Results 321-340 of 47,736 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: North-South Ministerial Council (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The NSMC was established under Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement and is one of the key drivers of North South cooperation on this island. Since the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions last year, there have been thirty-one meetings of the NSMC, across the three different formats - plenary, institutional and sectoral formats. The most recent NMSC plenary meeting took...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department operates competitive tendering as standard procedure in order to achieve best value for money. Procurement takes place in the context of Directive 2014/24/EU and is supported by Procurement Guidelines published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The Department participates fully in on-going initiatives of the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) focusing...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Artificial Intelligence (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department of Defence is not currently utilising agentic artificial intelligence (AI) in the delivery of its services or operational activities. At this time, there are no active projects, pilots, or contracts involving the deployment of agentic AI technologies within the Department. My Department remains committed to a responsible approach to emerging technologies. Any future...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Unfortunately the information sought by the Deputy could not be collated in the timeframe provided. My officials will collate same and I will arrange to have this data provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Ministerial Council (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Coincidentally, I have my North-South Ministerial Council pen with me as a reminder that we only had the meeting in Farmleigh a couple of days ago - on Friday, I think. Since the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions last year, there have been 31 meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council in plenary, institutional and sectoral formats. There has been a huge body of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Ministerial Council (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I fully agree with Deputy Moynihan. There are officially 12 areas of co-operation that cover a broad swathe of issues under the framework, including education, transport, healthcare and environment. However, I heard the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern make the point before, and he is entirely correct on this, that it is important that the meetings are dynamic. It is important that people...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Ministerial Council (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: That is right. I welcome, as the Deputy did, the all-island apprenticeship formally launched by myself, the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Lawless and Minister Archibald in Farmleigh on Friday. I thank and commend the Minister, Deputy Lawless for his work on this too. As the Deputy also rightly said, all of this takes place in a context and the context is much better when the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I have been very clear and reiterated again that I believe - we can call it whatever word we wish - the detention of our citizens was illegal. These were peaceful citizens who posed no threat or risk to Israel - quite the opposite, in fact. They were going there on a humanitarian mission. I reiterate my view on that, and I have discussed that view with others, including my Spanish...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I am aware of those discussions and we will always keep all that under active consideration. I believe, as I know the Deputy does, in multilateralism, and the world has never needed that more. At a time when it is under attack from many quarters, it is important that Ireland take every opportunity to demonstrate our support for multilateralism, the work of the UN and the UN General Assembly...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: EU Presidency (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Ward for this question, all his work as an Oireachtas Chairperson in this area and the genuine passion and interest I know he has in it. As colleagues will know, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from next July until December 2026. Preparations are well under way, led by my Department in close co-ordination with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: EU Presidency (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I am really glad the Deputy raises this because I raise it all the time. There has to be and there will be a focus on schools. It is really important that this Presidency involve all the people of Ireland, most particularly the next generation of committed Europeans in this country. That opportunity, as the Deputy says, to expose young people to the first Presidency they will have lived...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: EU Presidency (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I think a lot of the work around the multi-annual financial framework will fall to our Presidency. That is why we have taken a decision as an Irish Government to get our own priorities into the Commission in advance of that Presidency. Of course, when you take up the Presidency, you assume a role as an honest broker. I expect that to be a very busy period. I am glad the Deputy brought...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Policy (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Deputy Burke is so right. We have to constantly push back against that idea of it being a one-way street because that is not what the economic relationship is, as the Deputy rightly says. There are over 200,000 Americans who got out of bed this morning, probably many of whom voted for President Trump, and went to work in Irish-owned companies in every state across the United States of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Policy (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: On these visa applications, Secretary Lutnick was telling me he did not have direct responsibility for it but I made the point to him that what I am sure they do not wish to do is to have some sort of chilling effect on people who may wish to go and carry out critical roles in the US economy, or on the innovators and entrepreneurs who wish to establish businesses. I thought there was a need...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Deputy Lahart is doing a lot of heavy lifting this evening. I thank him for taking this question and I also thank Deputy 'Chap' Cleere for tabling the question. It is a really important issue and one that Ireland has genuinely tried to shine a spotlight on and has tried to work on in international coalitions for quite a period of time. We have been consistently condemning the deportation...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: It is. When I attended the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland I attended a number of meetings on this with the then Prime Minister Trudeau. It is horrific. When I visited Ukraine, I visited Kyiv and I met with the International Red Cross and UNICEF and visited a centre that was working with children and families where there had been forced displacement. It is an absolute horror. I note...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Middle East (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Heneghan. I am really pleased that all of the Irish citizens detained following their participation on the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have now returned home. I thank them, and the Deputy as part of that flotilla, for what they did to highlight the horrific humanitarian catastrophe, the genocide and the famine in Gaza. It takes guts. It was an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Foreign Policy (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Burke for the question. I met Secretary Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, on 25 September at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC as part of a broader bilateral visit to the US. This meeting provided me with a valuable opportunity to discuss the dynamic economic, trade and investment relationship that exists between our two countries, as well as the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Relations (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I agree. Prime Minister Carney is a friend of Ireland. Canada and Ireland are friends. We need to work together. I am delighted to hear of the friendship group and Deputy's McGreehan's chairpersonship of that. I am delighted that hear from Deputy Lahart of the foreign affair committee's visit to Canada. They can perhaps drop off the invite to County Louth while they are there. I agree...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 140 together. I thank Deputies Lahart, O'Meara and Ardagh for the questions. Russia has to be held accountable for its action. In my view, Ireland's view and the view of the Government, Russia needs to pay for the destruction that it has brought and is sadly still bringing about by its illegal brutal war in Ukraine. As a result of extensive...