Results 6,241-6,260 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”. Passport Online will continue to be the priority channel given the efficiencies that are in-built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. The...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy is not available within the timeframe sought. My officials are collating the relevant information and I will arrange to have same forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy is not available within the timeframe sought. My officials are  collating the relevant information and I will arrange to have same forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I appreciate having the opportunity to do this. I am pleased to be here this afternoon to present the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2021. As you said, Chairman, I will focus on Vote 28, the Vote for the Department of Foreign Affairs, and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, will address the committee after that on Vote 27. Members are aware that there is...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I will deal with Deputy Brady's questions first. Regarding the Passport Office in Northern Ireland, the truth is that the vast majority of passport applications now are submitted online, so the physical presence of a printing press and where it is located are not anything like as relevant as they were before, when people had to come into the Passport Office and fill out forms to get their...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: First of all, on Deputy Cowen's question and Deputy Stanton's support for it, for us to essentially accept that something is a genocide, Ireland's approach to that question is that this is one that is asked in multiple conflict situations, whether it is in respect of Armenia, or various different conflicts in Africa at different times, or indeed parts of the Middle East. The approach we...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I will make some comments on the Yazidi question, which is important. Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief. Many diverse communities, including Christians and Yazidis, have ancient roots in Iraq. The EU's Iraq strategy addresses reconciliation and the preservation of Iraq's ethnic and religious diversity. Full implementation of Iraq's...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Charter of the United Nations foresees that each Member State of the United Nations will contribute to the costs of running the organisation, generally referred to as UN budget contributions. Under Article 17, mandatory contributions are apportioned based on a scale of assessment designed to reflect the capacity of Member States to pay.  At present, Ireland’s scale of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 together. Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the province of Xinjiang. We are closely following the situation, including in relation to reports of systemic abuse, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilisations, and restrictions on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Diplomatic relations between States, and the exchange of Ambassadors among States, are addressed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, as transposed into Irish law by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967.  Article 9 of the Convention allows for the receiving State to notify the sending State that the Ambassador, or any member of the diplomatic staff, is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question no.178 on 27 May 2021 which addressed the publication of a database of all business enterprises involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. The mandate for the database indicated arises from the Human Rights Council, and not from the UN Security Council. The database was published by the High...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: EU Programmes (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Ireland contributes, on an annual basis, to the operational budget of the European Defence Agency (EDA).  The financial commitment to this budget is in accordance with EDA funding principles, based on gross national income (GNI) key.  A total of €7,596,093 has been made to the EDA over the seventeen years since Ireland joined in 2004, which includes both contributions to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (2 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government. There is also continuous investment in the upgrading equipment platforms and funding is provided on an on-going basis for the...

Situation in Belarus: Motion (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I move: That Dáil Éireann: affirms Ireland's solidarity with the Belarusian people in their peaceful defence of democratic principles and fundamental human rights; rejects the democratic legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko following the fraudulent 9th August, 2020, Presidential Election that was neither free nor fair; condemns the violence and repression perpetrated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Common Travel Area (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Common Travel Area (CTA) has continued to operate throughout the pandemic and, over the last number of years, significant steps have been taken by the Irish and British Governments and the European Union to safeguard CTA rights and privileges for the future.  Over the last year, in a range of areas, the two Governments have legislated to ensure continued access to CTA rights and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: On 24 May EU leaders discussed Belarus, Russia, relations with the UK, and the situation in the Middle East and in Mali. The coercive forced landing of a Ryanair flight over Belarus to detain a journalist and opposition activist featured prominently during those discussions. The Taoiseach communicated clearly Ireland’s view that a strong EU response is needed....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question no. 61 answered on 11 May 2021.  I have been clear in my engagement with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of the commitment of this Government to advancing a Two-State solution, in line with the agreed parameters for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Programme for Government states that the Government will...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Functions (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: As I set out in my reply to the Deputy on this matter on 19 May last, the request for diplomatic clearance for this landing confirmed that our required conditions were met. Permission was granted on that basis.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department and our officials in the Embassy in Washington DC are aware of the draft legislation proposed in the US Senate. The proposed bill aims to amend the US export control regime in order to limit the sale and transfer of US citizens’ data to countries which are deemed to have insufficient safeguards for the protection of personal data and inadequate enforcement of data...