Results 27,761-27,780 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will give a general introduction first and then go through the different sectors - A, B, C, D and E - as the Chairman has asked. I will then ask the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to deal with Vote 27, which is concerned with the overseas aid development and diaspora budgets, which is the bigger spending area of our Department. I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to present to...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: My apologies. Members will have seen the advance briefing notes provided by my Department on the two Votes, which summarise the main activities and priorities under each strategic programme. For 2018, the overall gross estimate for the foreign affairs and trade group of Votes, which is Vote 27 and Vote 28, is €738 million compared with €715 million in 2017, which is an overall...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I would be very happy to do that. I am conscious that we have not had the time for a proper policy debate.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure God has much to do with it but-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----I will take that on board.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will address the questions in reverse order. I am very aware of the Chair's interest in Northern Ireland and community relations there. One of the reasons we are not reducing funding which supports community engagement and reconciliation through a series of community and civic-led projects in Northern Ireland in spite of the fact that we are two decades after the Good Friday Agreement is...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: On that question, the global footprint project very much involves the agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland, IDA Ireland and a number of the arts organisations. We are trying to use all of the tools Ireland has to reach out in a more effective and ambitious way in order to extend Irish influence and create opportunities. It is being led by the Taoiseach's...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: There is a 50% increase in subhead A5, support for Irish emigrant services. On the question of accountability, we have an independent audit system that assesses how we spend money. The Secretary General has to submit audited accounts to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. There is a robust system for how Departments spend money. While this is a political discussion about...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The big spend is in the area of current expenditure. The programme can be broken into one thirds - salaries, programmes and other. Breaking it up item by item, there has not been significant change year on year, rather there has been a change of emphasis. There is nothing to stop the committee from looking in more detail at any one of these sections and asking me to come back to speak about...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I accept that and we will ensure it will happen.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will ensure the committee will receive my full speaking note which I will try to summarise. Programme B provides the framework for the Department's role in securing Ireland's influence in EU outcomes through maintaining and growing strong relationships with EU institutions and other member states. The focus of work under the programme in 2018 will be on safeguarding Ireland’s...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: With respect to section B.4 and EU engagement, much of it is linked with the debate on the future of Europe. As members know, the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, is organising public meetings throughout the country, of which she has had a series. I believe she is in Letterkenny today. One of the problems with debates such as that on the future of Europe is that they often take...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Programme C covers the Department's contribution to a more just world through the promotion and protection of human rights internationally and a more secure world based on a stable and secure rules-based international environment. Under the programme, 68% of current expenditure is made up of contributions to international organisations. My Department’s commitment to promoting...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Yes. The contributions that we make to the UN each year are mandatory contributions and they fluctuate slightly. For example, a big part of UN expenditure is on peacekeeping operations. It is a multi-billion euro expenditure programme. Obviously, Ireland benefits from that in the context of our interest in UN peacekeeping operations, such as UNIFIL and UNDOF. Those operations are all...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The direct answer is "No".

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure that it was UNRWA schools-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----that were demolished. Belgium and the Netherlands have raised serious concerns with the Israelis about projects that have been destroyed. In the case of a solar panel project which the Netherlands funded in Gaza, where the panels were confiscated by the Israeli military, I understand that some of them have subsequently been returned.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (Revised) (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: We have not received any compensation. I have raised the general issue of demolitions in what is called Area C of the West Bank with the Israelis. We are very critical of that and in my view it should not be happening. However, Ireland is not the only country that has raised concerns on this issue.