Results 8,941-8,960 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows, this is primarily a matter for the Revenue Commissioners. I will get an update from the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, for him.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We all appreciate the good work that CE workers do, but I am not in a position to confirm any time-limited commitment on a finalised decision on this matter.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Like with a lot of other things, this is not a left versus right issue. it is a rule of law issue. Deputy Coppinger should send me the details if she has individual cases she would like me to follow up on and I will try to do that.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, to come back to Deputy McGrath with the detail on that matter.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I simply have not been involved in this conversation as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. I am aware Deputy Shortall raised the matter in the House yesterday. I will have to get the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, to come back directly to the Deputy on it. If there is a foreign affairs element to it, I can be brought into the conversation but I am not aware there is at the moment.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Every time the Deputy takes to his feet in the House, he seems to be calling for a new protest over something. I understand the frustrations and anger over the housing crisis. They are very genuine. I served in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and know this only too well. There are far too many people who are homeless. There are far too many families and children,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is not me who is saying it. It is in the statistics.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I accept that there is anger. At times, protest is part of democracy. We respect and accept that. There have been many protests, understandably, in respect of the need to resolve what has been a housing crisis for a number of years. We are responding to that with a lot more money and policies that are actually working. The Deputy does not have to trust me on that; he should look at the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The issue of how local authorities deal with their tenants is one for those authorities to debate and discuss. I do not have the detailed rationale on why a decision may be made on modest increases in rent but I believe people have a right to ask the question.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: People do have a right to ask why it should ever be acceptable to ask for a modest increase in the contribution towards rental charges if they are seeing changes in conditions and investment by local authorities and so on but that is a matter for South Dublin County Council. I am sure that, like us, the Deputy has colleagues on that council who are well able to speak up and argue their points.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The important point is that we are providing significantly more social houses year on year. More than 10,000 extra houses have been added to the stock this year. These are not fantasy numbers; they are very real.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: They will support families in a very real way.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I heard about this issue only this morning, as I am sure the Deputy did. My understanding is that the matter is very much under investigation by an Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána is liaising with the insurance industry as a whole to try to get a handle on the extent of the problem, which seems to involve significant numbers. It is consumers who are vulnerable. They...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: This, of course, does involve quite a number of potential legal cases so I need to be careful about what I say. The State's approach to cases like this and others is to try to resolve them outside the court setting in a non-adversarial way, but there has to be acceptance of blame. I expect that there will be an effort to try to resolve genuine cases outside of court. I will get the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: One of the first things the Government did from a healthcare perspective, within weeks of taking office, was to try to get agreement across all parties in the House to an approach to healthcare that would be consistent regardless of who was in government over the next ten years. We are committed to this process. Like other parties in the House, Deputy Kelly's party signed up and committed...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Advertising is regulated. If people are making claims that are not accurate, there need to be consequences. I accept that. I also accept we have to have a public health system that delivers the best outcomes for complex healthcare in all areas. We cannot have a situation where public hospitals are substandard compared with private hospitals. That is not acceptable. The whole point of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The background to this is that, between 2014 and 2019, compensation of the order of €47 million was paid annually to local authorities in lieu of commercial rates from Irish Water. Irish Water is liable for commercial rates from 2020 and the need for compensation in lieu of commercial rates ceases. The apportionment of the valuation of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am sure the Deputy knows that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has met Waterford Oireachtas Members on this issue in recent weeks. Exchequer funding for local authorities has increased in recent years, including the allocation for next year for Waterford City and County Council of just over €3 million. This is an increase of just under...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister has said many times that he recognises the role community pharmacists play in the delivery of patient care and the potential for this role to be developed further in the context of health service reform and modernisation. Recognising that critical role, the Minister is committed to root-and-branch review of the pharmacy contract in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I do not know whether the Deputy knows it or not but the Minister responded to a Topical Issue on this matter raised by Deputy Brassil yesterday. I would suggest that Deputy Calleary have a look at the detailed response given by the Minister. I know only too well how hard pharmacies work. My office on the main street in Carrigaline is within 20 yd. of two large pharmacies that I know well....