Results 28,121-28,140 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Seanad: Northern Ireland and 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement: Statements (18 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: What strikes me about this debate is the unity of purpose across different political parties. I am glad to say that no one is taking the opportunity to be unnecessarily provocative here, and it is always easy to be that way when we talk about Northern Ireland. I thank everybody for their contributions, which I think were thoughtful. It is true to say that at times in England there are...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, made himself available yesterday when he made a very clear statement and answered questions for over an hour. The statement and questions, combined, lasted for an hour. He has given a comprehensive explanation of what happened. He made it clear this morning that he regretted the conversation. There is...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Minister has answered that question and I agree with him.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: He said this morning that he does sincerely regret expressing a view on it, but he is absolutely clear that he said he would abide by the recommendation of his officials. The Deputy's claim that he gave an indication of how he would proceed needs to be put in the context that he made it clear he would proceed on the basis of the recommendations from the Department and the officials. He gave...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: Nobody is turning a blind eye to anything. That is why the Minister was before the House last night, answering questions and making a statement to clarify what happened. We are here talking about it, taking questions on it, as the Taoiseach was yesterday, and we are providing answers. Yes, I do have confidence in the Minister. I have known Deputy Naughten for 20 years. I know him as a...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: There are two issues. The first is whether this conversation should have taken place, and the Minister regrets that it did. The second is whether that conversation constituted the Minister giving any inappropriate information to the lobbyist concerned, and I do not believe it did.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: He made a comment, without knowing any more facts. He knew fewer facts than the lobbyist concerned in respect of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, ruling. Later, when he was asked in this Chamber for a response on this issue, it was under consideration in the Department, he was aware of the process and he had been informed on it. He could not of course give an...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: When trying to rebuild trust in politics, one starts by assessing things on the basis of the truth of what happened rather than trying to create a political environment in which people are going after somebody's head, which is what is happening here. The Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Denis Naughten, and I have said it would have been better if this conversation had not taken place. I also...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----to create an impression that the Minister was somehow giving an inside steer to a lobbyist in an inappropriate way. I do not believe that was the case. If one looks at the file, in terms of how the Minister behaved subsequently-----

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: If one examines all the reports that have been published on the Minister's website, one will see that he subsequently took action on the basis of the advice he was given, which is exactly what he said he would do. He was asked for a view and he gave a view based on information that was in the public domain, which was not secret and which was not insider information for anybody.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: That is not a fact. The Deputy should not mislead the House.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: Let me try to go through the sequence of comments and questions. First, Deputy Brendan Howlin is making the claim that the Minister informed a lobbyist of his intended course of action.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: What he said with certainty, which is the important issue here, is that he would act solely on the advice of his officials. That is what he said.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will have an opportunity to come back. I just asked the Minister about the issue of other calls and he said there are none that he is aware of. The telephone call was one that the Minister took. He had no idea what it was going to be about so he could not have not taken it in the first place.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Minister has made clear he regrets having had the conversation that took place but what we should be assessing here on the basis of what he said clearly last night, and again today, is whether information was given on the basis of his having had knowledge about facts that were not publicly available. I do not believe that is the case. Therefore, the only certainty that came from this...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: He has, of course, said he felt the likely scenario was that it may end up in the BAI. Most people following the story would accept that was not news to anybody. How that conversation was then interpreted by the lobbyist concerned is a matter for them. We have to judge the Minister on the basis of the facts as we know them in terms of what took place in the conversation.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: Much of that is very fair comment. There is certainly no sense that we are trying to trivialise anything. It was an important process. When the phone call took place though, the Minister's element of that process had not begun. That is the point I am making. He did not have any inside knowledge one way or the other and did not even know that the CCPC had made a ruling, which had been...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: His subsequent actions show that to be the case to the letter.

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There was an almost five-year consultation process before the decision to reorganise and restructure CIS was taken. This is about reorganising governance and providing for more efficiencies, not about reducing services. There will be a smaller number of governance bodies, but the services will not change. Many organisations go through such...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Coveney: In reply to a recent parliamentary question on the issue the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection said:The CIB have assured me that there will be no job losses, no diminution of existing services, no closure of services and no disruption to services. The rationale for the CIB's decision is to improve its governance arrangements in accordance with the Code of Practice for the...