Results 33,161-33,180 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The European Peace Facility was proposed by High Representative and Vice President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini, in 2018 with the aim of providing the EU with a single off-budget financing mechanism of up to €5 billion for the period of the next MFF - 2021 to 2027 and would finance a range of Common Security Defence Policy (CSDP) actions having military or defence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I thank the committee for the invitation to meet with it this morning. It is a pleasure to meet with members of the current committee for the first time. My Department has provided an information note on the issues that the Foreign Affairs Council has considered in the 13 months since I last met with the previous committee. In the future, I would hope to meet with the committee at least...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: What time do we have until?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I think it would be really good to give both ambassadors an opportunity to come and interact with the committee because they will provide very different perspectives. I also think it is important to understand the thinking of both and then to draw conclusions from a committee and policy perspective. My understanding is that the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, whom I will meet later...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Brady asked his question and I will answer it. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I have spent more time from a policy perspective on the Middle East peace process than on anything else outside of Brexit and EU affairs. I have been to Palestine and Israel four times in two years as Minister for Foreign Affairs. We cannot travel at the moment because of Covid. I have got to know those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I have just explained what we have been doing and what is tangible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The problem is that Deputy Brady does not want to hear this because, unfortunately, he comes at this from a domestic political motivation. I think we want to see the same outcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: With respect, if Deputy Brady's party had its way we would not even have an Israeli representative in Ireland. We would have no embassy in Israel. We would have no channels of communication to try to influence decisions that could be good for Palestinians. That is not the approach that I propose to take because I do not believe it will get the outcome we are seeking. It may get a headline...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: On the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu's suspension of annexation, we are uncomfortable with the fact that he has essentially described it as a temporary stalling of plans to annex part of the West Bank. We want that to be a permanent commitment from Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank. The land is not theirs. Israel is an occupying power in occupied territory. It was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: Apologies. What was the Deputy's last question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Chairman. To respond to that last point because I know a number of people have mentioned it, I have a good short and concise note on it. On 9 November, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement to bring an end to the conflict. This agreement was to come into effect at midnight on 10 November. This followed significant Azerbaijani military gains on the ground which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I just do not want to comment on something on which I do not have the facts. The question of misinformation was raised and it is a major issue. Cybersecurity is also a major concern. We are specifically asking the new commission on the future of the Defence Forces to look at cybersecurity from a defence perspective. The 5G communications networks conversation is an example. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Military Honours (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I thank Deputy Brady for the question. The issue of awarding military medals for gallantry, MMG, and the distinguished service medal, DSM, to personnel who served in Jadotville in September 1961 has been considered on a number of occasions over the years. The siege of Jadotville was a prominent event that occurred during Ireland's peacekeeping mission in the Congo in September 1961 where...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Military Honours (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: It is important not to draw conclusions here as to what the motivations were back in the 1960s with regard to these medals. It is important that we put in place a review body that is genuinely independent and that has military and academic expertise on it so it is considered in the full context of the questions being asked today. We had a very good discussion on this during the Seanad...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Military Honours (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The way the process works is that people get recommended for either a DSM or an MMG. Those names then go to a medals board for assessment. Often, even though they have been recommended for medals, people are not awarded them because, for whatever reason, the medals board decides that the threshold has not been reached for the medal to be awarded. That is very much a military process, the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy's question referred to the proposed commission on the Defence Forces but I am very happy to answer that question and any supplementary questions he may have. The establishment of a commission on the Defence Forces was an important commitment made in the recently agreed programme for Government.  The programme for Government states that the commission will be tasked with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: They are being addressed as we speak. Much of the high-level implementation plan has been and continues to be implemented but it is true that some elements still remain. We are keeping a channel of communication open with the representative bodies within the Defence Forces, that is, PDFORRA and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, to make sure they understand the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has shown a real interest in the Naval Service and its capacity, and for good reason. The Naval Service is significantly under strength at the moment. As a result of that, two ships that should be at sea do not have the capacity to go to sea because we do not have the crews to crew them. We are trying to address that. We worked for more than three months with the Department of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Search and Rescue Service Provision (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: At the outset, let me clarify that no decision has yet been taken to change any aspect of the current delivery model of search and rescue, SAR, aviation services in Ireland's SAR domain. There is currently a project ongoing under the remit of the Department of Transport to consider, develop and bring to fruition a new marine search and rescue aviation contract for future service provision....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Search and Rescue Service Provision (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: With respect, this has nothing to do with wages. It is to do with ensuring we have the capacity to save lives at sea when people get into trouble. I have had the benefit of the experience and the expertise of the current SAR contract. I would like to see the Air Corps and the Defence Forces playing as significant a role as they can in any future SAR arrangement or contract. There is...