Results 28,821-28,840 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I respectfully ask Deputy Calleary to be responsible in terms of how this issue is discussed and covered. The figure of 221 is correct but that is not new information. The Committee of Public Accounts was informed at its meeting on 14 June that the audits of a further 12 women were close to completion. That is the additional 12. The Minister is also ensuring these women are receiving the...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy might appreciate that I may not be able to give him full information on the particular case he raises. I recall, however, that on the Order of Business on Tuesday, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Jim Daly, responded to similar concerns expressed by some Fianna Fáil colleagues. My understanding of this case is that it is a decision to be made by...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that the HSE did meet the families concerned but I will need to speak to the Minister of State about whether that consultation was extensive enough.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: No. My understanding is that there was a meeting about it many months ago, but I will come back to the Deputy with the dates and the detail of those meetings. Regarding dementia care more generally, the national dementia strategy implementation programme agreed by the Department of Health, the HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies committed €27.5 million for a number of specific...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am glad to update the House on the encouraging trends in the increased supply of houses. This is a market that has been under pressure for a number of years. It is one we are going to fix, but it will take some time. New CSO figures for new dwelling completions will clearly show the general upward trend across all housing construction activity. Essentially, more than 18,000 new homes...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: Some 14,500 were new build homes occupied for the first time. These figures do not include over 2,000 new student bed spaces also completed last year. Permission to build 24,531 new homes was granted in the 12 months up to March 2018, up almost 40% on the figure for the previous 12 months. In the first quarter of 2018 alone planning permission was granted for 8,500 new homes, an increase of...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy does not want to recognise the facts.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy can quote whatever figures he wants, but I am quoting the CSO's.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: There is only one person rambling on this issue. I am giving the facts.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy might not like the facts. Looking at the social housing challenge, the truth is we need to look back to see where we were in 2011 when the previous Government had to fix multiple problems.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: There were 3,000 ghost estates, as well as a decrease of 90% in the level of construction activity. Almost two thirds of jobs in the construction sector were lost. House prices had fallen by 50% in most of the country. That is the legacy of others in the House.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The record of my party in government, in working with the Labour Party, is very different. We have created a partnership Government which has a dedicated Minister with responsibility for housing.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: For the first time we have established a multi-annual budget - €6 billion - which will deliver an extra 50,000 social housing units by the end of 2021 and a lot more after that.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy should look at the facts rather than the political narrative he is trying to sell.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I agree with a lot of what the Deputy said. There has been quite a bit of discussion in government on this issue. How do we ensure future elections in Ireland are not being influenced inappropriately, as has clearly been the case in other countries? We certainly cannot rely on the voluntary decisions of large multimedia companies to protect the democracies we have an obligation to protect....

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I would like to take a look at the detail of what the Deputy is asking for. This is primarily a matter for the companies involved. We cannot force them or we are certainly not proposing to do that in this call but I will take a look at it. The substantive point made by the Deputy is a very relevant one. As a Government, we have asked a number of people to look at this and come back with...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not aware that the Government has any intention of trying to slow down this Bill. It is a Private Members' Bill so it needs to go through the processes.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not aware of any intention on the part of the Government to slow that down. We agree with the sentiments the Deputy has just outlined. There is no place in society and there should not have been in the past for the kind of violent discrimination on the basis of identity or sexuality. I am glad to say that we are a changed country in that regard so we need to make sure legislation is...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government needs to read and study that report before making decisions on it, but I think I can safely say that the Government wants to continue to support lone parents in an appropriate way. They do face challenges that other families do not face and they do need to get additional supports, as they currently do. If there are unintended anomalies because of policy, the Government will...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I spent the day in London yesterday and met five British Ministers who will all be involved in what I understand will be quite an intensive debate tomorrow on trying to stabilise and firm up a British approach towards these negotiations, which we have been awaiting for quite a long time. The issues the Deputy has raised will be part of that discussion but there will also be other elements to...