Results 13,741-13,760 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I heard him the first time.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Unfortunately, we are now seeing Sinn Féin trying to raise concerns in a way that is irresponsible. Last Friday's agreement was not an agreement between two governments. It was an agreement between the British Government and 27 other governments. It is also patently clear from the guideline document that will be before heads of state towards the end of this week, if they support it,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Deal with the facts.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: So do we but we do not control it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is my position that I would like to see the United Kingdom staying in the European Union but it will not happen because it has made a decision to leave. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union, I would like to see a decision made that would allow Britain to stay in the customs union and Single Market but it is ultimately a decision for them. We cannot instruct the British...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: This is part of a negotiated solution that protects the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It protects trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom also, which is good. Until relatively recently, the Sinn Féin position was that we should demand that Northern Ireland stays in the EU as well.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am aware of the matter to which he refers. A core part of the work of our embassies in the EU is to report on views on Brexit in other member states. These reports are an important source of information, not just for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade but also for other Departments concerned with Brexit. For the past year, it has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: For the record, I did not say this is not significant. It should not have happened-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The information in this report was meant to inform our Department and other Departments that are involved, as had been happening on a weekly basis. There were 40 such reports compiled weekly. We need to be informed in terms of what is being said about Brexit and in the context of ensuring that our approach is fully appropriate and up to date. This weekly summary should not have been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy keeps saying I have said it is not significant.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I said that this is a weekly briefing. The content of it, of course, is significant.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is not a briefing on a significant report.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy should not try to change the meaning of what I am saying.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Documents (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have made it very clear to the Deputy's party leader and I am making it clear again to the Deputy now that this should not have happened. On foot of the importance of Brexit, we have a circulation list that goes beyond what would normally be the case in respect of briefings that would usually be confined to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Our Secretary General is anxious to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I have discussions with my officials on an ongoing basis on all aspects of the EU-UK exit negotiations, and our national response to the impact of Brexit is unrelenting. I have regular meetings with my senior officials, including our Permanent Representative to the EU and our Ambassador in London, to discuss developments in the negotiations and these meetings have intensified in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I refer the Deputy to my earlier reply to Priority Question no 28 concerning the United States Government announcement on Jerusalem, and to the statement which I issued on behalf of the Government on 6 December. I will not repeat those again now. The Government is committed to recognising the State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict. Ireland has long looked...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 52 together. As a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government, working with the British Government, has spared no effort in supporting and facilitating talks on the formation of a new Executive, over many months. However, devolved power-sharing government can only operate on the basis of an agreement reached between the two largest...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Trafficking (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I strongly condemn all human rights violations and abuses against refugees and migrants in Libya, and I am absolutely appalled by reports of slave auctions. Political fragmentation in Libya has led to a governance vacuum in some areas, but I call on the Libyan authorities to do everything they can to end this horrendous practice. The situation in Libya was discussed at the June 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Migration Crisis (13 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The EU has responded to the migration crisis by adopting a range of measures to deal with this mass movement of people. These have included engaging with countries of origin and transit to address the root causes of migration including through the Migration Partnership Framework; agreeing a plan to relocate migrants from Italy and Greece across the Union; the launching of an EU Naval Force,...