Results 12,101-12,120 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Generally, when I get a response like that, it is recognition that the Deputy's own approach is fundamentally flawed.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Sinn Féin's approach to water charges has been inconsistent and a joke, quite frankly.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: It would certainly not deal with the serious challenges the country faces this week, next week and later in the summer. Once again, I thank Irish Water for its work and the co-ordination it is providing. I reassure Irish Water that the Government will continue to fund the capital infrastructure that is needed. To the public, I note that while the vast majority of people are enjoying the...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Sometimes it is hard to know where to start with the Deputy on this issue.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Thank God we now have a single water entity that is trying to manage the challenges we face nationally.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: It is actually doing a reasonably good job.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: The reason we have so many leaks in our pipes is because we had more than 30 different entities managing water infrastructure in the past, many of which were under-resourced in terms of what they needed to do. What we now have is a single entity that is planning for future national water usage needs. It is managing a difficult weather situation right now and will continue to do so over the...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: I would like to thank Irish Water for the work it is doing in very difficult circumstances, the partnerships it is developing with organisations such as the IFA and other organisations and the partnerships it has with local authorities. This allows it to concentrate on the areas that are feeling the most water stress and shortage right now in order to ensure the resources, experience and...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Does the Deputy know how much has been saved in the last year? He should quote the whole truth.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: In his first question, Deputy Howlin was asking us to borrow a whole lot more.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: What we have been doing - Deputy Howlin had a part in the first half of this - is fixing an economy to ensure it is fit for purpose and we do not create bubbles in any of its sectors. We have been warned by many independent economists this year not to overspend or allow Ireland to fall back into a cycle of boom and bust, which, unfortunately, has happened repeatedly in recent Irish history....
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: I have heard the Deputy raise this question before. To be honest, I was a little surprised by his argumentation given his knowledge of what it is like to try to steer a country through a financial crisis. That is what Deputy Howlin had to do when he was Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and, by the way, I think he did it very well. People forget very quickly what it is like when...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: The €3.4 billion is in our view what the country should be spending next year, recognising the fact that we now have a strong economy with the capacity to fund that kind of increased expenditure. However, we are not in the business of borrowing more money and increasing national debt at a time when we should be trying to reduce it so that if in the future the economy faces a shock to...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: The €500 million in terms of a rainy day fund is not part of that €3.4 billion. It is a prudent, sensible measure that has been recommended and supported in government to ensure that we do put some money aside in case we have shocks in the future to which the Government needs to respond in a responsible way.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: I refer to the activity figures for the week of 6 June in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, where many of these operations and spinal fusions take place. The hospital expects to carry out 196 spinal fusions and 251 other spinal procedures this year and activity figures for the week ending 6 June indicate that so far this year, 69 spinal fusions and 113 other spinal procedures have...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: In its time in government, Fianna Fáil tried to bring in radical changes that did not work.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: We now have consistency of approach------
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: -----such that we know where we are going. We are appointing a director to deliver Sláintecare. We are spending more on healthcare than ever before and putting beds back into the system that Fianna Fáil should never have taken out.
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: Many Deputies have dealt with children, parents and families who are impacted by scoliosis. We are aware of the pressures involved and the need for early intervention, given how scoliosis develops. There is much stress, frustration and anger among many parents. That is why the Government and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, have prioritised this area for rapid progress. As more...
- Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2018)
Simon Coveney: I do find it a bit much when Deputy Martin tries to take credit for some of the things that are offering marginal improvements at the moment but takes no responsibility for his own actions and those of his party when in government. Fianna Fáil was the party that took beds out of the system when there was loads of money to spend.