Results 81-100 of 435 for 5 million speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 May 2021)

Simon Coveney: The ‘Defence Forces 5 year Infrastructure Programme 2020 – 2025’,provides for the implementation of the policy approach outlined in the White Paper on Defence and will enhance Defence Forces physical infrastructure and accommodation as an important component of defence capability. This Programme reflects the complex environment in which the Defence Forces...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Funding (18 May 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...payment is made each year from the Defence Vote (Vote36) to the Irish Red Cross Society (IRCS) towards the administrative running costs of its headquarters. Following a Government decision in 2015,  additional once-off funding was provided to the IRCS through the  Defence Vote for an Emergency Humanitarian Support Scheme for small businesses, following...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Funding (18 May 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...is made each year from the Defence Vote (Vote 36) to the Irish Red Cross Society (IRCS) towards the administrative running costs of its headquarters. Following a Government decision in 2015,  additional once-off funding was also provided to the IRCS through the  Defence Vote for  the Emergency Humanitarian Support Scheme for...

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

Simon Coveney: ...air-based capability, my immediate priorities have been the acquisition of three Pilatus PC-12 aircraft in the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) role and for two Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft. An additional PC-12 was also acquired in response to the Covid 19 situation. No decisions have been made for the acquisition of additional aircraft in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 May 2021)

Simon Coveney: India's health system continues to battle the surging caseload in the country. Further to an earlier donation of 700 oxygen concentrators, the Government has donated a further 500 concentrators, 2 oxygen generators, and other vital materials to India. This additional donation arrived in Delhi Airport on Tuesday 4 May. These donations formed part of the coordinated effort by EU Member...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: EU Protocol on Northern Ireland-Ireland: Engagement with the Minister for Foreign Affairs (27 Apr 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...It could have been a lot worse but it still was not a good outcome. A no-deal Brexit would have been far worse for the fishing industry but we are still talking about Ireland losing approximately 15% of our total value of fish quota in 2020, which is approximately €43 million of a lost catch opportunity for our industry, which is significant. Much of this is mackerel, which is the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...xa0; The most recent discussion on Yemen at the Security Council took place on 16 March, and Ireland again drew attention to the very clear link between the conflict and the widespread food insecurity faced by millions of Yemenis. Ireland is maintaining a very high level of engagement with key parties in the region, including discussions I have held in the past month with the Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...mechanisms such as the C-TAP initiative. My Department continues to liaise with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment on this on an ongoing basis. In the meantime, my Department has announced €5 million in Irish Aid funding to support developing countries to access COVID-19 vaccines. Most of this funding is going through the COVAX facility, a global UN-led...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...to liaise with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on this and a number of related matters, on an ongoing basis. In the meantime, my Department has announced an additional €5 million in Irish Aid funding for the response to Covid-19, to enable developing countries access vaccines.  Most of this funding will go to the COVAX facility, a global UN-led...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Coveney: ...to the Covid-19 pandemic involved Permanent Defence Force personnel, Civil Servants, Civilian Employees, members of the Reserve Defence Force and Civil Defence Volunteers and amounted to some €15.4 million in 2020. Expenditure was incurred across a range of areas and included €5.3 million towards the acquisition of a new Pilatus PC-12 aircraft which was used to...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...out the actions the Government will take and that businesses and citizens must take to address changes arising at the end of the transition period. Since it was launched, there have been more than 50 separate ministerial engagements dealing with Brexit. These were supported by a range of official level meetings and briefings. We are using a multitude of virtual tools, from webinars to...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...points were extremely far apart and they have moved slightly closer to each other. The combined EU fleets in British waters - Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Irish - catch about €650 million worth of fish per year, although the UK, obviously, catches a substantial quantity of fish in its own waters. The UK has stated that it wants 80% of that back, that is, €500...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...is no extra time, which every business needs to understand. There are about 100,000 businesses in Ireland that either trade with or through the UK, which is a lot of businesses in a country of 4.5 million people, and about 200,000 people are employed in that trading relationship. There are about 40,000 businesses that trade with the UK regularly, that is, something like once a fortnight....

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...or through Great Britain, processes that do not apply today. Perhaps the clearest example of what this means is that Revenue estimates that import and export declarations could increase from 1.7 million a year to 20 million a year next year. The action plan has been accompanied by an intensified programme of trader engagement. Since it was launched, more than 50 separate ministerial...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...deal with some of the themes that arose. A number of Senators raised concerns about the need for direct ferry links to deal with congestion in ports. The concern is based on the fact that about 85% of all goods that come into and out of Ireland come via the UK land bridge. As a result, there is a potentially significant point of disruption for goods trade to and from the rest of the EU...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...that. It is an issue that we will continue to pursue. We must not forget that businesses in Northern Ireland have the extraordinary benefit in the protocol of being able to sell into a market of 450 million people across the EU. The protocol effectively creates a de facto extension of the EU Single Market for goods and applies it to Northern Ireland. It is a phenomenal agreement and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (19 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 to 185, inclusive, 189 and 190 together. Ireland’s interaction and co-operation with the countries in the Western Balkans takes place primarily in the context of the EU enlargement process. Ireland remains a strong supporter of EU enlargement, viewing it as the most efficient foreign policy instrument the EU can deploy to anchor long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The total gross allocation provided to the Defence Sector in Budget 2021 is €1,072.3 million, comprising €809.7 million for Vote 36 (Defence) and €262.6 million for Vote 35 (Army Pensions). This represents an overall gross increase of over €32 million on 2020 and follows on from previous increases that have seen the Defence Vote Group funding envelope increase...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (17 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: ...Radios and the operation of VHF systems at sea. Courses are additionally run for personnel on the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. For the current year, Subhead A.5 provides for a budget of €2.15 million of which €2.068 million is allocated for Paid Training Mandays for members of the Reserve. This allocation will provide seven days annual paid training for...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (11 Nov 2020)

Simon Coveney: The Bill before us is essential to ensuring we are as ready as we can be for the challenges coming in just 50 days' time. The support of the House has been a hallmark of Ireland's approach to Brexit. I look forward to continuing that constructive engagement and working closely with all Members as the Bill passes through the Oireachtas. Last year, when I opened the Second Reading on the...