Results 34,661-34,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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 make some comments on the Yazidi question, which is important. Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief. Many diverse communities, including Christians and Yazidis, have ancient roots in Iraq. The EU's Iraq strategy addresses reconciliation and the preservation of Iraq's ethnic and religious diversity. Full implementation of Iraq's...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 644, 660 and 661 together. The processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications has been temporarily paused as a result of COVID-19 related restrictions. Prior to COVID-19 it took twelve to eighteen months to process applications. This was due to the complex nature of FBR applications and the very high volume of applications due to Brexit. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Passport applications are only valid for six months primarily due to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Regulations on the requirement for a recent photograph. The ICAO is a UN specialised agency which defines in detail the required format for a passport. Where additional documentation has been requested and has not been received within this timeframe, these applications are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 646, 657 and 672 together. At present, Government advice is to avoid non-essential international travel. For those who must travel the restrictions and guidance that apply are outlined on the COVID-19 Travel Advice pages on Gov.ie. These are subject to ongoing amendment subject to public health advice. Currently, those arriving into Ireland from abroad,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department continues to work closely with our international partners to support the health and welfare of Irish citizens overseas in the context of COVID-19. I have not made direct representations relating to non-EMA approved vaccines; however, our Embassies and Consulates liaise closely with local health authorities to ensure that relevant public health...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 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”. Since scaling up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, the Customer Service Hub has responded to more than 25,000 enquiries by telephone and WebChat. Substantial...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I had a substantial and productive discussion with my Chinese counterpart, Minister Wang Yi, in Guiyang, China, on Sunday 30 May, covering an extensive agenda of bilateral relations, EU-China relations as well as issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council. In terms of bilateral issues, while I cannot comment on the details of a consular case, I can confirm that we discussed again the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I, along with other EU Foreign Ministers, had the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges facing Ukraine with Minister Kuleba, in an exchange after the VC of EU Foreign Ministers on 19 April 2021. At that time I assured Minister Kuleba of Ireland's commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as I have consistently done when Ukraine is discussed in any forum. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Global Ireland – Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025 sets out the Government’s ambitions for expanding and deepening our international presence, influence and impact. It includes the expansion of Ireland’s Mission network which will deepen our impact across priority regions, provide opportunities to grow our trade and inward investment, strengthen political...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Global Ireland – Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025 sets out the Government’s ambitions for expanding and deepening our international presence, influence and impact. It includes the expansion of Ireland’s Mission network which will deepen our impact across priority regions, provide opportunities to grow our trade and inward investment, strengthen political...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 654 and 658 together. 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”. The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we are confident, taking...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs has responsibility for two separate votes, Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs and Vote 27 - International Co-operation. The travel and subsistence costs across both Votes from 1 January 2020 to date are detailed below: € Travel costs (including accommodation) €2,339,564 ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Reviews (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs has not conducted a value for money study since 1st January 2019. However, as part of the Department's wider evaluation work programme, and in line with the Public Spending Code, a Spending Review of the Ethiopia Country Strategy (2014-2019) was completed in 2020. There were no external costs involved.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The processing of Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications has been temporarily paused as a result of COVID-19 related restrictions. Prior to this pause, it took twelve to eighteen months to process applications. This was due to the high volume of applications being received, the complex nature of FBR applications, as well as the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. The FBR application...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department has ongoing contact with Morocco on the range of issues which are of interest to both countries, including human rights. We have an active engagement through our respective Embassies and the opening of an Irish Embassy in Rabat this year will allow us to deepen our bilateral engagement and dialogue with Morocco. I had a virtual meeting with H.E. Nasser Bourita, Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Websites (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department takes its obligations in relation to web accessibility seriously, and we are committed to meeting the requirements set out under the directive 2016/2102 (EU). The Department operates a number of websites including dfa.ie, irishaid.ie, and ireland.ie. A review of accessibility statements across our sites is ongoing.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Websites (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department takes its obligations in relation to web accessibility seriously, and we are committed to meeting the requirements set out in S.I. No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020. The Department operates a number of websites including dfa.ie, irishaid.ie, and ireland.ie and is committed to achieving...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 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 Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008. The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement. Entitlement to Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (15 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: No decision of the European Council or of the Council of the European Union is required to approve Israel's association to Horizon Europe. Israel’s participation in EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, is governed by the specific conditions laid down in the EU-Israel Association Agreement. In accordance with EU policy, this Agreement does not apply to the geographic areas that...