Results 33,641-33,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Appointments (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Under section 11 of the Defence Act 1954, there is a requirement that a Council of Defence shall stand established. The section also provides that the Minister of State at the Department of Defence shall be a member of the Council. As such, there is a legislative requirement that there is a Minister of State at the Department of Defence to discharge that function. To address this issue,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Recruitment (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The age limits for personnel wishing to enter the Defence Forces are as set out in Regulations made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended. The age requirement is applicable to all candidates and exceptions cannot be made in individual cases. An independently chaired review is underway at present which is examining recruitment practices and procedures in the Defence Forces. I await...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Deployment (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: For operational and security reasons, personnel numbers located at specified military installations are not divulged. It is important to note that the number of personnel stationed at any particular barracks will vary on an on-going basis, as it is a normal operational feature for there to be a constant through-flow of personnel into and out of such installations.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Army Barracks (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the upgrade of the former USAC building is included in the Defence Forces Built Infrastructural Programme 2020-2025 at an estimated cost of €8m. The Deputy may wish to note that the project is now at an advanced stage of the procurement process and subject to the conclusion of same it is planned to commence works on the site in 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Air Corps provides a broad range of services in accordance with its primary security and defence role. It also undertakes a diverse range of non-security-related tasks on an ‘as available’ basis including the provision of air ambulance services to the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE’s Aeromedical Desk in its National Emergency Operations Centre is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Army Barracks (20 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Defence Forces Built Infrastructure Plan 2020-2025provides a blueprint for investment in the Defence Forces built infrastructure over a five year timeframe and is designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities of the Defence Forces. There are currently over €68m worth of projects underway at different stages of development. This level of...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union posed unprecedented political, economic and diplomatic challenges for Ireland. Countering the risks to peace and prosperity necessitated not only a whole-of-Government but a whole-of-society approach. To do so as effectively as we have done required substantial...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am conscious the Deputy was looking to share his time. I can address them at the end. If the Deputy is happy, I think I get ten minutes at the end of the debate to wrap up and I can answer his questions then and let his colleague in now.

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: That is fine. I am not even hung up on that formality, to be honest. There are a lot of questions. On the Brexit adjustment fund, first, we have to get it approved. At the moment, what we have is a draft proposal. Some countries are questioning that allocation process and we need to get that approved in the European Parliament and signed off on in the European Commission so we can...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: The straight answer to that is “Yes”. To put some context around the question, in the last 24 hours, we have had 1,136 movements into Ireland through Rosslare and Dublin from the UK. That, I think, is about a 15% increase on where we were last week, so we are seeing-----

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Absolutely. This started with significantly lower volumes because of stockpiling at the end of last year, because of concern and worry, understandably, and because of people getting their heads around the paperwork, particularly in the UK, where there was a real lack of preparation by many companies. We are now starting to see the volumes ramp up. The Deputy will be glad to hear the figure...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair question. My understanding is that the actual allocation of this money, once it has been confirmed, will be managed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which the Deputy will understand only too well, given his time there. I suspect the Department of Finance will be involved in the discussion as well, with other Departments like the Department of Enterprise,...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: On the question of the all-island economy, a huge priority of the Brexit negotiations has been to ensure there is no border infrastructure and no barriers to trade between North and South. That has been a huge challenge. The solution we arrived at - the protocol on Northern Ireland and Ireland - is somewhat controversial for some because it requires some level of checks between Great...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I am glad that Deputy Cahill raised this. He has a lot of credibility on this area. It is a real problem. I do not want to pretend it will be solved easily. About 900 million litres of milk comes south from Northern Ireland farms to be processed. Lakeland Dairies is probably the best example of a processor which has a very significant percentage of its milk pool coming from the North,...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: We probably need to look to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to comment on how we support the sector. I do not want to do his job for him. He is more than capable of doing it and is very vocal in this space at Cabinet meetings. Some of the disruption to the agrifood sector is clearly linked to Brexit, and our key market and nearest neighbour for agrifood products - we sell...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I have spoken to hauliers and haulage companies on this. There are a range of issues they are concerned about, including being able to get on ferries in terms of direct ferry routes, and we have seen a dramatic increase in the capacity of multiple ferry operators from Irish Ferries to Stena Line to Brittany Ferries and two or three other operators, That situation has improved and continues...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: Steel is a problem and there is a lot of effort going in now to look at how we solve that. In simple terms there is what is called a safeguard measure that has been introduced by the EU. As a result of Covid-19 and a lack of building activity globally, the EU decided that it needed to act to protect the EU steel industry, and therefore it introduced what is called a safeguard measure, which...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: I do not have a precise answer to that but I will get one for the Deputy. Part of the budgetary process in Ireland is to ensure that there is fairness and equity as part of how we put budgets together, whether that is the taxation system, social welfare system, equality issues or housing issues, and so any budget that we put together has to be shaped by that. The new realities of life are...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: It will not be the Irish Government that will be doing it; it will be the EU that will be doing it. This is an EU-UK agreement; it is not an Irish-UK agreement. We are part of something much bigger in the context of our EU membership. This is a trade and co-operation agreement that has very strong level playing field provisions in it. If it is the developing view of the EU collectively...

Brexit (Foreign Affairs): Statements (21 Jan 2021)

Simon Coveney: On the protocol for Ireland and Northern Ireland, there are clearly some issues that are frustrating trade. Some of them are linked to a lack of preparation beforehand and some are linked to adjusting to the new realities of bureaucracy, much paperwork, notice and engagement with port authorities and revenue commissioners. That new adjustment is something that we have seen political...