the people of Cuba, an island that has been under an illegal blockade for many decades, a blockade that the world through the United Nations has condemned year on year, and despite that blockade, despite that siege by the world's superpower and its nearest neighbour, Cuba has shown the way regionally in terms of health outcomes for its people. But that progress on health is under attack. What we're seeing is a slow war of attrition against health care, against nutrition, against civilians by the United States through the ongoing blockade and the escalation of that. So I want to make the point here that Ireland and the European Union need to make a humanitarian intervention here, but they also need to make a political intervention to get a resolution on this through the United Nations and directly bilaterally with the United States. Minister, I want to raise the issue of a young man from County Waterford, Rory Byrne. He's 22 years old. He was arrested and detained in Croatia over the weekend, and I've written to the Minister for Foreign Affairs about this, but I want to raise it here with you, and I will share details when I finish speaking. He was arrested following a fratka at a festival with a number of other young men. He has type 1 diabetes. He's very, very unwell. Consular officials were told by prison authorities that he has refused consular assistance. His family can test that, but he has not been able to access medical help, consular assistance or, indeed, legal advice. There is obviously a language barrier there as well, so I would ask for the Department and for you and for your colleague, Minister McEntee, to urgently intervene to ensure that his rights are upheld and that he can access medical intervention and, in particular, transfer to a hospital facility, given that he's a number of days without insulin at the moment. Finally, Minister, later this month, as part of Ireland's Presidency of the European Union, the Agri-Fish Council meeting will take place in Cork. This gives an opportunity for the Irish government to set the agenda in many respects and also to push for the long-overdue reform of the common fisheries policy and also to set the stage for the negotiations that will take place later this year on fisheries quota and to set the stage for avoiding the shameful outcome of last year's Agri-Fish December Council meeting, where Ireland was subjected and the Irish fishing industry and coastal communities were subjected to a calculated ambush by some of our European partners and fellow member states, where we have a situation where Belgium, with a coastline of some 17 kilometres, enjoys more fishing quota than the whole state for a number of species that are found off our southern shore in Irish waters. So, Minister, I would ask that you would relay those to your colleagues in government and that that would be actioned at the Agri-Fish meeting in Cork this month.