Results 14,281-14,300 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The question of a US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland is a matter for consideration by the US Administration. Successive US Administrations have provided immensely valuable support to the peace process over the last three decades. The Government look forward to the continued engagement by the current US Administration in Northern Ireland, including that of the US State Department. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The appointment of ambassadors by the United States is solely a matter for the U.S. authorities. Pending the nomination of a new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland by President Trump and the subsequent confirmation of the appointment by the US Senate, we will continue to engage closely with the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, under the leadership of Chargé d’Affaires, Reece Smyth, on the whole...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Since January 2017, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers have been assigned to the Passport Service and appointed to the Passport Offices in Balbriggan, Mount Street and Cork. Temporary Clerical Officers in the Passport Service are typically hired on twenty-six week contracts and most of these initial contracts were extended during the year for a further six – eight weeks....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 to 521, inclusive, 523 and 525 together. The comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’ Approach”published on 2 May outlined in detail the structures put in place by the Government to ensure a strategic and whole-of Government response to Brexit that...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522, 527 and 540 together. Since taking up office, engagement on Brexit with EU partners has been a central element of my work. This approach has yielded clear results in ensuring that Ireland’s unique issues and concerns have been fully understood by our EU 27 partners and have been reflected in the EU’s negotiating position. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Staff (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Additional capabilities and resources have been assigned across my Department to address issues arising from the complex process of the UK exit from the EU. Currently, no Brexit related vacancies remain to be filled in the Department. My Department is continually monitoring the additional needs associated with management of this process and engages with the Department for Public Expenditure...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Engagement with stakeholders is an important pillar of the Government’s overall response to Brexit. A major initiative undertaken under the joint leadership of my Department and the Department of the Taoiseach has been the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit, which was established in November 2016. Its inaugural plenary session marked the beginning of a series of public consultations...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: Research and analysis by Departments on the impact that Brexit may have across a wide range of policy areas is ongoing and of course involves my own Department both in its co-ordination role and in its own right. Planning for, contributing to and following the EU-UK negotiations requires research on and analysis of very many legal, institutional, and political issues, and is led by the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Department is engaging with the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the 2018 Estimate Allocations. This will be announced on Budget Day in the Oireachtas by the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on 10 October 2017. The Department is not in a position to comment in advance.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 to 532, inclusive, together. The scale and configuration of the State’s diplomatic network in promoting Ireland’s interests and values in a fast-changing world is under continual review by my Department and by the Government. The ambition set by the Taoiseach to double our global footprint by 2025 reflects the scale and complexity of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 533, 534 and 536 to 538, inclusive, together. Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, seven multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. Many of our Ambassadors are also accredited to additional countries on a concurrent basis, which enables us to maintain diplomatic relations with a total of 178 countries....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The work of our embassy and consulate network around the world continues to be important in Ireland’s economic recovery and the restoration of our international reputation. Our network promotes Ireland’s political, economic and cultural interests...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: The number of passport applications received so far this year from applicants living in Northern Ireland has increased by 33%, with applications from the rest of UK up by 40% on the same period last year. To respond to seasonal spike in demand and the general increase in applications, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers were recruited into the Passport Service this year. These...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (11 Sep 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department has not provided funding for the running costs or capital costs of the organisation to which the Deputy refers in the past ten years. Under the Embassy Initiatives strand of the subhead “Cultural relations with other countries”, funding was provided by the Embassy of Ireland in Brussels and the Permanent Representation to the EU towards the costs of a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: North-South Ministerial Council (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: Full and timely implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements, including the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement, is a key priority for the Government, as reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government. Since the Fresh Start Agreement was signed in November 2015, there has been sustained progress with implementation, with each administration actively pursuing the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: No arrangements have been put in place regarding an invitation to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to visit the State.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 388 and 405 together. I deeply regret the decision by the Palestinian Authority and Israel to reduce the supply of electricity to Gaza, as a result of the dispute between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas over payment for the electricity supplied. While no government can be expected to tolerate indefinitely the situation arising as a result of Hamas'...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Availability (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: At present, Ireland does not have diplomatic relations with the Cayman Islands. Irish citizens living in the Cayman Islands should contact the Irish Embassy in Washington D.C. if they require consular assistance. My Department can advise and support Irish citizens in the case of a family bereavement, serious illness, detention, or other emergencies, and where required can contact family...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Provision (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: The deputy will be aware, from the contacts that he has had on this tragic case with my predecessor and with officials in the Consular Assistance Unit of my Department, that the Department of Foreign Affairs, our Consul General in San Francisco and our Honorary Consul in Seattle have provided significant consular assistance to this man’s family, both at the time of his death in 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts Data (26 Jul 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Office of Government Procurement is responsible for sourcing all goods and services on behalf of the public service. All contract security and cleaning staff are drawn down from a central contract framework procured by the Office of Government Procurement. The terms and conditions of contracts ensure that agreements between my Department and all contractors adhere to the relevant...