Results 26,141-26,160 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: It was not meant to provide a political solution. The mandate is a Chapter Six peace observation role where the UN operates within a 75 km long strip, with Mount Hermon at the northern end, down along the Golan Heights. The UN had a string of posts manned by peacekeepers who were observing the adherence to an armistice and peace plan between two countries and it was hugely successful. The...

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: The UNDOF mission is not about the Syrian conflict.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: Our troops are not in the middle of that.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy should be careful with what he is saying. Our troops are not going into that.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: There are families listening to this debate. The Deputy should be careful in what he is saying.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: I am being very careful.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: There is. There are very good reasons.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: Our troops are not there.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: They are in the Golan Heights.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: There is no presence of ISIL or ISIS in the Golan Heights.

Defence Forces Mission on the Golan Heights: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: Since 1974, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, has successfully supervised the implementation of the disarmament agreement maintaining an area of separation between Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights. An infantry group of 130 personnel deployed to the UNDOF mission with the approval of Dáil Éireann in September 2013. It acts as a force reserve...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: We have not differentiated between individual islands. Cape Clear is probably quite different from the Aran Islands, which are different from Beara, which is different from Sherkin. If we were to assess all of those islands and vary the payment depending on-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: That does not necessarily follow because there are lands that are not designated as disadvantaged at all, that are not overly productive either. We will first assess the level of disadvantage of land on the basis of biophysical criteria as we are required to do. Once we have this done, we can make further decisions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: We are required to do certain things before we spend money that is co-financed from Europe. If farmers start work before getting approval, we cannot give them any money. There is an initial approval process and then there is an inspection and a whole series of form-filling, and quotations are needed from multiple contractors to ensure that farmers are getting value for money and so on. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: On what?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: I cannot give the Deputy a timeframe because until I get a timeframe for recommendations on my desk, I cannot make decisions and I am reliant on others to do that. That project has complications. It is a very big application. It is a new departure in some ways for salmon farming in terms of scale, and so it is coming under much scrutiny. I have said to the Deputy and to others in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: Hopefully we will make some decision on it this side of Christmas, but the project has moved very slowly. To be honest, it has been very frustrating from my perspective.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: The main component here is the disadvantaged areas scheme, DAS, but it is relatively straightforward. There will not be much change; it is moving from one CAP to another. However, the assessment of land under DAS will change in the coming years. Farmers who have genuinely disadvantaged land are the ones getting the payment. We will have some flexibility on that, as obviously there will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: If I could correct myself, Chairman, the new biophysical criteria for what we call the DAS but which will in future be called ANCs, must be in place by the end of 2018, so there is a bit of time, but there is a huge amount of work involved in assessing land plots. There are also many difficult decisions to be made. One of the things I hope people will welcome in terms of differentiating...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vote 30 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (23 Sep 2014)

Simon Coveney: That is true.