Results 38,661-38,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to one of the applicants. With regard to the other application, the Passport Service has provided an update to the applicant as to the steps they must take to progress their passport application.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can reassure the Deputy that I am aware of this case and it remains both a concern and priority. My Department is continuing to provide consular assistance to the citizen through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja, and with assistance from the Embassy of France in Togo - as Ireland does not have diplomatic representation in the country. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland and New Zealand enjoy close diplomatic relations and our Embassies are engaged in a range of activities to deepen our engagement. In April 2021 we held wide-ranging bilateral consultations, with agreed areas of follow up, to further strengthen cooperation in a number of areas, including agriculture. In October 2021, Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connorvisited and signed a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: Germany is a valued partner within the EU and the range of ongoing contacts at both political and senior official level are extensive, with several Ministerial-level visits to Germany so far this year, including one I made last February when I attended the Munich Security Conference. Under the Germany–Ireland Joint Plan of Action for Enhanced Bilateral and EU Cooperationbilateral...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (4 Oct 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: Foreign Birth Registration (4 Oct 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 Defence: Departmental Transport (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: There were no domestic flights taken by Junior Ministers, Department staff or myself for work purposes in each of the years from 2019 to 2021 and to date in 2022.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability 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. In this context, the principal aim over the period of the White Paper is to replace and upgrade, as required,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that works on this major refurbishment building project at the USAC, accommodation block in Renmore Barracks have commenced.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Defence Forces Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) in 2020 sets out a programme of anticipated project delivery based on requirements identified from a survey of all DF installations and on the achievement of the high-level goals set out in White Paper 2015. The Deputy may wish to note, as advised by the military authorities, that the following maintenance and refurbishment works were...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: Under the Framework for Major Emergency Management the Defence Forces can be tasked in aid of Civil Power to provide operational support in a response to a national chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incident in order to mark, cordon, monitor, measure, decontaminate, retrieve and dispose of any CBRN devices and matter so found. Additionally, the Defence Forces in the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: Essentially there are two types of pension which can be payable to former members of the Defence Forces; a service (retirement) pension and/or a disablement pension. Some pensioners are in receipt of a service pension only, some are in receipt of both a service pension and a disablement pension, and some are in receipt of a disablement pension only. A breakdown showing the numbers of former...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department’s formal blended working policy permits eligible staff to work up to a maximum of 50% of their regular attendance pattern remotely over a 4-week period, subject to operational requirements. Of those staff that have formally approved blended working arrangements, records indicate that 7 officers are doing a form of blended working from County Clare.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Legislative Measures (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the initiative launched last year by the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide. The Panel proposes the creation of a new international crime ‘ecocide’, together with a definition of the crime which could serve as the basis for consideration of an amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The purpose of such an...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service has issued over 940,000 passports to date this year and 2022 will be the first year ever that over 1 million passports will be issued. The Passport Service is currently out-performing its previous busiest year (2019) by 17%. Thanks to significant investment by the Government, substantial improvements have been made this year and normal pre-Covid levels of service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department has not procured any contracts or services with top security since 2015 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is aware of the presence of the so-called 'Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station’ located on Capel Street in Dublin. The presence of this office has been raised with the Embassy of China by officials in my Department and discussions are ongoing. Officials are continuing to consult across Government to address this issue and to ensure the appropriate application of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can assure the Deputy that engagement between the Irish and Tunisian authorities is continuing on this case, which remains a priority. The Embassy of Ireland in Rabat, which is accredited to Tunisia, is actively engaged on the case and providing direct consular assistance to the citizen concerned. As the Deputy will appreciate, as with all consular cases, it would not be appropriate to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: There are no staff within my Department working remotely on a part-time or full-time basis in County Clare.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am advised that neither my Department nor any of the bodies under the aegis of my Department have contracts or engaged the services of Top Security.