Results 34,141-34,160 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Security Council (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 843 and 853 together. Ireland took up its seat on the UN Security Council on 1 January 2021. Since then, we have been engaging actively across the full Security Council agenda, which includes some 30 country and regional files and 20 thematic files. The Government has set out three overarching principles for Ireland’s membership of the Security...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s position on the illegality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory informs our engagement with the State of Israel across a range of bilateral issues, including our trade, and will continue to do so. Ireland distinguishes between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967. This position is common across all Government...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the case of the journalist in question. I do not wish to comment on individual cases but it is nevertheless disappointing and worrying that responsible and respected journalists feel that they cannot continue to do their work in mainland China. I also note the statement by the EU Spokesperson on this case, from the 2nd April. Ireland actively works to promote and...

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

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 846 and 850 together. I am seriously concerned at the decision of the President of Turkey to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention. The Convention is the most far-reaching legal instrument to prevent and combat violence against...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Security Council (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the province of Xinjiang, including in relation to reports of systemic abuse, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilisations, and restrictions on freedom of religion and belief. The term “genocide” is a term that has a particular...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Citizenship Applications (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: The processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications has been temporarily paused since Ireland entered Level 5 restrictions of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. The application in question is incomplete and thus cannot be approved for entry into the Foreign Births Register. The Department wrote to the applicant on 14 December 2020 to inform them of this and to...

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

Simon Coveney: Without clarity as to the legal basis on which the policies of the company concerned are informed, it is not possible to comment on this individual case. However, I would like to set out the general position on cross-border working. I am conscious of the cross border nature of many people’s lives, and have prioritised continued facilitation of this throughout the Brexit process....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: Discussions regarding travel documents have taken place at a European level, after which the European Commission decided not to recommend a coordinated extension of the validity of Member States' travel documents. Accordingly, there are no plans at present for the validity of passports to be extended beyond their expiry date. In line with Government guidance the Passport Service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department has responsibility for the provision of diplomatic clearance to foreign military and State aircraft to land in and overfly the State. Questions with regards to the financial operations of Shannon airport and the operations of civil aircraft, including those under contract to other States, should be directed to the Department of Transport. Permission for foreign military...

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

Simon Coveney: In line with Government guidance at Level 5 of the National Framework on Living with COVID-19, the Passport Service continues to provide a high-quality essential service in line with Government measures to reduce social contact and combat the spread of COVID-19. Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or for non-essential travel with a reasonable excuse, should contact the...

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

Simon Coveney: In line with Government guidance that at Level 5 of the National Framework on Living with COVID-19 the Passport Service continues to provide a high-quality essential service in line with Government measures to reduce social contact and combat the spread of COVID-19. Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or for non-essential travel with a reasonable excuse, should contact...

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

Simon Coveney: In line with Government guidance at Level 5 of the National Framework on Living with COVID-19, the Passport Service continues to provide a high-quality essential service in line with Government measures to reduce social contact and combat the spread of COVID-19. Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or for travel with a reasonable excuse, should contact the Passport...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is composed of three constituent offices located in Mount Street, Dublin, Balbriggan, County Dublin and South Mall, Cork. The total number of staff employed across all offices of the Passport Service is 458. To assist with the wider State response to COVID-19, Passport Service personnel have been redeployed, at the request of different Departments, into other,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Shannon Airport Facilities (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for the provision of diplomatic clearance. Arrangements under which such permission is granted for foreign military aircraft, including US aircraft, to land at Irish airports are governed by strict conditions. These routinely include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: The processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications has been temporarily paused since Ireland entered Level 5 restrictions of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Prior to this pause, it took twelve to eighteen months to process applications. This was due to a heavy demand on the FBR service, the complex nature of FBR applications, as well as constraints on output...

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

Simon Coveney: In line with Government guidance on Level 5 of the National Framework on Living with COVID-19, the Passport Service continues to provide a high-quality essential service in line with Government measures to reduce social contact and combat the spread of COVID-19. Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or for non-essential travel with a reasonable excuse, should contact the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Appointments to State Boards (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 865 and 866 together. There are no State Boards within the remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Israeli Settlements (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 867, 868 and 889 together. I welcomed the decree issued on 15 January by President Mahmoud Abbas on the holding of Palestinian elections this year. The holding of elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and in Gaza is a crucial step towards Palestinian unity and reconciliation, giving a voice to Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Israeli Settlements (21 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 869, 894 and 897 together. Ireland and the EU have consistently called on the Israeli Government to uphold its international legal obligations, including under the Fourth Geneva Convention, on the treatment of civilian populations. Jerusalem is one of the permanent status issues to be settled in a final peace agreement. I have consistently highlighted...

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

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, an issue of this nature is, in the first instance, a police matter and, where there is a complaint, a matter for the Police Ombudsman. As such, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time. With regard to your reference to cases involving the Glenanne Gang, the Government welcomed the announcement by the PSNI on 30 November 2019 that former Chief...