Results 35,941-35,960 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (11 Nov 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.  I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as of Monday, 15th November, the processing of Foreign Birth Registration will resume on a phased basis. My Department is fully committed to allocating resources over the coming weeks to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 Nov 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. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as of Monday, 15th November, the processing of Foreign Birth Registration will resume on a phased basis. My Department is fully committed to allocating resources over the coming weeks to assist with...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The age limits for personnel wishing to enter the Permanent Defence Force are as set out in Regulations made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended. The nature of military service requires that the age profile of personnel in the Defence Forces must be appropriately managed to ensure that capability requirements are met and, as with all such policies, age...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Air Corps provides a broad range of services in accordance with its primary security role.  It also undertakes a diverse range of non-security-related tasks on an ‘as available’ basis.  This includes providing an inter-hospital service on an ‘as available’ basis to the HSE, providing for the transfer of patients, including priority 1 patients,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Conciliation and Arbitration (C&A) scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) provides a formal mechanism for the PDF representative associations, i.e. RACO and PDFORRA, to engage with the Official side. Having regard to commitments under national public service pay agreements, the representative associations can make representations in relation to the pay and conditions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Recent Meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council and the UN Security Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (9 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The international community is trying but it has limited leverage with the Taliban, to tell the truth. Of course, we want to advocate for a more inclusive government, and we are doing so. We want to advocate for women's rights and particularly the rights of girls in terms of education and employment and so on, and we are doing so. However, are we being successful in protecting women's...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 302 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has already issued passports to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 (“The 2008 Act”). 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 legal requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship in his/her passport application. As part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 304, 305, 307 and 325 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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the passport application has been cancelled by the applicant's guardian.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department fully recognises that Passport Express, and Northern Ireland Passport Express, continue to be an important channel for applicants who do not wish to use the online system or who have limited digital skills. Passport applicants who choose to use An Post's paper-based, mail-in "Passport Express" service receive a letter from the Passport Service if additional documents are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 311 to 318, inclusive, together. Passport Service operations were severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were many Government Services. Notwithstanding that disruption and the necessary restrictions put in place to protect public health, the Passport Service provided service to our citizens facing a medical emergency of death of a family member...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Communities Abroad (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Regarding travel advice to Iraq, the Department constantly reviews and updates international travel advice for Irish citizens travelling abroad, working closely with our missions abroad and international partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs have for several years advised against all travel to Iraq, due to the volatile security situation, with a high risk of terrorism and kidnapping....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland stands with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in resisting the attempts by Belarus to provoke a violent confrontation on the external border of the European Union. Our view is that this is a humanitarian crisis above all, and that the welfare and safety of the affected migrants must be our priority. Ireland has repeatedly raised the plight of refugees stranded on the border between...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Agreements (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: In 2018, the United States introduced a new law obliging the US State Department to apply reciprocal treatment between US and foreign citizens when it comes to costs of visas and permissions. The State Department subsequently conducted a review for Ireland, initially identifying seven visa categories for which they proposed an increase to bring them in line with their interpretation of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has been in direct contact with the applicant's parent and has provided an update on the status of the application and the steps they must take to correctly complete the passport application. The Passport Service cannot process the application until the required supporting documents have been...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (16 Nov 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 issues...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Discussions between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol including between David Frost and Maros Šefcovic are ongoing and it is important that we give these talks every chance to succeed. A positive outcome to current discussions is our objective. I have met with UK Minister of State David Frost on a number of occasions in the last year, most recently in September, at...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland deeply values the role that the United States has played in ensuring peace and stability in Northern Ireland and the continuing high-level bipartisan support for the Good Friday Agreement. The engagement by successive US Administrations, Congress and the Irish Diaspora has been an indispensable part of the success of the Peace Process over the last three decades, and remains so to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: United Nations (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the correspondence referred to. Ireland currently has three Defence Forces personnel deployed in staff office posts at the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) of EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI in Rome. As of October 2021, 24 EU Member States contribute personnel to the mission. Launched in March of 2020, the core task of EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI is to contribute to the...