Results 31,381-31,400 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Irish passport card is valid for travel to 31 countries: all EU Member States, the members of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) and Switzerland. The Irish passport card is fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations concerning requirements for passports in card format.  Since the passport card was launched in 2015, over...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department uses the product referred to in support certain administrative services. The amounts detailed below have been spent between 2008 and 2019. Licence renewal is due on the 1 January annually. Year Spent Amount Years Covered 2019 2018 €4,054.94 2019 2017 €4,010.67 2018 2016 €8,034.36 2016 & 2017 2015 - 2014 €3,634.65 2015...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The human rights situation in Bahrain is a matter of concern. I was deeply troubled to learn of the executions of three people in July, including human rights activists Ali Al Arab and Ahmed Al Malali. These executions follow on from a considerable erosion of fundamental freedoms in Bahrain in recent years, including freedom of opinion and expression. On 27 July, the EEAS issued a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Gender Recognition (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together. All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 (“The 2008 Act”). Section 38 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 amended section 11 of the 2008 Act to provide for the issuing of a passport in a new gender and, if applicable, in a new name. Section 38 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 was...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts Data (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: Preparation and planning for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) intensified in my Department in 2016 with the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO), as required by the GDPR. My Department’s policy is that its DPO be a certified Data Protection Practitioner. As part of the Department’s preparations, ahead of the coming into force of the GDPR, the DPO...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Customer Charters (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: From time to time my Department receives comments from members of the public giving feedback on how we could improve our services both at home and at our 88 Missions abroad. We are committed to constantly improving how we conduct our business and to ensuring that our staff across all offices, both in Ireland and our global network of Embassies and Consulates, act in a highly professional...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 42 together. I am deeply concerned by the widespread fires that have devastated large areas of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and neighbouring countries. The Taoiseach has made a statement on the matter, voicing his concerns and urging the Brazilian Government to honour its environmental commitments under the Paris Agreement, a key element of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Citizenship Status (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: All passports are issued in accordance with the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended ("The 2008 Act"). Under the 2008 Act, a passport cannot be issued to a person unless the Minister is satisfied as to the identity of the person and that the person is an Irish citizen. Citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended ("The 1956 Act"), which...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Resolutions (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The question of a legally binding treaty to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises has been under consideration by the Inter-Governmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises.  The group was established on foot of a Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2014, led by a number of developing...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the difficult situation that exists for human rights defenders across Colombia, and of the specific case in Chocó, Colombia to which you refer. I take these threats very seriously, and have expressed on several occasions my complete rejection of any violence or intimidation perpetrated against those defending fundamental rights and freedoms. Officials from my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Irish Government, together with our European partners, continues to view the situation in Turkey with regard to human rights, rule of law, and democracy with grave concern. The Conclusions on Enlargement adopted on 18 June at the General Affairs Council noted that there has been continued backsliding on fundamental rights in Turkey, and that arrests, detentions, and other measures...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Internships (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: Internship programmes within my Department are normally remunerated. There is an arrangement with two international colleges (University of Notre Dame and the National School of Public Administration in Warsaw) whereby short term placements are offered in the Department to international students for a period of between four and six weeks on an unpaid basis. These intern placements,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Cyber Security Protocols (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department takes cyber security very seriously and takes appropriate measures and deploys specialised skills to minimise the risk to our data networks and assets. Any threatening activity is monitored and logged. The Department fully co-operates with the National Cyber Security Centre and implements recommendations made by that agency. It is not considered appropriate to give detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Operations (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department has a number of procedures in place to protect its ICT systems in the event of serious incidents. This is especially important, given the global reach of the Department and the threats posed by cybersecurity. The Department operates multiple datacentres with Disaster Recovery plans in place to failover in the event of disruption.  These failover procedures are regularly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The continuing absence of the power-sharing Executive and Assembly in Northern Ireland and the North South Ministerial Council is of grave concern for the Government as it is for the British Government. The Government will continue to do everything in its power, in accordance with its responsibilities as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to secure the effective operation of all...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 49 together. The Government-wide ‘Getting Ireland Brexit Ready’ public information campaign was launched on 20 September 2018. In the initial phase of this campaign, my Department organised “Getting Ireland Brexit Ready” public information events in Cork, Galway, Monaghan, Dublin, Limerick and Donegal throughout...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (6 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: Government remain firmly of the view that the best way to ensure an orderly UK withdrawal, in a way that addresses the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, is to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement. It still offers the best path to an orderly Brexit.  It is the Government’s assessment that there is a significant risk of a no deal Brexit on 31 October. Work on no deal...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Anglo-Irish Relations (17 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: The UK’s decision to leave the European Union is one of enormous strategic, economic and political consequence. We respect this decision, and we have been consistent in all interactions with the UK Government making clear that our preferred outcome is a deal on the basis of the withdrawal agreement. We are of course open to realistic, legally binding and workable alternatives but in...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Anglo-Irish Relations (17 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for his question. We had a very good engagement on that issue. Both sides recognised that the EU post-Brexit will be very different. We are simply not going to see British Ministers as often because they will not be around the EU negotiating tables with us. Even with the Good Friday Agreement structures, there was an acceptance on both sides that we needed to go...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (17 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 41 together. Avoiding the return of a hard border on this island is a Government priority in all circumstances. This is why the backstop continues to be a critical component of the withdrawal agreement, unless and until an alternative is found. Ratifying the withdrawal agreement remains the only viable solution on the table that avoids any...