Results 10,721-10,740 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: Believe me, we know the stories and frustrations of parents who are trying to get supports and access to professional services for their children. There is no lack of motivation on this side of the House to improve services. My understanding is recruitment is the biggest challenge in getting the professionals we need, but the recruitment process is well under way. I have given the Deputy...

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

Simon Coveney: First, I thank the Deputy for raising this hugely serious issue. As a former Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I assure the Deputy that I and Deputy Creed and the Cabinet as a whole are more than aware of the potential threats to the agrifood industry and the beef sector in particular. There are about 130,000 farm families in Ireland and about 100,000 of these get income from...

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

Simon Coveney: I can assure the Deputy that the Government understands only too well the pressures that the sector is under. It has been a difficult year for beef on many levels. Regardless of the question marks and frustrations that some people may have concerning factories, their interactions with farmers and so on - that is an ongoing and testing relationship, as it should be - something much more...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together. I was deeply disappointed by Israel’s announcement that the mandate for the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) would not be renewed. The TIPH, a civilian observer mission which was established in 1997 as part of United Nations Security Council Resolution 904 and the Oslo II accords, has played an important role in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Registration of Births (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Applications generally take 6 months to process from the time all of the required documentation has been submitted to the Foreign Births Registration team. Applications requiring clarification or further...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: I attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 18 February. Foreign Ministers had an exchange of views on the situation in the Horn of Africa. Acknowledging the positive dynamics, Ministers called for increased EU engagement in the region. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Maidan, Ministers stressed EU solidary with Ukraine and support for the reform process there....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: As detailed in my response to this question on 14 February, under the Air Navigation (Carriage of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973, as amended, civil aircraft are prohibited from carrying weapons or munitions in Irish sovereign airspace or into Irish airports unless they receive an exemption from the Minister for Transport. In considering such applications, the Department of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: It is good to see everyone, particularly those who have taken the time to travel to be here with us. I thank the Chairman for the invitation to meet the joint committee. The meeting is timely to discuss a full range of issues related to implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process generally. There are a number of issues I would like to address in my opening...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: There are a lot of questions there. I will try to be accurate in the answers. Deputy Breathnach referred to the impact of a no-deal Brexit. A no-deal Brexit will put huge pressure on the economies of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Britain as well as on the economies of other member states. No one should pretend we can have a contingency plan which is comprehensive enough to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: I will start with Ms Gildernew's questions and comments. Like a lot of other people we were very concerned to read and hear the story last week in regard to incomplete evidence. We continue to follow that story closely. Obviously, the police ombudsman in Northern Ireland plays an important role in supporting public confidence in the new policing arrangements as envisaged in Patten. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Yes, and I have never moved away from my comments on that occasion. I am entitled to have hopes and dreams for this island too but I need to respect those of everybody else. I expect other people to respect mine and this is how we can all live together. Hopefully, it is how we can get through Brexit too. On the omnibus Bill, we cannot do everything through national legislation. We can do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: We will deal with that in the legislation tomorrow. It is an important part of the taxation element.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Does the Chairman want to let Senator Daly contribute first?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Senator. I think everyone has contributed. Mr. Maskey asked what we had been doing about the equality issues. Some of those present might remember how, the summer before last and shortly after I entered this job, when we went straight into the heat of negotiations, I made it clear that it was a previous British Government commitment under the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Perhaps the committee has but it has not happened while I have been here. We have to be honest with ourselves. This is not a fully representative committee. There are no unionists in this room. I know the witnesses can say they choose not to turn up, but that does not solve the problem. If we are going to have a real conversation here in the future about Northern Ireland and its future,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Yes. I do not think anybody here is looking to exclude anybody-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: -----but there is a-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: We need to think about that. As a committee, how do we change the structure that would make it more inviting for others to come here? I do not think it will happen during the Brexit process per se, but after we get through this difficult period-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: Great. That would be really good. On the criteria for calling for a Border poll, we know what they are in the Good Friday Agreement. Basically, it is up to the judgment of the Secretary of State, as to whether he or she thinks there is a majority that has effectively changed its mind or has a new perspective that needs to be taken account of. Some would say that is not ideal but that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2019)

Simon Coveney: We, in the Republic of Ireland, cannot legislate for a Border poll in a way that is not consistent with the Good Friday Agreement.