Results 12,881-12,900 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Missions (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I share the Deputy's concerns. There are thousands of UN peacekeepers in dozens of countries across the world where civilians, in particular women and children, rely on UN peacekeepers to protect them. If that protection becomes exploitation at times, that cannot be allowed to go unchecked and we need to address it comprehensively. I think the UN is attempting to address this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Missions (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: This problem is recognised at the highest level within the UN. There are new approaches, new policies and a new focus on stamping this out. If the UN is to maintain the respect it has built up over many decades, this is an issue that cannot be allowed to fester or continue. Sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers is totally unacceptable and the focus on it within the UN structures at the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has not read it very well.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: We are all agreed on that. However, this is a negotiation which will take time. Each time there is a round of agreement and negotiation, Ireland has made progress on each of its key issues. In December, we made a significant step forward in getting agreement on the backstop and how it would work in terms of maintaining full alignment of the rules of the customs union and Single Market to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair question which recognises that this is a negotiation on which we need to make progress. We have a focus of the British negotiating team and the EU task force on getting a legally operative wording which is true to paragraph 49 agreed in December. Nobody is resiling from that. However, the draft the EU produced, which I happen to agree with as it is a good and loyal...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is important for people to understand how these negotiations are actually working. There is a negotiation to conclude a withdrawal agreement and there is conversation just starting on what a future relationship might look like. That conversation will go on way beyond October. There is no question of there being a free trade agreement signed off on by October. The best we can hope for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Syrian Conflict (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I was at the UN Security Council when it met a number of weeks ago. The first item on the agenda, raised by Secretary General Guterres, was eastern Ghouta and he made a personal appeal to all of the states represented around that table to implement an immediate ceasefire. He described what is happening there as hell on earth, and I think many of us who have looked at video coverage and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Syrian Conflict (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: It is going reasonably well but this is a very competitive race and Norway and Canada are significant competitors. There are three countries going for two places but I think there is a very strong case to be made for Ireland as the only EU country putting its name forward. At that time, the only EU representative on the UN Security Council will be France, as a permanent member, so there is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: First, I welcome the progress made on the draft protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland during the most recent round of negotiations, which concluded on 19 March. This is recorded in an annotated, colour-coded version of the draft withdrawal agreement published by the Commission task force on 19 March, which reflects agreement on some articles of the draft text, including "Common Travel...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am glad I have a copy of the protocol here with me so I can correct the record given the Deputy has just misrepresented the case. It is not true to say that, in the Irish protocol, the only piece in green, which is agreed, is the common travel area, which, by the way, is very welcome. The whole first page is in yellow, which is agreed in principle. The whole second page is in yellow,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Syrian Conflict (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is leading political negotiations to end the conflict based on the 2012 Geneva communique and UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Ireland and the EU fully support this process. The EU provides direct assistance to the UN-led Geneva peace talks and has launched, in co-ordination with the UN, an initiative to develop political dialogue with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I met with US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, in Washington, D.C., on Friday 23 February, 2018. I would like, at the outset, to take this opportunity to wish Secretary Tillerson, who has now left his position, all the best for the future. I look forward to working with his successor in due course, once the nomination process has been completed. The meeting with Secretary Tillerson...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 61 together. The continued suffering of civilians in Syria remains a source of deep concern. I am particularly concerned by the impact of the recent fighting in the Afrin region, including the displacement of over 100,000 civilians. Ireland strongly welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2401 calling for an immediate ceasefire...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The funding to which the Deputy refers is the Communicating Europe Initiative. This year’s grant scheme was launched by the Minister of State for European Affairs, Helen McEntee, TD on 8th March last, coinciding with the Regional Citizen’s Dialogue on the Future of Europe in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. This year, funding up to a total of €100,000 will be available to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 62, 66, 75, 86 and 92 together. The Government follows the political developments which are taking place in Hong Kong on an ongoing basis, including the by-elections which took place on 11 March. In the lead-up to my recent visit to China, and during my visit to Hong Kong on 12 March, I was briefed on the most recent developments by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Service monitors the volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that resources are available to meet demand. In order to respond to anticipated application increases and to seasonal demands, the Passport Service received sanction for 220 Temporary Clerical Officers (“TCOs”) this year to be appointed to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork. The vast...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: On 20 March the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment on the Government’s application for a revision of the ruling in the 1978 Ireland v UK case. The ruling will be fully considered by the Government. It is important to note that, although the Court dismissed the Government’s application for a revision, nothing in last week’s judgment alters the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63, 68, 85 and 97 together. I am aware of the letter to which Deputy Kenny refers. The situation in Syria is indeed unconscionable, and I take this opportunity to reiterate my unreserved condemnation of the barbarous violence against civilians that has been the hallmark of this conflict to date. The brutal repression of dissent by the Assad regime, which...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government is undertaking extensive analysis of the impact of Brexit on Ireland, much of which is in the public domain. This comprises research and outreach being carried out by individual Government Departments and agencies, as well as by stakeholder organisations, academic and others. Recent publications include the detailed response plan "Building Stronger Business - Responding to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (28 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I discuss Brexit collectively with my EU27 counterparts on a monthly basis at the General Affairs Council (Art. 50). Maintaining frequent bilateral contact with EU partners is also a priority, both at political and official level. Such meetings provide an opportunity to communicate Ireland’s priorities, including in relation to agriculture, with a view to shaping the EU’s...