Results 26,801-26,820 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: All I can say is the Government has absolutely no intention of allowing the emergency department in Portlaoise to be closed.

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: Is the Deputy referring to Part 5 social housing within private housing estates or 100% social housing?

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: In Cork city and county they are very proactive in trying to get projects moving. I do not know whether the funding initiative, which essentially is what it is, to try to help developers from a cash point of view is unique to Cork or is on the instruction of the Department. We can establish that for the Deputy. We should have a common approach - the best approach - to getting these...

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I do not have a date for publication. Of all the people, I would like to have a date for Deputy Durkan. I will get a date for him.

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am not personally familiar with the exact procedures and timelines. I take the point the Deputy makes. We clearly cannot stand over it taking four months to make a decision on the care of a person who may not have that time. I presume there is a streamlined decision-making process that is possible in those circumstances. If that is not the case, I can certainly ask the Department of...

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am told that work on that legislation is ongoing. It is important to point out that the case of Ibrahim Halawa was different because we had to wait until it was concluded and there was a verdict. He was found innocent of all charges. Therefore, he is a free man and an innocent man. He is not somebody who is incarcerated and needs to be brought home potentially to serve a sentence in...

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: On the issue of the 32 people to whom Deputy Ó Cuív referred and the legislation he has asked for, my understanding is that we do not have a date for it because it is still being worked on.

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: That Bill is in preparation. We will have an update on it in a few weeks. We do not have an exact timeline now.

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: With respect, the content of the Finance Bill is a matter for the Minister for Finance.

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Brexit negotiations are ongoing. The view of Government is crystal clear. We will not support any form of hard border at any point. We have made it a priority of the EU task force, which is negotiating these issues, to ensure there is no Border infrastructure whatsoever within the Border or on the island of Ireland. That is our focus, regardless of what other parties have been adding...

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: This is comprehensive legislation and it is going forward for pre-legislative scrutiny. It essentially will modernise our rates legislation that dates back to the 1920s. It will allow local authorities to have more autonomy in terms of altering those rates up and down in a way that can drive commercial activity into certain parts of certain counties and cities. This legislation is badly...

Contempt of Court Bill 2017: First Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: No.

Catalonia: Statements (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: Ireland's concern at developments in Catalonia is evident and is reflected in today's statements. I know that some Members of this House have also visited Catalonia, including recently, and their perspectives contribute to our consideration of the situation there. Irish people know Spain well. After Britain, it is the country that we travel to most. Cities and towns across Spain are home...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 166 together. The Government is determined, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to do everything in our power to ensure that all of its institutions are operating effectively, including the devolved Assembly and power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland and the North-South Ministerial Council. I remain in continuing and direct...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 167 together. The escalation of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since 25 August has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis both within Rakhine State and in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 580,000 refugees, most of them members of the Rohingya community, have fled. In response, the international community has sought...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am deeply concerned by the case in question which involves an opposition politician, Mr. Ilgar Mammadov, whose arrest and pre-trial detention have been found by the European Court of Human Rights to have violated the Convention on Human Rights. Ireland has repeatedly called on the Government of Azerbaijan to release Mr Mammadov without delay and to fully implement the judgment in this and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The situation on the Korean Peninsula is a matter of grave concern to the government. The latest actions taken by North Korea, particularly the nuclear test on 3 September, are a major challenge to international efforts to advance global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This has been a longstanding goal of Ireland’s foreign policy. Our leadership on this critical global...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: Ireland, along with our EU partners, supports the achievement of a two state solution to the Middle East conflict. This support includes political efforts to encourage a resumption of direct negotiations, which are ultimately the only way to achieve peace, but also action on the ground on human rights and justice issues affecting Palestinians under occupation, including settlement...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Services aims to provide the best possible service to all citizens. As the Deputy will be aware, the person in question was issued with a passport in May this year. The Passport Service subsequently received correspondence from the person concerned in relation to matters that arose during the processing of the application. The Passport Services regrets the delay in responding...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to be able to report that this long-running and complex consular case has now come to a positive conclusion and that this young Irish citizen is now enjoying his liberty again after spending more than four years in prison in Egypt. This young man was finally released from custody in Cairo on 19 October, and the Irish Embassy in Cairo was on hand to support him and to make...