Results 11,101-11,120 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I share the view that the Irish fishing industry needs to be prioritised, because like in farming, many of the decisions we make as politicians, whether in Brussels or in Dublin, impact directly on the livelihoods and the opportunities for fishermen in terms of the stocks they catch and the trade deals done that allow us to export and sell that catch profitably. The connection between...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I do not think the Deputy is giving a fair reflection of what the food policy in Food Wise 2025 actually is. He talks about massive expansion in beef production, which we are not planning for. We are planning for a sustainable and controlled expansion, particularly in the dairy industry, but we are not talking about significant expansion of beef production. What we are doing is recognising...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am also a father of young children, as are many other Members. To outline how the system works, the primary childhood immunisation scheme was amended in 2016 to include the introduction to the meningitis B vaccine for all babies born on or after 1 October of that year. This change to the immunisation scheme took effect from 1 December 2016. The three doses of the vaccine are administered...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that there is no issue with political will in this regard. It is about doing the right thing on the basis of medical advice and the recommendations of experts - in this case from the committee responsible for making recommendations for immunisation schemes. It is important to try to assure parents that meningitis B is most common in babies under the age of one, all of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I did not hear the Minister for Finance's contribution yesterday but I expect that it was the kind of contribution one would expect of him, outlining the practical realities of how to manage a plan to spend €114 billion over ten years in order to significantly improve infrastructure across the country, including schools, hospitals, roads, flood protection systems and so on. This...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: Fianna Fáil's record on the national children's hospital is not one to write home about.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The children's hospital was being planned long before the Project Ireland 2040 plan was signed off. The Minister for Health advised the Government in December that the overall cost to complete the national children's hospital project was €1.4333 billion-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: -----which is €450 million more than advised to Government in April 2017, when the Government gave the green light for the construction of the hospital. A full €319 million of additional costs relate to construction costs and the balance of €131 million, which includes €50 million in VAT, relates to costs associated with staff, consultants, planning, design team...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: -----has clearly increased.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: There are many other projects that are being delivered on time and within budget. The capital expenditure programme that we are now managing is increasing by around €1.4 billion this year alone. This represents a 24% increase in capital expenditure in one year and is based on our recognition of the under-investment in capital for the last decade, for reasons that we all...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: A Proposed Regulation on strengthening the security of ID cards and of residence documents was submitted by the Commission on 17 April 2018. Irish officials at the Permanent Representation in Brussels, as well as representatives of the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs, engaged extensively in discussions on the proposed Regulation to ensure that the institutions and EU Member States...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 to 52, inclusive, together. I am deeply concerned about the violence which has accompanied recent protests in Sudan, including credible reports of the use of live fire by the Government of Sudan and of multiple deaths. Demonstrations, triggered by spiralling costs of living, began in the city of Atbara in the north east of the country on 19 December...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is a long-standing contributor to the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and has contributed an average of €85,000 each year since 2010. The Trust Fund provides direct assistance to victims of torture and their family members in 79 countries worldwide. This assistance can take the form of humanitarian, medical, psychological, legal, social and financial aid. Grants are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of the report to which the Deputy refers. The recent peace monitoring report from the Community Relations Council is extensive and covers topics ranging from the Northern Irish economy to LGBT rights. The report highlights the continuing challenges facing Northern Ireland and the peace process overall, and how they are being exacerbated both by the continued absence of a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government’s 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 the importance of the landbridge in getting Irish products, in particular agrifood products, to market on continental Europe. This is an important issue with regard to protecting the competitiveness of our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: Making the case for supporting measures at EU level that recognise where Brexit represents a serious disturbance to the Irish economy is a key pillar of the Government’s response to Brexit. There is a firm understanding at EU level of the unique and disproportionate impact that Brexit will have on Ireland. This has been reflected in a number of concrete measures and commitments to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: My Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available internally, particularly for capital projects where independent project evaluation advice is required for key decisions. During the course of their engagements, these consultants/experts may prepare reports and other documentation for the Department. This work contributes to a more effective and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: As a matter of record, we made a point yesterday of briefing Opposition parties first before taking questions from the media and briefing them. I believe that was the right thing to do because we are relying on the co-operation of Opposition parties to get a significant legislation through the House in an extraordinary circumstance. The common travel area memorandum of understanding to be...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (16 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The Government regrets the outcome of last night's vote in the House of Commons on the Withdrawal Agreement. In the very short period since the vote, I have not spoken to Mr Juncker or Mr Barnier. As President Juncker stated after the vote, what we need from the UK is clarity on how it proposes to move forward. This was reiterated by Michel Barnier in his address to the European Parliament...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Data (16 Jan 2019)

Simon Coveney: The total number of full time equivalent staff in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is 1,763 including local staff engaged in diplomatic and consular missions abroad. My Department employs staff with a range of qualifications both generalist and specialist including inter aliadevelopment specialists, architects, project managers, accountants, economists, HR specialists, ICT...