Results 22,401-22,420 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: Army Barracks Closures (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: If the Deputy or the Reserve Defence Force have suggestions, please come back to me and we will look at them.

Other Questions: Army Barracks Closures (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is missing a point. The barracks is a very big facility. Significant maintenance costs come with ownership and management of a facility such as that. In the barracks for which there is no longer a military function, we are looking at disposal in the medium to long term but we are also trying to ensure it is the right disposal for communities who have strong linkages with the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Military Aircraft Landings (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Military Aircraft Landings (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that we were there assisting An Garda Síochána, having been requested to do so before the aircraft landed. We happened to be there when it landed and we were still there when it took off. In terms of the granting of permission, under the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft require the permission of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Military Aircraft Landings (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Daly and I have a fundamentally different view of the role the United States plays in the world. I do not say mistakes have not been made, but I do not see every conflict and every cause of mass migration in places such as North Africa being caused by the United States. Some conflicts and some broken states are now trying to recover from wars in which the United States and many other...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have previously outlined to the House the position with regard to the procurement of defensive equipment by my Department. I have also explained the scale and type of such equipment that the Department has acquired from Israeli companies in recent years and the purpose of such acquisitions, which is to afford the greatest possible force protection and operational effectiveness to Irish...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have been using my position to advocate solutions to what is a very entrenched and difficult relationship and problem between Israel and Palestine. I do not believe that advocating for the introduction of an embargo or sanctions on Israel, or Ireland unilaterally doing so, would help the process. It is not true to say that Ireland unilaterally implements embargoes or trade sanctions on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: We are strongly committed to an effective and well-trained reserve force into the future. Certainly, that will be reinforced by the White Paper. Additional information not given on the floor of the House Preparation of the White Paper is nearing completion and I expect to bring the draft to Government for approval shortly. The Deputy will appreciate that pending Government approval, it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: A couple of points need to be made about that. This is not just about numbers. We need to get the right people who are there for the right reasons. It should not necessarily be easy to join the reserve, although we need to make it as easy as possible within the rules and standards we are setting. The objective here is not to get 4,000 people in, if they are not the right people. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I did not say that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: There is a higher percentage in terms of filling Naval Service reservist posts than there is in the Army reserve at the moment. There are no plans to deploy reservists overseas but that issue is being considered in the White Paper. My view is that if there are skillsets that would add to the operational and response capacity of the Permanent Defence Force, particularly in specialist areas,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Military Aircraft Landings (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Similar questions have been asked in the past and this is a similar answer. An Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of aid to the civil power, ATCP, which, in practice, means assisting An Garda Síochána when requested...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: First, I would like the Deputy to outline what the contradictions are because I have been absolutely consistent on this issue from the start and remain so today. LE Eithneis not engaged in Operation Triton or in any form of border security operations as part of its deployment in the Mediterranean. Section 3 of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 permits, with the approval of the Government, the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: What is the inconsistency?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is selectively quoting.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Let me explain. When I said "we", I was talking about the European Union, and the Deputy knows that. I have confirmed in the answer I have just given that the European Union has agreed to an EUNAVFOR mission. It is a military mission and it is also an information-gathering mission and a mission that wants to disrupt human trafficking in North Africa. It is all the things I said on the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The triple lock was never entirely a matter for the House. It requires a Government decision in addition to a Parliament decision. With respect, the Deputy should not be talking about our approach to the Mediterranean as if there were some kind of conspiracy around the corner. Our approach to the Mediterranean at the moment is a purely humanitarian one. The debate that happened at EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: It was trying to bring politics into something we should not be political about.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is correct that this was a focus. It was one of many but it was an important focus at the symposium. The Defence Forces Reserve is an important asset to the State. I value the contribution of all of its members who volunteer their time and service so willingly. I am fully committed to its future development. To that end, an ongoing development process for the reserve is under...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Security Strategy (25 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy's question is relevant and fair in the context of the discussions that are going on today, although they are somewhat overshadowed by the continuing negotiations on the situation in Greece. There is ongoing liaison between my Department, the Department of An Taoiseach and other relevant Departments regarding security and defence matters generally. In preparation for the European...