Results 43,561-43,580 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for preparing one earlier. I also thank him for raising this issue, as I know he does regularly. The position of the Government now is to consider the Low Pay Commission's report, which I think was published yesterday. The Minister, Deputy Burke, and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, will give it consideration and carry out an economic assessment. The report will...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy very much. I think the budgetary process gets earlier every year. I very much understand the serious issues raised by the INTO and I thank the organisation for doing so. From my engagement with schools, I know the cost pressures they are facing are real. The Government does, obviously, want to help support our schools. The way we will do this, obviously, will be...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this issue. I join him in extending sympathy to the family of Councillor Christy Kinahan at this difficult time. I will ask the Minister for housing to specifically consider the issues he raised regarding Tipperary and the broader impact and revert to him directly.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I am not sure if I would have any success but I am happy to advocate on Deputy O'Sullivan's behalf. I congratulate the organisers of Feel the Force. I take the serious point he makes about Dunmanway and Clonakilty at a time when we are trying to encourage people to be able to use more public transport. We need to do more in particular in rural Ireland. I know the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Mythen very much for raising the issue and for the work he has done with the Library and Research Service. I will undertake to ensure the report he commissioned is considered by the State Examinations Commission. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to do that as well. I am conscious that we all hear in our constituencies as well about the issue of students with dyspraxia,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. If is fair comment that there are many people at work today thanks to the work he, as Minister, did on the Action Plan for Jobs and the like when this country was in the depths of recession. That effort showed how, when we put the focus on employment and enterprise, real progress can be made. I thank him for that. I made the comments to which...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I am not aware of the details of this case but it sounds like the school has been waiting an extraordinarily long time and there has been an extraordinarily long campaign. I will talk directly to the Minister, Deputy Foley, about it. We are very eager to support the development of Gaelcholáistí, particularly where there is such a demand. I will ask the Minister to revert to the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I assure the Deputy that we fully support the retained firefighters and our firefighters generally. We very much value their work. It is important that the value of that work is recognised in their terms and conditions. I know of the incredible work they do in my county and across the country. Following acceptance of the WRC agreement last September, the Department of public expenditure...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: First, I do not believe employers in cafés, restaurants and hotels, of whom we all know many in our communities, are exploiting younger people. They give them opportunities by providing them with summer jobs and part-time work while they are in college. I do not see any evidence of exploitation. The Deputy should reflect very carefully on that charge. It is a very strong charge to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I have no doubt the Deputy will do so. I know his passion for his town of Drogheda and his passion for this issue. I will talk to the relevant Minister to see what the plans are regarding the Derelict Sites Act. I look forward to meeting very shortly with the Deputy and representatives of the community in Drogheda to talk about the task force we have discussed. We really need to finish...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I thank the representatives of Recovery Haven for being here in Leinster House today. The Deputy is right that we need to support these groups. That is why we made the relevant allocation in the budget. Without meaning to speak for Recovery Haven, my understanding is that it is asking for its funding to be increased and to become core...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland was created on 10 April 2024 and will oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments and ongoing developments related to Northern Ireland. Its membership comprises me as Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the Ministers for the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I will start with Deputy Ó Murchú. I thank him for raising the issue of Lough Neagh. Before we talk about cross-Border shared island and all-island units, I was delighted to be in Omeath at a project that I know the Deputy and John O'Dowd, Minister for Infrastructure of the Northern Ireland Executive, visited recently. I believe the Narrow Water bridge project is going to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I said I do not think I can address that.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: On the junior doctors, for clarity, I said that while it is important we all support people working in our public health service, it is not appropriate for me to comment specifically on industrial action. I would not appreciate it if people in other Executives commented on industrial relations matters in this jurisdiction.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Middle East (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 16, inclusive, together. I reported to the Dáil on 22 May regarding my recent discussions with international leaders on the situation in the Middle East. Since then, I have had calls with President Abbas of Palestine, with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shehbaz Sharif, and with President Erdogan of Türkiye, following our recognition of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Middle East (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: We have to be very careful about that presentation by the Deputy. Somebody asking somebody to investigate somebody for something is a bit of a stretch. The President of the European Commission is not in any way, shape or form what the Deputy portrayed at all. It is important that we share the process with people in the country because there was a lot of misinformation around it during the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Programmes (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 22, inclusive, together. Ireland submitted its 2024 national reform programme, NRP, to the European Commission on 30 April. The NRP was subsequently also laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas and published. The NRP is an element of the European semester, the annual cycle of economic and social policy co-ordination among EU member states. As...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Programmes (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I will start with that point. I will certainly ensure there is continued engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive. Members of our Government have already had bilateral meetings with the Ministers, Conor Murphy and Caoimhe Archibald. We will continue that engagement. We also want to see the Narrow Water bridge come in on time and on budget. Louth County Council is overseeing that...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Programmes (12 Jun 2024)

Simon Harris: I have checked that out and have been informed that is not the case. I am continuing to seek full information. I also had a multiagency meeting on the issue yesterday and my understanding is that there is currently a small amount of spare capacity in some of the facilities. To be very honest, the big thing we are working on in the short term is bringing a State-owned site that has been...