Results 36,501-36,520 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: There were a number of questions. Of course, I recognise Holocaust Memorial Day, and I will attend an event this afternoon, and another event on Sunday, to mark the Holocaust. I look forward to attending those events to mark the horrors of the Holocaust and to ensure it will not be forgotten in any way. On the other questions that were asked, we are trying to get the balance right in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: -----and get recommendations. I certainly do not want to drive any form of division. I have absolute respect for the Women of Honour group. We met for one hour, after which the meeting concluded. I am available at any point to meet the group again, should they want to meet, and to answer any questions they may have. I hope, as I said, that this new review group will be able to build a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: First, the whole point is I am not making that work. This is not a review that is being undertaken by the Department of Defence. It is a review being undertaken independently, with an independent chair, a former High Court judge, and a very experienced HR reform consultant, who has spent the last 12 months looking at some of these issues already through her work with the Commission on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure the operational capacity of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government, as set out in the White Paper on defence. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are being considered in the context of the lifetime of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: We will probably have that commission report in the next two weeks, so we do not have to wait very long to get it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I will have to give a quick answer as we are tight on time. The mental health and well-being strategy for the Defence Forces, which was launched by me on 2 December 2020, recognises the unique nature of the experience of military life in Ireland. The aim of the strategy is to provide a co-ordinated and effective mental health and support system for the personnel of the Defence Forces...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have a standard we comply with on this.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have a significant investment programme that is under way, spending tens of millions of euro on physical infrastructure, and we will continue that investment in the years ahead.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is currently experiencing high demand for first time passports. In order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport, when processing a first time application, the Passport Service must validate the identity of the applicant and confirm their entitlement to Irish citizenship. In the case of first time passport applications for children, the consent of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: On 6 January, I met with the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Elizabeth Truss, M.P. This followed calls between us in October and December last year. We discussed the ongoing EU-UK discussions on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, bilateral relations, developments in Northern Ireland and current foreign policy priorities. With regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s Reconciliation Fund was established in 1982 to support civil society organisations in creating a better understanding between people and traditions on the island of Ireland, and between Ireland and Britain. The Fund has supported over 3,000 projects with more than €60 million in grant funding since its establishment. In spring 2021, I approved a new...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland's international development policy, A Better World, published in 2019, guides Ireland's humanitarian and development responses to those in need, in particular those affected by war, famine and other disasters. In the 2020 peer review of Ireland’s development cooperation programme, the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) highlighted Ireland as "an excellent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: In 2021 the government decided to re-establish an Irish diplomatic presence in Iran in two phases. The first phase began in August 2021 with the appointment of a Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran, with the Irish diplomatic mission co-located in the German Embassy in Tehran. The Irish Embassy in Ankara remains accredited to Iran. The second phase will involve the re-opening of a full...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Both Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World, Global Island, and ' Ireland's Strategy for Africa to 2022 acknowledge the importance of sustaining the work of civil society organisations and the vital role they play in building peaceful, inclusive and prosperous societies. In addition, A Better World, Ireland's policy for international development published in 2019, recognises...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: A Better World, the Government's policy for international development, establishes gender equality as a policy priority. Globally, gender-based violence has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. Ireland is among OECD countries with the highest annual proportion of official development assistance (ODA) invested in gender equality measures, including...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is aware of the issues raised by the individual concerned. The former Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva met with the individual concerned on 2nd March 2016. The current Ambassador met with the individual concerned on 29 July 2019 and again on 16 September 2021. Ireland has raised the issue of the release of the names of NGO delegates to UN Member States and received...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Afghanistan is now the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Nearly 23 million Afghans face acute food insecurity. The UN launched its largest ever humanitarian funding appeal on 11 January seeking approximately $5 billion to meet the immense needs within Afghanistan and of Afghan refugees in the region. A donor-pledging conference on Afghanistan is likely to take place in March and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I updated the House on the question of Ireland’s accession to the Antarctic Treaty System on 30 September 2021. I was also pleased to participate in the Seanad debate on the Antarctic Treaty System on 8 December 2021, and to provide a further update at that time. As I noted, the Department of Foreign Affairs has tasked a number of Embassies accredited to countries of comparable...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 32, 38, 40, 45, 50, 56, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 75, 80 and 85 together. Passport Service operations were severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, as were many Government services. The Passport Service maintained operations throughout the pandemic, notwithstanding the fact that the processing of passports requires physical attendance on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 26 together. The full implementation and effective operation of the Good Friday Agreement and all subsequent agreements is a central priority for this Government. The Agreements, as well as the principles and values underpinning them, are at the core of the Government’s commitment to peace, reconciliation and prosperity on this island. The...