Results 26,821-26,840 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Resolutions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: UN Security Council Resolution 2379 (2017) concerns the creation of an independent Investigative Team, headed by a Special Adviser with the objective of collecting, preserving, and storing evidence of acts of Da’esh in Iraq that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. This evidence is then intended for eventual use in fair and independent criminal proceedings,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Iraqi Conflict (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am appalled by the violence which Daesh have inflicted in Iraq and Syria, and the tragic suffering which their extremist and violent actions have brought on innocent people, including the Yazidi community. Ireland has consistently called for inclusive, democratic solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa region. In the Iraqi context, we have emphasised that the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 1:In page 6, line 27, to delete “and”. This section amends the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 to provide that any period of time spent in the State while exempt from immigration controls is not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. It also clarifies that children born to diplomats and associated persons who are exempt from immigration...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 2:In page 6, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following:"(c) in section 7 (amended by section 3 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2001) by the insertion of the following after subsection (3):"(3A) A person to whom paragraph (b) of subsection (3) applies shall be deemed to have been born on the island of Ireland for the purposes of that...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will try to address the issue the Deputy has raised in the context of the section as a whole. As the Chairman noted, neither I nor my Department has a role in deciding whether an amendment is ruled in or out of order. From a policy perspective, the Deputy deserves to understand why we have not brought forward a similar proposal to what he has set out in the amendment which has been ruled...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will make a general comment as I have not had the chance to put anything on the record in this regard.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am impressed by the committee's pace.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I wish every Chairman was as efficient as this Chairman. The purpose of the Bill is to make the necessary provisions in Irish law to enable the State to ratify a 1954 Hague Convention on the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. There is also a 1999 protocol that supplements this. It is important to recognise these conventions go back some time. I am glad to say...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Message to Dáil (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: That is the Chairman's prerogative. This is my first time before this committee, dealing with two quite technical pieces of legislation. There are many other things we need to tease through and discuss. I look forward to being asked back to the committee again. I would like us to have regular interaction on Northern Ireland in particular. I know that the Chairman is very interested in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (25 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am aware that a number of public representatives participated as observers at the independence referendum in Catalonia on 1stOctober last. Neither of the election observation research missions, to which the Deputy refers, have submitted a report to me or my Department.Should they do so, these will be given appropriate attention. As regards the events of 1 October, I share the dismay felt by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Remuneration (25 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: At present, Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, 7 multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative Office. A system of concurrent, or secondary, accreditations allows us to manage relations with a wider range of countries than those where we have missions. Missions abroad perform a wide range of functions in pursuit of Ireland’s foreign policy...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm to the Deputy that our Embassy in Madrid, our Honorary Consulate in Las Palmas and my Department’s Consular Division in Dublin have provided ongoing consular assistance to the Irish citizen in question since being made aware of his detention in 2013. The Embassy was in regular contact with this individual while he was in detention, and he also received a consular visit...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Regulations (26 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to European Council Regulation (EC) No. 866/2004 as amended, which sets out the terms under which the relevant provisions of EU law apply to the dividing line in Cyprus, between the area under the effective control of the Government of Cyprus in which the acquis communautaireapplies and the area in which it is suspended. This line is not considered to be an external...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (26 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Irish Government’s objectives regarding undocumented Irish citizens in the United States remain constant, namely, to achieve relief for the undocumented and to facilitate greater pathways for legal migration to the United States. With this in mind, Ireland’s diplomatic representatives in the U.S. are continuing to systematically avail of all opportunities to raise the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: On 30 June last, the Taoiseach appointed Deputy John Deasy as the Government’s envoy to the US Congress to work on the issue of the undocumented Irish in the United States.# Deputy Deasy undertakes his work as envoy under my overall direction, along with Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Deputy Ciarán Cannon. I have discussed with Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together. In his speech at the Sorbonne University in September President Macron of France set out his vision for the Future of Europe. Among his proposals was one in relation to the holding of democratic conventions across the EU. Specifically, he proposed that for six months in 2018, debates would be organised in all EU Member States that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Government is committed to greater engagement with the public on the Future of Europe and in this regard my Department is providing funding of €750,000 over 3 years for a Future of the EU27 project being carried out the Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA). The first tranche of this funding, €125,000, is being provided this year to the IIEA. The IIEA...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Training (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department supports the continuous development of its officers through the implementation of a broad range of professional development programmes focusing on leadership, management, compliance and evaluation with a view to strengthening the management and diplomatic capabilities of its staff. In addition to intensive language training, my Department also provides its officers with a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: The illegal destruction by Israel of Palestinian homes, schools, wells, solar panels and other structures, principally in Area C of the West Bank but also in the Golan Heights, is a matter of grave concern and one that Ireland has focused attention on in recent years, both nationally and at EU and international level. One specific aspect of this unacceptable practice which has gained...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: eGovernment Services (7 Nov 2017)

Simon Coveney: As part of the eGovernment strategy 2017- 2020, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has been working on the development of a Digital Service Gateway - a single digital point where citizens can easily access information about the Government services that are available to them. My understanding is that this work, which began earlier this year, is ongoing but we have not yet...