Results 34,641-34,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: In 2021, 19 courses were paused in January in response to COVID-19 pandemic conditions at that time and rescheduled for later in the 2021 training year. One (1) course of training was cancelled and deferred until 2022 pending a Training Needs Analysis. In 2020, the DF Training Management System records that 77 courses were cancelled. 153 courses are recorded as pending, commenced, deferred or...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Last April, the former Minister with responsibility for Defence, launched a scheme to re-enlist former Permanent Defence Force (PDF) enlisted personnel. The focus of the scheme was those former PDF personnel with particular skillsets, identified by the Chief of Staff, where shortages exist  The scheme allows for initial re-enlistment for a minimum of six months and up to 3...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. In this context, I would highlight the security role of the Naval Service, a role which by its nature can go unrecognised or unacknowledged. I am advised that the fleet is managed to ensure maximum availability to meet operational requirements. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Charter of the United Nations foresees that each Member State of the United Nations will contribute to the costs of running the organisation, generally referred to as UN budget contributions. Under Article 17, mandatory contributions are apportioned based on a scale of assessment designed to reflect the capacity of Member States to pay.  At present, Ireland’s scale of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 together. Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the province of Xinjiang. We are closely following the situation, including in relation to reports of systemic abuse, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilisations, and restrictions on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: This is a complex case involving an Irish citizen who has been prevented from leaving China since March 2019.  My Department has been providing ongoing consular assistance to the citizen since that time through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, our Embassy in Beijing and our Consulate General in Shanghai, while he and his legal teams work on the legal, commercial and financial...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Diplomatic relations between States, and the exchange of Ambassadors among States, are addressed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, as transposed into Irish law by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967.  Article 9 of the Convention allows for the receiving State to notify the sending State that the Ambassador, or any member of the diplomatic staff, is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question no.178 on 27 May 2021 which addressed the publication of a database of all business enterprises involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. The mandate for the database indicated arises from the Human Rights Council, and not from the UN Security Council. The database was published by the High...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: EU Programmes (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland contributes, on an annual basis, to the operational budget of the European Defence Agency (EDA).  The financial commitment to this budget is in accordance with EDA funding principles, based on gross national income (GNI) key.  A total of €7,596,093 has been made to the EDA over the seventeen years since Ireland joined in 2004, which includes both contributions to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government. There is also continuous investment in the upgrading equipment platforms and funding is provided on an on-going basis for the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland does not have any unilateral sanctions regimes, but implements EU sanctions, adopted as part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and UN sanctions. There are currently no EU or UN sanctions in place against Israel. Decisions on the adoption, renewal or lifting of EU sanctions regimes are taken by the Council of the European Union on proposal from the EU High Representative...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Citizenship Applications (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation. For individuals born outside of Ireland, they may claim citizenship if they had at least one parent who was born in the island of Ireland and where that parent is an Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Programmes (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 to 281, inclusive, together. With respect to association to Horizon Europe by third countries, the criteria and principles regarding participation are set out in Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, the Horizon Europe Regulation. Under the Horizon Europe Regulation, there are four categories of association countries: a. Members of the European Free...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Expo 2020, postponed due to Covid 19, is now scheduled to take place in Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022. Ireland’s participation in Expo was approved by Government decision in 2017, with the Department of Foreign Affairs nominated as lead Department. 192 countries are participating in what is expected to be one of the first large scale in-person events since the pandemic took...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”. Passport Online will continue to be the priority channel given the efficiencies that are in-built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. The...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy is not available within the timeframe sought. My officials are collating the relevant information and I will arrange to have same forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy is not available within the timeframe sought. My officials are  collating the relevant information and I will arrange to have same forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I appreciate having the opportunity to do this. I am pleased to be here this afternoon to present the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2021. As you said, Chairman, I will focus on Vote 28, the Vote for the Department of Foreign Affairs, and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, will address the committee after that on Vote 27. Members are aware that there is...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I will deal with Deputy Brady's questions first. Regarding the Passport Office in Northern Ireland, the truth is that the vast majority of passport applications now are submitted online, so the physical presence of a printing press and where it is located are not anything like as relevant as they were before, when people had to come into the Passport Office and fill out forms to get their...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: First of all, on Deputy Cowen's question and Deputy Stanton's support for it, for us to essentially accept that something is a genocide, Ireland's approach to that question is that this is one that is asked in multiple conflict situations, whether it is in respect of Armenia, or various different conflicts in Africa at different times, or indeed parts of the Middle East. The approach we...