Results 28,441-28,460 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is these cases which have crystallised the views of most people in Ireland who want to face up to this issue with more honesty and more compassion in the future. Hopefully, it will allow many of us, a majority, to vote "Yes" tomorrow to allow this House take on our responsibilities to introduce appropriate legislation that can care for women and also take on our responsibilities towards...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is right. If the people decide to vote "No" tomorrow, what they are essentially saying is that we can change nothing, that Ireland is frozen in time on this issue. We heard stories such as that from Saoirse last night and many others who in an effort to change things, have told their own stories, often in very painful circumstances. We will hear more of those stories in two,...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: But we will simply be recognising a reality that for the past 35 years has been in the shadows whereby many women have to keep their stories secret and we send them abroad to get basic healthcare needs. In terms of confidence in both screening systems and vaccinations, it is important to say that if one looks at CervicalCheck and BreastCheck, by international standards we have very high...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The truth is that this is already underway. If the Deputy talks to the Minister for Health about this issue, he will learn that there is effectively already a campaign advocating the use of vaccines like the HPV vaccine. We have seen a significant increase in the uptake from girls. Indeed we have been looking at ways in which we can extend that and add to and reinforce that message. In...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I was on the site with the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, when I held the housing brief. This represents a huge opportunity to develop something significant in the area. This morning, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, met the St. Michael's estate regeneration team. He also met other residents last week along with the Minister of...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to the cost-rental model.

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has a pilot project in co-operation with the Housing Agency and approved housing bodies at Enniskerry Road, Dundrum. While it is relatively small scale with 50 cost-rental units, it will be a proof of concept. We are absolutely committed to affordable rental and cost rental as well as using land banks the State owns strategically today to ensure we...

Leaders' Questions (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: That is how we create the advantages of mixed-tenure communities, which in our view is a more sustainable way to develop many of these sites.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that there is no complacency on competitiveness within the Government. We will not repeat the mistakes made in the past. In 2011, Ireland was ranked 24th in world competitiveness. The Deputy may have been a Minister of State in the relevant Department in the build up to that period and trying to improve our competitiveness. This is obviously disappointing and we need...

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I can assure the Deputy we will not allow a situation where we have to wind down a programme that saves lives.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am told the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill is not now scheduled for next week. The Education (Admissions to School) Bill is being prioritised next week, followed by the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. I share the Deputy's concerns. I think there is a political tactic at play at this stage and no longer any attempt at accurate scrutiny of legislation. There is a deliberate attempt...

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: There is a role for the Business Committee. We have a minority Government. We have a Business Committee that is powerful and can make decisions. If this House collectively decides that we need to progress this legislation, the Business Committee has the power to allow us to do that and, in my view, it should do it.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill is a separate Bill and the Ceann Comhairle has made a ruling on that.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: For the benefit of the House, Ireland's views on Israeli settlements could not clearer. The view of the international community on settlements, comprehensively expressed in UN Security Council Resolution 2334, could not be clearer either. They are illegal, they actively undermine the prospect for a sustainably negotiated two-state solution and the relentless expansion of settlements...

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not going to give an answer on that.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: At the moment the Government is not supporting the Bill.

Questions on Promised Legislation (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I agree with the Deputy. Some of the approach to the issue of road safety and the role of alcohol in respect of it has been to make a joke of it. The sooner we can finalise this legislation the better. That is a matter for the Business Committee, which, I hope, will deal with it responsibly. The rainy day fund is a prudent measure. The Government has decided to go ahead with it and...

UK Withdrawal from the European Union: Statements (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: It has been acknowledged in this House, and more widely, in recent weeks that we are at a critical phase of the Brexit negotiations. Ireland’s view, and that of our European Union partners, is that significant further progress needs to be made on the outstanding withdrawal issues, notably the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, before the June European Council. This is a...

UK Withdrawal from the European Union: Statements (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: We have made progress on that issue.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (24 May 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 45 together. I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No 31 on 15 May on this topic, and also to my address to a Topical Issues debate on 9 May and my more detailed statement during Statements on Palestine on 15 May, all dealing specifically with this issue. A central element of my response in those contributions was to call for an...