Results 43,181-43,200 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (1 May 2024)

Simon Harris: Yes, I understand. I definitely heard the Deputy. Deputy Conway-Walsh raised the issue of defects in apartments and the interim scheme and the longer one. I will send her a written note. In short, up to the end of March, 128 applications are being progressed under the interim funding across 26 local authority areas, representing more than 13,000 residential units. Approximately 80% of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what I agree is a really important issue regarding housing. From going across the country and engaging with young people and their parents, I know that home ownership can still feel out of the reach of many people. We are working day and night to change that. We are working every single day to make progress. I am very happy to report progress, because...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: It seems we will have to wait for day 140 to find out how the leader of Sinn Féin intends to deliver on her commitment given in The Irish Times that she would provide people in this capital city and county with homes for €300,000.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: The Sinn Féin motion to be debated tonight does not do it. As for promising people leasehold, people do not want leasehold. People want to be able to go out and buy their own homes. That is what the people the Deputy, too, must be meeting across the country tell me as well. The people in the box rooms-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I will tell the Deputy what we are delivering now. The Deputy has a leader and she did well there, so allow me to respond. We have already delivered 4,000 affordable homes. We have 21 local authorities so far-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: -----and we are on track for more than 6,000 this year. I have shown the Deputies and, more important, the people at home, who do not want to see Sinn Féin playing politics with a crisis, how we are continuing to make progress. The Deputy asked how we are going to fix it. I will tell her how we will do it. We are going to deliver record supply this year. Already this year we have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this matter. I was very pleased that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, yesterday brought to Government the three reviews into RTÉ that the Deputy referenced. These are the reviews prepared by the independent expert advisory committees, the review of governance and culture, and the review of contractor fees, HR and other matters in RTÉ. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Bacik. We will obviously have to work with parties in this House on any legislative proposals we bring forward. My commitment is that the Cabinet makes the policy decision on future funding by the summer recess. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has been very clear that when we look through the 15 recommendations that pertain to the Government there will be a clear need...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I am not sure where to start there. On housing supply in Kerry, the Deputy was with the Minister for housing at the opening of a new housing estate in Castleisland very recently. That is one of many examples of real progress being made in respect of housing. I thank the Deputy for turning up to report that progress for his constituents in Kerry; it is important he does that. On the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I will indeed visit County Kerry. I regularly visit the county and I look forward to doing so again.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: Thank you so much. However, we have to acknowledge that policy changes have taken place in this country in relation to Ukraine. We have seen the numbers of Ukrainians coming here decrease dramatically. We can see this and the figures-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: The Deputy mentioned cats, dogs and jeeps. Can we just rise to a higher level here, if the Deputy does not mind? We are dealing with a very serious situation. What people in this country want to know is that we are getting to grips with it and that we are using the various policy levers at our disposal to try to make progress. What I say to them is that when we look at the Ukrainian...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: We continue to look at a range of measures. The Deputy mentioned the Minister for Justice. I ask the Deputy to look at the actual decisions the Minister has taken around faster processing times. It is not a question of rounding people up; it is a matter providing them with clarity when they come to a country. They either have a right to be here or they do not. If they have a right to be...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: If they do not have a right to be here, we make sure they leave. This is the policy of the Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McNamara for raising two important matters and giving me an opportunity to respond. In relation to the first one, which is a very serious matter, the Government's response to this is to pass the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill. Of course, not knowing the specifics of the individual case raised, but taking it as an example of a broader issue, we saw...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: Indeed, it was that alert system that would have identified this issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: We do have rules. Rules are enforced and need to be seen to be enforced. On occasions where there are any questions with regard to that, it is important that we can quickly move to clarify that situation.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: There was a judgment given. Having been a Minister in Departments, I know that when judgments come in, they are generally considered and then advice is given, and the next steps are taken. My understanding is that the review was sought by the Minister last week. The Minister will respond-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: The Minister will respond to the Deputy's specific-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: Deputy McNamara-----