Results 12,561-12,580 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: EU Membership (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The role of Hungary as a member of the European Union needs to be one of respecting the treaties and rules so that all member states, including Hungary, have laws that are consistent with those. If they do not, then it is the job of the European institutions, primarily the European Commission, to raise concerns and, if necessary, take action. The threat of action or the taking of legal...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: EU Membership (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: EU Membership (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: There are concerns about the anti-immigrant feeling and anti-Brussels rhetoric that at times come from the Hungarian Government, but the way to address that is to challenge and debate where possible. If policy decisions are contrary to the treaties, we should deal with the issue in a way that is consistent with how the treaties are supposed to function, that is, the European Commission does...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: We have discussed this issue and will do so again as these negotiations proceed, as this is one of the complex areas of negotiation on which we need to make progress. We are making some. As co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government is determined to ensure it is fully protected in all its parts throughout the process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. This includes the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Those are fair questions, and that is what these negotiations have to deliver. For the first time, we are effectively discussing a birthright to EU citizenship for our citizens in Northern Ireland even though they will be born outside the EU. That is new. It shows the importance of the Good Friday Agreement, which allows people to choose British, Irish or dual citizenship. That will...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: EU Membership (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The election in Hungary resulted in a two thirds majority for the ruling party led by the Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Orbán. Engagement with all EU member states is a key imperative for Ireland in advancing and protecting our interests in the European Union. In that context, we raise not only issues of shared interest with our partners but also issues of concern.The Government will...

Order of Business (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I do not believe the EU approach on the Iranian nuclear deal is about sending the US a message. It is about trying to send Iran a message that the EU and others want to maintain this nuclear deal because we believe it is working. We also believe Iran is complying with its terms. Although the US has taken a different approach, we would like to see that deal remain intact. EU countries are...

Order of Business (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Our view is that we do not solve problems by way of one-off messages. In a few weeks' time I will have an opportunity to meet the Israeli Prime Minister in Jerusalem for the fourth time in about nine months. I suspect it will be a very straight conversation. In my view, the idea that we assist Palestinians by cutting off all diplomatic ties with Israel is fundamentally flawed. What...

Order of Business (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: We have engaged and continue to engage with the Palestinian Authority. We have been and continue to be supportive of the ongoing reconciliation process and have supported Egypt in those efforts. What I am serious about trying to do on behalf of the Government and the country is to offer real criticism when necessary, as we have done today very directly with the Israeli Government. We will...

Order of Business (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am listening.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Administration (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The turnaround timeframe for a passport application will depend, in the first instance, on the channel through which the application was submitted. The Passport Service provides a range of channels to Irish citizens wishing to apply for a passport. These include a postal application system, online passport application service, in person counter application facilities in Dublin and Cork and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have addressed the tragic events in Gaza in an earlier reply. In my statement of 6 December I set out the Government’s view of the US decision to move its Embassy to Jerusalem. This was that the announcement was premature and ill-advised, and would be unhelpful to efforts to reach a resolution of the Middle East Peace Process, something which is very urgently needed. I conveyed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have addressed the tragic events in Gaza in an earlier reply. In my statement of 6 December I set out the Government’s view of the US decision to move its Embassy to Jerusalem. This was that the announcement was premature and ill-advised, and would be unhelpful to efforts to reach a resolution of the Middle East Peace Process, something which is very urgently needed. I conveyed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government has consistently pursued two key objectives with regard to supporting Irish communities in the United States: increased pathways for legal migration by Irish citizens to the US and relief for the plight of undocumented Irish citizens living in the US. In that regard, the Taoiseach discussed the issue with President Trump in the Oval Office on March 15 last and also in his...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Israeli Settlements (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland has always consistently worked to maintain an EU and international focus on the justice and human rights issues affecting Palestinians on the ground. This relates notably, but not solely, to the Israeli settlement enterprise and the web of policies which support it. These include land seizures, movement restrictions, evictions, deportations and the increasing use of force to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Administration (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service, located in my Department, is one unified service composed of 3 constituent offices located in Mount Street, Dublin; Balbriggan, County Dublin and South Mall, Cork. My Department continues to closely monitor the level of passport demand to ensure that all resources are effectively deployed within the Passport Service. Additional measures taken by the Passport Service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: As part of an ongoing Passport Reform Programme, an online passport application service was launched on 30 March 2017. To date over 160,000 adults have renewed their passport using the online facility, with an average processing time of less than 10 working days. At present, the online passport application service accommodates adult passport renewal applications and passport card...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Peace Process (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Middle East Peace Process, as an active political search for an agreement, has been effectively stalled for some time. It is many years since negotiations have taken place, and international pressure has not been strong enough to press the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships back to the negotiating table. It is in that context that the interest of the Trump Administration in brokering...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland maintains a strong and constructive bilateral relationship with the UK, and we remain fully committed to developing and enhancing this relationship over the coming years. There are already in existence a number of channels for ongoing dialogue and co-operation between the Irish and British Governments, which will continue after the UK leaves the European Union. In this regard,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (15 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have been greatly concerned by the events in Gaza yesterday and over recent weeks, and especially by the appalling number of serious injuries to and deaths of people engaged in demonstrations. The escalation of these events in the last two days has been profoundly shocking. I summoned the Ambassador of Israel in Ireland to Iveagh House this morning to express my shock and dismay at...