Results 4,181-4,200 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I must begin with the last comment by reminding the Deputy that the ISIF wishes to hear about commercial propositions. I reiterate my comment to Deputy Sean Fleming that we are in agreement-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I hope it is doing well. We are in agreement that there is a need for people to promote the fact that the ISIF is in place and available to those with commercial propositions. It is open for business. As for when the money will be available, as the Deputy is aware, the sale has been concluded. Consequently, it is a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas to pass a resolution, the first...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I welcome Deputy Jerry Buttimer to a meeting of the finance committee. As Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, I am highly conscious of the need to harness the tourism potential of heritage sites, including those in Cork. I will refer his comments to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, with whom I know he has spoken on the issue. I am not in a position to discuss...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McDonald. Nobody has a monopoly on concern for this group. As the Deputy correctly noted, many Members of the Oireachtas have interacted with members of this group, who find themselves in an extraordinary position, one that nobody in the House wants them to be in, as a result of the failures of a pension scheme in a commercial company. However, we must also be honest in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: Senator Hayden raises many important issues in respect of which I concur with her. I would argue that we have other structures in place to address some of the needs that exist. We need to continue to enhance those structures and ensure they are working. I refer, for example, to local enterprise offices and the Enterprise Ireland support for high-potential start-ups, which is helping many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I will be very brief. I have a great deal of respect for Senator Barrett. This is one issue on which we profoundly disagree and I do not propose to relive the entire debate that took place in the context of whether the Government should have sold its minority stake in Aer Lingus. The Government gave careful consideration to all elements of the offer relating to the sale of the State's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Farrell but I would not obviously agree with the concept that each road or any potential road would have to be tolled. There are obviously other ways of providing it, maybe through-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: There would be other modalities that would be open, such as the PPP model and so on, where there would be an investment from the public sector and a commercial element in roads. I do not want to be restrictive in that regard. I take the Deputy's point in relation to the issue of the definition of connectivity. The definition is, as I have outlined, broader than transport projects but it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: We are likely to continue this debate in the Dáil on Thursday of next week.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: Yes, it will be debated in both Houses.

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Unions Regulation (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputies Dowd and Penrose for raising this important issue. I know they both feel passionately about this matter and raise it regularly here on the floor of Dáil Éireann. I thank them for the opportunity to respond to a number of important issues they have raised on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan. Credit unions in Ireland have a-----

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Unions Regulation (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I am sure that will be made available in a moment. Credit unions in Ireland have a legislative framework designed specifically for credit unions in the Credit Union Act 1997, and the Credit Union and Co-operation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012 which updates the 1997 Act. The Credit Union and Co-operation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012 was signed into law by the President of Ireland on...

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Unions Regulation (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: I will indeed.

Topical Issue Debate: Credit Unions Regulation (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: First, like Deputies Dowds and Penrose, I appreciate the important role that the credit union movement plays. I am a member of a credit union in my constituency and, like many Members of this House, I know the substantial difference the movement makes to the lives of so many citizens throughout the country. The Minister for Finance, his officials and I have had good engagement with the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: The river concerned does not form part of any Arterial Drainage Scheme which would fall under the remit of the Office of Public Works (OPW) under the 1945 Arterial Drainage Act. The OPW therefore has no responsibility for the maintenance of the channel, nor any authority to carry out any works there. Local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each Local Authority to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Station Closures (13 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: The following six Garda stations have closed since 2011 as part of the rationalisation programme of An Garda Síochána announced in the 2012 and 2013 policing plans. Garda Station Future plans Rush The former regard station at Rush, Co. Dublin has been licensed to the Rush Musical Society for the use of the Musical Society and Rush Tidy Towns. Harcourt terrace The Commissioners...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (13 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: The Office of Public Works (OPW) appointed consultants in April 2013 to further develop the proposals identified in the pilot Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management study for the Lower Lee in Cork City. Much work has been undertaken on the project since then on the outline design of the Scheme and with the development of the flood forecasting system which will facilitate...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (13 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: It is the intention of the Office of Public Works to undertake a Flood Relief Feasibility Study for Carrigaline within available resources. In that context, it is expected that progress on this Study, that will cover Ballinhassig, will commence during the first half of 2016. The Study will cover, using the outputs from the Lee Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Study and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Insurance Cover (13 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: The national Catchment Flood Risk Assessment & Management (CFRAM) Programme is the principal vehicle for implementing the EU Floods Directive and forms the strategic focus of national flood policy. Local Authorities and other stakeholders are involved in the Programme, in partnership with OPW, on Steering Groups and Progress Groups across six regional studies. The Programme, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Staff (13 Oct 2015)

Simon Harris: The recruitment campaign for Seasonal Guides at OPW-managed heritage sites nationwide will commence shortly with an advertisement seeking applications which will be placed in the media and on relevant OPW websites. All recruitment of Guides is undertaken following an interview, during which relevant qualifications and capacity to undertake the role, including previous guiding experience,...