Results 12,041-12,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff Recruitment (10 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: Officers join the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through standard recruitment practices i.e., through competitions run under licence directly by this Department or by the Public Appointments Service, or through transfer/redeployment from another government Department under standard transfer/redeployment arrangements. The Department follows centrally agreed sequencing arrangements...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is a very relevant issue that the Deputy raises. We have repeatedly introduced new thinking and new policy to support people who are struggling to pay their mortgages. We have done so through the Abhaile system, which provides free legal support and financial advice to people, mortgage interest relief, which lightens the burden somewhat, and a range of other supports which allow people...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: There is a very easy answer to that one. Irish citizens want to know what is going on and they want to know what Global Ireland is all about. We are going to commit substantial public resources to expanding our diplomatic network of consulates and embassies. We will commit substantially more resources to our development aid programme in Africa and across the Middle East. The public has a...

Local Government (Restoration of Town Councils) Bill 2018: First Stage (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: No.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I spent the day in London yesterday and met five British Ministers who will all be involved in what I understand will be quite an intensive debate tomorrow on trying to stabilise and firm up a British approach towards these negotiations, which we have been awaiting for quite a long time. The issues the Deputy has raised will be part of that discussion but there will also be other elements to...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: We can only judge when we see the outcome of the meeting and we should not take anything for granted. There is clearly a divided Cabinet. I believe the meeting of the British Cabinet that takes place tomorrow, which is a day-long meeting on Brexit only, will be a significant discussion. We will have to judge the outcomes when we see what they are.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: What I can certainly respond on is the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which was published by the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, before Christmas and is expected to be on Committee Stage in the coming weeks. The Minister certainly responded on this issue on Tuesday and stated she is very anxious to try to progress this legislation before the end of the term.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy directly but my understanding is there is ongoing consultation with GPs in this regard.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: In some ways, there are two different issues here but they are both very fair questions. With regard to the releasing of slides, which essentially allow women to access their full medical records, including slides as part of that, there should be no delay in that.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I accept that. There should not be a delay in that and I will raise it directly with the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the HSE. On the protocol issue, my understanding, from speaking to the Department of Health before coming in this morning, is that the idea is to put a new protocol in place when we have the Scally report finalised so we have a fully informed process around putting new...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: That is a discussion that has been taking place at Cabinet during this question time. My understanding is that the legal advice available to Government makes a clear and strong recommendation that the most appropriate way to deal with this is simply to delete the section from the Constitution. Of course, there is a recognition that the discussion and debate around the importance of caring,...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I believe the appropriate course of action is a simple deletion but also to put a process in place to deal with the other issues that have been raised.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is that a Topical Issue matter on that will be dealt with later today so the Deputy will probably get a more detailed answer then. I would refer to what I said earlier on this issue.

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I agree with a lot of what the Deputy said. There has been quite a bit of discussion in government on this issue. How do we ensure future elections in Ireland are not being influenced inappropriately, as has clearly been the case in other countries? We certainly cannot rely on the voluntary decisions of large multimedia companies to protect the democracies we have an obligation to protect....

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I would like to take a look at the detail of what the Deputy is asking for. This is primarily a matter for the companies involved. We cannot force them or we are certainly not proposing to do that in this call but I will take a look at it. The substantive point made by the Deputy is a very relevant one. As a Government, we have asked a number of people to look at this and come back with...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not aware that the Government has any intention of trying to slow down this Bill. It is a Private Members' Bill so it needs to go through the processes.

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am not aware of any intention on the part of the Government to slow that down. We agree with the sentiments the Deputy has just outlined. There is no place in society and there should not have been in the past for the kind of violent discrimination on the basis of identity or sexuality. I am glad to say that we are a changed country in that regard so we need to make sure legislation is...

Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government needs to read and study that report before making decisions on it, but I think I can safely say that the Government wants to continue to support lone parents in an appropriate way. They do face challenges that other families do not face and they do need to get additional supports, as they currently do. If there are unintended anomalies because of policy, the Government will...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am glad to update the House on the encouraging trends in the increased supply of houses. This is a market that has been under pressure for a number of years. It is one we are going to fix, but it will take some time. New CSO figures for new dwelling completions will clearly show the general upward trend across all housing construction activity. Essentially, more than 18,000 new homes...

Leaders' Questions (5 Jul 2018)

Simon Coveney: Some 14,500 were new build homes occupied for the first time. These figures do not include over 2,000 new student bed spaces also completed last year. Permission to build 24,531 new homes was granted in the 12 months up to March 2018, up almost 40% on the figure for the previous 12 months. In the first quarter of 2018 alone planning permission was granted for 8,500 new homes, an increase of...