Results 37,641-37,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 106, 115, 116 and 127 together. The numbers of passport applications currently in the Passport Service system from counties Carlow, Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford are outlined below in tabular form. The table also breaks down the number of applications from each county that are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm that neither I nor officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have engaged with representatives of the Colombian government in regard to the purchasing of coal or fossil fuels of any kind from Colombia. As the Deputy will appreciate, matters relating to the import and export of coal, and policy in this regard, do not fall under the remit of the Department of Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established as the first permanent international court to end impunity for the perpetrators of international crimes. The Court was established in 2002 with the entry into force of the Rome Statute.  By its very existence the Court not only promotes and upholds the rule of law but also provides a means of bringing to account the perpetrators of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 118 and 148 together. Since March of this year, the Passport Service has reduced the processing time for first time applications from 40 working days to 30 working days. This 25% reduction in processing times is as a direct result of the unprecedented level of investment that my Department has made in the Passport Service in terms of additional staff and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland was designed and agreed by the UK and EU to mitigate against the inevitable disruptions arising from Brexit on the island of Ireland and to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions. EU-UK engagement on resolving outstanding issues under the Protocol is an ongoing process. The EU-UK Joint Committee met on 21 February and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I noted with deep concern recent media reports on the killing of civilians by the Syrian military at Tadamon in 2013. There is considerable evidence, including in the most recent report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, that the Assad regime has engaged in a pattern of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, some of which may constitute...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Electricity Supply Board (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy mentions, I wrote to the ESB in September 2019 requesting further information regarding their sourcing of coal from Cerrejón. I received a response in October 2019 from the ESB, the content of which I have reported on previously in my response to a Parliamentary Question in March 2020. I have not had further communication with the ESB on this matter.  However,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I updated the House on the question of Ireland’s accession to the Antarctic Treaty System on 27 January 2022. In line with public procurement rules, a suitably qualified and experienced person was contracted by the Department of Foreign Affairs on 18 February 2022 to carry out a detailed assessment of the administrative, policy and legislative requirements for accession to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 120 and 139 together. The Passport Service is a unified service composed of three constituent offices located in Lower Mount Street and Balbriggan in Dublin and South Mall in Cork, respectively. Passport applications from all citizens - whether at home or abroad - are distributed for processing across the three Passport Offices, on the basis of the type...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 109, 121, 126, 137 and 141 together. Ireland has been staunch and unwavering in its support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, my officials have formally registered Ireland's opposition to Russia's actions with the Russian Ambassador. Ireland stands ready to support any initiative...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Next week, the 17thMay will mark the 48th anniversary of the appalling attacks of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in which 33 people were murdered,  the largest loss of life on a single day in the Troubles.  The Government stands in solidarity with all those who lost loved ones or were injured on that day, and who suffer still as a result of these bombings. The implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: As co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government will continue to work closely with the British government and with the parties in Northern Ireland in support of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent implementing Agreements. I am in frequent contact with the British Government. I...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I will attend the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 16 May. EU Member States are continuing to coordinate our response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine closely. This will be the sixth time that the Foreign Affairs Council has convened since the invasion of Ukraine just over two months ago and the discussion will assess the effectiveness of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The murder of Sgt Joe Campbell in Cushendall, Co. Antrim on 25 February 1977 was a tragedy and my thoughts are with the Campbell family who have campaigned tirelessly for over 40 years, seeking to establish truth and justice for their loved one. In February, I met with Paula Rainey, daughter of Sgt Campbell, and a cross community group to hear their views and concerns in relation to a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is committed to ensuring that foundational European values, including the rule of law, are upheld across the EU. Accordingly, we remain very concerned about ongoing challenges relating to adherence to rule of law standards in Hungary. The EU has engaged a multifaceted response to challenges to the rule of law within the EU and its Member States. This includes the Article 7 Treaty on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, I meet regularly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to discuss security co-operation in the framework of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference is an important institution of the Good Friday Agreement, bringing together the British and Irish Governments under Strand Three of the Good Friday...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The New Decade, New Approach agreement reached in January 2020 was a significant shared achievement in restoring the power-sharing institutions of the Good Friday Agreement to full operation. As we have set out in the Programme for Government, we will work to ensure that the New Decade, New Approach agreement is implemented in full.  For our part, the Government published a series of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 131 and 147 together. The Passport Service is proactively managing the current demand for passports and has put in place resources and structures to address the estimated significant increase in demand for passports in 2022 in this essential citizen service. Since March of this year, the Passport Service has reduced the processing time for first time...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the reassignment of Foreign Birth Registration staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the Foreign Birth Registration Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period. The resourcing of the Passport Service to respond to current demand for passports and Foreign Birth Registration is a priority for my Department,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I have remained and continue to remain in regular contact with the parties in Northern Ireland and in close contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the Assembly elections. It is important to acknowledge and congratulate those who have been elected, and everyone that contested the election. The people of Northern Ireland have come out in sizeable numbers to take part...