Results 2,141-2,160 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Helen McEntee: A number of issues were raised by Deputies who have left the Chamber, specifically Deputy Howlin with respect to the social agenda. It was not discussed at the European Council this weekend or last weekend but it is very much continuously on the agenda. We have 25 different initiatives currently in force. Moving on from the discussions that took place in Stockholm, the introduction of a...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Helen McEntee: We need to provide humanitarian aid. It is a humanitarian crisis, particularly when millions of people are leaving the country at the same time. As the Taoiseach indicated, I will focus my concluding remarks on external relations and on our ongoing efforts to combat disinformation and to secure free and fair elections. Under external relations, in addition to the broad-ranging...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (3 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. He is right that it has been raised with me directly and indirectly via social media and otherwise. It has also been raised with the Minister. Ensuring both the citizenship and identity provisions of the Good Friday Agreement are upheld in all relevant areas is vitally important. It is something on which the Government and I are continuing to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (3 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: I take on board and understand the Senator's concerns. Many are concerned by statments made more recently since the Prime Minister's speech. I reaffirm the commitment made by her that the birth right to identity and to be accepted as British, Irish or both, and the right to hold both British and Irish citizenship are absolutely central to the Good Friday Agreement. We absolutely intend to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (3 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: What we need to see is an update from the Prime Minister on the review. We will then take it from there.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: If Deputy McGrath were here when we started and when the Taoiseach spoke, it might have helped.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputies for their statements and questions. I join them in wishing all of our European Parliament election candidates every success in the next few weeks. On the basis of clarification received from the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Phelan, I understand the elections will be held on the basis that there will be 13 seats...

Ireland's Position on the Future of Europe: Statements (18 Apr 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank Deputies for their contributions to this debate. As always, I have listened with interest to everything they have had to say today and throughout the entire process which has taken place over the past 18 months. I acknowledge the contributions of both Houses to the wider debate on the future of Europe, not only at the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs but also through the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Cathaoirleach and the members for the invitation to address the committee. I apologise in advance if my voice starts to go but I have a bit of a cold. I join the committee in wishing our new MEPs every success. I look forward to working with them, as I know the committee does, in the coming weeks and months. As usual there is much to report upon since my previous visit. Last...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Chairman and all the members for their questions and comments. I will touch first on the issue of the beef fund from the Commission. Everybody here will agree it is most important that the money gets to those who need it most and is not diluted by administration. The people seeking these funds are those who have already been negatively affected by the uncertainty caused by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: I cannot speak at this time about what will happen with current Commissioners. That will be discussed. The timeline provides that an initial proposal should be made by June. I do not know whether that will happen. That is the timeline which has been set out. Even though the UK Parliament has voted to avoid a no-deal Brexit, that does prevent it from happening. The only thing that can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely, but without a request for an extension to the current arrangement, or something else being put in its place, a no-deal Brexit will not necessarily be prevented from happening. We need to focus on trying to avoid that situation. At the same time, we have to wait to see what the UK will bring forward. It will probably be September before that happens because it will take a period...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: That is obviously something that we can control in our own ports. It is something on which we have been working and engaging with our French, Belgian and other colleagues.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: We cannot dictate, on mainland UK, that our trucks take precedence over their trucks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: It is not something that is within our power to do, unfortunately.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (29 May 2019)

Helen McEntee: We can manage what we can manage but there are certain things, as members can understand, we cannot do.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cuba: Motion (13 Jun 2019)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Chairman and the members of the select committee for this opportunity to discuss the motion referred to the select committee for consideration: That Dáil Éireann approves the terms of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Cuba, of the other part, signed at Brussels,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cuba: Motion (13 Jun 2019)

Helen McEntee: I agree with the Deputy and I reiterate the Tánaiste's points that we believe this economic embargo serves no constructive purpose. The embargo seriously hampers our own economic activity as well as that of the European Union and any progress that Cuba itself can make. We have consistently supported the annual resolution put forward by Cuba, most recently for the 27th consecutive time....

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cuba: Motion (13 Jun 2019)

Helen McEntee: I absolutely agree. We are trying to increase our engagement in that region in general. I was in the Caribbean recently for a meeting of foreign affairs Ministers. Obviously our focus on opening new embassies and consulates spreads across the globe. The Tánaiste is keen to focus on that region in opening a new consulate or embassy. The more engagement we have, the more people we...