Results 11,601-11,620 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: With respect, I find that slightly contradictory. The Deputy has asked me two questions today. The first was on how we respond to a climate change phenomenon that is resulting in more extreme weather and a flooding threat. At the same time, he is advocating for burning turf. For me, that is a contradiction. In Bord na Móna, we have a State company we are very proud of. It has...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: As I said, in order to access funding for projects a process needs to be followed.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: With respect, we do not bypass the process because the Deputy raises it here in the Dáil. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is considering this application. As I said, he understands flooding and is doing an excellent job in understanding local complexities and investing in flood management systems. One of those investments is to ensure rivers flow and are not blocked...

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

Simon Coveney: The only information I have on it is what I have read in the media, in social media in particular. I would be surprised of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials had not been informed by their colleagues in Scotland and we will take appropriate action.

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

Simon Coveney: Not that I am aware of.

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

Simon Coveney: I understand it is under review by the committee. It is a matter for the committee Chairman and the committee to make recommendations to Government on it.

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

Simon Coveney: I am not sure if it is helpful for me to give more oxygen to this issue in this House. One of the things we should and could be quite proud of in the context of elections in Ireland and politics in Ireland generally is that most of the time candidates do not resort to politics of the lowest common denominator, trying to build a profile through feeding a prejudice that undoubtedly is there...

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

Simon Coveney: The Government has a strong record in trying to change the conversation on the relationship between Travellers and the settled community. The former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, made a very emotive and powerful speech here when we recognised Traveller ethnicity in Ireland. Since then, the Minister of State, Deputy David Stanton, to his credit, has followed words with actions in regard to a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will come back to the Deputy with a detailed answer from the Minister.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is the Minister is endeavouring to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Of course, it is unacceptable that those who rely on illness benefit are not able to receive the basic income they should expect and are entitled to receive from the State. Whether there are IT or negotiation issues in dealing with concerns about delays in obtaining information from GPs, I...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I received a note while the Deputy was asking his supplementary question. The Department wants to reassure all customers that they will be paid the correct amount up to the end of the period of their illness as certified by their GP. No customer will lose out in respect of-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Department is working to address the issue and hope to have it resolved quickly. It is assigning additional staff to claim processing work to enable other experienced staff to be dedicated to call answering and dealing with customer queries. It recognises that, owing to the high level of calls to the illness benefit section, customers have not been able to reach a dedicated staff member...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: In some ways, this is an example of a bigger issue and challenge we face nationally. We are seeing more extreme weather cycles. Undoubtedly, climate change is happening. Not only do we need to do more to mitigate its effects, we also need to spend very large sums of money to adapt to more dramatic weather cycles, including for flood relief measures. We need to ensure that rivers large and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is both topical and very important. The Minister, Deputy Harris, announced the availability of a free smear test in response to women who are feeling concerned. This was one of the key issues raised on the helpline, and doctors also raised it with the Minister. The level of uptake showed that many women wished to get the reassurance of a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I do not disagree with the Deputy on that. The least women deserve is a full understanding and truth around the timelines and the pressures involved in this process. Many people will understand the reason for those pressures. We have a finite number of laboratories we have contracts with and with which we work. Repatriating laboratories for testing will not solve the problem in the short...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising these issues and giving me an opportunity to respond to them specifically. Plans are under way for the winter initiative and have already begun to start kicking in to place. The Department of Health is working with the HSE to ensure local and regional plans are consolidated and supported through policies and plans at national level. The idea is to ensure the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: What I can give the Deputy is a commitment that we are planning for this. We have put money behind those plans. We will ensure that everything possible is done through better management, better policy and more funding to ensure the pressures that come through the winter on our healthcare system, in particular on our hospitals, are managed in the best way they can be. The Minister for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: We have seen the benefit of that. From the peak of 86,000 people on waiting lists in July 2017, we have seen quite a dramatic reduction since then. The figure is a little over 70,000 now, which is a reduction of 16%. This is not only about promises and plans. It is about reducing waiting times and waiting lists, but there is still more work to do.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: In the course of our work, regular interaction can be made with prominent Irish citizens, including for example at Irish community or other official functions, but there have been no specific interactions or meetings with the named individuals.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Data (18 Oct 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service does not maintain details of the current residence of passport holders. As outlined in the following table, the Passport Service can provide details of the number of passports issued, since 2008, to Irish citizens who were resident in the USA at the time of the passport application. The table also records the number of applicants since 2018 who were resident in the USA...