Results 9,041-9,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Female genital mutilation is a fundamental violation of the human rights of women and girls. It is nearly always carried out on girls under the age of 18. Approximately 3.6 million girls are at risk of being subjected to FGM each year. According to the World Health Organization, there are 200 million girls and women in 30 countries affected by...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: FGM is universally recognised as a form of gender-based violence and a fundamental violation of human rights and girls here in Ireland. The practice of FGM is estimated to affect more than 3,780 women and girls in Ireland between the ages of 15 and 45. The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012 provides for the creation of an offence of FGM and other offences relating to FGM....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: If nearly 4,000 women and girls in Ireland are impacted by this, the figure for the European Union in total is obviously many multiples of that. We would certainly like to see a consistency of approach in the law and prosecutions in this area. Perhaps I could come back to the Deputy with country-by-country details of the state of legislation in this area. Perhaps we could do some more work...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I would like to think we are already. No one is stepping back. As I said at the end of my response to the Deputy's previous question, of the 22 countries that have national plans on business and human rights, 16 of them are in the EU. The EU is trying to give leadership in this area. We have made the case that the EU should do more, although I would not say that was the only contributing...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is trying to give leadership by example so that is why we have, at national level, a national action plan with a committee chaired by Breege O'Donoghue, formerly of Primark. That committee has met three times this year, in January, April and October, and the next meeting will take place in January. The key action of the implementation committee will be to develop a practical toolkit...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I will get that detail and send it to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Armenian Genocide (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government expressed its deepest sympathy for the enormous suffering of the Armenian people during the terrible events of 1915, which resulted in the appalling deaths of large numbers of the Armenian population in the Ottoman empire. No Government has taken a position on the recognition of the events of 1915 as genocide, believing that it is not in a position to adjudicate on this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Armenian Genocide (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: Some of what the Deputy says is true but there is no international consensus on whether the events of 1915 can be considered a genocide. There has been no ruling in regard to this matter by an international court and neither the EU - that is, the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - nor the UN has recognised these events as genocide. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Armenian Genocide (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The courts, not historians.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has made a number of statements as if they are absolute facts. The truth is that there are still many unknowns with regard to how the future relationship negotiations will go. I share the Deputy's concern that the timelines are tight. Given the recent history of negotiating trade deals with other parts of the world, it generally takes years, not months, to negotiate trade deals....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I do not disagree with the Deputy about the concern about attempting to get a future relationship on a whole range of things, not just a trade deal, including fishing, data, aviation-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: -----defence and security co-operation. I accept that it is very ambitious to expect that that can be done in 11 months. We should not, however, be making statements that we will be relying on two more years being applied for. First, we have to get into a transition period. We are already preparing, as a Government, for the negotiations that will take place to make sure that the Irish...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Agreements (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The question of a legally binding treaty to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises has been under consideration by an open-ended inter-governmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises, which was established on foot of a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2014. The working group has had five...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: This is an issue that has concerned a lot of people who are watching to see how the British Government responds to it. Having spoken to the Secretary of State about this case on more than one occasion, my understanding is that there will be a comprehensive review of citizenship provisions and how they are provided for to ensure consistency with the Good Friday Agreement. We will have to...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: We need to be careful about the language we use during an election campaign. Politics is already very polarised in Northern Ireland and we need to work towards political reconciliation between parties as well as reconciliation between communities. That is why yesterday I tried to respond in an appropriate way to suggestions that there may be commitments to non-prosecution of certain state...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: The first thing on which we need to concentrate is to try to get a withdrawal agreement concluded.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I take that point. After a general election in the UK, if the Parliament ratifies the latest withdrawal agreement that has been agreed between the British Government and the EU then, in all likelihood, the UK will leave the European Union at the end of January. As part of that withdrawal agreement the political declaration sets a course for what the future relationship might look like, but...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Migrant Integration (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: They are fair questions, but, first, let me clear up a couple of points. The recent vote in the European Parliament which some Fianna Fáil MEPs did not even attend was on a non-binding resolution, but it also had legitimate problems in the context of the sharing of information in the Mediterranean. Let me be very clear: Ireland would be willing to send a ship back to the Mediterranean...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Migrant Integration (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: In this House we share genuine concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Libya in terms of the number of refugees who are staying in totally unsuitable conditions and very vulnerable circumstances. I speak to UN agencies and NGOs that have dealt with many of the people concerned. Many of their stories were shared with Irish Naval Service personnel on the decks of Irish naval vessels. I...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (12 Nov 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this case, in which I am aware he has shown consistent interest for a while. Citizenship and identity provisions are central to the Good Friday Agreement and it is vital that they be upheld. The Irish Government has consistently engaged with the British Government in support of this and will continue to do so. It is important to state Ms Emma DeSouza is an...