Results 44,641-44,660 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I appreciate the Deputy's comprehensive answer. I have a rake of questions but I am happy to come back in, other than to leave it on this point. Deputy McGuinness said that the stories about his own time as a Minister of State have been in the media since April, so I imagine he has been doing quite an amount of research to check his time in office and to check that he has all his facts and...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: That is fine. The Deputy's argument appears to be that he did not break any rules and we were in different times. Nobody has publicly contradicted him in that regard. The Deputy mentioned on numerous occasions this morning that this happened six years ago. The difficulty I have is that Deputy McGuinness, as Chairman of this committee, would not accept that from another witness such as,...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I can give a different example.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Other people who have appeared before this committee have made that very point. The Deputy was not an innocent bystander. He made the decisions, which we will get to later. This is not about the Deputy's wife; rather, it is about the Deputy and his public office. The only reference to the Deputy's wife is in relation to that. The Deputy is the one who made the decision that his wife was...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I want to get the Deputy's current views in a moment. The Deputy said the other night on "Tonight with Vincent Browne" and repeated again today that this was done six years ago when it was usual for wives to accompany their husbands and the State paid for it. It is not true to say that every Minister brought his or her spouse.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: No. I am just clarifying the situation. It is fair to say that certain Ministers, including the Deputy's then senior Minister, the current Leader of Fianna Fáil, did not bring their wives on official business and when they were accompanied abroad on St. Patrick's Day by their spouses, they paid for them. The point I am making is that it was not that under the guidelines the Department...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McGuinness for being here. This a difficult issue for all members to deal with.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 111. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the powers that municipal district councils will have in respect of the setting rates; if municipal districts will have a specifically allocated budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28442/13]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Black Economy Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 140. To ask the Minister for Finance the measures in place to address the black economy; the consequences for involvement from procurement to purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28014/13]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Credit Ratings (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 141. To ask the Minister for Finance if he has given consideration to putting in place a creditworthiness database or measure of similar constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28015/13]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Rates Reductions (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 213. To ask the Minister for Finance the estimated benefit to the overall economy, the hospitality sector and to the employment sector of the 9% VAT rate for tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28021/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 253. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a problem being experienced by a primary school (details supplied) in County Wicklow in accessing an internet provider and the problems this is causing for a school that heavily utilises the internet interactive white boards, payroll, school attendance and so on; and the actions being taken by his Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 258. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has received any correspondence from representatives of professional organisations or academics warning of inadequacies in his Department's autism policy with regard to applied behaviour analysis; the steps he has taken to meet these concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26911/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (11 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: 329. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures that are in place regarding the training of persons for the retail and hospitality sectors; his plans regarding the advancement of this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28019/13]