Results 1,561-1,580 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish Citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. In...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Policies (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Programme for Government contains an ambitious range of commitments concerning the Defence sector that my Department will continue to implement over the lifetime of the Programme. One of the key commitments was to establish a Commission on the Defence Forces. On the 15th December 2020, the Government approved terms of reference and the membership of an independent Commission on the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am informed by the military authorities that it was not possible to collate the required information within the timeframe available.  I shall provide the information to the Deputy once it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Specialised Instructors Allowance for Officers was bought out under the Public Service Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement), with the agreement of RACO. There was a negotiated buy-out, essentially, of that specialist instructor allowance under a pay round discussion and negotiation. It is estimated that the cost of reinstatement would be in the region of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: Candidates applying for positions in the Defence Forces are required to meet specific criteria for military service, as laid down in Defence Forces Regulations, made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended and extended. The vision standards required for entry to the Defence Forces, as provided for in Defence Force Regulations, include that applicants colour vision must be...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Protected Disclosures (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The purpose of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (the Act) is to provide a mechanism whereby workers can provide information in confidence to employers relating to relevant wrongdoings as set out in the Act. It also protects persons from the taking of action against them in respect of the making of disclosures. In the case of members of the Defence Forces, the Ombudsman for the Defence...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Protected Disclosures (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The purpose of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (the Act) is to provide a mechanism whereby workers can provide information in confidence to employers relating to relevant wrongdoings as set out in the Act. It also protects persons from the taking of action against them in respect of the making of disclosures. Section 16 of the Act provides that subject to exceptions, a person to whom a...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Protected Disclosures (13 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Chief of Staff has overall responsibility for discipline and order within the Defence Forces. The provisions provided in the Defence Act, therefore, with regard to military discipline, operate independently of myself, as the Minister. A serving member of the Defence Forces may avail of a number of processes to pursue any complaint in relation to their...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (8 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs provided funding for projects in Co. Limerick in 2022 as outlined in the table. Project Organization Funding Amount Ubuntu Project University of Limerick €270,000 Future of European Studies Conference University of Limerick €10,000 ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Funding (8 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: Vote 36 Defence is managed through a single programme with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Expenditure by my Department is mainly on pay and allowances, operational costs and capital investment across the Defence Forces. My Department does not provide funding on a geographic basis, with the limited...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (7 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish Citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. In...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (7 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is standard diplomatic practice for the President of Ireland to send letters of congratulations to newly elected Heads of State. Such letters are prepared on advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and may include open, general invitations to incoming Heads of State to pay a visit to Ireland. In his recent letter of congratulations to President da Silva of Brazil, the President of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (7 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: Continued high-level political engagement with senior US interlocutors on critical issues for Ireland is a priority for the Government. In this context, I have had several engagements with high-level US officials and members of Congress in recent months. During my visit to Washington DC last month, I had good meetings with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and with the US State Department...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (7 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to update the Deputy that, following the recommendation of the Chief of Staff to me on the merits of the application from this individual, I confirmed my approval on 23 November 2022 for the re-enlistment of the applicant in line with the provisions of the Terms and Conditions of the re-enlistment scheme. I would like to express my appreciation to the successful candidate for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (7 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Defence Forces remain committed to optimising the number of personnel inducted and, in 2023, will continue to target general service recruits, Cadets, Air Corps Apprentice Aircraft Technicians and specialists for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. General service recruitment is ongoing. As of 31 October 2022, 366 personnel were inducted which included 321 general service...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Registration of Births (6 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish Citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.  Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Meetings (6 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am gravely concerned at the situation in Nicaragua. The human rights violations, crackdowns on opposition voices and independent media, and backsliding on democratic norms that have been observed in Nicaragua since 2018, and which have intensified since the run up to the November 2021 elections, are unacceptable and deeply alarming. Ireland, and the EU, continue to maintain diplomatic...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (6 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s Consulate General in Chicago works to promote Ireland's interests in the Midwestern region of the United States. This includes engaging with our active and widespread diaspora community, including by providing support to Irish communities and organisations through the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme, delivering consular assistance to Irish citizens in the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (6 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The team at the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta, currently responsible for seven states in the US Southeast, paid two visits to Miami in 2022, both connected with preparations for the opening of Ireland’s new Consulate General in Miami. The dates and purposes of each visit are listed in tabular form below. The establishment of the Consulate General in Miami was a key commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Department of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority to confirm that a signature, seal or stamp is from an Irish public official/body, and does this by issuing a physical apostille or authentication stamp on documents. The last full year that a breakdown of statistics is available for is 2021. That year 54,795 stamps were issued. The following table gives the number and...