Results 4,821-4,840 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Humanitarian Access (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The EU's responsibility is to try to balance the solidarity that we have with member states that are under huge pressure with its international obligations to the welfare of migrants. What that means is trying to get access for international organisations, which can assist and support migrants. That is why we have supported the Lithuanian Red Cross financially to try to provide welfare...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Birth Registration (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to outline that foreign birth registration is open again. It has always been open for emergency cases but it has reopened again for mainstream applications. I am pleased to inform him that as of Monday, 15 November, the processing of foreign birth registration, FBR, has resumed and will be gradually scaled up in line with the recruitment of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: As part of its climate and transition agenda, the EU is engaged in improving resilience and energy security across the EU, including in Ireland, through investment in interconnection. Cyprus currently has no interconnection for energy and, as such, it is entirely reliant on precarious domestic supply. Interconnection is, therefore, vital to energy security in Cyprus. There are two...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I do not accept that. What we are doing here is trying to ensure that a member state, that is, Cyprus, is not isolated in terms of electricity interconnection. This project has been assessed by the Commission. The Commission, as Ireland does, makes a distinction in policy between the EU and Israel between occupied Palestinian territory and Israel proper. This is about an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I make statements all the time on Israel's responsibility in occupied Palestinian territory. I have been fairly consistent on that, both at home and internationally. This project has been assessed by the European Commission. It is about interconnection of an EU member state with Greece, and Israel. I am aware that the Palestinian Authority has laid legal claim to natural resources off the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Humanitarian Access (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland condemns the regime of Alexander Lukashenko for its exploitation of migrants for political purposes. At the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, EU foreign ministers discussed the escalation in the crisis along the EU's borders with Belarus. We agreed to broaden the listings criteria for sanctions on the Belarusian regime. This broader listing will target individuals and entities...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Section 14(1) of the Passports Act 2008, requires evidence of the consent of a child’s guardians before a passport can be issued to them by the Passport Service. In the case of the applications raised by the Deputy, incomplete Child Passport Identity and Consent forms were submitted. It is essential that the Passport Service receives evidence of consent of a child's guardians duly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am concerned by the situation in and around East Jerusalem where tensions remain high. Palestinian residents in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan have faced a longstanding threat of eviction. Settlement expansion in sensitive areas such as E1 around Jerusalem undermine the viability of a two-State solution. During my recent visit to the region, I saw at first-hand...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 23 and 24 together. I am aware of the Palestinian prisoners currently engaging in a hunger strike to protest their arrest under the Israeli policy of administrative detention, including the concerns raised by the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the health of a number of these prisoners. I welcome the news that one of the individuals...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

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. The Passport Service does not currently record the incidence of errors in consent forms at the important checking and validation stage. Our focus is always on the verification of consent which is vital to protect the integrity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: It has been the consistent position of the Government that the Stormont House Agreement provides a balanced and comprehensive framework to address the legacy of the Troubles. It was agreed by both Governments and the political parties after intensive negotiations, and it should be implemented – for the families and victims who have waited for too long. We have taken every...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as of Monday, 15th November, the processing of Foreign Birth Registration resumed on a phased basis. My Department is fully committed to allocating additional resources over the coming weeks and months to assist with processing of the high volume of applications anticipated and the current level of applications on hand. There are currently 32,000 Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 26, 30, 39, 50, 67, 68 and 69 together. Passport Service operations were severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were many Government Services. Notwithstanding that disruption and despite the fact that the processing of passports requires physical distance on site to deliver this service during Level 5 restrictions, the Passport Service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 51 together. Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, driven by seven years of conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of public institutions and services which has left over 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Ireland along with all EU member states fully supports the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: It has been the consistent position of the Government that the Stormont House Agreement provides a balanced and comprehensive framework to address to the legacy of the Troubles. It was agreed by both Governments and the political parties after intensive negotiations, and it should be fully implemented – for the families and victims who have waited for too long. The framework of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Every family bereaved in the conflict, including the family members of the victims of those shot dead in Springhill Westrock in Belfast on 9 July 1972, must have access to an effective investigation and to a process of justice regardless of the perpetrator. All victims’ families deserve support in securing all the information possible about what happened to their loved ones. Last...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is very concerned by recent reforms to Poland’s justice system. We have consistently underlined the importance of upholding core EU values including the rule of law. An independent judiciary that can exercise its function without interference is a core tenet of the rule of law. Ireland has expressed this position through active participation in the Article 7 hearings at the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland has strongly condemned the coup carried out by the Myanmar military and violence against civilians. The coup is a reversal of the progress made towards democracy and rule of law in Myanmar that has taken years to establish, and does nothing to tackle the public health, security or economic issues faced by the people of Myanmar. I have made three statements and called upon the Myanmar...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The data requested by Deputy Carthy is outlined in tabular form below. The figures cover the number of passport applications received from May to October 2021 that are currently with the Passport Service. The table also sets out for comparative purposes the numbers of passports issued in the same months. Over half a million passports have been issued in 2021 to date. The Passport Service is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Afghanistan faces multiple human rights, security and economic situation challenges, and a worsening humanitarian crisis. The UN is playing a vital role in all these areas. The absence of many non-governmental organisations, civil society networks, and diplomatic missions from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of Kabul has made the role of the UN in monitoring developments inside...