Results 10,021-10,040 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Israeli Settlements (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Crowe knows only too well what the Government's position is on the recognition of Palestine. We have a clear programme for Government commitment that we want to recognise the state of Palestine, but in the context of an agreed solution. The Deputy asked what Ireland is doing. The answer is that we are doing a lot at the UN and EU levels. I have been to Israel and Palestine on three...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Israeli Settlements (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". I have been consistent on settlements, whether I am speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Dr. Saeb Erekat, a European Commissioner or other Ministers for foreign affairs. It is important that we say the same things in this House as we would say in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Ramallah. We challenge people but also try to work with them to find a way...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Israeli Settlements (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: Are we still discussing Palestine?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is a question that I have asked in the Department. The assessment has been that the focus needed to be on more staff. Last year, many people who were waiting for the return of renewed passports were simply unable to get someone at the end of a phone to give them accurate information because there were too many calls and not enough people to answer them. Because we do have the capacity...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Israeli Settlements (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 60, 69, 94 and 95 together. The relentless process of settlement expansion and related activities in the West Bank, including forced removal of Palestinians from their homes, is critically damaging the viability of a future Palestinian state, and thus the prospects for a peace agreement and an end to the conflict. I have consistently made this view very...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that our contingency planning for no deal will continue. We would have been able to manage no deal but there is no question but that it would have put a lot of pressure on the system. There are certain areas of the economy that would have been, and still are, very vulnerable to a no-deal Brexit. I do not believe anybody is trying to blame anybody else. Ireland is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The most recent conversation I had was with Mr. Jeffrey Donaldson at the Fine Gael national conference. I have not had any detailed discussions. I suspect there may have been some back-channel conversations between the Government and the DUP but certainly nothing of any real substance. I do not get the impression that the DUP is proposing to change its position so we are now focusing on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: A number of us in this Chamber know a lot about passports. My Department engages in advertising and public messaging where there is important information on passports that needs to be brought to the attention of citizens. Several passport service public information campaigns have been initiated in recent years, including promoting the online passport renewal service. There has also been...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Passport Services (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for his comments on the staff of the Passport Office. They do an extraordinary job under very pressurised circumstances. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of applications for passports this year, on top of a big increase last year. We have made a significant amount of change in the office in terms of efficiency and extra staff. We strengthened the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: From the start of the Brexit discussions, we have been working to ensure Irish and British citizens in Northern Ireland will continue to be able to access the rights and privileges that come with EU citizenship. Irish citizens in Northern Ireland are EU citizens, just like Deputy Crowe and me. They will not be resident in the EU, however. Obviously, this poses obvious challenges. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: We are trying to ensure that where necessary, we ask for the British Government to review its approach towards immigration issues. When asked for that, the British Prime Minister responded positively. We have not yet seen the result of that review. I expect we will see it shortly. It is a matter for the British Government. We expect that the British Government will follow through on both...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: As we all know, the European Council agreed on 10 April last to extend the date of the UK's departure from the EU until 31 October. If the UK ratifies the withdrawal agreement before then, it will leave the EU on the first day of the following month. One of the conditions of the extension is that the UK must now hold European Parliament elections. If it does not, the UK will leave the EU...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Parliament Elections (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I share the Deputy's concerns. The European elections, because they will be taking place across the entirety of the EU, potentially can be undermined by disinformation, fake news and people paying for false information to be used on social media platforms to try to impact the result of elections. The sense across the European Union that we need to work together to combat this activity is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Parliament Elections (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: On the interdepartmental group on security of Ireland's electoral process and disinformation, which reported in December 2017, there are three initiatives in this area that are worth noting: an open policy forum on regulation of transparency of online political advertising to identify balanced and transparent policy solutions to protect our electoral processes from hidden influences and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Good Friday Agreement (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to address this issue because I know there has been a lot of online activity in regard to these concerns in recent weeks. The Government is committed to ensuring that the vital citizenship and identity provisions of the Good Friday Agreement are respected and upheld in all relevant policy areas. I am fully aware of the concerns that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Parliament Elections (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The European Council conclusions of June 2018 called for the formulation of an action plan with specific proposals for a co-ordinated EU response to disinformation. A joint action plan was subsequently developed by the Commission and the European External Action Service and endorsed by the European Council in December 2018, with the aim of improving the detection and analysis of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Withdrawal Agreement, as approved by the European Council and agreed with the British Government in November, provides for a period of transition, up to December 2020, during which EU rules and regulations will continue to apply to the UK, including regulatory alignment on agriculture matters.  Under the measures included in the backstop, should it need to be invoked, a UK-wide...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Preparations (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government’s preparedness and contingency planning for Brexit has from the start included issues relating to the continued effective use of the UK landbridge. This is a priority for the Government given its importance for Irish exporters and importers as a means of access to the rest of the single market, in particular with regard to agri-food products. This is an important issue...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63, 73 and 87 together. I am deeply concerned by the grave humanitarian situation in Venezuela, where conditions have deteriorated further due to the devastating impact of recent blackouts. Ireland, along with our EU partners, has repeatedly called on President Maduro to acknowledge the full scale of the humanitarian crisis. Reports of ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Agreements (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Coveney: I and my Government colleagues regret that it did not prove possible to secure passage of the Irish E3 Visa Bill in December, during the last term of the outgoing US Congress. That Bill, if passed, would have provided for an important new legal pathway for Irish citizens to live, work and make a valuable contribution in the US. While this was disappointing news for all who care about the...