Results 29,901-29,920 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Relations (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for this question. I have quite a detailed answer that I could read into the record of the House but I will just respond directly to the question. These are challenging times for Anglo-Irish relations. The good relationships that have been built up, particularly over the past 20 years, need to be used now to find sensible ways forward for the sake of Northern Ireland...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Relations (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I strongly refute the accusation that the eye was taken off the ball. The British-Irish relationship in recent years has been strong and positive and has allowed us to find a way forward on some complicated issues linked to Brexit in the context of the negotiations that took place. These resulted in a sensible, pragmatic and legally sound way of dealing with the complication of the Border...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Relations (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair question. It is envisaged that the meeting would be much more than a summit between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister. They happen every now and again anyway. Instead, we would have agreement on an annual meeting between the governments, to include not only the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach but probably six or seven other Ministers on both sides in order that there...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government has said consistently that we will not accept a hard border between the two jurisdictions on this island. The EU and UK both accept that avoiding a hard border is essential. I also know that is the position of the great majority of Members in this House. Throughout the negotiations, it has been a priority to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and to ensure...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is clear on how it sees mechanisms working to prevent hard border infrastructure. They revolve around regulatory alignment in areas that are specific and are required to prevent the need for Border infrastructure. That is how the backstop works. It is essentially the fall-back position to which the British Government repeatedly committed, if it could not find other solutions...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: My previous answer referred to a no-deal scenario if the formal backstop and the withdrawal agreement and the Irish protocol linked to that were not ratified. Even in that scenario, there is an obligation on the British Government to work with Ireland and the EU. We cannot do this bilaterally. It has to involve the EU because this involves protecting the EU's customs union and Single...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the question. As she knows, we both have a lot of work to do in this regard, as has every party in this House in terms of working together to ensure Ireland is as prepared as it can be for a no-deal Brexit should it happen. Our work across Government has identified key issues arising in each Brexit scenario, including, in particular, a central case scenario and a...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: With respect, the Deputy knows the answer to some of those questions but she is asking them anyway.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the legislation, we have sat down and discussed it.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is because the full Bill is not ready yet. It will be published-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: It will be published on 22 February. That has been very clear since we began discussing this issue at the start of January. Let us not try to create problems or crises where they do not exist. We have enough challenges to deal with in Brexit without trying to create new ones. We agreed - I hope, anyway - how the House might co-operate to get emergency legislation through if we need to....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the legislation we produced, no other country in the European Union, that I am aware of, has legislation to the level of detail we are proposing. The Deputy might let me know if there is but I am not aware of it.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: They have legislation but nothing like what we are proposing. None of them has the common travel area arrangements we are putting in place. The reason we did not sign confirmation of memorandums of understanding and common travel area arrangements in December was we did not want to be seen to be sorting out Irish citizens while we were still negotiating as a collective. The Deputy knows...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: He was asked-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Taoiseach's description is the very reason why we are not going back there.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The common travel area is a long-standing arrangement between Ireland and the UK 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. Both the Irish and British Governments have committed to the maintenance of the common travel area and the associated rights and entitlements of Irish and British citizens under this...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: This has essentially already been agreed at official level.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I hear the question. Some formal signings are required particularly relating to social security. That is due to happen in the coming days. Earlier, I outlined why that was not signed earlier.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: Yes. We are now coming to a point where not signing them means that we simply do not have time to be able to complete the follow-up legislation in order to be ready for 29 March, should that be necessary to protect our citizens' pensions, social welfare payments and so on. We hope to be able to do that in the coming days. I do not have an exact date for the memorandum of understanding,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Common Travel Area (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is a very reasonable set of questions. There was a choice to be made here as to whether we would put in place a formal legal treaty on the common travel area on a bilateral basis between Britain and Ireland or whether we would do it through this memorandum of understanding, which would have some legislative element to it. I understand we chose the memorandum of understanding mechanism...