Results 30,441-30,460 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: On the points the Deputy makes in respect of undocumented Irish, I am sure that is an issue that will be raised by the Taoiseach with the President of the United States tomorrow. It has been raised every year for a number of years. We have been looking for legislative vehicles that could allow that to happen in a way that would protect Irish people in the United States who are undocumented....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: No. I will not say today that I will do that without being able to follow through properly. I have stated that the Government is considering this issue. I take the Deputy's point and do not disagree but amnesties can be a dangerous space.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: What is required is to examine ways in which people who are working in, and contributing to, the economy and who want to stay here can potentially find a pathway to legitimising their position with the documentation to back that up. The Minister is willing to look at that but it needs to be managed in a way that does not give the impression that Ireland is looking at amnesties or that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the compliment.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I sense a honeytrap there.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: Please do. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on any decision of An Bord Pleanála in this House. It is an independent agency which makes decisions every day that we need to respect.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: The only mechanism that can question those decisions is the court system if someone chooses to test such a decision through judicial review of the process by which a decision is made as opposed to the actual planning decision itself. One of the issues that arose during the work on the Project Ireland 2040 plan, which I was very involved in, arose from the learnings from the Athenry data...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: Our role as politicians and policymakers needs to be around how we debate, prepare for and implement legislation and policy. We should not get into the realm of individual planning decisions. That is what planners are there for in terms of the professionalism they show at local authority level and, ultimately, at An Bord Pleanála level should appeals be taken. I caution against this....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: At the moment, the balance is pretty close to being right but new legislation is being brought forward that I hope will add to the discussion and improve the legislation even further.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am very familiar with this issue. It has been raised with me by multiple sources. We have managed to build a cruise liner tourism product in Ireland that has resulted in significant expansion in recent years. We have invested in smaller harbours, such as Killybegs and Dingle, and have attracted a lot of interest from cruise liner traffic in recent years. As Deputy Martin knows, Cork...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I do not want to speak for Dublin Port Company because it needs to make commercial decisions itself.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: It has pressures it is responding to and, in the context of Brexit, doing so in an extraordinarily efficient way. It had capacity issues it needs to take into account.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: In this context, as a shareholder of Dublin Port Company, there does need to be a conversation.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: The question probably needs a more detailed answer than I will be allowed to give now. At the start of the week, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, gave a very detailed statement on the predicted financial impact on the Irish Exchequer of a no-deal Brexit. What he clearly indicated is we will need to borrow money in that instance. We may well have to dip into a rainy day fund and we will have...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I reassure the Deputy and many of the vulnerable sectors this is something the Government has put a lot of thought into and we will turn it into action. It will cost money and it may well result in Ireland going back into deficit rather than staying in surplus should that be necessary but it would be wrong at this stage to raise expectations in terms of the amount of money we are speaking about.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is a significant challenge but a challenge it will be necessary to follow through on.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I hear what the Deputy is saying but because there is no trade union representation it is difficult to facilitate a structured engagement that would be equivalent to that which existing recognised trade unions have. There are other mechanisms to allow sectors that do not have trade union representation to input into the process in parallel with the formal negotiations that go on. Whether...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: The legislation is due to be progressed shortly and there will be an opportunity to debate these issues with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Murphy, on Committee Stage of the Bill.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is difficult for me to comment without knowing the detail of what is happening. If the Deputy sends me a file on this issue, I will make sure it gets to the right person.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Coveney: I might ask the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, who knows County Kerry better than anybody, to revert to the Deputy on this issue.