Results 22,661-22,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that they are. It would be ridiculous for a Minister to be responding to Dr. Humer, as his statement would require a medical response from a trained doctor or from the Health Products Regulatory Authority. My function as Minister for Defence is to take all of the advice I can and then make decisions. Any decision we make about Lariam is a medical decision, not a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: With respect, I think the Deputy knows that this has nothing to do with access to the US market for Irish beef. Our participation is a conscious decision by Ireland to try to play a constructive role in rebuilding a country that needs help, quite frankly, and it is getting that help from many other countries in a non-combat mission. It is trying to put itself back together. We have...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that I have an open mind on this matter. The Deputy will be aware that malaria is a very serious disease which kills approximately 1 million people every year in sub-Saharan Africa alone. It is a grave threat to any military force operating in the area.In the decade of deployment to sub-Saharan Africa by the Defence Forces, not a single member of the Defence Forces has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Properties (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Clearly, Kildare County Council has been thinking about what this land would be used for. The issue as to whether people are now saying there were no conversations and no agreement to transfer the site is something about which we will have to go back and ask the officials involved as to who said what and when. I am not going to get into that with the Deputy now on the floor of the House. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: On 9 December 2014, the Government approved the participation of seven members of the Defence Forces in the new NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, which commenced on 1 January 2015 following the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, mission from Afghanistan. Resolute Support is a non-combat training and advisory mission. It is designed to support...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: They have only just begun there.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: We are not talking about ISAF; that is the whole point. We are moving on from that. The mission Deputy Daly is talking about is no longer there.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Overseas Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: What we are talking about now is a non-combat support mission to help with governance and security which are primarily provided by local populations in Afghanistan. That is what is being supported by Ireland. We are supporting something that has been unanimously supported by the UN Security Council. We are providing seven people who have a specific training role and who are more than...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Properties (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Is it not the case that the local authority represents the community?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Properties (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure to which entity the Deputy proposes that the land be transferred. I was not the Minister for Defence in 2009 but I will restate the position to clarify the matter: "Following discussions between the Department, Kildare County Council and the then Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and in accordance with the terms of the housing initiative, it was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Properties (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: That is clearly the case. The local development plan for Kildare town designates certain use for the land in question.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: For the record, we are not disembarking any refugees in Malta. This is purely an agreement with Italy and it is very happy to have Ireland as part of the combined effort in the Mediterranean. It makes sense, however, to try to manage numbers in relatively few locations, rather than all over Europe. The Deputy is right that there is a conversation under way, one that needs to be held,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Properties (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: In July 1998, the Government approved a programme for the evacuation and sale of six Army barracks considered no longer necessary for military requirements. Magee Barracks was one of the barracks identified for closure and disposal. On 1 July 2003 the Government decided the former Magee Barracks in Kildare town would be among the State lands released to Kildare County Council for inclusion...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I do not know whether the Deputy is suggesting that the almost 1,200 people who have been rescued to date should have been brought back to Ireland. If we had to steam for four or five days to come back to Cork Harbour or somewhere else in Ireland, the practicalities of that would mean we could not be effective in the Mediterranean. We are trying to assist in a massive task. Thousands of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is important to state that what Ireland is doing in the Mediterranean forms part of a collective effort. The UK and Germany are also there and Italy is heavily involved in co-ordinating search and rescue operations, processing asylum applications and looking after people's needs, which are complex. Large numbers are involved. This is a major issue and will not go away any time soon, so...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I will answer the question that was tabled and revert on the refugee issue. To be clear, the LE Eithneis not engaged in Operation Triton or in any form of border security operation as part of its deployment to the Mediterranean. Section 3 of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 permits, with the approval of the Government, the despatch of Naval Service vessels and personnel for humanitarian...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Property (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: -----ask me to do the impossible.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: A number of questions have been tabled on the operations in the Mediterranean and I thank colleagues for raising that issue. We made a decision a number of weeks ago to send a ship to the Mediterranean.It caused a few eyebrows to be raised at the time because this is the first overseas mission for the Naval Service. Most people would recognise now that it has been a very worthy mission and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I attended a meeting of both Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers at which this issue and how we can respond to it was discussed. It is very unusual to have such a combined meeting. A decision was made in principle to set up EUNAVFOR Med, which essentially has a number of phases to it, ranging from patrolling and rescue to trying to target and undermine some of the people trafficking...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Property (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will know that the housing challenges faced by Kildare County Council can hardly be put on me. We have tried to be as helpful as we can in respect of people who are still in properties they should legally have vacated a long time ago in most cases. They knew that when they joined the Defence Forces. They knew the rules. We are not putting anybody out of houses and onto the...