Results 1,981-2,000 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: We will not stay here to be lectured by the Minister.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: I will not take a lecture from the Minister.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: He is responding to the Minister.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: How?

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: The Minister has a responsibility to get this right-----

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: -----and not be guided by ideologies.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: That shows how much the Deputy knows about agriculture.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: I resent the accusation coming from the two Green Party Ministers that if we do not support exactly what they are doing that we do not care about climate change. That is the type of ideological arrogance that has kept the Green Party the size it is in this country.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: Unfortunately it is because people such as Deputy Gogarty do not understand the carbon consequences of organic farming that they make fools of themselves in the House on a regular basis. I want to make a number of points on this proposal. Last Friday, Fine Gael published its proposals on carbon tax for everybody to assess, examine and criticise if they wished to do so. We proposed a higher...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: If Deputy Cuffe only knew what was in his own budget.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: The Minister stated that because of problems with the black market and the fact that coal in Northern Ireland has a higher carbon content, which Deputy Gogarty probably does not know either-----

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: -----would be brought South of the Border as a result of the imposition of a carbon tax. We now have a very uncertain situation for the peat and coal industries in Ireland because they do not know when a carbon tax will be imposed and will not have an opportunity to prepare for it. According to the budget, a carbon tax on coal and peat will be introduced at some stage in the future subject...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: If we are to impose a carbon tax, the parts of the economy affected by it need certainty and a timescale towards which they can plan. If we are to impose a carbon tax on coal and peat let us have a timescale to do so. I stand over exempting agricultural diesel for very good reasons, which my colleagues have outlined. Perhaps the Tánaiste will listen to me make my next point, rather than...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: I will do so. The lack of certainty in the solid fuels sector and the complete lack of a plan for the windfall profits made by energy companies on the back of consumers and businesses results in high energy prices in Ireland. We are not taking these back and spending at a time when we desperately need money. What happened to the memo leaked over the summer which stated that the Government...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: I do not support it for agricultural diesel or for coal and peat and I will not make apologies to anybody for that.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: It is my job and the job of Deputy Kenny, Deputy McManus and others to make a judgment call on how to balance the responsibilities of this House towards climate change and the environment with the realities in the economy. That is what we are trying to do but Deputy Gogarty does not see the reality because he is driven by an ideology.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: If there is one thing that should be indisputable in Ireland it is that planting trees will help us meet our carbon challenge.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: Consider what has been done in the UK where enormous resources have been committed to planting trees for the next 40 years. All we can manage is an increase of €2 million from this year's budget, which was a failure. This year we will plant between only 4,000 hectares and 5,000 hectares. Next year we will have a fund for forestry and bioenergy and I suspect forestry will receive less...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: Here we go again.

Financial Resolution No. 2: Excise (Mineral Oil) (9 Dec 2009)

Simon Coveney: What about a windfall tax? What is the position with regard to forestry?