Results 11,581-11,600 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Supports (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 187 together. In addition to the range of supports outlined by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphries, T.D., in Parliamentary Questions Nos. 93 and 94 on 10 October 2018, our Embassy in London also arranges and facilitates a range of export-related business events and has done so for many years. These events, which...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: In the past three years, I have not met nor had correspondence with the named individual. In the course of the work of my Department, there is regular interaction with prominent Irish citizens, including for example at Irish community or other official functions and correspondence can arise in relation to such events. For example, an invitation issued to the named individual from my...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Good Friday Agreement (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 to 194, inclusive, together. The full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements is a priority for my Department and indeed the Government as a whole. The Government fully endorses the legitimate aspiration to unity expressed in Article 3 of the Constitution, as amended by the people in 1998. The principle of consent and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Local Authority Funding (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: My Department administers a number of funding programmes, including Ireland's official overseas development programme, Irish Aid, and the Emigrant Support Programme which supports Irish communities overseas. There is no funding designated specifically for local authorities under any of these programmes. Other funding programmes include the Reconciliation Fund through which my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Investigations (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. The case referred to by the Deputy was discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 15 October. All were in agreement that an investigation into the case isthe priority now. In the meantime, following confirmation that Mr Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, High Representative Mogherini has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I met with Michel Barnier on 16 October, ahead of the October General Affairs Council meeting that same day. We discussed developments in the ongoing negotiations between the EU and UK on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. We also had a constructive exchange on the issue of fundamental rights and EU citizens’ rights in Northern Ireland,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The one thing the Deputy and I agree on is that we need to get more homes built. They need to be social homes, affordable homes and private homes. Student accommodation also needs to be built because Galway is a big university city. Much of the accommodation that is currently rented by students could and should be available to individuals and families. All of those things are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: That is changing. The Government does not have an ideological attachment to a reliance on the private sector to solve social housing need. Quite the opposite is the case. It has committed tens of millions of euro to roll out one of the most ambitious social housing building programmes the State has ever seen. That is happening. It takes time to build houses and, in the meantime, we must...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am glad to have the opportunity to respond to the Deputies. This week we learned of the tragic death of a man on the grounds of Galway City Hall on Monday, 15 October. I join the Taoiseach and others in this House in extending my sympathies and condolences to the family of the man who died. Clearly, this is a very difficult time for those involved, and I ask that we respect the privacy...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Conflicts (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: We are. When the Deputy raises issues such as this, and he is genuine when he raises them, he is normally well-informed. Calling for the bombing to stop is one thing; actually making it happen is another. The way Ireland can be effective in doing that is to work through EU channels to try to do it. I am not quite sure what the Deputy is asking me to do. I have raised the Yemeni issue and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Conflicts (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: With respect, Deputy, that is because we do not have the full facts yet. As usual, the Deputy wants to be the first out to call for-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Conflicts (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----dramatic actions. We were well-informed on Salisbury before we made decisions-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Conflicts (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: -----and we have been proven to be right since. In time, we will be much better informed in regard to what happened here. The Deputy should not jump to conclusions yet despite the fact that many people have been shocked by what happened in this case, and in terms of where and how it happened. We should wait to establish what happened with as much certainty as possible. The Deputy has...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: They are not being told to sleep in a car.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: They are not being told to do that.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Issues (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will when I respond.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Conflicts (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have been monitoring the state of affairs in Yemen with growing anxiety, particularly in recent weeks as reports of the increased threat of famine have circulated. I am deeply concerned by the level of violence in Yemen and by reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Three years of war have had devastating consequences for civilians. Yemen is now the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will refer the Deputy's question to the Minister concerned. I agree that section 39 organisations are doing an extraordinarily good job in many areas. The Minister for Finance is looking at a whole series of issues on section 39 bodies. I will raise the matter of insurance and see if I can come back to the Deputy with an answer.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: We will see a new HSE service plan for next year which will involve a very significant increase in the available budget. I suggest the Deputy puts down a detailed question to the Minister for Health in regard to Tipperary.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that, in response to proposals from the credit union sector to provide funding for social housing, the Central Bank's investment framework was amended to allow for investment in tier 3 approved housing bodies via a regulated entity. Since 1 March 2018 credit unions have been permitted to provide funding via a special purpose vehicle to tier 3 approved housing bodies for...