Results 9,021-9,040 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The placement of a State’s nationals within its prison system is a matter for the Government and the relevant competent authorities of that State, in accordance with domestic, European and international law. As such, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the matter in question.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Data (13 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department is fully committed to keeping all personal data submitted by its customers, safe and secure during administrative processes. It is not possible to provide the number of requests over the past twenty years as section 41 of the Data Protection Act 2018 only came into force in May 2018. A case management system was instituted in January 2019 to provide more accessible statistics...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department has undertaken to convene a forum on business and human rights within two years of adoption of the plan. In addition, the interdepartmental committee on human rights, chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Cannon, will also monitor implementation of the plan. There is oversight to ensure that this agenda moves forward but in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The E3 Bill would require reciprocal arrangements on our side. In return for receiving visas for Irish citizens to enable them to travel, work and live fully documented in the United States we are proposing a package of measures for US citizens who are either resident here or who would like to come here to retire or work. It is proposed to have a reciprocal arrangement. The E3 process...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 69 together. We partly answered this question earlier, but what I am about to read contains a slightly different answer. As the Deputy is aware, the question of a legally binding treaty to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises has been under consideration in Geneva by an open-ended intergovernmental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We are pushing for increased EU involvement. In response to Deputy Shortall earlier I stated we had pushed the European Union to increase its engagement. It made a statement both at the start and at the end of the process in Geneva. We need to continue to do this. We also need to ensure our national plan is credible and that the implementation group will continue to meet. It has met...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Safety of Irish Citizens Abroad (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I urge the Deputy not to take everything he reads or hears about the case as fact. Much of the commentary is speculative, although some has a basis in fact. We sent Defence Forces personnel to Turkey to support our embassy team there mainly because of an ongoing conversation between our embassy in Ankara and the Turkish military. It makes sense to have military personnel speaking to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Safety of Irish Citizens Abroad (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Those are fair questions. The Turkish Government has made clear that when it finds and picks up people who have been radicalised or are supportive of ISIS in northeastern Turkey, it intends to deport or repatriate them and it expects their home countries to accept them back. From our perspective, only two people are the subject of our current conversations with the Turkish authorities. One...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The House will be aware that the Taoiseach and I have prioritised the issue of Irish immigration in the US since taking office. I have continuously raised immigration issues, particularly the E3 visa, in all my interactions with the US Administration and US political leaders. I discussed these matters with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and her congressional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is important to state what the E3 visa is and would do. Essentially, Ireland is seeking to avail of unused visas that would have been allocated to Australian citizens. The US and Australia have a unique arrangement whereby a certain number of visas are provided each year. We are proposing that the unused visas in the allocation for a year be used by Irish people in the following year....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Presidential Elections (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The ongoing electoral integrity analysis and audit of the official results of last month's presidential election in Bolivia is being carried out by the OAS, to which the Deputy referred. The team consists of 30 international specialists and auditors, including electoral lawyers, statisticians, computer experts, document authentication specialists and experts in chain of custody and electoral...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Presidential Elections (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am not in a position to make a judgment on whether Evo Morales did a good job as President of Bolivia. The question is whether he was re-elected. He has to win an election by a clear margin to be re-elected. We are going through a process at the moment to ascertain whether the election was free and fair. Clearly, the suggestion is that it was not free and fair. That is why there have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Safety of Irish Citizens Abroad (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is referring to a very complex and sensitive consular case, which is taking place in a highly unstable and dangerous region. Given the circumstances, it would not be helpful to comment on recent media speculation regarding plans that may or may not be under consideration. Any such comment would be inappropriate and would not be in the best interests of individuals involved. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government is fully committed to delivering on the 0.7% ODA:GNI target by 2030. Achieving this commitment would mean a tripling of current allocations and sustained, substantial increases beyond the lifetime of the current Dáil. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will engage in careful planning and consultation with other Departments and stakeholders as we seek to grow...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I had time left.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I was finishing in the time I had left.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: An agreed, cross-party approach is required to make this happen. We need to add somewhere between €100 million and €150 million a year, on average, between now and 2030 to the ODA budget. Some 65% or 70% of that funding will come through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the rest through other Departments. We are committed to doing that. This year was an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Overseas Development Aid (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We have such a roadmap. That is why we launched the new development strategy earlier this year. It outlines four key priorities: gender equality, reducing humanitarian need, climate action and strengthening governance around the world. Ireland's aid programme is ranked No. 1 for reaching the most marginalised people on the planet so we have a good foundation to build on. We must build...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Presidential Elections (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the elections that took place in Bolivia on 20 October 2019 were followed by reports of violence and excessive force by the authorities and the situation there remains very fluid and uncertain, as the Deputy referenced. Ireland supports the EU statement released on 24 October on the electoral process, which underlined the expectation that the Bolivian Government...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Armenian Genocide (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am not disputing the awfulness of what happened, the number of people who were killed or the suffering involved. What I am saying is that whether it is legally categorised as a genocide is in dispute. That is the only dispute here. In fact, in 2015 the issue was debated at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, when Senator Mark Daly put forward the...