Results 9,841-9,860 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: I remain deeply concerned about the plight of the Syrian people, and I am particularly concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in the north-west of the country. The latest violence there has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, and displaced over 270,000 people last month, bringing the total number of displaced to over 300,000 since April. I am aware of the very alarming...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: The absence of vital institutions of the Good Friday Agreement is of grave concern for the Government, as it is for the British Government. On 26 April, the Taoiseach and Prime Minister May announced a new phase of political talks in Northern Ireland, involving the five main parties, together with the British and Irish Governments. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: Ireland strongly supports the United Nations and the vital role it plays in the multilateral system.  The role of the Secretary-General is crucial to the effective functioning of the UN and, in this respect, Ireland strongly backs the leadership of Mr. António Guterres and the reforms which he is overseeing.  I have met bilaterally in the past with Secretary-General...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: All renewal applications are currently being processed within target turnaround times. In fact a large proportion of applications submitted through the Online Passport Renewal Service are currently being processed in timeframes shorter than the target turnaround time of 10 working days. The following table summarises the turnaround times for the Passport Service’s main application...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Agreements (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Taoiseach and I have prioritised the issue of Irish immigration to the US since taking office. We will continue our efforts in this regard until we secure progress – both in terms of future legal immigration opportunities for Irish citizens, and also in securing a pathway for those Irish who are undocumented in order to regularise their status.  Special...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Embassy of Ireland to the Commonwealth of Australia is located in Canberra. The property is state-owned and located on lands leased from the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia. There are currently no plans to refurbish the Embassy.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: While no formal briefing was provided to Deputy Deasy by my Department in advance of his engagements last week, I and my officials are in ongoing, frequent contact with the Deputy in the relation to his work as Special Envoy to the US Congress on the Undocumented. Deputy Deasy travelled to Washington, D.C. in mid-May in the context of developments on the Irish E3 Visa Bill which is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 to 135, inclusive, together. The visit of President Trump to Ireland involved a limited official programme. President Tump and First Lady Melania Trump were greeted at Shannon Airport by the Taoiseach, accompanied by Minister Josepha Madigan and Minister of State Pat Breen. The Taoiseach then held a useful bilateral meeting with the US President , during...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the Passport Service that the application referred to has been reviewed and that the application has now been approved. The applicant's guardian has been contacted and advised regarding the status of the application and of dispatch arrangements for the passport. With regard to your queries in relation to affidavits, the Passport Service requires the submission of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Bodies (11 Jun 2019)

Simon Coveney: After the European Parliament elections, the Heads of State and Government met on 28 May to discuss the outcome of the elections and procedures for the nominations to the high level appointments to the European institutions that fall to be made in the period ahead. At that meeting, EU leaders mandated President Tusk to start consultations with EU Members States and the Parliament ahead of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (29 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The conflict between Israel and Palestine was not on the agenda of the most recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 13 May. The rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza which occurred in early May, were matters of deep concern to me and to the EU generally. I absolutely deplore the deaths of civilians on both sides as a result of these events. I...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (29 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the Passport Service that the application referred to was registered with the Passport Service on May 13th. First-time applications require additional security measures including robust identity verification and entitlement checking and, as a result, take longer to process. The Passport Service aims to process first-time passport applications submitted via Passport Express...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government engages frequently with the Canadian Government and Canadian elected representatives on all aspects of the Canada-Ireland relationship and on other issues of mutual concern. There have been strong and sustained Canadian-Irish bilateral contacts in recent years, including most recently a meeting last week between the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Trudeau, which took place en...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department and I continue to monitor closely the ongoing political developments in the United Kingdom. The decision of the April European Council to extend the Article 50 process until 31 October 2019, at the request of Prime Minister May, reduced the risk of an immediate no-deal Brexit. However, the ongoing and deepening political impasse in the UK, to which the Deputy refers, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Throughout the Article 50 process I, as well as officials from my Department, have had frequent and ongoing contact with representatives from other EU27 Member States, the Commission and the Article 50 Task Force headed by Michel Barnier, as well as the UK. I last met with Mr Barnier on 8 April during his visit to Dublin in advance of the European Council. On that occasion we discussed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Registration of Births (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Foreign Births Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Due to the complex nature of Foreign Births Registration, it takes on average between 6 to 12 months to process an application. With regard to the specific application the Deputy has enquired about, I...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: In January this year, I attended the EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels, during which the crisis in Rakhine State was raised with our ASEAN counterparts, which includes Myanmar. Furthermore, during the EU Foreign Affairs Committee in December 2018, Council Conclusions were adopted calling on Myanmar to hold to account those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Communications (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government engages frequently with the US Administration and US elected representatives on all aspects of the Ireland-US relationship and on other issues of mutual concern. I last visited the US in February, where I met with senior Congressional leaders and launched the Government’s new US and Canada strategy. During this visit, I also met with Secretary of State Pompeo at a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (28 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Ireland's Honorary Consuls are not asked to provide a 24-hour, seven-day service. Our Embassies and career Consulates abroad do not have staff permanently on duty round-the-clock, but do operate an out-of-hours contact service. If required, officers can be called in to deal with emergencies and do so on a regular basis. A citizen in difficulty abroad who is unable to contact the nearest...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (22 May 2019)

Simon Coveney: Foreign Births Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. The establishment of the new Foreign Births Registration team at the beginning of this year has introduced a short delay in the processing of applications. Due to the complex nature of Foreign Births...