Results 32,261-32,280 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (13 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: Planning for the impacts of Brexit has been underway for some time now. The vast majority of preparedness work undertaken in 2018 and 2019 remains relevant. The additional time afforded by the Transition Period (to 31 December 2020) enables Departments and Agencies to refine and update this work. The ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement in January 2020 ensures that Agreement,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (13 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland ensures that the Good Friday Agreement and the gains of the Peace Process are protected, including by avoiding a hard border on this island, and safeguarding the integrity of the Single Market and Ireland’s place in it. The Protocol will apply from the end of the transition period, whatever the outcome of the negotiations on the future EU-UK...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (13 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The rule of law, democracy and respect for fundamental rights are core principles of the EU. It is precisely during a time of crisis such as this that all EU Member States should stick to these shared values. The first annual Rule of Law Report is one of the major initiatives of the Commission’s Work Programme for 2020. It is part of the comprehensive European rule of law...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (13 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The situation of the Rohingya community remains precarious and of significant concern. Over 740,000 predominantly Rohingya refuges now reside in Bangladesh, having fled neighbouring Rakhine State, Myanmar, following the escalation of military operations there in 2017. There are significant numbers of people also displaced internally in Rakhine and the situation remains unstable with ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: Ireland gave effect to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by adopting a National Plan on Business and Human Rights in  November 2017.  Key commitments of the Plan that have been met to date include the establishment of the Business and Human Rights Implementation Group to oversee its delivery and the completion of a Baseline Assessment of the legislative,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two votes - Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available internally and in particular where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. During the course of their engagement...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is operating a limited service at this time which has allowed us to both reassign staff to our consular services, assisting our citizens abroad and redeploy staff to critical areas including contact tracing for the HSE and Covid-19 payments for Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, all critical services at this time.  The Passport Service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 38 and 41 together. A new Israeli Government was sworn in on 17 May, and of course I wish it well in these very difficult circumstances, as it takes on the challenge of combatting COVID-19. I take note, however, of comments made by Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Knesset on 17 May, regarding the annexation of territory in the West Bank, which is part...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 33 together. The human rights situation in Bahrain remains a matter of concern. Although progress has been made in certain areas, there continue to be instances of violations of fundamental freedoms, including the targeting of human rights defenders. Ireland participates actively in the UN Human Rights Council, and regularly raises the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is operating a limited service at this time which has allowed us to both reassign staff to our consular services, assisting our citizens abroad and redeploy staff to critical areas including contact tracing for the HSE and Covid-19 payments for DEASP, all critical services at this time.  The Passport Service continues to process emergency passports for our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is operating a limited service at this time, which has allowed us to both reassign staff to our consular services, assisting our citizens abroad and redeploy staff to critical areas including contact tracing for the HSE and Covid-19 payments for Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, all critical services at this time. The Passport Service continues...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: Ireland enjoys excellent relations with Qatar, with the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi being accredited to Qatar on a non-residential basis. While travel between Abu Dhabi and Doha has become more complex in recent years, the Ambassador of Ireland in Abu Dhabi continues to visit Qatar regularly in support of our broad policy objectives, including the development of political and trade...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Communications (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: COVID-19 is a global crisis, requiring a collective, coordinated, global response.  Ireland's priority is to provide vital support to the multilateral system's efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in the most vulnerable countries, protecting their people and, ultimately, Irish people also, on the basis that “nobody is safe until everybody is safe.” The World...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The diplomatic mission network plays a key role in promoting and protecting the values, interests and economic well-being of the country and its citizens.  There are sixty six Embassies, seven Permanent Missions, sixteen Consulates General and four other Representative Offices in the global network.  Heads of Mission positions are filled by Ambassadors, Consuls General and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: Last week, 17 May, was the 46th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 in which thirty three were killed and hundreds seriously injured, attacks which saw the largest loss of life on a single day in the Troubles. While it was unfortunately not possible to gather at the memorial on Talbot Street in Dublin this year to mark the anniversary, we still stand together as a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides all possible consular advice and assistance to citizens overseas, where requested and where appropriate. As part of the comprehensive approach to the repatriation of our citizens overseas in the context of COVID-19, our focus has been on helping citizens who are normally resident in Ireland to return home safely on commercial flights...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the Joint Letter from the Foreign Ministers of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in regard to Member State responses to the Covid-19 outbreak. This followed on from the release on 8 April of a “toolkit” on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law during the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: Ireland has a very clear  position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory and the Golan Heights. They are illegal under international law, notably being contrary to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and actively undermine the prospects for a two-state solution. As I have said many times in the Dáil, the regulation of international trade, including in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: In recent years, the Arctic has become a region of increasing geopolitical importance.  The growing environmental and strategic importance of the Arctic has very significant impact, with melting ice having far-reaching implications for climate change and maritime access across the region.   My Department has been undertaking a mapping exercise to assess Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (20 May 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes - Vote 27 (International Co-operation) and Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade). This Department spent €415,108 on external consultants in 2019 across both Votes. The Department seeks to minimise expenditure on consultants. It commissions external expertise in line with national and EU procurement rules in...