Results 35,741-35,760 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I thank Deputy Duncan Smith. He has given me a good introduction for my response. I propose to deal with the two Departments for which I have responsibility. I have just under nine minutes to do so. I will deal with the Department of Defence first. The total allocation for the defence sector for 2022 is €1.107 billion comprising €836 million for Vote 36 and €271...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Inquiries (13 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing time for FBR applications stood at 18 months due to an unprecedented surge in applications as a result of Brexit, and the necessarily rigorous processing that applies to citizenship...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (13 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing time for FBR applications stood at 18 months due to an unprecedented surge in applications as a result of Brexit, and the necessary rigorous processing that applies to citizenship...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 123 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has provided an update on the status of the passport application to the applicant. The current turnaround times are 10 working days for Simple Adult renewals, 15 working days for Complex renewals, 40 working days for First Time...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (14 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: As the Senator noted, the Asgard IIsank in 2008. The Government subsequently decided that the national sail training scheme operated by Coiste an Asgard would be discontinued, as recommended in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes. Significant capital and ongoing costs are associated with investing in a national sail training vessel and a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (14 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Senator for raising this issue and showing an interest in it. He appreciates the value of sail training and the opportunities it opens up for many young people who may otherwise not have the opportunity to benefit from it. I have spoken to many people, some of whom I know well, who say that their time on the Asgardchanged the direction of their lives as a result of the people...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (14 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: Since the fraudulent presidential elections of August 2020, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko has used violence and fear to silence dissent. Arbitrary detention of political dissidents is a key element of the repression, and reports from NGOs now suggest that there are over 800 political prisoners in Belarus. This is an unacceptable state of affairs, and Ireland has been highly vocal on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (14 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has provided an update on the status of the passport application to the applicant. The current turnaround times are 10 working days for Simple Adult renewals, 15 working days for Complex renewals, 40 working days for First Time Applications on Passport Online and 8 weeks for Passport Express for...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: Am I up now?

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am sorry for jumping the gun a little bit. I spoke to Senator Higgins on similar issues to this following the Second Stage debate. At the outset it is important to clarify that the purpose of section 2 is to provide for the delegation of a level of operational control to the force commander of international UN forces. The legislation simply provides for the current de facto position....

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: That is because we stopped sending ships because we do not have the capacity to send ships.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ministerial discretion is not a bad thing. I regularly appear before this House and the Dáil to answer questions and to be held to account, and I am held to account in many ways. That is part of being a Minister, and sometimes ministerial discretion is a good thing in terms of having the flexibility to use judgement and to make an intervention quickly that could be life-saving. We did...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: To be helpful to the House, the following has been pointed out to me and is worth mentioning. There are already quite strict limitations in law on the roles and functions for which the Defence Forces can be deployed overseas. If you look at the 2006 Act, under section 3, it is quite clear on this: (1) A contingent or member of the Permanent Defence Force may, with the prior approval of and...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: We are taking in many more than 500, I am glad to say.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I know the Senator is aware of how peacekeeping missions actually work but it is important to put on the record that, first, we do not decide on the mandate of UN missions. The UN decides on it. We influence that through the UN process. In fact, we have been very successful at influencing a slight change in the mandate of our largest mission, that is, the United Nations Interim Force in...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am not saying the Senator is opposing it. I am just outlining the steps that are taken for anybody who is listening. The suggestion seems to have been made that we need to have an Oireachtas check and balance over a delegation we have given for many years. We are now simply putting in a good piece of legislation for the practice that currently takes place. The Senator said repeatedly...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: Can the Senator give me an example? I am trying to understand what the concern is here. What kinds of missions is the Senator concerned about in places where we currently have a presence?

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: We did not have a mandate; there was no mandate.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: There was no formal arrangement; that was the problem.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Simon Coveney: I want to make a final point. First, we are involved in Operation Sophia and we have Defence Force personnel - I believe there are three of them; certainly, there are two naval officers - in the headquarters of the operation. The reason we do not have a ship in the Mediterranean is that we do not have the crewing resources and so on to do so right now. Unfortunately, some of our ships are...