Results 36,461-36,480 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: As I said earlier, as part of the Government's global strategy an embassy began operating in Kyiv last summer on 7 June. It was officially opened by me in August. The embassy's remit is to deepen bilateral relations with Ukraine, provide consular assistance to Irish citizens and work closely with other EU member states in further developing EU-Ukraine relations. Ukraine is a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Of course we cannot talk about Kyiv and Ukraine without referring to the current context, to what is happening in global politics and the concern and threat that exists. Our staff remain in Kyiv but we have contingency plans if people need to leave. We do not regard it as appropriate at this time to bring people home. We are committed to Ukraine. We support its sovereignty, its developing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am very aware of the pressures in relation to passports. Many people in this House have come to me directly on individual cases. We have also set up an Oireachtas support line that can help staff in Deputies' offices to deal with cases when they emerge. This month we will have more than 100,000 passport applications to deal with, and this year we are planning for a possible 1.7...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: On advertising, I hope the Deputy has noticed the campaign that has been very active during January to get people to check their passports. We have ads in newspapers and on radio to encourage people to check their passports early if they are planning to travel this year so that we can try to get as many applications in as early as we can for travel, predominantly over the summer months. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: If I can just correct the record, we are not taking on 1,000 new staff. What I said was that by the end of March we hope to have about 900 staff in the Passport Office. We currently have about 770. The context of that is we had about 467 in the middle of last summer, so the staff numbers are almost doubling. On first-time passports, I emphasise we have to make sure the integrity of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Despite of all of that, we still think we can get turnaround times down significantly. From 40 days, I would like to bring it to closer to 20 working days if we can.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: We are working on that. The communications between the applicant and the Department are essential.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 13, 42, 53, 57 and 73 together. Throughout the course of last year, the European Commission undertook extensive outreach to political leaders, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland. This process culminated on 13 October 2021 with the presentation of a comprehensive package of proposals aimed at providing a credible and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: First, I am speaking to businesses in Northern Ireland. We speak to them regularly, through online forums or when we have an opportunity to meet directly with businesses in Northern Ireland. Other colleagues do the same. On my meetings with the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, I know her reasonably well from previous portfolios we would have been working on together. When I was the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I agree with the comments that have been made by all sides in the House. This is an issue that needs to be resolved politically. It is helpful, by the way, that the Brexit negotiations are now back in the Foreign Office because Foreign Secretary Truss is very much aware of the broader issues. We also spoke at length about Russia-Ukraine, for example, at that meeting on 6 January. She is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Foreign and Security Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 35 together. I recently attended an informal - what is called a Gymnich - meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest on 13 and 14 January. On 14 January, we were joined by fellow EU defence ministers to discuss the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, and more specifically the strategic compass, which I addressed earlier when the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Foreign and Security Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: While we are militarily neutral as a country, we have always supported efforts to improve the effectiveness of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy. Indeed, successive governments have not viewed Ireland's policy of neutrality as meaning that the country should stand aside and not get involved in peacekeeping or stability in other parts of the world, rather, they have considered that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Foreign and Security Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I do not accept the Deputy's argument that NATO is provoking a Russian military build-up on the borders of Ukraine. I do not think that is an argument that stands up to scrutiny. There has been an ongoing military conflict on the borders of Ukraine for some time. We have seen a dramatic increase in military presence on multiple elements of the Ukrainian border, coming from the Russian...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Foreign and Security Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is not a member of NATO. NATO can speak for itself on these issues, but if one speaks to colleagues in other parts of Europe that are members of NATO, they will give a very different perspective from that just given by Deputy Boyd Barrett in terms of their own protection and security into the future given their historic relationship with other countries that they still regard as a...

Personal Explanation by Minister (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Before I respond to questions on defence, with the understanding of colleagues, I would like to make a brief comment to address media reports about my comments in response to a question last night at the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting on defence matters and on the situation in Ukraine. I mentioned this earlier to some Deputies.

Personal Explanation by Minister (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is not a statementper se. It is something I would like to raise with the Deputies' accommodation. I have absolutely no hesitation in expressing my full support and confidence in the Chief of Staff and in his judgment. The Chief of Staff is holding a number of pro formameetings at the moment with members of the diplomatic corps, as a new Chief of Staff would be expected to do. Those...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together. The programme for Government committed to the establishment of an independent commission to undertake a comprehensive review of the Defence Forces. The independent Commission on the Defence Forces was established by the Government in December 2020 and its terms of reference provide for it to examine and make recommendations regarding...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank both Deputies. The expectation was that this piece of work would have concluded by the end of last year but this is not a straightforward piece of work. There are quite a lot of people on the commission who bring extraordinary expertise and experience and are anxious to get this right. This is essentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reset and recalibrate. In some ways, it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: A report of the magnitude of the one the commission is doing will, of course, attract commentary. People will express concern and ambitions that they want accommodated in the commission's report. There has been some such commentary and that is to be expected. I ask people to be patient and wait for the content of the report. My understanding is that this will be a substantial report with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: This is an issue on which the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has firm views. My job as Minister for Defence is, of course, to look after the interests of the Defence Forces. We are looking at various options but I can assure the House there is no predetermined outcome.