Results 33,741-33,760 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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: Ministerial Communications (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Programme for Government outlines Ireland's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the UK following Brexit, including by deepening Ireland's relationships with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. It further commits to expanding and developing mechanisms for engagement between the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Northern Irish Assembly, the UK Parliament and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 131 together. Ireland is playing its full part as member of the global health community to establish facilities and oversight mechanisms to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all. The World Health Organisation, as the lead UN agency for health, is central to this effort: in recognition of this critical role, Ireland quadrupled support...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register. At present, there are 27,000 applications in the Foreign Births Registration (FBR) system that are awaiting processing. The Passport Service has paused the processing of FBR applications as Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Applications that have been sent...

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

Simon Coveney: In my statement of 18 January, I joined the EU, US, UK and others in condemning the detention of Alexei Navalny on his return to Moscow on 17 January and I call for his immediate release. Having survived an attempted poisoning on Russian soil, Mr Navalny chose to return home of his own free will. His detention, immediately upon arrival, raises serious questions around the rule of law and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Strengthening bilateral relations with the US is a priority for Ireland as set out in our Programme for Government,as wellin our Strategy for the US and Canada 2019-2025. We continue to maintain close relations with Members of Congress and contacts from across the political spectrum, and will continue to seek opportunities to deepen and strengthen our bilateral relations with the new...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Criminal Court (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is a State Party to the Rome Statue and a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court in its capacity as an independent and impartial institution with a key role in the fight against impunity. We believe that, as a court of last resort, the ICC does not substitute for national judicial systems – States bear the primary responsibility to investigate the most serious...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I was deeply saddened to hear of the destruction of the Lipa migrant centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of last year and the vulnerable and unacceptable living conditions for the displaced migrants. The EU has engaged with all actors from the start of this current crisis and for months has called on the authorities to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. After concerted EU...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Commemorative Medals (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The relevant military service pension files and associated medal records relating to the period from Easter Week 1916 to 30th September, 1923 are now part of the Military Service Pensions Collection. As part of the Government Centenary Commemoration programme, my Department is cataloguing and digitising the Military Service (1916-1923) Pension Collection so as to make it available on line....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 146 together. The table below details the current strength (Whole Time Equivalent) figures of the Permanent Defence Force, as of the 31stDecember 2020, and those of the agreed establishment. Branch Establishment Strength Army 7,520 6,923 Air Corps 886 746 ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Data (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 144 together. The table below outlines the number of vacancies, that exist in the PDF as at 31st December 2020. Vacancies are filled on an ongoing basis in line with promotional arrangements and, in certain cases, direct entry competitions. Vacancies at Private Rank are filled by general service recruitment and direct entry competition. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Data (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: As at 31st December 2020, the latest date for which such data is available, the number of female personnel in the Permanent Defence Force was 603. The table below shows the number of women in the Permanent Defence Force in each of the last 5 years. Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Females 568 600 601 ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Whilst the Defence Forces are not a primary response agency for non-security related emergencies, as defined in the Framework for Major Emergency Management, they provide the fullest possible assistance to the appropriate Lead Department in the event of a natural disaster or emergency situation in its Aid to Civil Authority (ATCA) role. In this regard, the full spectrum of Defence Forces...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: As of 5 January 2021, Ireland is contributing 586 personnel to 10 different missions throughout the world. The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 350 personnel and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria with 138 personnel. The UNIFIL mission in Lebanon...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Remuneration (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Similar to other sectors in the public service, the pay of Permanent Defence Force personnel was reduced as one of the measures to assist in stabilising national finances during the financial crisis. Pay is being restored to members of the Defence Forces and other public servants in accordance with public sector pay agreements. A 2% increase on annualised salaries was implemented from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (28 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Covid-19 is impacting across all sectors, including the Defence Forces. I would like to acknowledge and commend the work of the whole organisation, including both the Naval Service and the Air Corps, in maintaining key operations, including the ability to respond to emergencies, in the face of unprecedented disruptions across many areas of Irish life at this time. To date, Covid-19...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Missions (3 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas, with levels of visibility and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country.  Every year, Ireland’s Mission network supports visits by an Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers and Minsters of State, and, in recent years, an Ceann...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Security Council (3 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 311 and 328 together. The Programme for Government states that the Government will “Honour our commitment to recognise the State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-State solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory”. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (3 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the European Union’s diplomatic service created to promote an EU-wide common foreign and security policy. It is staffed by officers from the EU Commission, the EU Council Secretariat and the Foreign Ministries of EU Member States, including my Department. The recruitment of diplomats from Member States to serve in the EEAS enhances the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (3 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 323 together. Ireland has been unequivocal in stating that the Presidential election that took place in Belarus on 9 August 2020, was neither free, nor fair. We reject the democratic legitimacy of the Lukashenko regime and we have condemned in the strongest possible terms the flagrant human rights abuses we have seen take place in Belarus in the run...