Results 14,101-14,120 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I do not disagree with any of that. The most useful thing to do is to make sure the Deputy is fully plugged in to what the Government is doing in this area across different Departments, but in particular led by the Minister for Health in the context of mental health services. I will ensure there is a follow-up from the question today.

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: That is not what I am suggesting.

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: Neither the Taoiseach nor anyone else in Government has been pitting one against the other, and the Deputy should not present the matter in those terms because it is simply not true. The Government's commitment in respect of domestic and sexual violence is clear. We have the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, and more than €22 million in funding for the purpose of tackling...

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I also welcome the return of Ibrahim Halawa to Dublin this morning. I thank all Members, including the Ceann Comhairle, who helped make that happen, along with the many others who made Mr. Halawa feel very welcome on his return. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has spent more time on this case than any other in consular history. Many Members have been involved in a campaign to...

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: It is the role of the Central Bank, not the Government, to regulate the banking system. Should another a scandal occur, the type of which we are talking about today, the Government, if it needs to, will act. On the levy issue, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has made it clear that he has not been prescriptive in terms of what the Government will do until such time as he gets...

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am not suggesting that it did. What I am saying is that I do not believe any consumer protection regulator would have the power the Central Bank has. That function needs to remain with the Central Bank. We will have a comprehensive statement from the Government tomorrow. We expect a comprehensive statement from the banks also. If we do not get that, the Government will look at the...

Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Government takes this issue very seriously. I am glad to understand that the two largest parties in this House have agreed upon a motion for tomorrow night. There is a very clear message coming from the Oireachtas in respect of how unacceptable the behaviour of banks has been in the context of the tracker mortgage scandal, which we are trying to bring to a conclusion. We had a...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 1:In page 6, line 27, to delete “and”. This section amends the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 to provide that any period of time spent in the State while exempt from immigration controls is not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. It also clarifies that children born to diplomats and associated persons who are exempt from immigration...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 2:In page 6, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following:"(c) in section 7 (amended by section 3 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2001) by the insertion of the following after subsection (3):"(3A) A person to whom paragraph (b) of subsection (3) applies shall be deemed to have been born on the island of Ireland for the purposes of that...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Diplomatic Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will try to address the issue the Deputy has raised in the context of the section as a whole. As the Chairman noted, neither I nor my Department has a role in deciding whether an amendment is ruled in or out of order. From a policy perspective, the Deputy deserves to understand why we have not brought forward a similar proposal to what he has set out in the amendment which has been ruled...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will make a general comment as I have not had the chance to put anything on the record in this regard.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am impressed by the committee's pace.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I wish every Chairman was as efficient as this Chairman. The purpose of the Bill is to make the necessary provisions in Irish law to enable the State to ratify a 1954 Hague Convention on the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. There is also a 1999 protocol that supplements this. It is important to recognise these conventions go back some time. I am glad to say...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Message to Dáil (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: That is the Chairman's prerogative. This is my first time before this committee, dealing with two quite technical pieces of legislation. There are many other things we need to tease through and discuss. I look forward to being asked back to the committee again. I would like us to have regular interaction on Northern Ireland in particular. I know that the Chairman is very interested in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 166 together. The Government is determined, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to do everything in our power to ensure that all of its institutions are operating effectively, including the devolved Assembly and power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland and the North-South Ministerial Council. I remain in continuing and direct...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 167 together. The escalation of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since 25 August has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis both within Rakhine State and in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 580,000 refugees, most of them members of the Rohingya community, have fled. In response, the international community has sought...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am deeply concerned by the case in question which involves an opposition politician, Mr. Ilgar Mammadov, whose arrest and pre-trial detention have been found by the European Court of Human Rights to have violated the Convention on Human Rights. Ireland has repeatedly called on the Government of Azerbaijan to release Mr Mammadov without delay and to fully implement the judgment in this and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The situation on the Korean Peninsula is a matter of grave concern to the government. The latest actions taken by North Korea, particularly the nuclear test on 3 September, are a major challenge to international efforts to advance global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This has been a longstanding goal of Ireland’s foreign policy. Our leadership on this critical global...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: Ireland, along with our EU partners, supports the achievement of a two state solution to the Middle East conflict. This support includes political efforts to encourage a resumption of direct negotiations, which are ultimately the only way to achieve peace, but also action on the ground on human rights and justice issues affecting Palestinians under occupation, including settlement...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (24 Oct 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Passport Services aims to provide the best possible service to all citizens. As the Deputy will be aware, the person in question was issued with a passport in May this year. The Passport Service subsequently received correspondence from the person concerned in relation to matters that arose during the processing of the application. The Passport Services regrets the delay in responding...