Results 33,721-33,740 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Disability Act Employment Targets (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs is fully committed to equality of opportunity in all its employment practices in line with the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 and in meeting its obligations under part 5 of the Disability Act 2005. The number and percentage of DFA staff with registered disabilities is noted in the below table. The Department does not hold historic...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Data (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 418 to 422, inclusive, together. The ranks referred to by the Deputy are ranks which personnel occupy on a transitional basis until they qualify in their respective role. New entrant general service recruits to the Army start as Private Grade 1 and on sucessful completion of their initial 15 weeks training, progress to Private 2 star. On sucessful completion...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Deployment (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: EUNAVFORMED Operation IRINI, the UN mandated EU Naval mission in the eastern Mediterranean was launched on the 31st of March 2020. Its core task is the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya (through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets). As secondary tasks, the operation will contribute to the implementation of UN measures to prevent illicit export of petroleum from...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Local Authority Funding (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Defence does not provide specific funding streams to Local Authorities as such outside of the funding made available for Civil Defence from within the Defence Vote. Civil Defence funding includes operational and discretionary grants payable to Local Authorities for the provision of Civil Defence services. Operational grants cover 70% of the running costs of Civil Defence...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Recruitment (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: An applicant to the Defence Forces must either be a citizen of the State or be any other person who has a lawful entitlement to reside and work within the State for the period of time required for the purpose of any such appointment.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Data (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Government and Dáil approval was received in June 2019 for the deployment of a contingent of up to 14 Defence Forces personnel, drawn primarily from the Army Ranger Wing, to participate in MINUSMA, the United Nations authorised operation in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by UN Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise the country after the Tuareg rebellion...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The extent and potential additional financial cost of ‘long COVID-19’ on this Department cannot be determined at this point. As an immediate priority, my Department is participating in various cross-Departmental groups to ensure that appropriate supports are available to personnel as required. My Department will continue to monitor the impact of ‘long COVID-19’...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: In compliance with the Disability Act 2005, statistics on the number of staff working with a disability within my Department are compiled and submitted to the National Disability Authority annually. The figures are compiled retrospectively during the first quarter of each year in respect of the previous year. Therefore, the return for 2020 has not yet been made and is not included in the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Appointments to State Boards (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The only State body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body, established under the Army Pensions Act 1927, to provide for the payment of pensions, allowances, and gratuities in certain circumstances to members of the Defence Forces. The 1927 Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: State Bodies (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The only State body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927 to provide for the payment of pensions, allowances and gratuities in certain circumstances to members of the Defence Forces. The 1927 Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department has allocated no funding to the Covid-19 communications strategy since the beginning of the pandemic.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department has had no spending on the Covid-19 communications strategy since the beginning of the pandemic.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (28 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. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 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. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I have made known for some time my concerns about the overall human rights situation in Turkey. It is an issue which I raised with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu when I met him for consultations on 27 January. The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture, in a report it issued in 2019, stated that the restrictions imposed on Abdullah Ocalan and a number of other...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, and we are closely following reports related to arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilisations, and restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in the region. The term "genocide" is a term that has a particular meaning under international law, and definitive recognition...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: As part of the Government’s commitment to supporting the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and maintaining strong relationships, I remain in regular contact with the First Minister, deputy First Minister, and other political leaders in Northern Ireland on a range of issues. Most recently, on Monday 11 January, I participated by videoconference in the first Implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: On the island of Ireland, our shared geography and the cross-border mobility of people means that, in responding to Covid-19, we need to bear in mind the impact of measures on all of our people. There is a need, therefore, for close and ongoing contact North-South and indeed East-West, where possible. North-South contact and cooperation on the island is ongoing at both operational and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (28 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. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (28 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. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas. The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency passport service for Irish citizens at home and abroad. The service is...