Results 281-300 of 45,231 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: The Taoiseach is entirely correct to meet representatives of the Jewish community, as do I. Antisemitism is disgusting and despicable. There are hostages who have been taken from the people and families of Israel and they need to be freed. The carry on of Hamas is utterly despicable, parading children's caskets like some sort of sick, twisted act of propaganda. Hamas needs to be condemned...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: We condemn it. If the Deputy wants to talk about genocide, read our submission to the ICJ.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: It must be exhausting to think the Deputy, and she alone, carry responsibility and care for this. We care passionately and we are acting. I am proud of the actions of the Irish Government, and so are many people across the country and so is the government of Palestine.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: That is just objectively not fair or true. The Government is committed to further reform of the insurance sector. We have demonstrated this with clear commitments in our programme for Government and in developing a new action plan for insurance reform that would build on the actions delivered in previous reforms. Since the establishment of the Injuries Resolution Board, we have delivered...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: -----and 95% of the actions were delivered by the previous Government under the action plan on insurance reform. That included the strengthening of the Personal Injuries Resolution Board, rebalancing the duty of care, the establishment of an insurance fraud co-ordination office and the introduction of the personal injury guidelines.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: No, we are not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising what is one of the most serious issues we face in the public service and in the lives of children with disabilities, namely, access to therapy provision and the process they go through to gain that access. To be clear, the waiting lists for assessment of need are far too long. This is having a significant negative impact on the lives of children and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: That is a fair question but the Deputy would rightly ask me a different question if I came in here and said the State was going to contest the cases, as that would not be a compassionate or decent approach to take on this issue. The law is clear on the 2022 High Court judgment. I am saying three things the parents. First, we need to reform the system, potentially including the law, and the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: That is not what I am saying.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: We are not.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: I am not rowing with Deputy Doherty today. He seems nearly disappointed that I am saying I am going to resolve the matter. He is right to highlight this issue. He is right to call on us to resolve the issue, and we are going to do that. I am not going to stand up and defend something that cannot be defended. A scheme was announced in good faith, people applied, and the funding now needs...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Bacik for the common-sense suggestion she made regarding a briefing for the Opposition. I apologise but with various international travel and the like over the last while there has been a bit of a lacuna. I suggest that on Monday we have that briefing for Opposition parties either with me or, if my diary does not allow, with senior officials because we need to get that flow...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: I, too, welcome that. On the occupied territories Bill, my office was in touch with Senator Black yesterday to arrange for me to meet with her. I will come back to the Deputy once that has happened. In the vein of controlling what is within our control, and we can talk about this more when we have our briefing and engagement, it is imperative that we look at what is within our control and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Doherty for raising the question on children's disability services. I want to begin where he began by welcoming the special rapporteur from the United Nations for the occupied territories to Ireland and thank her for her work. With a representative of the United Nations in our country, I want to join with all Members of this House and with the Secretary General of the United...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Information and Communications Technology (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department uses a variety of telecommunications channels to deliver its services. Of the channels mentioned, it uses: - 6 ISDN lines for public-facing telephone communications - 1 'fractional' ISDN line and 28 PSTN lines for building utilities. My Department no longer uses copper leased lines.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: The Passports Act 2008 provides for a number of circumstances under which the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade may cancel an Irish passport, including:where the Minister becomes aware of a fact or a circumstances that would have required or permitted him to refuse to issue the passport to the person had the Minister been aware of the fact or circumstance before the passport was...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: The Passport Service is successfully responding to the current level of demand for passports and has issued over 230,000 passports to date this year. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within or before advertised turnaround times and over half of adult renewal applications are processed within 2 working days. My Department undertakes extensive advance...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: Passport cards were introduced in October 2015 and the following number of passport cards have been issued annually since then: Year Total Passport Cards Issued 2015 12,559 2016 24,801 2017 37,674 2018 56,360 2019 87,123 2020 ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: The appointment of full-time specialist Cultural Officers in priority locations worldwide has been identified in the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy as a key action to widen and deepen our global cultural presence and engagement. This programme has been rolled out since 2020 in a close partnership between my Department and the Department of Arts, Culture, Communications,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (20 Mar 2025)

Simon Harris: The Passport Service continues to accept copies of driving licences certified by a member of an Garda Síochána.  If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a specific application, please bring the details of the case to the attention of the Passport Service who will review the matter further.