Results 28,641-28,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for this question. The common travel area is a long-standing arrangement between the UK and Ireland, which means Irish citizens can move freely to live, work and study in the UK on the same basis as UK citizens and vice versa. It is an arrangement that is valued by both islands and the continuation of this arrangement is a stated objective of the Irish and UK Governments....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: They are very fair questions. It is important to say that, in practice, the CTA has been implemented administratively and more formally through sectoral agreements and legislation, where necessary and relevant, for example, the Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (Irish Citizenship Rights) Order 1949, the Aliens (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1999, the Aliens (Exemption) Order 1999 and, in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I believe Senator Richmond has been doing an extraordinarily good job in batting for Ireland-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----on both British and Irish media. He has been making the case in a succinct and informed way but it is important to make a distinction in respect of the common travel area arrangements because it is accepted by the EU task force and both negotiating teams that this is a bilateral matter and that nothing in any withdrawal agreement or treaty will undermine the capacity for Britain and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows, we had hoped to make substantial progress on the Irish backstop issues in June before the summit this week. I think everybody accepted that everything would not conclude in June but we certainly expected to make a significant step forward in helping to ensure that backstop was taking shape and that we could have confidence that we would be able to finalise that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: The reality is that it takes two to tango. The EU is ready to negotiate and discuss sensible and pragmatic ways of delivering on the commitments that the British Government made in December and March. I appreciate the support that we have received from Opposition parties - Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and others - in respect of our efforts to ensure that there is a unified message...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: It has not, actually.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is true to say that the British Government has not come forward with proposals that follow through on the commitments it has made yet, but that is not to say that the backstop is off the table. The Deputy needs to make a distinction between what was agreed and signed off on by both negotiating teams in December and March and papers that have been proposed - but certainly not agreed - by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am sorry, but I need to correct the record for the Deputy. The backstop is not already in place, and will not be until it is in the form of a legally operable text-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----in the withdrawal treaty. The commitment is in place. That commitment is cast-iron and clear. The language does not lie. The commitment was followed up in March when the British Government agreed that not only would it agree to a backstop, but it would agree to a backstop being in the withdrawal agreement unless and until something better was agreed. The challenge now is to make...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: Unfortunately, the Deputy is getting party-political again. To accuse me of trying to take party-political advantage out of Brexit is a cheap shot considering how open I have been in the briefings I have provided and continue to provide, both on and off the record, to all parties, including her own. What she said is also inaccurate. We are not just starting Brexit preparation now; it has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have given a detailed update to Cabinet and I am happy to give a detailed update to the Deputy, if she wants it. She should read the reports we have published on different scenarios and the different levels of preparation that are required. For example, the ESRI has published four reports; the Department of Finance, three; the Revenue Commissioners, one; the Department of Business,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: We are not leaving anything until October. We are working today, yesterday and tomorrow on trying to advance what we need in the context of protecting Irish people and Irish interests on the island of Ireland, and Irish people living in the UK in the context of Brexit. I met with Michel Barnier for well over an hour yesterday and we went through a lot of the detail in terms of what he would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: However, we can maintain a consistent and firm approach based on agreements that have been made in these negotiations. There are clear, important and valuable agreements that go back to last December and last March that we are now looking for follow through on over the summer months. That needs to be all of our focus in order to get it done, hopefully, well in advance of October.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the question. This was my third visit to Israel and Palestine as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and my first such visit to Jordan and Cyprus. I have reported on the overall visit, including the Jordan and Cyprus elements, in previous parliamentary question replies. In Israel and Palestine, on 6 and 7 June, I met, on the Israeli side, Prime Minister...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have on many occasions said in this House that while I may disagree with the approach that has been taken by Israel in its relationship with the Palestinians on issues like settlements and how Gaza border security issues have been responded to, that does not mean we should not engage.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I did not. The Russian ambassador was not expelled.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: My sole interest in the engagement we have been having with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Government is to try to advance the cause of Palestinians, whom I believe are victims of an extraordinary injustice. Ireland needs to do everything it can at government level to try to advance efforts to achieve a two-state solution in time and to try to prevent violence and bloodshed. That...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland cannot impose a trade embargo on Israel on a unilateral basis. Trade is a competence of the EU and the European Commission. I believe the Deputy is asking me to do something I cannot do, although I stand to be corrected on that. What I am focusing on are issues where I can have an involvement, such as advocating for products that can alleviate suffering in Gaza, advocating for...