Results 33,661-33,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I can respond to the Deputy, but I think it was more of a statement than a question. We know what some of the problems are and we are addressing them, one after the other. However, with respect to the Deputy, the Irish Government can only do so much for lorry drivers that are stalled in Kent. This is what happens when an economy and a country the size of the UK decides to leave a customs...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I do not want to be unhelpful, but this session is predominantly on Brexit and its impact. The Deputy has raised some serious issues and I am sure we will have an opportunity to debate both CETA and Mercosur in this House in the months ahead. I certainly hope we will have the opportunity to do so. When it comes to Covid and the strategy we adopt, as we have done for the last year, we will...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The last issue is separate to what we are discussing but I will comment on it in due course. First, I am more than familiar with the challenges that many hauliers face and I have spoken to people in many haulage companies in the past number of weeks. Some are adapting to the new realities reasonably well and others are not. It is important to say that the numbers are increasing and have...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The air cargo bridge is an interesting concept. I certainly would not have any problem with it. If there is a demand for that, I do not see why it cannot progress. In regard to the students who arrived from Algeria, all I can say is that the advice we give in regard to international travel is that only essential travel should happen now. We have pretty strict protocols around that.

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: On the Deputy's last question, making online purchases from the UK is something that large numbers of Irish consumers have been doing on a daily basis, particularly throughout the Covid period when local retailers were closed because of restrictions. Even though there is a lot of evidence that there has been very strong support for purchasing locally online, there is still a huge number of...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I have to time my interventions. I am not sure whether Deputies want me to answer now or at the end. The Deputy and others have been raising this for many months and I have, not for the first time, said we have to wait and see what the deal looks like before having detail and clarity around what replaces what was there previously. This is the responsibility of the Department of Health...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: There is not a complete failure at ports. We all have a responsibility to try to address problems when they arise but not to exaggerate them for effect either. The Revenue Commissioners are working night and day with haulage companies, exporters and importers to try to help people adjust to the new system. This is a change we have been warning about for many months. Grant aid and advice...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: There were some good questions. On the Deputy's example of the Leitrim company that, effectively, wants to bulk import because of the difficulties with individual consignments and is seeking banking facilities for that, she might send me the details and I will try to be helpful if I can. I do not want to over-promise in respect of our relationship with banks but I would be surprised if...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Proposed Legislation (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The purpose of the Maritime Jurisdiction Bill is to update and consolidate in one, stand-alone enactment the State's maritime jurisdiction legislation, in particular Part 3 of the 2006 Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act and the 1968 Continental Shelf Act. It is being brought forward in parallel with the Maritime Area (Planning) Bill (formerly the Marine Planning and Development...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Joint Consultative Working Group is provided for under Article 15(1) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the Withdrawal Agreement. The Working Group is to serve as a forum for the exchange of information and mutual consultation on the implementation of the Protocol. The Protocol provides that the Working Group should comprise representatives of the EU and the UK and carry...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the Act“). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and procedures that are applied by the Passport Service in the issue of passports. Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his/her birth certificate or...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: There are 476 Irish citizens officially registered with the Irish Consulate General in Hong Kong. However, Ireland does not require its citizens to register with Embassies and Consulates, so this number is not an accurate representation of the number of Irish citizens in Hong Kong. Based on the number of passports processed over the past 10 years, the Consulate estimates that there are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Government has pointed out for some time now, that from the end of the Brexit transition period, the way in which operators use the UK landbridge would change. The UK’s accession to the Common Transit Convention (CTC) is welcome and allows EU goods to transit through the UK without undergoing full customs import and export formalities on entry and exit to/from the UK. To...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The National Plan on Business and Human Rights was published in November 2017. The Plan contains a range of commitments under the UN’s ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework under the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as well as commitments to provide for greater policy coherence. Following publication of the Plan, implementation initially focused...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service has paused processing of routine applications while Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is available for those who are required to travel due to the death or serious illness of a family member or because the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The implementation of the Stormont House Agreement forms part of the Programme for Government, and it provides for a comprehensive and balanced framework to address the legacy of the past. The Government is continuing to work for the implementation of this framework, for all victims and families, including those impacted by the terrible acts of the Glenanne Gang. The Government also...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service has paused processing of routine applications while Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is available for those who are required to travel due to the death or serious illness of a family member or because the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland and the EU have been vocal in condemning the appalling human rights situation in Belarus and we have repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those unjustly detained. This stance was reiterated by the Head of the EU delegation in Minsk when he met the Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs on 18 January. Along with our EU partners, we have...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Programme for Government outlines the Government's ambitions for Irish-British relations in the coming years, and includes a specific commitment to deepen and intensify links with the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland, as part of a broader strategy of renewed east-west engagement. The reopening of Ireland's Consulate General in Cardiff in 2019 reflects the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Review (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with a commitment made in the Programme for Government, the Government gave their approval on 15th December 2020 to establish an independent Commission on the Defence Forces, with a mandate to report within 12 months. The Government also approved the Terms of Reference and the membership of the Commission. The establishment of an independent Commission on the Defence Forces...