Results 1,681-1,700 of 47,282 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I join the Deputy in absolutely condemning Hamas and Hezbollah, which offer no future positivity to the people of Palestine. That is not just my view on that; the President of the Palestinian Authority has been clear that the future of Gaza needs to be a Hamas-free future. I am also Minister for Defence. I have seen the utter destruction and death Hezbollah can bring to members of the...

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

Simon Harris: Does Deputy Tóibín know why I am in my job? It is because we had an election and I got elected. Some 458,000 people gave their first preference votes to my party. An overwhelming majority of people gave votes to the parties and Independent Deputies who make up this Government. It is called a democracy. Aontú ran and got two seats. Congratulations. The Deputy does not...

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

Simon Harris: -----of course the buck stops with me. Does the Deputy know what else-----

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

Simon Harris: I am going to tell the Deputy what it means. Calm down. He asked his question and I get an opportunity to answer it. It is how this place works. The Deputy asked a question about the children's hospital. I am responsible, of course. I am responsible for bringing the proposal to the Cabinet and for recommending that we proceed. The easiest thing to do in politics if you do not want to...

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

Simon Harris: I will just point out first of all that the Deputy is very well paid himself. This country spends roughly €110 billion on its annual budget. We made a decision to invest €2.2 billion over several years in a project that will transform children's health and deliver a world-class children's hospital that will not just serve people for the lifetime of this Dáil, the next...

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...