Results 4,941-4,960 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: This is a complex case involving an Irish citizen who has been prevented from leaving China since March 2019. My Department has been providing ongoing consular assistance to the citizen since that time through our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, our Embassy in Beijing and our Consulate General in Shanghai, while he and his legal teams work on the legal, commercial and financial issues...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Discussions between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol including between David Frost and Maros Šefcovic are ongoing and it is important that we give these talks every chance to succeed. A positive outcome to current discussions is our objective. I have met with UK Minister of State David Frost on a number of occasions in the last year, most recently in September, at...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland deeply values the role that the United States has played in ensuring peace and stability in Northern Ireland and the continuing high-level bipartisan support for the Good Friday Agreement. The engagement by successive US Administrations, Congress and the Irish Diaspora has been an indispensable part of the success of the Peace Process over the last three decades, and remains so to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: United Nations (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the correspondence referred to. Ireland currently has three Defence Forces personnel deployed in staff office posts at the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) of EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI in Rome. As of October 2021, 24 EU Member States contribute personnel to the mission. Launched in March of 2020, the core task of EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI is to contribute to the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: United Nations (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The conditions under which the Defence Forces may participate on overseas peace support operations are set out in the Defence Acts. Where the Defence Forces contingent comprises part of an International United Nations Force, the conditions, known as the “triple lock”, must be satisfied. These are that the operation must be authorised/mandated by the United Nations; it must be...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The military authorities have advised that all applicants to the Defence Forces are required to pass the security vetting stage of the recruitment process. If a concern is highlighted, such as a previous offence, a disclosure is produced by An Gárda Síochána and issued by the Defence Forces to the applicant. The applicant is required to acknowledge that the disclosure pertains...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, as at 31 October 2021 is 8,572 whole-time equivalent personnel. The attached table shows the requested breakdown by rank, service, and gender. The current staffing issues within the Defence Forces have been acknowledged and the Government remains committed to returning to and maintaining the agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is comprised of the First Line Reserve (FLR), the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). The effective strength of the Army Reserve (AR) and Naval Service Reserve (NSR), as of 31 October 2021, are set out below: ">Details of Army and Naval Reserves

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: As of 1 November 2021, Ireland is contributing 566 personnel to 9 different missions throughout the world. The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 335 personnel and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria with 136 personnel.Ireland also contributes observers and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the military authorities that it has not been possible to gather the information requested within the time allotted. I will revert to the Deputy when the information has been gathered.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the military authorities that it has not been possible to provide the information requested within the time allotted. I will revert to the Deputy when the information has been received.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: That question is worthy of a two-hour debate, to be honest.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: We should have such a debate in this House. To respond quickly, the answer is "yes" but we must bring farmers with us on that journey. Anybody advocating to just leave farming alone and as it is, without changing anything, does not understand the kind of markets into which we sell our food around the world. The reason Ireland has a good reputation globally as a sustainable and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: I do not accept this was an act of cronyism at all. This was a decision to put very well qualified people into very important roles. I am not committing the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to anything. He is well able to speak for himself.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The staff complement will reach approximately 900 by February, which is an increase of about 450 from a month ago. I know that many Deputies are getting requests for help from families to get passports turned around quickly. There are all sorts of reasons for that, nearly all linked to the Covid pandemic. We are dramatically ramping up the human resources in the Passport Office. We have...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: This week in Glasgow we announced an additional €4.2 million for small island developing states in the Caribbean and Pacific. This will go to supports for catastrophe insurance and climate adaptation funds. We have given this significant commitment of more than doubling our climate finance as part of overseas development aid funding by 2025. We will go from spending €93...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: This is not the first time this issue has been raised and the Deputy is right to raise it. I will, of course, ask my colleague, the Minister for Health, to come back directly to him on the matter.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities should make funding available for the upgrading of their housing stock. That is part of the management of that housing stock. I am not quite sure what the Deputy is referring to and whether he wants grant aid available for the tenants or for the local authorities. If there is a proposal for increased support for the local authority concerned, its senior management should...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The climate action plan is not basing the targets for agriculture on reducing herd size. We are asking farmers to work with us on many other actions and there will be schemes to support them in adapting to those new asks to keep them in business and profitable, but we are not looking to reduce the herd size as a target measure. In places like west Cork and elsewhere, there are challenges...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: It was actually a kitten rather than a puppy in order to get my four-year-old to present some flowers to His Holiness the Pope when he got off the plane. She got stage fright and I had to bribe her with a kitten. Approximately 40 animal shelters offered me kittens, one of which I took and is now called Spirit or the Holy Spirit in my house. I have considerable sympathy for this issue....