Results 37,701-37,720 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ukraine War (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces procure a wide range of non-capital goods and services. These include items associated with day-to-day operations such as food, clothing, transport, utilities and the maintenance of equipment.  The services of the Office of Government Procurement and centralised framework agreements are also used to acquire items that may be in common...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Neither I, nor my Department, employ persons or firms to deal with public relations.  My Department has a Communications Office to provide information to the public and media.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 467, 468, 471, 472 and 473 together. The following table details the current strength, as of the 31st of March 2022, of the PDF and the 3 branches along with the corresponding agreed establishment. Current Strength (WTE) Establishment Permanent Defence Forces 8,366 9,500 Army ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Air Corps, as at 6 May 2022, is 758 whole-time equivalent personnel. The table below shows the strength by requested stream: - Personnel Stream Strength as at 06/05/2022 Qualified pilots 98 Cadets currently completing military training* ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. In terms of fishery protection the Naval Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Motion (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Sinn Féin Senators for tabling a motion on the British Government's new Nationality and Borders Act. The Act's provisions for an ETA scheme raise a number of serious concerns and merit further political consideration in the Seanad. The Government will not oppose this motion as it raises concerns that we share, but it does not reflect a number of important developments since...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 139, 152 and 153 together. With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: In response to the high volume of applications being submitted to the Passport Service, a temporary phone line was established in October 2021 to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases. In each case raised by an Oireachtas Member, the Passport Service reviews the application in question. However, applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency such as...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 140, 142 and 154 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 applications to the applicants.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: As a small island, Ireland recognises the challenges that many island nations face. Like Ireland, the Solomon Islands, as one of the Small Island Developing States and as a member of the Pacific islands Forum, are strong supporters of the rules-based international order, with the United Nations at its core. The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware that China has signed a minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service is working with the Deputy's office to clarify the information supplied for the application. Once clarification is received the Passport Service will review the application.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Defence Forces (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The processing of U.S. visas is solely a matter for the U.S. authorities and my advice to those seeking to apply for a U.S. visa is to get information from the website of the US Embassy in Dublin and to engage with them directly on their application. On the broader question of Irish Defence Forces personnel who may have difficulties travelling to the US because of travel overseas as part...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: 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 of application rather than county or country of residence of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: 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. The Passport Service has recently reduced the turnaround time for first time applications from 40 working days to 30 working days. This is a direct result of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Government’s Global Ireland programme, launched in 2018, envisages an expanded and strengthened diplomatic presence across the world, with a target of opening of 26 new Missions in the period to 2025. Fourteen missions have opened to date, and, over the course of 2022 and 2023, a further five will open in Dakar, Lyon, Miami, Tehran and Toronto. The opening of new Missions has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 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: Official Engagements (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: On 4 May, I spoke with the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Elizabeth Truss, M.P. This followed calls between us in January and a meeting in February. We discussed co-operation in support of Ukraine, the ongoing EU-UK discussions on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and the elections in Northern Ireland. We addressed the grave situation in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Government remains committed to advancing a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in line with the agreed parameters for a resolution. I am clear on this in my engagement with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As I have previously stated, our commitment is to recognise a State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or when we believe...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is committed to strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons and to promoting a better mainstreaming of the human rights of older persons through the work of the UN. We engage with the Open Ended Working Group on Aging through the European Union, in partnership with fellow EU Member States. The Group considers the existing international framework of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: There are certain passport applications for applicants resident in Ireland that require forms to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. These applications include: - All Passport Express applications - Section 9 Certificate of Identity - First time adult online applications - Identity Verification Form - First time child online applications - Child Passport...