Results 27,121-27,140 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Last Friday in the joint report from the negotiators of the European Union and the UK Government, both sides restated their commitment to avoiding a hard border, describing it as an overarching requirement of the negotiations. We have also secured a firm commitment that no physical border infrastructure or related checks and controls will exist and I am therefore satisfied that in all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is not an agreement between two governments.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I heard the Deputy the first time.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I heard him the first time.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Unfortunately, we are now seeing Sinn Féin trying to raise concerns in a way that is irresponsible. Last Friday's agreement was not an agreement between two governments. It was an agreement between the British Government and 27 other governments. It is also patently clear from the guideline document that will be before heads of state towards the end of this week, if they support it,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Deal with the facts.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: So do we but we do not control it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is my position that I would like to see the United Kingdom staying in the European Union but it will not happen because it has made a decision to leave. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union, I would like to see a decision made that would allow Britain to stay in the customs union and Single Market but it is ultimately a decision for them. We cannot instruct the British...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: This is part of a negotiated solution that protects the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It protects trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom also, which is good. Until relatively recently, the Sinn Féin position was that we should demand that Northern Ireland stays in the EU as well.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Yes, but we have to talk about the reality of where we are. As a result of the good outcome that was negotiated last Friday, we now have a default position which we did not have before. The British Government has agreed that, in the absence of agreed solutions, it will ensure Northern Ireland maintains full alignment with the rules of the Single Market.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: We do not control what the British Government does. We have a view. My view has always been that Northern Ireland and the UK are much better off in the customs union and the Single Market. We would like that to be the case, but demanding it does not deliver it. The best way to achieve such a result is through negotiating, which is what we have done very well over the past ten days.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have responsibility for co-ordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, I continue to work closely with colleagues across the Government to address many of the challenges resulting from Brexit, some of which the Deputy has accurately referred to. Detailed sectoral work is being done by individual Departments and through cross-departmental co-ordination...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I accept that these are challenging times for thousands of companies which rely on trade with the UK. Approximately 38,000 Irish companies have significant trade interests with consumers and customers in the UK. The Deputy has attended many of the meetings I have attended at which Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and IDA Ireland have provided information and updates. They have seen an increase...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: That is not what I said.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: If the Deputy looks at the figures, he will see that this is exactly what is happening and has been happening for quite some time

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: We need to diversify our markets because some sectors are too reliant on the British market. That would be necessary even if Brexit was not looming. We have intensified those efforts, for example by increasing staffing in all the key State agencies in this area. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, has been spending a lot more time on trade missions than would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: As I have reported to the House, I directly conveyed to the US Government my deep concerns in advance of this decision, as did many other leaders. I was disappointed at the US announcement recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and initiating steps to move the US embassy there. I issued a statement describing this decision as premature, ill-advised and unhelpful to efforts to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The difference in approach is one of choosing engagement or protest-isolation. For Ireland to effectively reverse an invitation to the President of the United States to visit Ireland would be counterproductive and a mistake. We share many interests with the US and there is a long and friendly relationship between the two countries. We disagree on some policy issues, including this one. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure that the Arab Spring set a particularly good example in many countries, but I share the Deputy's concerns about the conditions in which many Palestinians live. I have been to Jerusalem, the West Bank, including Ramallah, and Gaza. I was there four months ago and will return in the second week of January when I will be visiting Gaza, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. I will...