Results 1-18 of 18 for "direct provision" speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Properties (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will be aware that my Department has given permission to the Office of Public Works for the use of part of this holding as a Direct Provision centre which has been in operation for a number of years. My Department has not received any notification of the intention to vacate the premises. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department together with the Defence Forces have...

Afghanistan Crisis: Statements (29 Sep 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...as refugees, knowing that they will have somewhere to stay and will have a sponsor and a support mechanism to make that happen. The truth is that when refugees come to Ireland they do not go to direct provision centres. They are refugees who are entitled to be here. They are not going through an asylum process, which is what most of the residents in our centres are going through at...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (13 May 2021)

Simon Coveney: My Department has previously given permission to the Office of Public Works for the use of part of this holding as a Direct Provision centre which has been in operation for a number of years. My Department has not received any notification of the intention to vacate the premises in the time period mentioned by the Deputy. In the circumstances the Deputy will appreciate that I am therefore not...

Seanad: An Bille um Bearta Éigeandála ar mhaithe le Leas an Phobail (Covid-19) 2020: An Dara Céim - Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (27 Mar 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...prioritise and decide how we will spend the hundreds of millions of euro that we spend in development aid, assistance and the partnerships we build in doing that. I take the points made regarding direct provision centres and homeless people. I give the assurance that we are working on that. Several Senators raised concerns regarding construction sites. In respect of everything we do,...

An Bille Sláinte (Caomhnú agus Cosaint agus Bearta Éigeandála Eile Ar Mhaithe Le Leas an Phobail), 2020: An Dara Céim - Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Second Stage (19 Mar 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...to support local radio stations in providing accurate information in the months ahead when their revenue streams may dry up. We will also reach out to vulnerable communities, including those in direct provision centres, students and people who are in the country without permits and may not have access to supports to which they would be entitled if they were Irish citizens. People are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2019)

Simon Coveney: ...are looked after in terms of food, shelter and supports, be they medical or otherwise. We have done a reasonably good job in this country of ensuring they can integrate into broader society. It is not perfect. Direct provision is far from perfect but we are trying to improve it all the time. An increasing number of people want to come to Ireland and are coming to Ireland and claiming...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (3 Oct 2019)

Simon Coveney: ...provision nationally. In other countries, Ireland is often pointed to as a model for the integration of refugees in towns and villages. While we criticise the standard of accommodation in some direct provision centres, it is not living in the real world for some to call for an end to direct provision as if we can somehow magic over 7,000 people from the system and into their own homes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (3 Oct 2019)

Simon Coveney: ...like education, school spaces, healthcare and so on will be provided. There is an onus on the State to manage the communications of this more effectively. There are lots of really good examples of direct provision centres located in towns around Ireland where there has been fantastic integration. One of the Ministers who sat at the Cabinet table this week explained that there was a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (3 Oct 2019)

Simon Coveney: ...that they are fleeing persecution and therefore claim asylum. We have a legal obligation to go through the process and to look after the needs of those people during that process, which is what direct provision was set up for 20 years ago or more. As I said, there are many countries, including in the EU, that have far fewer supports in place for asylum seekers than we have. That is not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair point, and the truth is that the Government operates both models. We have 38 or 39 direct provision centres across 18 counties. Many other countries do not have that, but instead put nearly all their asylum applicants into one or two very large national centres. We are trying to ensure integration across the country and that towns, which are sometimes small, have direct...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: There has been much comment in recent weeks and years about the system of direct provision. There has also been debate about the location of centres. I appeal to everyone to ensure this debate is thoughtful, respectful and factual, just as the Deputy's contribution was. Under EU and international law, Ireland, like other countries, is obliged to examine the claim of any person who comes...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Sep 2019)

Simon Coveney: ...approach towards migration and accommodation of migrants and refugees if and when they disembark in the European Union, which is a challenge for Ireland in light of demands on housing, criticisms of direct provision and other challenges. However, it is something we must do. We cannot allow EU Mediterranean countries to carry the entire burden or what will happen - it has already happened...

Leaders' Questions (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Coveney: ...will provide more detail on the immediate assistance we are giving to Malta to accept 10% of the migrants on the ship currently there. We are changing our own domestic approach towards asylum and direct provision and we are now allowing people who have been waiting for asylum decisions for nine months to work. That means thousands of people will now be able to enter the workforce and...

Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2018)

Simon Coveney: ...the job is done, but significant progress is being made. Budget 2018 allocated an additional €18 million to home support services. The additional resources have brought the resources for the direct provision of home support services to €408 million, delivering more than 17 million home support hours to approximately 50,000 people, many of them in west Cork. This is an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (17 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the issue of direct provision is a matter for my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality. My Department has, however, been working closely with that Department on housing issues arising in the context of refugees. An operational sub-group under the auspices of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme Taskforce, composed of all relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Direct Provision System (3 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, matters relating to direct provision and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) are a matter for my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality. In terms of the number of persons in RIA accommodation who have been granted some form of status, I am advised that there are in the region of 500 such persons among the 4,200 residents...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: ...numbers of social housing units. It will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, working it out with the local authorities, and we will do it in a way that gets value for money. With regard to direct provision and the 400 families that were mentioned, we will certainly have 2,000 refugees coming into Ireland in the next 12 months and within the next two years I suspect that figure will be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare Bodies (1 Jul 2015)

Simon Coveney: The focus of this year’s Animal Welfare Conference held in Farmleigh on 12 June was on the welfare of dogs and horses and on providing information to those involved in direct provision of welfare services in these areas. Invitations were extended to the 147 animal welfare organisations throughout the country involved in receipt of ex-gratia funding from my Department. This...