Results 31,021-31,040 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (16 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Taoiseach and I have prioritised the issue of Irish immigration in the US since taking office. We will continue our efforts in this regard until we secure progress – both in terms of future legal immigration opportunities for Irish citizens, and also in securing a pathway for those Irish who are undocumented in order to regularise their status. Special Envoy to the US Congress on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (16 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: I remain worried about the case referred to by the Deputy. UN human rights experts last week expressed concern that the individual may have been kept in solitary confinement, and in conditions of detention which do not meet the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The experts claim that these conditions have had a serious impact on the individual's health. The UAE...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Declarations (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Heads of State and Government of the EU27 adopted the Sibiu Declaration at the informal European Council meeting on 9 May. Agreed on Europe Day, the Declaration recalls key achievements of the EU and sets out 10 commitments to guide the decisions that leaders will take about the future. At the same time, leaders discussed strategic priorities for the coming years, with a view to adopting...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Cross-Border Co-operation (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s Reconciliation Fund awards grants to organisations working to build better relations within and between traditions in Northern Ireland, between North and South, and between Ireland and Britain.  It operates on the basis of two annual funding rounds.  The first round of 2019 opened on 26thMarch and closed on 16thApril. By the closing date, no funding...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Controls (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs is not aware of the case referred to by the Deputy. Irish citizens in Germany requiring consular assistance are encouraged to make contact with the Embassy of Ireland in Berlin, which will be able to provide the appropriate guidance and support.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: An application for a first Irish passport for the person in question was registered with the Passport Service on the 13 May 2019. The Passport Service aims to process first-time passport applications submitted via Passport Express within 20 working days. At present, first time applications submitted through Passport Express are being processed in an average time of 22...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Under International Auditing Standards there is an obligation to have an independent assessment of the work of the Evaluation and Audit Unit of the Department carried out every five years. This is an external quality assurance requirement. Ernst and Young undertook this assessment work in 2018 and a payment of €15,990 was made to the company by the Department last year. My...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together. The human rights situation in Bahrain remains a matter of concern. My Department regularly raises the issue of human rights abuses and the detention of human rights defenders with the Bahraini authorities. Most recently officials from my Department met with officials from the Bahraini Embassy in March 2019 and raised our human rights...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: When Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007, the EU established the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) as a transitional measure to assist the new Member State in addressing issues in regard to the rule of law, particularly in relation to judicial reform and the fight against corruption.  The European Commission reports annually to the European Parliament and the Council on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Since military operations in Rakhine State escalated in August 2017, an estimated 720,000 refugees have fled to Bangladesh. A significant number of civilians were also internally displaced within Rakhine and 128,000 people remain in IDP camps having fled previous bouts of violence. This exodus of refugees and internal displacement was accompanied by widespread and credible claims of serious...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Applications made via the online passport renewal service are currently being processed within the target turnaround time of 10 working days, excluding postage time. In fact the vast majority of applications are processed in a considerably shorter time period. The Passport Service aims to process all passport renewal applications submitted via Passport Express within 15 working days. At...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The situation in Syria remains grave. Since 2011, the Syria conflict has cost the lives of well over 400,000 people. As the conflict enters its ninth year, nearly 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, and more than 80 per cent of people live below the poverty line. Over 6 million people are displaced inside Syria, and a further 5.6 million have fled to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am concerned by the growing tensions between the United States and Iran which have escalated in recent months and weeks. Following US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) last year, both Ireland and the EU conveyed our great regret at the decision to the US Government, and have maintained that view. Ireland has clearly expressed our belief that there is no credible peaceful...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies Membership (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The 1996 Ottawa Declaration formally established the Arctic Council as a high level intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation among Arctic States and indigenous communities. Membership of the Council comprises the eight littoral States and six representative groups of the Arctic Indigenous peoples. Non Arctic States and other bodies can apply to become Observers, of which there are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The decision of the April European Council to extend the Article 50 process until 31 October 2019, at the request of Prime Minister May, reduced significantly the risk of an immediate no deal UK withdrawal from the EU. However, the deepening political impasse in the UK since then, and the failure to date of the UK Parliament to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, has raised the risk of a no deal...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Data (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The number of cases notified to the Consular Directorate of my Department of deaths of Irish citizens abroad are as follows: 2013 - 231 2014 - 225 2015 - 272 2016 - 250 2017 - 320 2018 - 292 The statistics held by the Department do not distinguish between citizens resident in the State and those resident abroad, and of course would not include those cases where the death was not reported...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (21 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Support for human rights defenders is a long established priority of Ireland’s foreign policy and we proudly play an active role in championing the promotion and protection of human rights defenders and of open civil society space globally. I wholly condemn any threats, intimidation or violence against human rights defenders and social leaders, including the instances to which the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (22 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Foreign Births Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. The establishment of the new Foreign Births Registration team at the beginning of this year has introduced a short delay in the processing of applications. Due to the complex nature of Foreign Births...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government engages frequently with the Canadian Government and Canadian elected representatives on all aspects of the Canada-Ireland relationship and on other issues of mutual concern. There have been strong and sustained Canadian-Irish bilateral contacts in recent years, including most recently a meeting last week between the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Trudeau, which took place en...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department and I continue to monitor closely the ongoing political developments in the United Kingdom. The decision of the April European Council to extend the Article 50 process until 31 October 2019, at the request of Prime Minister May, reduced the risk of an immediate no-deal Brexit. However, the ongoing and deepening political impasse in the UK, to which the Deputy refers, and the...