Results 38,441-38,460 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: -----which is recommended. It will be much closer to the Chief of Staff and his team. The head of the Reserve will be plugged right into the Chief of Staff's office in the defence headquarters.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: We are looking at a much stronger structure.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy. I agree with him. I am not sure global democracy is in retreat but it certainly needs to push back to protect its existence. There are certainly parts of the world where it is under attack. That goes for human rights standards, respect for international law and a range of other things. Our commitment to multilateralism is absolute when it comes to foreign policy....

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: A report of this significance does not just get signed off on overnight. I need to find agreement with multiple other Departments, particularly the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach, in order to get final agreement on the report. I think we are almost there. There has been an awful lot of work on this. We are not...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am sure my officials will kill me for saying this, but I would happily bring forward an options paper on how we might address some of the concerns that have been outlined by the committee. I would happily do that in the early autumn when we return after the summer recess. There are ways in which we can provide a lock system of sorts but at the same time not hand a veto to a government or...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is absolutely possible to separate the two, if people choose to do it. The triple lock is a technical mechanism. One of the locks is no longer appropriate and we can replace it with something else that does a similar job. We do not have to turn this into a political issue around neutrality unless people choose to do so. It is as simple as that.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have not had it in the past but that has not been a problem that has come to light in the past, in practice. It is now likely to, or certainly one could seriously envisage an issue in that regard.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have seen the problem of the use of the veto in recent times. I do not want our ability to send troops on an appropriate peacekeeping mission to be vetoed by somebody who has no interest in Ireland's motivation. If it would be okay, perhaps we will come back and have a detailed discussion on this matter.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I think it is absolutely possible. Our neutrality has never been determined by UN mandate. Our neutrality is based on military non-alignment.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: Following a request from the Ukrainian Prime Minister to the Taoiseach for the provision of specialist training to the Ukrainian armed forces, the Defence Forces have been in contact with the Ukrainian armed forces to clarify their precise training needs and to assess the possibility of providing such training. That request related specifically to the area of demining. Having been to...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: That undoubtedly has to be part of the conversation. It depends on what work they are doing. Sometimes it is easier said than done to take three months or six months out or whatever the period may be. However, I take the point about 90 days. We had a detailed discussion on this last week or the week before with members of the Reserve Defence Force in terms of the training period that...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: The following motion was placed on the Order Paper for Dáil Éireann and was referred to this committee: That, in accordance with the Programme for Government commitments, Dáil Éireann approves Ireland's participation in four Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: i) Cyber Threats and Incident Response Information Sharing Platform, ii) Deployable Military...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: All of them are.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: That is a very different issue from PESCO. Their training is different.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: With respect-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: It is really regrettable that the Deputy has chosen to try to make this discussion party political and that he has been deliberately trying to misinform people. These are serious issues. We have war on our Continent at the moment and we are talking about capability issues and common training exercises where Ireland voluntarily chooses to train with other countries to try and build capacity...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: No, the Deputy should please listen.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I ask Deputy Brady to listen because people need to know the truth here, rather than turning this into some debate around the creation of a European army, which is what the Deputy's party seems to do every time there is a debate on this issue. There is absolutely no move towards a European army or Irish support for one or any political party in Ireland looking to support one. Could the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am glad that Deputy Berry has been as positive about these projects as he has because I have a great deal of respect for his own experience within the Defence Forces and indeed within the Army Ranger Wing, which is part of this package. We need to see partnership as a positive thing when it comes to defence not as a risk to our independence, our sovereignty or our neutrality. There are,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: If I may make the point, please, Mr. Borrell is talking about a 5,000 strong force to respond, should they be needed, to make an intervention. Even in those kinds of interventions, Ireland has never been forced to respond to them. We will decide and that is our position, if we will be involved or if we will not. If we have not trained with other countries, however, or are not interoperable...