Results 45,361-45,380 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague, Deputy Noel McCarthy, and I thank him for inviting me to Haulbowline, which he has done for a number of weeks. I very much look forward to visiting it with Deputy McCarthy and with colleagues in Cork because I am pleased to say we are investing heavily in improving the building infrastructure at Haulbowline. We have had a particular focus in recent years on trying to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I know that he and his family have a proud family history of serving our State through the Naval Service. I thank them and all families across our country who have proud traditions with Óglaigh na hÉireann. I welcome the fact we now have the largest Defence Forces budget that we have ever had in our country, but we have a long way to go in terms of investing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Deputy McGrath knows from his own community and constituency the importance of the pride within which the Naval Service is held across our country, particularly in the part of the country where he lives because people are so familiar with the service there. I look forward to visiting Haulbowline with him in the time ahead. The Naval Service currently has a fleet of eight commissioned...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is right. We have to invest more in defence. In fairness, a lot of work was done, much of it by my predecessor, the Taoiseach, in terms of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces. That was a very helpful and important piece of infrastructure. What we do not need to do, however, is every time we try to spend some money on defence, everybody asks about funding for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My officials and I will keep in close contact with the Deputy on those issues as well. I thank him for his words of tribute to members of the Defence Forces. I am very conscious that, this week, men and women who have served in the 125th battalion in Lebanon are beginning to return home. I was in Renmore Barracks, where the 126th battalion is getting ready to be deployed to Lebanon. I met...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising the question and the opportunity it provides to discuss some of the various investments and infrastructure improvements that are either currently under way, or are being planned, at Gormanston Camp in County Meath. As I know the Deputy will be aware, this training installation has now been designated as the Defence Forces’ Joint Induction Training...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I will read my note to give the Deputy the up-to-date figures. I am told that in 2024, 577 recruits were inducted, consisting of 451 Army, 46 Air Corps and 80 Naval Service recruits into the Permanent Defence Forces. As of 28 February, which is the last date I have for figures, 34 recruits were inducted so far this year. On 19 March 2025, Gormanston welcomed its largest recruit class at 72...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I am smiling because this is one of the questions I get asked most frequently when I go around the country. The Deputy is right that our barracks often have good facilities and communities ask if they can get in too. Obviously, there are requirements from a security point of view, but there is also the issue of wanting our communities to be familiar with them. There have been good...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. It is a fair point. It is a matter of lies, damned lies and statistics. It depends on when one measures the point. I am going to say progress has been made in the last year and the Deputy is going to say, "Actually, if you look back over a number of years", and both could be true. The reality is that there are some encouraging...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I am always conscious when speaking to this that people who are not friends of Ireland look in on these proceedings, so as regards national cybersecurity, let all of those who look in be aware that we have cybersecurity structures in place. We have an excellent National Cyber Security Centre. As Deputy Heneghan reminded us earlier, however, there is so much we need to do in this space. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Official Engagements (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167, 182 and 203 together. Let me first, as we always do when we speak about this, extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the late Private Seán Rooney and thank him for his service. None of us can fathom the unimaginable pain and grief of his family. I want them to know that we think of them and are motivated every day by getting them truth...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Official Engagements (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I will engage on that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Official Engagements (8 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for her own service and the unique insight she brings to debates in this House having served in Lebanon with our Defence Forces. I very much welcome the opportunity to update the House on my recent visit to Lebanon. A central focus of that visit on 26 March was on my meetings with the Lebanese Ministers for foreign affairs and defence. At those meetings, my first with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that officials in my Department and the Embassy of Ireland, Germany, are aware of these reports. I can further confirm that officials in the Irish Embassy in Berlin are engaging with the relevant German authorities on the matter. I wish to assure the Deputies that officials in my Department and the Embassy of Ireland, Germany, stand ready to provide consular assistance, should...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the Act“). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and procedures that are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports. The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. Due to the strength of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: State Art Collection (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The bust of General San Martin is currently stored in my Department, having been previously in the National Gallery. My Department is exploring with other state bodies a suitable place for the public display of this bust.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Travel (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: My engagements outside of the State from 25 February to 7 April 2025 are outlined in the table below: Date Destination Engagement March 6 Liverpool Ireland-UK Summit March 14-18 Philadelphia and New York USA St Patrick’s Day engagements March 25-27 Lebanon Visit to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: Hamas is listed by the European Union as a terrorist organisation, unanimously agreed by all Member States. Ireland has repeatedly condemned Hamas and its terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and has consistently called for the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza. I attended the first EU-Palestine High Level Dialogue in Luxembourg on 14 April. The Dialogue provided...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The passport card was launched in October 2015 and offers Irish citizens the convenience of travel, with a credit card sized travel document, to all EU Member States, the members of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Between 2015 and 2024, over 875,000 passport cards were issued. The Passport Card is fully compliant with International Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (29 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: Officials in my Department follow developments in the Taiwan Strait closely. Together with our EU partners, Ireland adheres to a One China Policy. This means we recognise the People’s Republic of China as the legal representative of China, and we do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, this does not preclude the development of economic, cultural and people-to-people...