Results 601-620 of 46,197 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Pardon the pun. Not only is this children's hospital not the most expensive in the world, as the Deputy has said in the past, but it is not even the most expensive children's hospital being built on the island of Ireland per square metre according to the budget office of this Parliament.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy can shout me down if he wants, but we are going to transform children's healthcare. The Deputy can keep correcting the homework and we will get on with doing the business.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is right; this is genocidal activity. There are no two ways about it. The Israeli Government is rather upfront and blunt in outlining its military and political objectives for Gaza, which are abhorrent and clear breaches of international law. As I have been saying, and as I want to continue to say, the Irish people have, through their taxes, sent a significant amount of aid to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Ward for raising this matter. I had the pleasure of meeting the Raphoe Community Playgroup during a relatively recent visit to Donegal. It keeps in touch with me directly, as I know it does with Oireachtas Members from Donegal. I see the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, in the Chamber as well. I know it also keeps in contact with the Taoiseach, the Minister for...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I take the Deputy's point and his position with regard to the broader mica scheme and whether it can be changed. The Deputy knows the programme for Government includes a commitment to review it. The Deputy may correct me if I am wrong, but my sense of it when I meet playgroups and others affected is that they just want a solution. They are understandably less fussed on how that solution...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The sheer hypocrisy of the Deputy. It was only in March of this year that the First Minister of Northern Ireland, who is the Deputy's party's vice president, said that she was delighted that £671 million would be spent on a state-of-the-art children's hospital at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital. Ladies and gentlemen, who was that contract with? Does anyone know? It was BAM: the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Not only that-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I have more to say, please. The contract was announced and it was welcomed.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Not only was the contract signed with BAM, do you know what happened then? It pulled out. As a result, Sinn Féin has further compounded the delays to the delivery of the project. Not only that but the children's hospital that it is delivering in Northern Ireland and that Sinn Féin's First Minister and vice president welcomed is more expensive per square metre than the children's...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: They are not my words; they are the words of the Parliamentary Budget Office in the Oireachtas. That office has looked at the hospital Sinn Féin is presiding over in the North and the hospital we are presiding over here and it found that Sinn Féin's is more expensive than the one we are delivering.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Get over yourselves with the absolute hypocrisy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I very much appreciate that events have overtaken us. First, I join with the Deputy in acknowledging that it is the tenth anniversary of marriage equality today. I acknowledge the pretty significant role the Deputy's party played in this. I enjoyed being in government with the Labour Party during that period when we put this referendum to the people of Ireland and became the first country...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I will begin today by condemning the senseless antisemitic murder of Yaron and Sarah overnight. These were two young diplomats in Washington DC who were killed in the prime of their lives. They were a young couple, soon to be engaged. I think of them and their families, to whom I send our sympathies. I also think of all those present at the Jewish museum in Washington DC last night, who...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Freedom of Information (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I am fully cognisant of the statutory obligations that apply under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, and I am satisfied that records relating to government or official departmental business are retained in line with the requirements of the Act.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Inquiries (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may issue a civil letter of freedom (Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta) to an Irish citizen for the purpose of a marriage abroad. This is not an Irish requirement, but a requirement of the country where an applicant might want to get married. All applicants should check with the registry office where they are getting married in order to ascertain...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the 2008 Act“). Section 7(1)(a) of the 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to them. To meet this requirement, each passport applicant must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department’s Blended Working policy for staff in Ireland is framed within the context of the broader Civil Service Policy on Blended Working. All officers who avail of blended working are required to attend the office at least 50% of the time, over a four week period. The specific arrangements of individual work patterns are agreed locally as part of the Blended Working Agreement....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel. For reasons of operational security it is not appropriate to disclose the versions used.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses videoconferencing software provided by Cisco. Department staff can access Teams calls via an Internet browser. For reasons of operational security it is not appropriate to disclose the versions used.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department is currently in the process of migrating some of its services to the Microsoft cloud platform. For reasons of operational security it would not be appropriate to disclose details of the services.