Results 3,221-3,240 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I would not claim we have a perfect system. We do not. We are improving it all of the time. We are significantly upgrading the software this year, so we will have, in effect a new IT system running our passport system from next year, which will give us a lot more flexibility. It is not a perfect system but we are putting extraordinary resources into ensuring that we have turnaround times...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: Some 45% of our passport renewals for adults are done within 48 hours. There is a lot that is good about our passport system, despite the fact that we are producing about double the number of passports each month this year compared to what we were producing up until three or four years ago. A total of 4,000 to 5,000 passports a day are going out to people. There are individual cases where...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: United Nations (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The question was about costs, so I will address that issue first and then come back to what we have achieved while we were there. The costs incurred by Ireland during our campaign for a seat on the Security Council were approximately €860,000. This includes the event launch, promotional material and campaign-related travel and subsistence. These costs compare favourably with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it is a major one for many people. My Department has made an unprecedented investment in the passport service by way of additional staff and improvements to the passport and customer service systems. The passport service is proactively managing the current demand for passports and has put in place resources and structures to address the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will be aware that, when Russia proposed to conduct naval exercises in part of Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone in February, I wrote to the Russian government and requested that these planned exercises in Ireland's EEZ not take place. The Russian government acceded to this request.  I am not aware of any future intentions by the Russian Federation to carry out naval...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 89, 102, 119 and 135 together. I am aware of a broadcast on a Russian television station which contained an animation depicting a wave hitting Ireland and Britain, caused by a Russian nuclear weapon. We should not allow ourselves be distracted by such rhetoric from the real atrocities being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. At the beginning...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I travelled to the United States from 27 - 29 April for engagements in Washington, D.C. and Boston. In Washington D.C., I participated in a public discussion at the German Marshall Fund on Ireland’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as Ireland’s unique position within the transatlantic relationship. I underscored the need for strong international...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The people of Northern Ireland came out in sizeable numbers to take part in the democratic process and to make their voices heard. It is now for the parties to work together to form an Executive to serve all of the people of Northern Ireland. It is important, in the first instance, to acknowledge everyone that contested the election and congratulate those who have been elected. It will take...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is developing an online portal that will allow Oireachtas Members to query the status of passport applications on behalf of their constituents.  The testing element of this project is yet to be completed. Once the online portal is finalised, the Passport Service expects to roll it out over the summer of this year.  In the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 136 and 144 together. On 14 April I visited Kyiv and the town of Bucha. I was the first Foreign Minister to visit Kyiv since the Russian invasion began on 24 February. While in Ukraine, I met with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov. I expressed solidarity with and extended condolences to Minister Kuleba and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 106, 115, 116 and 127 together. The numbers of passport applications currently in the Passport Service system from counties Carlow, Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford are outlined below in tabular form. The table also breaks down the number of applications from each county that are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm that neither I nor officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have engaged with representatives of the Colombian government in regard to the purchasing of coal or fossil fuels of any kind from Colombia. As the Deputy will appreciate, matters relating to the import and export of coal, and policy in this regard, do not fall under the remit of the Department of Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Bodies (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established as the first permanent international court to end impunity for the perpetrators of international crimes. The Court was established in 2002 with the entry into force of the Rome Statute.  By its very existence the Court not only promotes and upholds the rule of law but also provides a means of bringing to account the perpetrators of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 118 and 148 together. Since March of this year, the Passport Service has reduced the processing time for first time applications from 40 working days to 30 working days. This 25% reduction in processing times is as a direct result of the unprecedented level of investment that my Department has made in the Passport Service in terms of additional staff and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (10 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: Foreign Conflicts (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I noted with deep concern recent media reports on the killing of civilians by the Syrian military at Tadamon in 2013. There is considerable evidence, including in the most recent report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, that the Assad regime has engaged in a pattern of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, some of which may constitute...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Electricity Supply Board (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy mentions, I wrote to the ESB in September 2019 requesting further information regarding their sourcing of coal from Cerrejón. I received a response in October 2019 from the ESB, the content of which I have reported on previously in my response to a Parliamentary Question in March 2020. I have not had further communication with the ESB on this matter.  However,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I updated the House on the question of Ireland’s accession to the Antarctic Treaty System on 27 January 2022. In line with public procurement rules, a suitably qualified and experienced person was contracted by the Department of Foreign Affairs on 18 February 2022 to carry out a detailed assessment of the administrative, policy and legislative requirements for accession to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 120 and 139 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (10 May 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 109, 121, 126, 137 and 141 together. Ireland has been staunch and unwavering in its support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, my officials have formally registered Ireland's opposition to Russia's actions with the Russian Ambassador. Ireland stands ready to support any initiative...