Results 38,621-38,640 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish Citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. In...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland and Malaysia have enjoyed close and fruitful diplomatic relations since 1974. In 1995, Ireland opened an Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Ireland’s first resident Embassy in Southeast Asia. The Embassy of Malaysia in Ireland was established in Dublin in November 2001. Malaysia remains the only country in the region to have a resident Embassy in Dublin and we are appreciative of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: Public procurement in my Department is governed by the comprehensive regulatory and policy frameworks at both EU and national level. The Department of Foreign Affairs applies the principle of competitive tendering in respect of its contracting for services, goods and works. My Department operated a restricted two-stage tender process for the Tokyo works project where the Tender Notice...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: My colleague, Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne T.D., regularly travels to Brussels to represent Ireland at General Affairs Council meetings. Minister Byrne recently accompanied the Taoiseach to Brussels for a meeting of the European Council on 22-24 June 2022. Minister Byrne held a number of individual engagements as part of that visit in furtherance of Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: International Relations (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: In my capacity as Minister of Defence, I have not spoken formally with the UK Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. Ben Wallace MP, in the past six months. Our last formal conversation was in July of 2020. An in-person meeting was scheduled for April of last year in London but, due to unforeseen circumstances, this meeting did not take place.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is currently considering an increase in the catering budget for the Defence Forces in light of the rising cost of food and its associated pressure on the catering budget.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: Civilian staff are employed by the Department of Defence to support the operational capabilities of the Defence Forces. The recruitment of Civilian Employees is an ongoing process, based on a combination of the filling of consequential vacancies which have arisen due to promotions and retirements, and the filling of vacancies on the basis of a process of prioritisation of requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Reviews (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: The current number of live studies is 3. In addition there are 3 live reviews and 2 live research projects as commissioned by my Department. The details are set out in the table below. Activity Details Details of the person or body that is conducting activity. Cost Study Project 88 under the White Paper is a Defence funding study to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: Civilian Employees are employed by my Department to support the operational capability of the Defence Forces. The recruitment of Civilian Employees for military installations is an ongoing process, informed by prioritisation of posts by military management. My Department is currently running competitions to fill the following vacancies in the Defence Forces Training Centre. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Military Honours (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: There is a specific process in place concerning the award of medals to members of the Defence Forces, as set out in Defence Force Regulation (DFR) A9 and the associated Administration Instructions, wherein the qualifying criteria and procedures required for the awarding of Defence Forces Medals, in addition to the various types of medal awards, are delineated. Such awards are made on the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: The military authorities have advised that there is one qualified female pilot within the Air Corps and one female currently in training to become a qualified military pilot. In line with current policies and commitments a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation in the Permanent Defence Force. These include: - Special consideration is paid...

Financial Resolutions 2022 - Financial Resolution No. 6: General: Financial Resolution (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to deal first with the Department of Defence Vote, before moving on to the Department of Foreign Affairs. For 2023, the total allocation for the defence sector is €1.174 billion, comprising €893 million for Vote 36 - Defence, and €281 million for Vote 35 - Army Pensions, which is an overall increase of €67 million on 2022, doubling the increase in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (28 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 170 together. I note with concern the details in the case referred to by the Deputy. Respect for human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy and we consistently seek to raise our concerns on human rights issues through the most appropriate and effective channels.  Ireland urges all States to safeguard the human...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the representation to which the Deputy has referred, the Passport Service is reviewing the issue and will respond directly to the applicant in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround time of 8 weeks for paper applications and has not yet reached its issue-by date.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (29 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: The situation in Lebanon is deeply worrying. The economic situation had been deteriorating for some time before the pandemic, the devastating explosions in Beirut on 4 August 2020 and the onset of war in Ukraine.  I have visited Lebanon on several occasions as Minister, most recently in May of this year, and have witnessed first-hand the scale of the challenges facing the country. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (29 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran after her arrest for allegedly violating dress code regulations. On 21 September I met with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amirabdollahian at the UN General Assembly High Level Week in New York. I relayed to him my deep concerns regarding the circumstances of Ms...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (29 Sep 2022)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my previous answer to PQ 46070/22 on 21 September.  Further to my reply on 21 September, agreement has now been reached on an EU position, which sends a clear and robust message on the important issues and priorities which Ireland has prioritised. The EU-Israel Association Council will take place on 3 October in Brussels.