Results 4,321-4,340 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 13, 42, 53, 57 and 73 together. Throughout the course of last year, the European Commission undertook extensive outreach to political leaders, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland. This process culminated on 13 October 2021 with the presentation of a comprehensive package of proposals aimed at providing a credible and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: As I said earlier, as part of the Government's global strategy an embassy began operating in Kyiv last summer on 7 June. It was officially opened by me in August. The embassy's remit is to deepen bilateral relations with Ukraine, provide consular assistance to Irish citizens and work closely with other EU member states in further developing EU-Ukraine relations. Ukraine is a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Of course we cannot talk about Kyiv and Ukraine without referring to the current context, to what is happening in global politics and the concern and threat that exists. Our staff remain in Kyiv but we have contingency plans if people need to leave. We do not regard it as appropriate at this time to bring people home. We are committed to Ukraine. We support its sovereignty, its developing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am very aware of the pressures in relation to passports. Many people in this House have come to me directly on individual cases. We have also set up an Oireachtas support line that can help staff in Deputies' offices to deal with cases when they emerge. This month we will have more than 100,000 passport applications to deal with, and this year we are planning for a possible 1.7...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy would expect, the Passport Service is currently experiencing a high level of demand for first-time passports and renewals. We will probably do 100,000 this month. This year, we could end up doing 1.7 million passports. We have never reached 1 million before, even at the height of travel before Covid. That is the extent of the demand increase we are expecting. By the end of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Union (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: The strategic compass is an exercise intended to provide enhanced political and strategic direction for the European Union’s security and defence policy for the next five to ten years. Once agreed by member states, this policy document will serve not only to outline the EU’s approach to the Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, but also to reflect the increasingly complex...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Union (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Yes. With the strategic compass, member states are working to build a common assessment of the threats and challenges posed to the European Union. In addition, the compass will help the EU to become a stronger security provider at a global level as well as a more responsible and reliable partner that can respond to external crises, work closely with the United Nations and other partners,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Union (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm all of those things. We have brought to this debate a desire to see collective co-ordination across the European Union to ensure the EU can intervene in crisis situations in a way that is seamless and interoperable and that countries are not pulled into conflicts in a way they are not comfortable with. This is about trying to improve the EU's collective capacity to be able to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Diplomatic Representation (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I officially opened Ireland's embassy in Kyiv on 23 August last year. The opening of the embassy marked a new phase in our relationship with Ukraine, through which we can deepen and widen our bilateral co-operation. The embassy also provides consular assistance to Irish citizens and works closely with other EU member states in further developing the EU-Ukraine relationship. The decision...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Some of the comments by the Prime Minister yesterday were, I think, unhelpful in that regard. The Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, and Maroš Šefcovic are building a good relationship as the two key negotiators on behalf of the UK and the EU in terms of trying to settle some of the outstanding issues on how we implement, with the maximum flexibility possible, the protocol into the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy. I suspect there will be a lot of talk around passports in the weeks ahead as more and more people choose to travel again, and many, of course, have not even thought about travel for the last number of years. We expect a significant increase in passport applications. There are questions coming up that will allow me to address what we are doing in response, which is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: Some 99% of online child renewal applications are issued within 15 working days, and it is important to say that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: However, on the issue raised by the Deputy, first-time applications take a lot longer and I urge parents of children who have never had a passport to apply now online if they are travelling this year. We are, of course, looking to bring down the turnaround times for first-time applicants, as well as for renewals, and we are putting a lot of extra staff and resources into that. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Human Rights (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the European Commission is developing a legislative initiative on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. The detail of this sustainable corporate governance proposal is expected in the near future. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is following this file closely in both Brussels and Dublin and, while my Department has no direct...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Human Rights (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: As I said earlier, the EU holds the competences for many of the issues covered by the proposed legally binding instrument, which is being developed in an open-ended intergovernmental working group on transitional corporations and human rights. We have made clear in Brussels and Geneva that Ireland favours constructive engagement in the treaty negotiations. During the most recent negotiation...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the question. It concerns a topic that should get much more focus than it does. Many questions focus on problems with the implementation of the protocol, and there are some, but of course there is also great benefit for Northern Ireland in getting uninterrupted access into both the rest of the UK internal market and the huge EU Single Market. That is an extraordinary...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is important to put on the Dáil record examples of what is happening. I will give a number of examples. Last year, Invest Northern Ireland reported that it was dealing with 50 firms interested in setting up in Northern Ireland, and Manufacturing Northern Ireland has noted a similar uptake in investment interest. For example, the Almac group, the global pharmaceutical organisation...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, driven by seven years of conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of public institutions and services that has left more than 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Ireland and the EU fully support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Mr. Hans Grundberg, whom I have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I do not believe that a resolution to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen will be solved by sanctionsper se. I think it will be solved by political engagement across the region and at UN level. Regarding Ireland's position on arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Ireland does not supply military equipment to any of the parties to the conflict in Yemen. Arms exports are a national...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Conflicts (27 Jan 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am in no doubt as to the horrors of war in Yemen and the humanitarian consequences of ongoing conflict there. When I visited Tehran last year, primarily focused on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, discussions, I also had a discussion on Yemen and the influence that Iran has on the Houthis in that conflict and certainly made clear our desire for Iran to use its influence on...