Results 30,681-30,700 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy had many questions. I will deal with the Lariam issue first. It is important to emphasise that malaria is a serious disease that has killed hundreds of thousands people. We need to protect our troops when they are in malaria zones in different parts of the world. Let me be very clear with the House, however, that the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: We are introducing a patient safety Bill that will require open disclosure.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is being brought through the system. The Government has committed to that Bill and we will fully follow through on it. Deputy Clare Daly and I have spoken before about the broader issue of the approach to Lariam. She knows this is not a straightforward issue to deal with. Families have made certain accusations and they need to be tested. Those families have chosen a legal route to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is no secret to this House that, while an extraordinary amount of detailed work on how Ireland and the EU collectively would respond in a no-deal scenario has been completed and published, the most difficult issue to put a contingency plan in place for was always going to be how we would manage an all-island economy in the context of a no-deal...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: An internal discussion is taking place, but it is important that the options are weighed up and that we agree on something before we start informing the public. Otherwise, anything we say will be twisted by some in Westminster to get a political message across that is not accurate. That has happened over and over again with regard to alternatives to the backstop. People stand up in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is not true to say that we have been dilly-dallying on this issue. There are three Bills dealing with insurance and we have had some success in respect of motor insurance in particular on the back of recommendations from a report. We are also implementing recommendations on the cost of insurance for small business. The Deputy is right, though, in that there is a particular concern...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I can understand the frustration of very many families, but it is important that we deal with the facts. The circumstances are not the same as what happened in October. In this instance, the UN is responsible for organising the rotation flights to transfer the current United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, contingent back to Ireland. We have been advised by the UN that the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: This was an issue between UN officials and their counterparts in Beirut.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy knows, or at least he should, that that is not how these UN rotations work.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: We will get them home as quickly as we can.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I have read about and noticed both the issues the Deputy has raised. He might have noticed that this Government, especially under the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, has been proactive on the issue of marine plastics in particular, creating an initiative with fishermen to take plastics out of the sea. We will also bring forward legislation around microbeads, on...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has raised two issues. With regard to bringing home the contingent from the Golan Heights there was an issue between the UN and the Lebanese authorities that resulted in their plane having to be rescheduled because permission to land was not given because of a miscommunication somewhere. That is as much as I can say about it. We are looking to get that fixed quickly so people...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I will come back to the Deputy on that.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that three Departments are to meet the Central Bank tomorrow on this issue such that we have a basis for making a decision. People can still apply for the home loan scheme.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government is anxious to quickly provide clarity on the funding of the scheme. As stated, an important meeting on this issue will take place tomorrow between three Departments, including the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, obviously, and the Central Bank.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: State Bodies Data (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: There are no State Boards under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is important to note in the first instance that both the Irish and British Governments have confirmed that neither Irish citizens in the UK nor British citizens in Ireland are required to take any action to protect their status and rights associated with the Common Travel Area. The Common Travel Area (CTA) is a long-standing arrangement between Ireland and the UK which means Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: In order to ensure resources are used effectively many of my Department's functions, including communication channels, are centralised. Accordingly, my office is the dedicated point of contact for public representatives. This ensures consistency, efficiency and fairness in response to the queries of all public representatives. Any passport related queries raised through this channel are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the Passport Express Service provides an option for citizens to submit their passport application through the network of more than one thousand post offices across the State. The advertised turnaround time on our website and in all communications with the public for renewal applications made through the Passport Express channel is 15 working days and 20 working...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (4 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The proposal by Alberto Costa MP was that the UK Government should seek a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt the section of the Withdrawal Agreement on Citizens’ Rights even if the British Parliament fails to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement. While I very much understand and indeed sympathise with Mr Costa's motivation and objectives, I do not believe this particular proposal would be...