Results 3,041-3,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (18 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. The processing of Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) resumed in November 2021 and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources. A major recruitment drive has been underway over the past several...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government and the Government decision in December 2020 which also agreed its terms of reference and membership. The report was published on the 9th February 2022. The Commission undertook a significant body of work encompassing their wide-ranging terms of reference. The report contains...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: To be helpful to the House, I would be very happy to have such a debate but I would like to be here for it, if that is possible. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I have made some quite strong statements on both the killing and what happened at the funeral, which was disgraceful and should be condemned. I have no problem in doing that but I would like to be here for the debate. I believe it...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Some 5,000 are being delivered per day.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Neutrality (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: EU Battlegroups are multinational, military units which form part of the European Union's military rapid reaction capacity. They are designed to provide the European Union with a rapid response capability which can be deployed in support of crisis management or humanitarian operations under the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, and in support of United Nations mandated...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Neutrality (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The objective of PESCO is to generate defence capabilities in support of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and which will be available to Member States for national and multinational (EU, NATO, UN, etc.) missions and operations. On a voluntary basis, 25 EU Member States, including Ireland, have joined PESCO and subscribed to commitments to invest, plan, develop and operate...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Neutrality (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s relations with NATO are set within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and Partnership for Peace (PfP). The Partnership for Peace is a programme of practical bilateral cooperation between individual Euro-Atlantic partner countries and NATO. It allows partners countries to build up an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I and officials from my Department have welcomed opportunities to update Members on the Passport Service on several occasions since the beginning of the year. The Passport Service would be happy to arrange a further briefing for Oireachtas members on the current situation in the coming weeks. On 2 February, I spoke at a Seanad Private Members Business Motion on the Passport Service. On 10...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 341, 350, 362, 365, 368, 369, 377, 379, 380, 384, 402, 403, 405 to 407, inclusive, 418 and 419 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: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 342, 351 and 352 together. 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 ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is currently receiving thousands of applications daily and is not aware of any issue with applicants being overcharged. On rare occasions, an application may encounter an error while information is being transferred from the external website to our internal systems. The Passport Service has a process in place to identify these applications within 24 hours of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: In October 2021, the Passport Service established a temporary phone line 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 a need for urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 345, 347 to 349, inclusive, 357, 359, 361, 363, 366, 367, 378, 383, 385, 386, 390, 392 to 395, inclusive, 397 to 400, inclusive, 408 to 412, inclusive, 415 to 417, inclusive, 420, 422 and 424 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: Human Rights (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am gravely concerned at the situation in Nicaragua. The human rights violations, crackdowns on opposition voices and independent media, and backsliding on democratic norms that have been observed in Nicaragua since 2018, and which have intensified since the November 2021 elections, are unacceptable and deeply alarming. The expulsion of dozens of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Applications (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The processing of visas to enter the United States is solely a matter for the US authorities, and my Department has no remit over the operations of the US Embassy Visa Service. My advice to those seeking to apply for a US visa or for an ESTA visa waiver is to get information from the website of the US Embassy in Dublin and to engage with them directly on their application. Officials from...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Equal Opportunities Employment (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs is fully committed to meeting its obligations under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 and the Disability Act 2005. Under my Department's Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 and the Department's Human Resources Strategy 2019-2022, there is a commitment to embed a culture of dignity and respect, emphasising gender, equality, diversity and inclusion. As...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I have remained and continue to remain in regular contact with the parties in Northern Ireland, and with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the Assembly elections. This election has undoubtedly brought with it significant democratic change, which will need to be navigated in the period ahead. It is, first and foremost, a matter for the parties now, and those...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Under Section 14(1) of the Passports Act 2008, the consent of a child’s guardian(s) must be given before the Passport Service can issue them a passport. In order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport and the rights of the child and their guardian(s), it is important that the Passport Service is satisfied that all relevant guardians have given their consent to the issuance...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the specific case about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has contacted the child's parent to advise as to the steps they must take to apply for a passport.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Communications (17 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Turkey is an important player in relation to developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East more generally. In that context, I keep in quite regular engagement with my Turkish counterpart, Minister for Foreign Affairs Çavusoglu, to discuss issues currently before the UN Security Council as well as overall EU-Turkey relations. My most recent conversation with Foreign...