Results 33,821-33,840 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: Many countries allow for their citizens resident overseas to vote in national elections. In most cases, voting is facilitated by the country’s network of diplomatic Missions, with Embassies either operating polling stations, or assisting with collating postal voting. My Department is responsible for liaising between Embassies based in Ireland and the relevant Irish authorities when an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (11 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I can advise the Deputy that my Department places the highest priority on providing consular support and assistance to all our citizens, and particularly where a child’s interests are concerned. While there may be instances where issues have arisen at airports or other points of international travel due to the fact that a parent or guardian has a different surname than their...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: All passengers arriving into Ireland are required to have a negative/'not detected’ result from a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland. Passengers are also asked to present evidence of their negative/‘not detected’ result before boarding their airplane or ferry, and are required to produce this evidence to Immigration...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Civil Defence (11 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: Covid 19 impacted on Civil Defence training provision during 2020. Most of the courses delivered in 2020 were provided through blended learning. For example a number of Local Authorities facilitated online learning for volunteers, and this training was supported and certified by the Civil Defence College. In addition, the development of new assessment methods, such as video based...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is providing ongoing consular assistance to this citizen through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, our Embassy in Beijing and our Consulate General in Shanghai. Our Consul General has been meeting and engaging regularly with the citizen since we were first informed of this complex case...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and I reiterate my condemnation of the coup carried out by the Myanmar military on February 1st and the unlawful detention of political leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. On February 11th, I called for a firm response from the international community, including sanctions that target the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (17 Feb 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 Cases (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. My Department has been closely following the situation, including in relation to reports of systemic abuse, torture, forced labour, forced sterilisations, and restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in the Province. We have been active in raising our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in ongoing contact with the Department of Health in relation to the provision of advice for our citizens abroad in the context of COVID-19. There are currently no plans to arrange vaccines for Irish citizens abroad and our advice to our citizens overseas is to follow the guidelines of the public health authorities in the region or country in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: 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 to WHO in 2020. Ireland is a member of the ACT...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: Despite the introduction of travel restrictions both nationally and internationally during the Covid-19 pandemic, Irish citizens continued to require passports, particularly our community living overseas. To assist with the wider State response to COVID-19, Passport Service personnel have been redeployed, at the request of different Departments, into other, essential public service roles,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: At present, there are approximately 49,000 Passport Online applications in the system. When operations resume at Level 4, all applications received via Passport Online will be processed. The Passport Service have requested that applicants refrain from submitting documents until we resume operations. Applicants will be notified by e-mail when we resume processing. The Passport Service has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 Feb 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 (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: On 7 December 2020, the Council of the European Union adopted a Decision and a Regulation establishing a global human rights sanctions regime. The new Regulation represents a significant development in the EU sanctions regime. For the first time, the EU is equipping itself with a framework that will allow it to target individuals, entities and bodies – including state and non-state...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Government is aware of the incident that took place following a memorial event on the Ormeau Road in Belfast on Friday, 5th February last. The memorial was marking the tragic loss of life that occurred 29 years ago at Sean Graham’s Bookmakers, when 5 people were murdered and several others wounded in a loyalist paramilitary attack. The Government fully understands the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt condolences and those of the Government to the family and friends of Noah Donohoe, on their most tragic loss. Our thoughts especially are with Noah’s mother Fiona. The case of Noah’s death is matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and an investigation is underway. There has been a renewed appeal for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Shannon Airport Facilities (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: The landing in question was by a US military aircraft, with seven crew and no passengers on board. It had sought and received prior diplomatic clearance to land subject to our routine stipulations, including that it did not carry arms or ammunition. The US authorities have confirmed that this condition was met. Sovereign immunity, a long-standing principle of customary international law,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 Feb 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: Consular Services (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: The individual in question originally applied online via our Embassy in Singapore in late August 2020 for a Certificat de Coutume (CdC) to get married in the Philippines on 8 January 2021 to a Philippine national. The Statutory Declaration was witnessed by an official at our Embassy in Singapore on 15 September, and approval was granted by our Dublin office on 15 October. The individual...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (17 Feb 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service has paused the processing of Foreign Births Registration applications as Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Applications that have been sent to the FBR team are being held securely and will be processed when normal services resume at Level 3. Foreign Births Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process, often...