Results 13,161-13,180 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: There are a lot of detailed questions there. Following consultations with the Opposition parties by the former Minister for Finance, the commission of investigation into IBRC was established in June 2015. Mr. Justice Brian Cregan, a judge of the High Court, is the commission's sole member. In November 2015 the commission made a determination that banker-client confidentiality and legal...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The commission is entirely independent. It is not going to be influenced by the Dáil regarding the content of its inquiry or its conclusions. It will make its own decisions on the basis of the evidence heard. I assume that once it has actually been finalised. the report will be laid before the Houses. I presume there will be a debate on the back of that, as has been the case with...

Questions on Promised Legislation (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: What is happening here is a good thing given the extent of the use of PCPs in the selling of cars and the need for consumer protection considerations. I will come back to the Deputy about the commitment to legislation. I can provide the Deputy with that information from the Department concerned.

Questions on Promised Legislation (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The plan, as I understand it, is to publish the Bill this evening and to bring it to the Houses tomorrow. This plan will be discussed with the Business Committee later today. We ask for the support of the other parties in order to ensure that we can introduce the Bill and get the Second Stage debate under way tomorrow. We are committed to facilitating this but we will also seek the support...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I think I answered Deputy Michael McGrath regarding how seriously the Government will take the evidence given yesterday by two brave women at the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. On one of the Deputy's previous questions, it is worth nothing today, on International Women's Day, that the Government has made a clear decision, with unanimous support across Government, to bring forward...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Clearly, the Government does not think it is okay to lie, bully and intimidate people in any walk of life in Ireland, but particularly in An Garda Síochána. That is why the Government and the Minister are obviously concerned about the evidence that was given yesterday. We will act on that but we also need to recognise that the Minister for Justice and Equality only heard that...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: No one is offering anyone a pat on the head. We are in the process of fundamental reform of An Garda Síochána. There are multiple examples of how this is happening, not least in the method by which a new Garda Commissioner will be chosen and appointed. The evidence given yesterday to the joint committee needs significant follow-up. I do not think that it is helpful for the...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The evidence that was given to the Oireachtas committee yesterday, while very concerning, was very welcome in that the witnesses felt they could come forward and give it. Of course, the Department of Justice and Equality now needs to follow up on that. The point I was making in my initial answer is that we do not have any protected disclosures or correspondence in regard to the concerns....

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for her question. I welcome the opportunity to outline some of the things the Government is doing and prioritising on International Women's Day. Women's empowerment is a key theme running through A Programme for a Partnership Government and it is being advanced within the framework of the national strategy for women and girls, published last May. Women's groups, civil...

Leaders' Questions (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I acknowledge also that today is International Women's Day, which is significant in the context of the Government's commitment to gender equality and accelerating gender parity in a series of areas. That is one of the priorities of Government. On the issues raised by Deputy Michael McGrath, I join the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, in noting my extreme...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The issuing of passports is solely a matter for the issuing country and it would not be appropriate for me to comment. I am, however, glad of this opportunity to reiterate my deep concern at the situation in Venezuela, including the growing humanitarian crisis. The matter was discussed at the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers which I attended in Brussels last week. It was agreed at that meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Application Refusals (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008 (“the Act”). The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this legal requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship in his/her passport application. The applicant referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I attended the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 26 February. The Council discussed developments in Moldova, the situation in Venezuela and the Middle East Peace Process.EU Foreign Ministers had a comprehensive discussion on Moldova and adopted Council Conclusions taking stock of the reform process and setting out expectations for the period ahead. Ministers also discussed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: In the months since military security operations began in Rakhine State, Myanmar in August 2017, more than 680,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh. Most of these people have settled in refugee camps that have existed in the region since the early 1990s where conditions are precarious and ongoing international efforts will be required to sustain those living in the camps....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: The Government continues to seek a solution to the plight of thousands of undocumented Irish citizens living in the US and avails of all opportunities to raise US immigration reform and the status of the undocumented Irish with the US administration and with contacts on Capitol Hill. The appointment by the Taoiseach of Deputy John Deasy as the Government’s Special Envoy to Congress on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I am glad to report that Ireland-New Zealand bilateral relations have never been closer, and that 2017 saw an unprecedented amount of high-level contact between our two countries, culminating in the very successful State Visit there by President Higgins last October. I am pleased to confirm that Ireland will open a resident diplomatic mission in Wellington, New Zealand in the coming months,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I and my officials are in ongoing contact with Michel Barnier and his team on the Irish-specific issues and on the draft Withdrawal Agreement. I met with Mr Barnier on a number of occasions since taking office, most recently in Brussels on 26 February, in advance of the General Affairs Council (Article 50) on 27 February. Mr Barnier gave me an overview of the draft Withdrawal Agreement,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 20 together. The United Nations plays a critical role in the resolution of conflicts and the maintenance of international peace and security. It does this primarily through the UN Security Council. The Council has a variety of tools at its disposal to address threats to international peace and to contribute towards the settlement of disputes and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Terrorism (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is fully engaged in the approaches being developed by the European Union and the United Nations to combat terrorism, in particular, the need for greater international cooperation to address the underlying factors that contribute to terrorist related threats and violence. In the case of the European Union, Foreign Ministers remain focused on implementation of the June 2017 Council...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (8 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: Euroscepticism is not new but in recent years it has become more vocal. In the Rome Declaration of March last year, EU Heads of State and Government pledged ‘to listen and respond to the concerns expressed by our citizens’ and to “address the challenges of a rapidly changing world. ”Having gone through a series of crises in recent years, including the Eurozone...