Results 45,901-45,920 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. He is right. I have been in the Chamber since the news emerged. I join the Deputy and everybody in extending the sympathies of the House and country to all those affected, to the people of India and to those likely to be affected in our nearest neighbour, the United Kingdom. My Department is actively monitoring the situation in real time. We stand ready to assist any...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I had the pleasure of meeting Councillor Nealon from Sligo yesterday and discussed this with him. I also met yesterday pupils from a school in Claremorris in the Deputy's constituency who were in the Dáil. When I bumped into them and asked if they had any questions, the first question they asked was what I would do about this idea of the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy may or may not be aware that there is a prison in my constituency.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: Do not shout at me, please. The Deputy may or may not be aware that there is a prison in my constituency, Shelton Abbey. I have visited it many times.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I do not know if the Deputy has visited any prisons recently. I have visited-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: Can the Deputy please stop shouting? Just please stop shouting.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I would like to be allowed to answer a very serious question. Thank you. Prison capacity is a very serious issue. There are far too many people out on the streets, causing chaos in communities, who need to be in prison.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: They cannot be in prison unless we expand prison capacity. Our population has grown. I believe in alternatives to prison but there are some people who need to be behind bars. This House has passed laws to extend prison sentences but has not put in place the prison capacity to support those extensions. I have been Minister for justice. No Minister for justice wants to receive reports...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Shea for raising this important issue for his constituents. The N20 is a strategically important route. The proposed project aims to enhance regional accessibility, to improve the network, to connect the cities of Cork and Limerick, and to improve connections to west Cork and Kerry. It will really help to allow balanced regional growth and development. The N20-M20...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Clarke for raising this very important issue. After I leave the Chamber I will discuss it directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who has responsibility for mental health. There are a number of actions that the Minister of State is already working on. I want to say that funding is not and will not be a constraint to this. There are real challenges around...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. It is my intention to bring the general scheme next week. There is a very small chance it will go to the following week but it is my working assumption that I will get it to the Cabinet next week so, yes, I believe we will meet the timeline in June. I have been keeping in touch with the Chair of the foreign affairs committee, Deputy Lahart, about this. The Attorney...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McCormack. I agree with the premise. All of us on the Government benches feel very strongly about this. There was very good engagement with the INTO by many of us in our constituencies and at the day it held this week in Buswells Hotel. I thank the INTO for the constructive way in which it has engaged with us. Obviously, all of these matters will be considered in the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and I are listening to Deputy Ó Muirí and he is so right. What has haunted me from the programme, and he has captured it very well, was the lack of basic humanity. Yes, there is more this Government needs to do and will do. The Minister, Deputy MacNeill, and the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, are leading on this as...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I think the INTO will be very satisfied with its very effective campaign this week. I say that in all sincerity because it did have a very effective campaign this week and clearly met with so many TDs as it should in doing its job in highlighting the needs of its schools. To reiterate the point I made earlier to Deputy Mythen, and on the concerns he raised regarding schools, in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I have got a bit of this today. Everybody does their best in representing their constituents but with the position I hold within Government I need to be conscious even if cases can be readily identified, even if not named. I do not want to comment on that but take that as read. I am not aware of the correspondence from the UN but I will make myself aware of it now the Deputy has brought it...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: Article 40.2.2 of the Constitution states that “No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government.” The reference to "title of nobility or of honour" has been interpreted, in accordance with advice from the Attorney General, as referring to honours conferred by or on behalf of a sovereign authority, the recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (11 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 10 and 16 together. Thank you, Deputy, for raising this case. I can confirm that officials in my Department and the Embassy of Ireland, Israel, are aware of this case and are providing consular assistance to the citizen concerned. Since first being notified of this case, officials in the Irish Embassy have been actively engaging with the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: The following phone line is available to Oireachtas members within my Department: Departmental Division Type of Service for Oireachtas Members Passport Service Phone line In October 2021, the Passport Service established a phone line to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases. It is important to note that this phone...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department's ICT projects are managed and delivered under its Digital Transformation Strategy. A decision was made in 2023 that the contract for a new Passport Integrated and Processing System should be concluded due to the contract terms not being met. The project is now being delivered under an alternate contract. YEAR 2022 2023 2024 ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department had no capital projects in excess of €5 million which ran over cost in 2023.