Results 30,761-30,780 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: When PwC makes a clear recommendation that retendering would likely see an increase in cost or perhaps the hospital not being built at all, we have to take note and that is what we are doing. The Government is not going to shy away from the other failings that are clearly pointed to in this report.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: We will change procedures on the back of this in respect of the mistakes that were made, primarily around the underestimation of cost. As someone who has been involved in the building industry, Deputy Wallace will understand the failings that happened there. There should have been red flags earlier in this process to highlight the fact that there were clear failings in the estimate of costs.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: When those failings were flagged, the Minister responded by asking for more detail at the end of last summer. When he received the extra details, he came to Cabinet with a series of choices for the Government to make. When this report is read, it becomes clear that the choice we made in December, to move ahead with this project even though it was clearly going to cost a lot more, was the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: Would the Deputy listen to-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is not interested in answers.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: He wants to push himself into every story.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I suggest the Deputy reads the report. He probably has not done so yet.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: This is a serious project and this Government is determined to deliver it. Mistakes were made in terms of the tendering process and the estimate process that gave a false picture of what this was going to cost. We have to ensure that this project concludes in a way that does not involve a significant increase in costs beyond where we are today. The work that the Minister for Health, Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has said many times that we should re-tender and that we would save a fortune that way. I do not see the evidence to back that up. We have a report that was only published yesterday. We will now focus on putting a plan together to deliver on the recommendations of that report. Many of the questions the Deputy has asked are perfectly valid, including how the design team got this...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Ross, on a number of occasions about this issue, and he has spoken to Dublin Port about it. Dublin Port has a job to do in terms of running its port efficiently, and it has been put under quite significant pressure in terms of capacity in recent months, linked of course to Brexit. In my view it has done a very good job on that. It also has an...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government is absolutely committed to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, both in word and in spirit. I speak to my counterpart in the British Government on a regular basis - in fact, to a number of my counterparts in the British Government - to that effect. I can assure people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that the Good Friday Agreement is a major...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure what the Deputy is talking about. On the previous question, I should have said to Deputy McDonald that we were hoping to have a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, BIIGC, in the coming weeks. To respond to Deputy Burton's question, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is aware of the recent demand for additional special class and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The report was-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I answered that question in some detail earlier.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I understand that both the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, have undertaken that, no matter what, the building will form part of the future delivery of health services in the area and that will be discussed in the near future, but decisions need to be taken which are focused on patient care. We have to make sure that patients have the appropriate level of care...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: No. I referred to the commitment. This facility will be a future health facility.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I have been told that legislation is being worked on for this session.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I will come back to the Deputy with a detailed response because I do not want to mislead the House.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I have a long note on that issue that I probably do not have the time to read. A small level of funding of €60,000 has been provided through the HSE this year, but a great number of people suffer from Parkinson's disease in Ireland. We have a health system that needs to support them. I can send the Deputy a longer note on the issue and in that way he will have the information.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is not true to say that nothing is happening regarding insurance. We have acted on a number of reports and there has been a significant levelling out of insurance premiums in certain sectors. That is not to say that there is not more work to do. Specific sectors are facing very significant insurance hikes right now. We had a debate on one of those, namely, child play areas and...