Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 7 September 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. On Deputy Gannon’s question as to whether I thought that Katherine Zappone was a suitable candidate to work for the Government as a special envoy, I thought that she was. Katherine Zappone is not a person with whom I have a close personal relationship but is someone for whom I have a professional respect. I and my Secretary General thought that she could assist our team in New York. We had to go through a long process before that could be confirmed and that is what we did.

On Deputy Clarke's question as to why there is no record of texts between the Secretary General and myself, that is because he and I speak all the time. His office is below mine and we talk in person all of the time.

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