Results 5,921-5,940 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I understand the Deputy is referring to Parliamentary Questions No. 490 of 28 February 2023, which asked for 'the number of gardaí by rank attached to a district community response team within the DMR as of 20 February 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter.' As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the investigation of crime. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. However, to be of assistance I sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions. To be of assistance I have contacted the Garda authorities and have been...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Civil Service (22 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is committed to building staff skills and capability by ensuring that a wide range of learning and development (L&D) opportunities, aligned to the Department's strategic needs, are available to staff, as appropriate. As the Deputy will appreciate, the nature and extent of training for staff of my Department in the years 2019 to 2021 has been impacted by significant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I thank the Cathaoirleach and committee members for having me here today. I know that later my officials will brief the committee on their work at EU level on child sex abuse. I am very pleased to see the committee's interest. I will be engaging with the European Commissioner on this matter on Thursday. Ireland is very keen to play a leading and constructive role. I look forward to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague, Senator Ward, for his comments and support. He has summed up my view that we can only gain from participation in this. We are a small country at the heart of Europe but on the geographic periphery. We can only benefit from an exchange of information and fundamentally that is at the heart of what this agency intends to do, namely, share information, best practice and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I do not want to avoid any issue and I certainly take seriously what the Deputy says. I would fundamentally reject with every fibre of my being that the position of the European Union in relation to migration - and this country being a member of the EU I am not talking about Europe as something separate and disconnected from us - is in any way shape or form aligned with the policy adopted by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The principal roles of the agency will be monitoring. The monitoring will cover the operational and technical application of all aspects of the common European asylum system. Frontex is obviously a border agency whereas this will monitor the common European asylum system. They are not directly linked but, again, when I go to justice and home affairs meetings there tends to be a sharing of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: This is an agency in its own right. The Deputy is asking me a question specifically about Frontex. I think all our European agencies do their very best to respond to very difficult and challenging situations. Can people and organisations sometimes do better? Of course they can but this is an agency in its own right. The only exemplar that this agency is building on is the work of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: No. It is absolutely not about the individuals, it is about the systems. It is about best practice and it is about a resource to draw on to support the embedding of best practice and the information exchange but I welcome the question because it is an important one.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Virement is the process wherebysavings on one or more subheads are used to meet excess expenditure on another subhead or subheads within the same Vote with the prior approval of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDPR). Where virement amounts are not confirmed at time of sanction request, provisional sanction is provided by DPENDPR and definitive sanction is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is committed to the continued roll-out of supports and targeted initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage and support equity of access, participation and success in both further and higher education. The National Access Plan (2022-2028) commits to collection of data on key priority groups including travellers, people in care and those who have experienced homelessness....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) operates the pension payroll for the Technological Universities.I am advised that the NSSO is working closely with the different institutions to ensure any outstanding pension increases are paid to individuals as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Following the invasion of Ukraine and in line with the European Council Decision on 4 March 2022, the Government is applying rights under the International Protection Act 2015 to those granted temporary protection. The Act entitles recipients to immediate access to the labour market, along with access to social welfare, accommodation and other State supports including healthcare and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. My officials have referred your query to SOLAS for direct reply on this individual matter. If you have not received a response from SOLAS within 30 days, please feel free to come back to my office for further follow-up.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. My officials referred your query to SOLAS and due to the provisions outlined in GDPR a response on this individual matter was issued to the apprentice on March 21st 2023. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department does not have a role in relation to loans which might be offered by lenders to students for particular purposes. This is a matter between the relevant lenders and the students applying for such loans. In May 2022 the Government approved Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education. The Government has decided that the funding model for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Dept of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, recently announced a State investment of up to €41 million to support the delivery of a phase one development of 405 additional student accommodation beds on Dublin City University's Glasnevin Campus. This funding is part of the wider Government short term initiative to activate purpose built student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department have no projects that are on hold due to capital funding pressures.