Results 2,321-2,340 of 45,281 for speaker:Simon Harris

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: To the best of my knowledge, it will be under the Department of Health. I share the Deputy's view and hope the inquiry will get under way quickly. I will get the Deputy a note on that from the Minister for Health. It will be under the Department of Health, to the best of my knowledge

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: To be clear, I do believe that accommodation is the greatest outworking of the challenge we face in resect of migration. In case I misinterpreted the question, I absolutely believe that. I am making the point, though, that I do not think the conversation about migration should be limited to that because there are other issues around the efficiency of the system, which I think the Deputy and...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: It will still be very interesting around the community engagement and the like because this will still mean we will need communities to welcome and support people. We have to be upfront with people and not pit one community service against another. It is the loss of a community facility, such as a hotel, community centre and the like, that has fuelled some challenges in relation to social...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and, truthfully, I enjoyed working with her on a number of the all-island education projects we worked on together. I am genuinely excited to see the Magee campus because there has been a terrible social injustice done to Derry when it comes to access to higher education provision. There is a very exciting prospect now with ATU Letterkenny in Deputy Doherty’s...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I will not get into a big debate around Irish unification or the Chairman will give out to me, but I have no doubt the Deputy will bring this up with me regularly. I welcome the chance to have an exchange on it. I also take seriously my role as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: We now have the institutions back up and running and we have a hell of a lot of work to do. That is where I want to put my focus.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I was not around to----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I would have to look into the weather in 1955.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: Yes, I will do that and I thank the committee for the serious points made. I just want to respond to the point made on migration, the rule of law, gardaí and the likes. It is a serious point and all political parties in this House have been standing by the law and the gardaí in relation to their job. I accept that gardaí have a very difficult job to do and I accept that they...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: No, it is not acceptable. There are serious questions to answer as to how this was allowed to happen. I do not say that to be overly critical but the fact is it is not acceptable. There are rules that need to be followed in every circumstance, even in an emergency. We must have a rules-based migration system. We have to be able to do better than allowing the situation that has happened...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I do not believe I have conducted Government business through social media apps.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Chief State Solicitor's Office (Revised) (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I believe I have more than five. A number of them were there with the previous Taoiseach, and are still there, who are very much policy advisers. There are also people who have worked with me in previous roles on the policy side as opposed to the press side. There is therefore a combination of skills mix.

Acknowledgement and Apology to the Families and to the Victims of the Stardust Tragedy: Statements (23 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I join with you by welcoming to the House the Stardust families who are gathered here with us in the Chamber and in the Public Gallery. I know there have been many times when you thought this day would never come, over far too many years. I know that you were forced to endure a living nightmare which began when your loved ones were so cruelly snatched from you in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Appointments (23 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: In appointing my Team, I take a number of issues into consideration, including the key priorities to be delivered on in terms of the Programme for Government; engagement with coalition colleagues; the significant workload associated with the Office of the Taoiseach; the range of skills and advisory supports available to me to assist me in my role as Taoiseach; and the importance of promoting...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (23 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: From 2020 to 2024, there has been an increase of 39% in Voted allocation for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The below table details the net Annual Funding provided for Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions 2020–2024. Year Estimate Provision €’000s 2020 43,968 2021 44,704 ...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (23 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The Cabinet Committee on Children and Education and Disability will oversee the implementation of Programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being, and tackling local area disadvantage. It will also oversee the implementation of Programme for Government commitments in the area of disability, with a particular...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I had a meeting with the Road Safety Authority this week. There are at least three aspects to road safety and probably more. There are killer behaviours, which we need to get on top of, including drink driving, drug driving and speed. There is enforcement. I agree that there is also the issue of the quality and safety of our roads....

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I assure the House and the Deputy that we will get that time. To be clear, it is being referred to the justice committee for its scrutiny. It will then come back to this House for a full debate, which the Government wishes to be given plenty of time and a vote by every Member. It will then go to the other House for a full debate and a vote by every Member because while I am very much in...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. The clinical advice is not to open more emergency departments. However, there is a need and desire to make hospitals within the hospital group, including Ennis, busier with regard to the volume of work they do and the range of services they provide. I definitely believe in that. Since this Government came to office, UHL has seen its staff numbers grow by 1,183 and its...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (17 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I will reflect on what he said. I am very much aware of the thalidomide group of survivors and of the issues they have raised. I am aware of the work that has been going on, in fairness to the Deputy's party leader and my colleague, the Tánaiste, since he became Taoiseach. I will reflect on what the Deputy said and I intend to have engagement with the group shortly.