Results 37,121-37,140 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (Revised) (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Berry asked the last question previously and I did not answer it. We are co-locating with the EU delegation. The EU delegation is responsible for the building and we sub-lease from it. I am not aware of it having been damaged, but I do not know for sure. We had some local staff there. That facility is not operating. Our team left some time ago, along with members of the EU...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (Revised) (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair point.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (Revised) (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: There was one other question on Expo 2020. There will be an evaluation process of the value for money and so on of expenditure on expo. I think some people in this room have been to expo and will have seen what a shop window to the world it has been for us. I believe it represents value for money but we are going through a formal process and cannot complete that until expo activities...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 27 - International Co-operation (Revised)
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (Revised) (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Chairman.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Chair for the opportunity to do this. If there are other related, broader questions on these Estimates, I am also happy to try to deal with them because it will be an opportunity to deal with a range of matters across the defence sector. I welcome this opportunity to engage with the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence to consider the 2022 Revised Estimates for Vote 35...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Are we going to go through the Votes section by section or would the committee prefer to do the whole lot together? What does the Chairman propose?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have 25 different sections. We can do them individually or we can do them as one, whichever the Chairman prefers.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Whatever the Chairman wants to do.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am in your hands.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Some of the sections are very straightforward. The main questions, I assume, will be around pay, capability development, and built infrastructure and equipment. That is where the big spend is. I am happy to take the Votes in whatever way suits. If we wanted to start with subhead A1, we could then move through them. There are only 25, and some will be very straightforward.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is a defined benefit pool.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Yes, it is paid out of current expenditure from a defined benefit pool, which is the case for many public sector pensions in order that there is certainty of income linked to the contributions made throughout a person's career.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: That is a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of how it manages State funding and the State investments it has. We make the case each year to the central pool of financial resources available to the State for an Army pensions current expenditure Vote, and in recent years, we have been successful. I take the point that this approach is taken regularly within...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: There are a whole series of pension issues over which we have virtually no control. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is at the centre of pensions policy more generally and there is ongoing discussion with a view to ensuring pensions will be planned for appropriately.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: On the question regarding War of Independence veterans, as at the end of February this year, there were 16 widows of such veterans. It is a small number.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: This issue is referred to as the loss of an additional increment by some military pensioners at the State pension age. This might be a technical answer to a technical question, but I will give it in any event. In the case of pre-April 2004 enlisted personnel, their basic 21-year Defence Forces pension is payable for life. An additional increment is payable on top of that basic pension for...