Results 9,001-9,020 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We take the issue of financial management very seriously, but we have not yet had sight of the report. We are effectively relying on briefings and leaks. When the Government receives the detail of the report, it will act on it, as appropriate.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy should know, the Government has provided significant extra resources for the Border region.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy claims to know Kerry very well but he is not describing a place that I recognise when I go there. It is a very vibrant county with fantastic towns. It still attracts huge numbers of tourists that increase each year who come for the experience of the music, the culture and fun. The Deputy might be in the business of talking Kerry down but I am not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is also why this Government wants to invest to ensure that more people can continue to visit the great county of Kerry. That is why we are going to invest €281 million building the Macroom Ballyvourney bypass to improve access from Cork to Kerry. That is why we continue to invest in the Wild Atlantic Way tourism initiative, on which Kerry has been a fantastic leader, and why we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I agree with the Deputy on one thing. There is rural isolation which is something that the Government is responding to and will continue to do so. That is why we will spend billions of euro on the national broadband scheme, to ensure that everyone in Kerry, regardless of where they live will be able to access high-speed broadband and all the services that will bring directly into their...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The first thing we need to do with people on our roads is to ensure they are capable of driving and are not impacted by alcohol or drugs or anything else that can endanger others who use those roads. Surely any responsible public representative would advocate for that as the first priority. After that we need to try to ensure that we support people in terms of socialising and getting to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I do not order the business for next week but I am sure that the Minister will be available to answer any of those questions. I outlined earlier what the winter plan is about, namely keeping people out of hospital and moving people through the hospital system as quickly as possible.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Two reports are being launched today concerning children and families experiencing homelessness. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs is reporting on the impact of homelessness on children and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government report is on family and child homelessness. The Government...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: There is already a child focus. When we were designing family hubs we did it with Barnardos and other child specialist NGOs and organisations. When I was Minister with responsibility for housing I worked with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, to ensure that children's services and supports were part of the planning and investment, as well as with other Ministers...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I have not. They were not published before Leaders' Questions started. I will read them, as I am very interested in this area. There will be statements in the House next week on child homelessness. If this legislation makes sense, the Government will support it and if it does not, we will give reasons why we cannot.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: This is about a number of things, not just passing legislation. If we pass legislation providing for rights, that does not solve the problem overnight. It is about an allocation of resources and ensuring that we can follow through on our commitments to children. Simply passing legislation and expecting that to solve the problem does not necessarily make sense on the ground for families,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I outlined in response to Deputy Calleary what the winter plan aims to do. There are two different issues here. The first is the ongoing pressure on emergency departments that we have seen through the summer and into the autumn, particularly in hospitals such as the university hospitals in Limerick and Cork. I am more than familiar with that. The answer there is increased resources and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: On home care packages, we are providing for an additional 1 million hours next year.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We are significantly increasing resources for home care packages. In terms of developing service plans, we are also asking the HSE to make sure that it anticipates the full cost of opening beds, including staff, as well as the required capital expenditure. That is how one manages a health system to ensure that one spends the funding available as efficiently as one can. One cannot at the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Both Deputies mentioned the Rotunda Hospital. I assure people that following what Professor Malone stated in the media the Department immediately sought reassurance from the hospital that safe and appropriate care was bring provided for infants cared for at the neonatal intensive care unit, NICU.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: In addition, the Department sought information regarding the immediate and medium-term actions being taken by the hospital and hospital group to address any concerns. The Minister for Health will get a report on that shortly.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is what we are getting the report on.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising these issues again. I assure the House that the Government is more than aware of the pressure that hospitals and their staff are under, as well as the strain and stress that many patients experience, particularly in overcrowded conditions in hospital accident and emergency departments. That is why we are launching the detail today of a winter plan to ensure...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is better than his comment on spin just now. There are real issues here and are not about money that is being spent on public relations. It is about applying significantly increased resourcing to healthcare to provide better services for patients, to bring about better management of our hospitals, and to fund improved discharge in order that people can move out of hospital when...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (14 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 40 together. The associated issues of environmental degradation and human rights abuses are widespread problems across Latin America. Our new Embassy in Bogotá has been engaging on these issues in Colombia, including in La Guajira and has maintained regular contact with all relevant stakeholders in order to gain a greater understanding of the...