Results 13,161-13,180 of 15,429 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: Again, there has been no change in terms of state aid or any of the parameters for the negotiations.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: To correct the record for Deputy Harkin, there is an additional €200 million on top of the sum in question. Therefore, the overall figure is €650 million.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: In state aid. I will get the details and have them sent to the Deputy. On Deputy Cian O'Callaghan’s questions, contrary to reports, the USA has not pulled out of the OECD process. It has raised concerns about the timeframe and the implementation. It has sought an extension of the overall discussion. At European level, France, Italy and Spain have been asked to pause their...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: I will take the time, if I may, because there are a number of issues that may not have been touched on. I join colleagues in offering my deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Detective Garda Colm Horkan. It is a sad day if a member of An Garda Síochána goes to work and unfortunately does not return home. I thank the gardaí for the work they do...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: On our overall ask with Belgium in respect of Brexit and what that means for the MFF and the recovery fund, what we have consistently asked for is flexibility within the budget-----

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: We are still at that stage. This was the first time that EU leaders had an opportunity to meet since the presentation of the recovery fund and the new MFF proposals. The Taoiseach reiterated our position that there would need to be flexibility within the budget and raised the fact that, although we are talking about front-loading many of the funds and immediate funding is required, if any...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: The figures suggest there is approximately €1.9 billion and €1 billion in loans and grants, but this is not something we consider acceptable. When the two funds are taken together, we are talking about paying more money than we had previously, while we are seeking less funding in the Common Agricultural Policy, which is a key priority for us, and receiving an overall fund that...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: For fisheries, "No" is the short answer. Michel Barnier was clear when he addressed the General Affairs Council on Tuesday that without a deal on fisheries, there would not be an overall trade agreement, and vice versa. The mandate is clear, therefore, and it has not changed.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: We are still examining the proposals for the MFF and for the recovery fund, and nothing has yet been agreed. It is welcome that there are certain priorities for us where we have seen an increase in funding. In the MFF, there has been an increase in Pillar 1 and Pillar 2, while for the CAP in the recovery fund there has been an increase in Pillar 2 of €15 billion. While that amounts...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: Our position on settlements is absolutely clear and we are opposed to them. As I outlined earlier, the Government's position on what it would like to see happen is a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel. The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, however, is different, given that it would move into an EU competence. The Attorney General's advice on this is...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: As I raised at the General Affairs Council, we have argued that the Commission was given a clear mandate and that it needed to base any instrument on the impact that Covid is having on a particular member state or industry. We believe that the Commission is looking at a pre-Covid economic picture, which is obviously very different. We have argued that point and are not the only country that...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: On this issue, as the Taoiseach outlined earlier, the Next Generation EU financing will be raised by temporarily increasing the ceiling on own resources to 2% of the EU gross national income. This will allow us to borrow the money. In terms of how we repay that, this is a debate that is still ongoing and on which there has been no agreement. Ireland's perspective has not changed. We have...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: Our position on this, as the Deputy mentioned, has been stated clearly by the Tánaiste. The long-standing support for a two-state solution has been part of our foreign policy for some time now and will continue to be part of our overall foreign policy. We would prefer to recognise-----

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: We would prefer to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a two-state solution. This is something the Tánaiste, in particular, has worked hard on over the past number of years. The issue of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 has been raised a number of times but the position of the Attorney General has not changed. It goes beyond what any...

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: I wish first to reaffirm our commitment to trying to support business across the island and making sure that we mitigate and minimise the impacts of Brexit and Covid. These events are all coming at a very inopportune time. We have always tried to engage with the representative groups of the sectors most impacted in Northern Ireland when it came to our preparedness, but obviously there is a...

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: It all very much depends on what happens and whether there are tariffs. We know the UK is leaving the customs union so there will obviously be changes there. That is why we have tried to emphasise to business that irrespective of what outcome there is, there are going to be changes and businesses need to be prepared. On Mercosur, we are going through a process. Each individual member...

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: On the question of fisheries, there has never been any leaving of the fold and fisheries is very much a part of the overall negotiations and cannot, and will not, be separated from them. Michel Barnier made that very clear in a statement he made in advance of the most recent round of negotiations which started last week.

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: The position is clear. Mr. Barnier reiterated in advance of the most recent negotiations that he has a clear mandate from the 27 member states that fisheries cannot be separated from the overall negotiations and an overall agreement cannot be reached without an agreement on fisheries. That position was made clear by Mr. Barnier and the 27 ministers who represent the industry. On the...

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: I support Deputy Healy-Rae's statement that the farming community has been the backbone of many of our rural communities for many years. We are an exporting country. We export approximately 90% of what we produce, including high-quality food. It is important that we continue in that vein. We all have ambitions when it comes to achieving and reaching climate change targets, none more so...

Covid-19 (Brexit): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. As has been outlined by many people today, several sectors are most likely to be hardest hit by Brexit and are already feeling the implications of Brexit and the uncertainty that surrounds it. The farming community is probably the most likely to be hardest hit, particularly if there is no trade deal and there is an imposition of tariffs and additional costs and...