Results 2,021-2,040 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

European Council: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Helen McEntee: No. It is my understanding in a previous scenario similar to this there was not an ability for an Irish official to attend. A similar circumstance arises now. However, officials are monitoring the situation and will continue to look at it closely. The Deputy asked what we are saying about Turkey. We have been asking that pre-accession funding to Turkey be reassessed and that it be...

European Council: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Helen McEntee: I assure the Deputy that we are putting our best foot forward in both bids, namely, the European Banking Authority and the European Medicines Agency. We feel that we have two credible bids. We are realistic, however, and we will most likely not get both although we feel that we have the ability, infrastructure, proximity and the capability to house both of them. At the moment, we are...

European Council: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Helen McEntee: With regard to the last question, as far as I am aware the issue was not raised at last week's meetings. I can come back to the Deputy on the issue though. On the current trial, as I clearly stated, we do not agree with a lot of what is happening in Turkey. We believe that we need to keep the lines of communication open. With regard to the trial, it was brought to my attention that...

European Council: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Helen McEntee: However, in this particular case we do not have officials there but we are keeping a close eye on it. We are keen to see the outcome because this impacts not just on those in Turkey but those outside it also.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Vice Chairman and Senator. I have not quite made it to all the member states yet but I hope to achieve that sooner rather than later. I thank the committee for the invitation to be before it again. I welcome Ms Gomez-Bassac and her team from France as well. We look forward to engaging with them while they are in Ireland. With the Vice Chairman's permission, I will probably...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely. I thank Deputy Haughey for raising these issues. I will address the first question on the Taoiseach's optimism. It is important that we are optimistic. Obviously I cannot base his words on any specific progress that has been made since the last set of dialogues because it is only starting today. It probably takes into account the fact that in the last set of negotiations we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Vice Chairman. If I miss any questions I ask committee members to alert me and I will try to come back to them. I thank all of the members for their contributions and questions. To answer Senator Richmond on the debate on the future of Europe, which is starting next week, it has been catapulted forward because of what is happening with Brexit. While Brexit is one of our key...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: I did not elaborate on that as much as I should have.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely. I apologise for not answering the question properly. Senator Richmond also asked it. At the General Affairs Council meeting, this was discussed. It was the key area of discussion for our informal lunch throughout the day. While the completion of the digital Single Market was a key priority, there was unanimous support for the Commission's proposals on cybersecurity at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Key Developments on European Agenda: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Helen McEntee (9 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: I look forward to returning.

Rural Crime: Motion (21 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: There has been an extremely valuable discussion tonight on what is a very important issue. l grew up and continue to live in a rural community in County Meath and I represent for the most part a rural community, so I know well the many issues and challenges people face. It is important that when we are having this debate, we do not add to people's fears, and I am not suggesting this is...

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage (28 Nov 2017)

Helen McEntee: No.

European Council Meeting: Statements (13 Dec 2017)

Helen McEntee: I know Deputies have raised other issues but, as the Taoiseach has already indicated, I will focus my remarks primarily on the social, education, cultural and migration issues scheduled to be discussed tomorrow within the European Council in Brussels. Although Brexit is extremely significant for Ireland, it is of course not the only item on the European agenda. We have been very clear...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Care Packages (14 Dec 2017)

Helen McEntee: As these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

European Council: Statements (16 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: As there are so few of us and we have 20 minutes remaining, perhaps we might go back and forth.

European Council: Statements (16 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: I wish everyone a happy new year and success throughout the year. I will answer Deputy Haughey's two questions. The House agreed that Ireland would join PESCO at the initial stage so that we would have an input into what happened in future and not join later as a third party country. That was the right course to take. Since the co-operation involved is in line with the Lisbon treaty,...

European Council: Statements (16 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: I cannot speak on the Minister's behalf, but I can send that request to him. If I outline some of what the Tánaiste did on his visit, perhaps the Deputy can ask him for more detail and about what happened at the next Question Time. He met the Palestinian President and the foreign Minister, Dr. Malki. He also announced an increase of €200,000 in funding for Palestinian...

European Council: Statements (16 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: I can repeat and absolutely confirm that Ireland's neutrality will not be impacted by our membership of PESCO. In fact, we were one of the last countries to sign up to it and that was because officials in the Department were making absolutely sure that there was no possible way that our neutrality could be compromised or that the work we do could be impacted in any way by PESCO. I can give...

European Council: Statements (16 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: Regarding Deputy Haughey's question on climate action, it will not be a problem to provide the information to which the Deputy referred and I will engage with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment on that. As the Deputy said, the Minister, Deputy Naughten, represented Ireland at the One Planet summit in Paris on 12 December, the second anniversary of the conclusion...

Report of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Statements (17 Jan 2018)

Helen McEntee: We are not doing that.