Results 26,641-26,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Data (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The number of passports issued in the years requested is as follows: Year Amount 2012 635,600 2013 634,635 2014 632,156 2015 672,760 2016 733,060 2017 (1 January – 5th September) 615,971

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Data (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Information on the turnaround times for passport applications is updated weekly on the Passport Service website, www.dfa.ie/passport. The target turnaround time for Passport Express renewal applications is 15 working days. Applications in other categories such as first time applicants or those involving lost or stolen passports take longer, as additional checks are undertaken. The actual...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Data (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The percentage of women full time equivalents (FTEs) employed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the years in question is provided in the following table. These figures do not include local staff employed in missions overseas or temporary staff employed on short term temporary contracts. Date Percentage of women FTEs 31.12.2010 55% 31.12.2011 56% 31.12.2012 57%...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is a priority for the Government to ensure that the rights of Irish citizens living in the UK will be protected through the withdrawal process of the UK from the European Union. To this end, the Government prioritised the protection of the Good Friday Agreement and the maintenance of the Common Travel Area for the withdrawal negotiations. The Government was therefore pleased at the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The question of a US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland is a matter for consideration by the US Administration. Successive US Administrations have provided immensely valuable support to the peace process over the last three decades. The Government look forward to the continued engagement by the current US Administration in Northern Ireland, including that of the US State Department. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The appointment of ambassadors by the United States is solely a matter for the U.S. authorities. Pending the nomination of a new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland by President Trump and the subsequent confirmation of the appointment by the US Senate, we will continue to engage closely with the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, under the leadership of Chargé d’Affaires, Reece Smyth, on the whole...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Since January 2017, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers have been assigned to the Passport Service and appointed to the Passport Offices in Balbriggan, Mount Street and Cork. Temporary Clerical Officers in the Passport Service are typically hired on twenty-six week contracts and most of these initial contracts were extended during the year for a further six – eight weeks....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 to 521, inclusive, 523 and 525 together. The comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’ Approach”published on 2 May outlined in detail the structures put in place by the Government to ensure a strategic and whole-of Government response to Brexit that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522, 527 and 540 together. Since taking up office, engagement on Brexit with EU partners has been a central element of my work. This approach has yielded clear results in ensuring that Ireland’s unique issues and concerns have been fully understood by our EU 27 partners and have been reflected in the EU’s negotiating position. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Staff (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Additional capabilities and resources have been assigned across my Department to address issues arising from the complex process of the UK exit from the EU. Currently, no Brexit related vacancies remain to be filled in the Department. My Department is continually monitoring the additional needs associated with management of this process and engages with the Department for Public Expenditure...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Engagement with stakeholders is an important pillar of the Government’s overall response to Brexit. A major initiative undertaken under the joint leadership of my Department and the Department of the Taoiseach has been the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit, which was established in November 2016. Its inaugural plenary session marked the beginning of a series of public consultations...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Research and analysis by Departments on the impact that Brexit may have across a wide range of policy areas is ongoing and of course involves my own Department both in its co-ordination role and in its own right. Planning for, contributing to and following the EU-UK negotiations requires research on and analysis of very many legal, institutional, and political issues, and is led by the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Department is engaging with the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the 2018 Estimate Allocations. This will be announced on Budget Day in the Oireachtas by the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on 10 October 2017. The Department is not in a position to comment in advance.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 to 532, inclusive, together. The scale and configuration of the State’s diplomatic network in promoting Ireland’s interests and values in a fast-changing world is under continual review by my Department and by the Government. The ambition set by the Taoiseach to double our global footprint by 2025 reflects the scale and complexity of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 533, 534 and 536 to 538, inclusive, together. Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, seven multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. Many of our Ambassadors are also accredited to additional countries on a concurrent basis, which enables us to maintain diplomatic relations with a total of 178 countries....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The work of our embassy and consulate network around the world continues to be important in Ireland’s economic recovery and the restoration of our international reputation. Our network promotes Ireland’s political, economic and cultural interests...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The number of passport applications received so far this year from applicants living in Northern Ireland has increased by 33%, with applications from the rest of UK up by 40% on the same period last year. To respond to seasonal spike in demand and the general increase in applications, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers were recruited into the Passport Service this year. These...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department has not provided funding for the running costs or capital costs of the organisation to which the Deputy refers in the past ten years. Under the Embassy Initiatives strand of the subhead “Cultural relations with other countries”, funding was provided by the Embassy of Ireland in Brussels and the Permanent Representation to the EU towards the costs of a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (20 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 279 together. Since I took up office in June, engagement on Brexit with EU partners has been a central element of my work. This approach, building on the work done by my predecessor, has yielded clear results in ensuring that Ireland’s unique issues and concerns have been fully understood by our EU27 partners and have been reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Good Friday Agreement (20 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Planning is underway in my Department to mark the 20thanniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, on 10thApril next year. A number of events, at home and abroad, are being considered as part of a programme to highlight this important anniversary and to celebrate the achievement of the Agreement, which continues to be the cornerstone of our commitment to peace and reconciliation....