Results 29,141-29,160 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----in such a complex environment can sometimes be difficult. In this case, that is what has happened. We are fixing the issue and the personnel will be home, albeit two weeks after they were supposed to be home. I do not believe that individual personnel are at fault. The complexity of the environment in which we are operating-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----is the reason for the delay.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: A report was done on this issue and that report has now come back. The Minister simply stated the facts and reality that neither he nor the Government has a function in this issue. There is a permit being sought and planning permission has been granted. EirGrid is now trying to manage the way in which it will build a North-South interconnector, which is a very important piece of grid...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy should know, there is a tendering process under way in which the Minister has no hand, act or part.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: There is an evaluation process that involves an independent assessment team, independent of the Minister's office. When that investment team reports, the Government will be able to make decisions.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am afraid not this session and we do not have a date at the moment. I am sure the Deputy raising it in the Dáil will mean it will come onto the radar.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will have to ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy on that. He has outlined the case very clearly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is clearly an important one for Dundalk. I am sure the Government and State agencies will do everything they possibly can to work with the company. If there are difficulties that we can help with, I am sure we will be very proactive on that. I assure the Deputy that I will raise the issue personally with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, for him...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: Brexit is a priority issue for this Government, and the Taoiseach, my cabinet colleagues and I have taken every opportunity to engage with EU partners and the UK to advance Ireland’s priorities. I, as well as officials from my Department, remain in ongoing contact with representatives from EU Member States, the Commission and Task Force, and the UK. Monthly meetings of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland has strongly supported efforts in the EU and the OECD to promote the accountability, transparency and effective management of natural resources. In particular, Ireland supports the EU regulation on conflict minerals. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation leads on this area in coordination with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am extremely worried about the imminent threat to the Bedouin community of Khan al Ahmar, which we have discussed here on many occasions. The notice to residents to demolish their own structures by 1 October or face enforced demolition clearly indicates that Israel is intent on carrying out this reprehensible action. These villagers have already been expelled once from their original...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The 73rdsession of the UN General Assembly got underway in early September. The theme for this year’s General Debate which took place from 25 September-1 October was "Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”. I delivered Ireland’s National Statement to the General...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The European Commission’s proposals on the ‘backstop’ are set out in the Draft Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, which forms part of the overall draft Withdrawal Agreement published in February. It is available on the European Commission’s website and on the Government’s Brexit website. This draft text serves as the basis on which negotiations have...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service is composed of 3 constituent offices located in Mount Street, Dublin, Balbriggan, County Dublin and South Mall, Cork. The Passport Service is one unified service. The distribution of work across the 3 passport offices does not in any way or limit the options available to the public in terms of passport application channels or reduce the quality of service provided. ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government’s contingency planning for Brexit has from the start included issues relating to the continued effective use of the UK landbridge. This is a priority for the Government given its importance in getting Irish products to market on continental Europe, in particular with regard to agri-food products. This is an important issue with regard to protecting the competitiveness of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: Under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. I am aware of the oppression faced by Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, and I very strongly condemn the violence that the community faces. Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: In June 2018 the Taoiseach launched Global Ireland, a plan to double Ireland’s global impact by 2025. Amongst other things, in Global Ireland the Government committed to publishing a White Paper on Ireland’s International Development Cooperation and to delivering 0.7% of GNI to Overseas Development Assistance by 2030. The public consultation for the new international...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (IIFFM) on Myanmar makes for harrowing reading. Ireland has strongly supported the mandate of the IIFFM since it was established in March 2017 and I offer my thanks to them for their work and for this report. The findings of the IIFFM corroborate many of the eyewitness accounts which have emerged from Myanmar in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: Officials at the Irish Embassy in Athens have been in direct contact with the family of the individual in question, and with the German authorities, since we were made aware of his detention. As the individual detained is a German citizen, the German authorities are the competent authority under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to provide assistance to this individual. Officials...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: UN Resolutions (4 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: On 22 June 2017, the UN General Assembly voted on a Resolution put forward by Mauritius to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, prior to Mauritian independence from the UK. Public hearings on this matter commenced before the ICJ at The Hague in early September where twenty-two States and the...