Results 12,181-12,200 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: Passport Applications (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I agree that better communication is the key. If thousands of people are trying to get through to the Passport Office at the same time, such volumes clearly make it impossible for the relatively small number of staff in the office to speak to everybody. It is important to note that changes for the better have been made in recent years. As a result of the use of technology and online...

Other Questions: British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 41, and 66 together. The Government has consistently affirmed its unwavering commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, GFA, and its determination as co-guarantor of the agreement to secure the effective operation of its east-west and North-South institutions. The devolved power-sharing institutions are central to the Agreement. They represent the best...

Other Questions: Passport Applications (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose taking Questions Nos. 32 and 67 together. The Passport Service is currently in its peak season for passport demand with the vast majority of applications being received between February and August each year. More than 500,000 applications have been received to date. For the first five months of the year, applications received are up by more than 8%. The service monitors...

Other Questions: Passport Applications (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I will tell the Deputy what I see as wrong. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of passport applications across multiple platforms. The online application process has worked well and we are ahead of our turnaround target times. In many cases, the turnaround time for half of online applicants is five days rather than ten days plus postage. Problems occur when children are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland cannot impose a trade embargo on Israel on a unilateral basis. Trade is a competence of the EU and the European Commission. I believe the Deputy is asking me to do something I cannot do, although I stand to be corrected on that. What I am focusing on are issues where I can have an involvement, such as advocating for products that can alleviate suffering in Gaza, advocating for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government has strongly supported the conclusion of the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed by each member state and the Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council in December 2016. This was the first bilateral agreement to be signed between the EU and Cuba. Its signature marked a further positive step forward in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am anxious to do that as quickly as we can. I have committed in this answer to have it done before the end of the year. There are only a few weeks left before we break up for the summer. I understand that legal advice is required on this before I can bring a recommendation to Government. I assure the Deputy that I am anxious to do that as quickly as possible. The Government sees the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: All I can say is that I will try to ensure that if this question comes up again towards the end of the year, we will have a more conclusive answer. It is important to say that only half of the EU member states have ratified the agreement. The other half have not and Ireland is in that half. I want to deal with this issue as quickly as we can and I will endeavour to come back to the Deputy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: Unfortunately, the Deputy is getting party-political again. To accuse me of trying to take party-political advantage out of Brexit is a cheap shot considering how open I have been in the briefings I have provided and continue to provide, both on and off the record, to all parties, including her own. What she said is also inaccurate. We are not just starting Brexit preparation now; it has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have given a detailed update to Cabinet and I am happy to give a detailed update to the Deputy, if she wants it. She should read the reports we have published on different scenarios and the different levels of preparation that are required. For example, the ESRI has published four reports; the Department of Finance, three; the Revenue Commissioners, one; the Department of Business,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: We are not leaving anything until October. We are working today, yesterday and tomorrow on trying to advance what we need in the context of protecting Irish people and Irish interests on the island of Ireland, and Irish people living in the UK in the context of Brexit. I met with Michel Barnier for well over an hour yesterday and we went through a lot of the detail in terms of what he would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: However, we can maintain a consistent and firm approach based on agreements that have been made in these negotiations. There are clear, important and valuable agreements that go back to last December and last March that we are now looking for follow through on over the summer months. That needs to be all of our focus in order to get it done, hopefully, well in advance of October.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for the question. This was my third visit to Israel and Palestine as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and my first such visit to Jordan and Cyprus. I have reported on the overall visit, including the Jordan and Cyprus elements, in previous parliamentary question replies. In Israel and Palestine, on 6 and 7 June, I met, on the Israeli side, Prime Minister...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I have on many occasions said in this House that while I may disagree with the approach that has been taken by Israel in its relationship with the Palestinians on issues like settlements and how Gaza border security issues have been responded to, that does not mean we should not engage.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I did not. The Russian ambassador was not expelled.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: My sole interest in the engagement we have been having with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Government is to try to advance the cause of Palestinians, whom I believe are victims of an extraordinary injustice. Ireland needs to do everything it can at government level to try to advance efforts to achieve a two-state solution in time and to try to prevent violence and bloodshed. That...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: The reality is that it takes two to tango. The EU is ready to negotiate and discuss sensible and pragmatic ways of delivering on the commitments that the British Government made in December and March. I appreciate the support that we have received from Opposition parties - Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and others - in respect of our efforts to ensure that there is a unified message...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: It has not, actually.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is true to say that the British Government has not come forward with proposals that follow through on the commitments it has made yet, but that is not to say that the backstop is off the table. The Deputy needs to make a distinction between what was agreed and signed off on by both negotiating teams in December and March and papers that have been proposed - but certainly not agreed - by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (27 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am sorry, but I need to correct the record for the Deputy. The backstop is not already in place, and will not be until it is in the form of a legally operable text-----