Results 4,021-4,040 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: As part of the Departments Infrastructure Development Plan the following capital works were at various stages of construction at Casement Aerodrome during 2021 and 2022: Capital Project Estimated Cost- Vat Inc Watermains Upgrade €1m Upgrade of LED Runway Lighting €0.4m 25M no danger area firing...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: On an annual basis, the Vote 36 (Defence) allocation is determined within the overarching budgetary framework and approved by Dáil Éireann, with multi-annual capital envelopes determined as part of the overarching National Development Plan. The Defence Vote Group also includes Vote 35 (Army Pensions). Expenditure under the Army Pensions Vote is essentially demand-driven and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. In terms of fishery protection, the Naval Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the Defence Forces are currently excluded from the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 which transposed into Irish Law, the EU Working Time Directive. The Government, however, has committed to amending this Act and bringing both the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána within the scope of its provisions, where appropriate. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Correspondence (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am advised that the Property Management Branch of my Department, which monitors applications for planning consents in the context of the potential impact on military installations, has not issued policy instructions nor policy documents as referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Contracts for Sale have been exchanged and the formal legal transfer should conclude shortly, subject to the normal exigencies of the conveyancing process.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Joint Task Force was established to coordinate the Defence Forces contribution to the whole-of-Government Covid-19 response. A wide range of supports have since been provided by the Defence Forces to the HSE as well as to other Departments and Agencies, including support to the ongoing vaccination programme. Currently the focus remains on dealing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ukraine Invasion (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can remember as an MEP travelling to Kyiv as an election observer during what was then called the Orange revolution. I remember the excitement the night before the election in Freedom Square in Kyiv and the sense of momentum and change at that time in Ukraine. Of course, there was some division too in the context of east and west, but it was a time of genuine hope for a new direction for...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ukraine Invasion (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. Ireland and all of our EU partners stand in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people on this shocking day when Russia, unprovoked, has initiated missile strikes and a ground invasion on their country. Today's invasion by Russia of Ukraine's sovereign territory and its attack on its people is an outrageous and immoral breach of the most...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278, 282, 283 and 285 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 (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: The online Passport Tracker tool provides applicants with an indication of how their application is progressing through the system and gives an estimated issue date based on the current average application processing time. The Passport Service regrets that the Passport Tracker recently experienced technical issues which resulted in the tracker not correctly updating a small number of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs has engaged with the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) on a number of occasions from 1 January 2019 to date. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund has provided support to the NWCI through two grants, totalling €45,321, awarded in 2021 to support the establishment of their All-island Women’s Forum....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (24 Feb 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 has resumed and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources. Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration process, the large increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 284, 287 and 288 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: Passport Services (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is currently experiencing high demand for first time passports, particularly for children. First time passport applications do take longer to process and there are a number of reasons for this. First time applications are necessarily complex to process, since they are essentially applications for Irish citizenship. The Passport Service must validate the true identity of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: In my capacity as Minister for Defence neither I, nor any official from my Department, has had any engagements, including online meetings, webinars, briefings and in-person meetings with the National Women’s Council of Ireland from 1 January 2019 to date.

Security Situation in Europe: Statements (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I wish to open this debate with a clear and unambiguous statement, one that I know will resonate throughout the course of the debate: Ireland is unwavering in its support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In 2014 Russia invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed the Crimea peninsula. Since then, the conflict in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas has endured, with dire...

Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland and Reports of Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland: Statements (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: Before I respond to what has been said, I, like others, express my condolences to the family of Christopher Stalford, who I knew quite well from time spent in Belfast. He was a tough negotiator, but he was deeply committed to his family, to politics and to the DUP. I express my sincere condolences to his wife, his family, his broader circle of friends and to the DUP as a party on the...

Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland and Reports of Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland: Statements (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I too welcome Ambassador Cronin to Dublin. She has made a big impact and has been here for only a few days. We look forward to working with her on so many files, from Northern Ireland to Russia-Ukraine to transatlantic relationships and so much more besides. I am very glad to have this opportunity to discuss this important and very sensitive issue. As I said in our debate earlier this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Policy (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Coveney: I welcome this opportunity. I also welcome Senator Dolan's family to the Seanad Chamber today. They should be very proud of their sister and daughter in the context of the role she continues to play in this House. At the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, we decided to provide €1.2 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. We hope this package will assist the Government and...