Results 321-340 of 47,282 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: Those are all very fair questions. My understanding is that the independent chair for the lookback on the cases that were closed during the Covid pandemic is due to be appointed very shortly. We will certainly keep everybody across the House updated on that. The Deputy is right that this case raises very significant issues. In the first case we need to try to establish as many facts as we...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for her kind words. On this matter, very serious issues have been raised here. I am reluctant to overly comment on them because I am trying to establish all the facts of this case. I am concerned over what I have heard and read this morning. My understanding, based on a note provided to me, is that the DPC first became aware of the matter when contacted by "Prime Time"...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: We should work collaboratively on this. When is anybody going to bring forward proposals or ideas? As this is a legislative Chamber, I am interested in the Deputy's ideas on this. I am interested in working constructively with people on this as well. This is information that I am trying to respond to in real time. The Data Protection Commission has advised that it is taking the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Gorman. I appreciate his sincerity and his work on this, including in his previous role. The Taoiseach and I have both said there will be a particular focus on child poverty in this budget. The child poverty unit is doing good work for us on that. We have had a Cabinet committee meeting which had an initial discussion on the matter. We should be endeavouring to tackle...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I am quite sure my Fine Gael councillors agree with me on wanting to get this right and this being about a balance in terms of planning. I am sitting beside the Minister for Health and I make the point more broadly that the health impact of climate change and the climate emergency is very real. We all know in our communities, and I think we agree on this across the House, that the health...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: But the ownership is not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I do not want to be argumentative because it is an important issue to the Deputy's constituents but------

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: -----the ownership issue is a different issue. I am talking about how we are going to power the country and how we are going to have clean air-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: Offshore is a very important part and my constituency will see a significant amount of that, but this is about getting the planning guidelines right. There are lots of different views about health and climate as well-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I must look at those points the Deputy makes. What I am saying to him, and more importantly to his constituents, as well as people I meet across the country looking for guidelines on this, is the publication of new revised guidelines is a priority for the Government-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: -----and we will have an opportunity to have consultation on those guidelines-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: -----so communities can directly have their say in the coming months. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is leading on that for us.

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague Deputy McCarthy for raising this very important matter. It is one that is of huge importance to him and his constituents in Cork East. We have heard about it across the country due to its significance and the concern it has caused to people for the reasons he has outlined. I am glad to tell him a thorough investigation has been carried out over the past month into...

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter because it provides an opportunity to put some of the information on the public record, which is important. His broader point is also important, that is, we need at the right moment when these reports are completed the publication of the information as well as the scrutiny of it at the environment committee. I am sure Cork County Council and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The short answer is "Yes". There is a commitment in the programme for Government to do that and it needs to happen as quickly as possible. I heard the chair of the national review panel in recent days. She was very robust in her explanation of the work it does and her confidence that this work could be done in a manner that would be expeditious and thorough. It has independent legal...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on behalf of his constituents. It is an issue he raises regularly. I think the Deputy and I agree on this but it is certainly my position and that of the Government that wind energy is a good thing. Renewable energy is a good thing. The health consequences of not having good clean renewable energy far outweigh other issues in terms of health...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: Yes, we can and will take action at national level. There is a political consensus on that. We all gave commitments during the election. I am happy to do that, but the Deputy will also remember the previous Government's position was always whether we could get to a point where Europe might act. That looked very remote when this genocide started. It now looks like a distinct prospect. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his kindness and solidarity. I very much appreciated the very kind letter I received, on behalf of his parliamentary party, from Deputy Jen Cummins. I look forward to all of us working on a cross-party basis, as suggested by the Ceann Comhairle, on safety in public life. I thank the Deputy very much for that. The Deputy is entirely correct in the way he summed up...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I do not want to be too argumentative the first week back but the Sinn Féin proposal to help people with their energy bills was to subsidise these massive energy companies. Its proposal was to give our taxpayers’ money to the energy companies. That was bonkers, in fairness, but I believe Sinn Féin reflected on it and changed its policy. Sinn Féin was not a big fan of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Bacik. I do not know her councillor, Corina Johnston, but I heard her on “Morning Ireland” this morning. I thought she spoke for so many people and for her community on the very tragic situation. I thank her for that. I thank the Deputy and her party for their constructive engagement. Of course, we will give consideration to Deputy Smith’s Bill....