Results 2,201-2,220 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am fully committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces has the right to undertake their duties in a safe environment underpinned by dignity and equality and by a culture of zero-tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination, harassment or sexual abuse. Over the last twenty years since the 2002 publication of the External Advisory Group on the Defence Forces and the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: As at 31 August, 2022, the latest date such details are available, the strength of the PDF was 8,146 personnel or 86% of the current agreed strength of 9,500. This was comprised of - Army6,621 - Air Corps 704 - Naval Service821 My focus is now on bringing the strength of the Defence Forces to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the...

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.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Recycling Policy (5 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm that the Department of Defence, as part of its waste management contract, has recycling procedures in place in all its buildings for the disposal of waste material through recyclable methods. This includes: The introduction of recycling stations throughout the building, consisting of: - clean recyclable waste - non-recyclable waste - compostable and glass bins To further promote...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I very much welcome this opportunity to engage with Members of Seanad Éireann on matters relating to the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. I look forward to hearing the contributions of Senators. The establishment of the Commission on the Defence Forces was set out in the programme for Government and was a key priority for me, as the Minister for Defence. When the...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is not actually as Senator Clonan describes.

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have dealt with that issue.

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is being implemented.

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is important to be accurate on these issues.

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I clarified that at the start of the debate. It is-----

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: There is quite a lot to respond to there. I had a closing speech but I will put it aside and try to answer people's questions. Every second speaker raised the issue of pay and allowances. Many of the people campaigning for the Defence Forces representative associations to have a relationship with ICTU in the context of the public sector pay discussions need to understand they cannot have...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: On the sub-sea cables issue, we need to be careful not to over react to a potential threat but we cannot ignore it either. The Nordstream I and 2 pipelines are, because of the nature of those pipelines, particularly controversial given what is happening in Ukraine and the various different pressures regarding the use of energy and energy supply as part of a hybrid war tool. That said, we...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: For the budget that we have committed by 2028, I insisted on picking a point in time before the war in Ukraine and before the commission reported, which was January 2022, so that we could have a reference point for what were military prices at that point in time. Where we need to be by 2028 is the equivalent of €1.5 billion in January 2022 prices, for 2028, which I think will be close...