Results 12,981-13,000 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: I think the Deputy is referring to a commitment in the programme for Government to fund health care services generally. He is probably stretching it a little. I cannot give him an answer about a specific project on the floor of the House, but I will ask the office of the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to revert to him.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: No legislation has been promised. Clearly, there are some teething problems, but-----
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: The programme for Government contains a commitment to invest heavily in commuter transport services and the Government is doing so. Clearly, there are management issues and teething problems------
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: ------on Luas cross-city which have caused many problems for consumers.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: These issues must be dealt with, but they are largely management issues for the operational company concerned.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: I will ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to revert to the Deputy on that issue. It is a specific question about health services.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: The agreement made in principle this week on a transition period of almost two years after Britain leaves the European Union has provided reassurance for fishermen in Ireland that their access to United Kingdom waters under the Common Fisheries Policy will not diminish or change during that period. That is very welcome as there was much concern in the fishing community in that regard. We...
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: There were a lot of questions there, so let me try to revert with answers on some of them. The Deputy has raised the cataracts issue with me in the House previously. I am sure that he has raised it with the Taoiseach as well. The National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, is about trying to get operations done for people - maybe not locally, but certainly on this island - to ensure that we...
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: -----from the previous month and 4,764 from the same period last year. It is taking effect and making a difference. It is having an impact on procedures, with which we are familiar. Between July 2017 and the end of last year, there was a reduction of more than 2,000 people waiting for cataract appointments, 200 fewer people waiting for hip operations and a series of other improvements in...
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: I am glad that the Deputy referred to a brand new hospital in Bandon. Indeed, other hospitals will be funded under the new capital programmes that we announced a few weeks ago, some of them in Cork. There are constant challenges to improving health care provision and infrastructure throughout the country. We have just come through-----
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: -----what was virtually a ten-year period of capital underinvestment in health care. We are now making up for that and will spend significant amounts of capital on health care infrastructure and provision in the coming years. In the meantime, most in the House would accept that, while people are not getting locally some of the complex operations they need, they are able to access those...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows, the Bill is going through the system at the moment. It has been through Committee Stage. There are a series of issues with it, given its legal complexity and the amendments that have been made, some of which were supported by the Opposition and others of which were not. Of course the Government notes what the European Commission says. This is not driven by one...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: A decision has been made by the Government that we need to make a fundamental change in terms of judicial appointments. We must ensure that, on a new body that is set up to make recommendations to the Government, there will be a lay majority. That is not inconsistent with what many other countries in the EU have done, including our closest neighbours.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: We must examine the precedent while also taking note of the comments of Opposition parties and the European Commission. We will have an opportunity to tease through those issues on Report Stage of the legislation.
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: Like the Deputy, I welcome the judgment of the Workplace Relations Commission and hope it sends a signal to the many people who find themselves in similar circumstances to Ms Valerie Cox. As the Deputy noted, the Government has agreed to increase the compulsory retirement age from 65 years to 70 for public servants who were recruited before 1 April 2004. It has also approved the scheme of a...
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: We all know former civil servants in their late 60s who would be well capable of doing a really good job, but we are losing their expertise, knowledge and experience at a time when there is competition for skill sets in the economy and it is sometimes difficult to fill posts with persons with the skill sets we need. This is the right thing to do on many levels. It arises in a context where...
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: I am not sure the Deputy has raised it time and again with me.
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: The facts are-----
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: Let me deal with your questions, Deputy.
- Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)
Simon Coveney: You have raised it before now but it has not been time and again. This has been a particular problem over the past several weeks. Changes have ensured passport services have improved dramatically in the past year. We must deal with the facts. The processing time for passport express renewal applications is now 16 days again. This was reduced from 23 days two weeks ago for the reasons I...