Results 601-620 of 46,232 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Ireland’s policy of military neutrality means that Ireland does not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements. As I have said in this House on many previous occasions, there are no plans to alter this policy. Responsibility for the regulation of foreign aircraft landing or overflying the State is shared between Departments. The Minister for Foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Agreements (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Government is committed to supporting free, fair and open trade. Indeed, recent developments in the global trading environment have highlighted the importance of market diversification via an expanded set of EU free trade agreements. EU FTAs support more opportunity for exports and investment, help support jobs and growth at home, maintain strict EU standards on food safety, animal and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Responsibility for the regulation of foreign aircraft landing or overflying the State is shared between Departments. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has primary responsibility for the regulation of foreign military and state aircraft, while the Minister for Transport leads on regulation of civil aircraft. Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Government has consistently condemned the blockade of essential aid to Gaza and called for the immediate resumption of unimpeded humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza. The humanitarian situation in the Strip is catastrophic with almost no aid allowed in by Israel since 2 March. The limited amount of aid allowed in in recent days is clearly insufficient. Following the meeting of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Sanctions are an important tool to promote the objectives of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy in response to breaches of international law including international humanitarian law and human rights. I welcome that the European Union adopted successive rounds of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, in April and in July...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: All civil servants posted to our missions abroad, including third secretaries, are paid the standard salary for their grade as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and are paid in accordance with the normal Irish taxation and social security obligations that apply to civil servants. In common with other diplomatic services, this Department further...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: In my intervention at the EU-Palestine High Level Dialogue in Luxembourg last month, I stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. In this regard, I welcome the recent joint statement by the High Representative Kaja Kallas and the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee supporting the Palestinian Authority in assuming all of its...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Ireland has resident Ambassadors in 72 countries. Some of these are also accredited as Ambassador of Ireland on a non-resident basis to other states in their region.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154, 155 and 156 together. The detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available within the time frame sought. Officials in my Department are collating this information and I will arrange to have this information forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (27 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together. The military authorities have advised it has not been possible to provide the required information within the timeframe available. I shall provide the information to the Deputy once it becomes available.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He raises an interesting and fair point, and it is one that comes up quite a lot. I will certainly commit to engaging with the Minister for Justice on this. We are going through a period of reform in the passport service. Many challenges that used to exist, including delays in getting passports, are, thankfully, gone. Many people are pleasantly shocked at how...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter. He is right that it is a major priority for us in government. In the programme for Government we have outlined 21 specific commitments on childcare. My constituency in Wicklow it is not too dissimilar to Deputy Neville's constituency in Kildare in terms of a very fast-growing population of people. They are pleased to see the reduction we...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this matter, and for providing me with the figures, which do seem quite extraordinary in terms of the amount of plastic being collected under the scheme that then has to be shipped out of the country. I do not profess to be an expert on the detail of this but I will ask the Minister for the environment to look at the specific issue raised by Deputy Carthy to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I know but I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to come back to Deputy Carthy on it.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Lawless for raising what is clearly is a very important issue. I am pleased to tell him there is a proposed public health nicotine inhaling products Bill which will contain a range of measures to reduce youth use of nicotine inhaling products such as vapes, a ban on point-of-sale displays and advertising, a ban on devices resembling toys and games, restrictions on flavours for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McGrath. I did indeed meet Mrs. O'Dwyer and others in Clonmel and I share Deputy McGrath's view of meeting good decent people. I do not have the information available to me here but I will ask either the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, or the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to come back to Deputy McGrath directly on this issue in Dundrum.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is very real and comes up quite a lot across the country. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond to her on her plans, if the Deputy wants to provide her with examples of some of the issues she referenced in her constituency. We are very committed to increasing the number of training places for GPs. We have already begun that work and...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Connolly, who makes a very compelling case. Any transport strategy will have to be multifaceted, as the Deputy correctly said. I will not cut across the decisions pending in An Bord Pleanála on the N6 and I know the importance of that in Galway. Regardless of what decision is made, there will still be a requirement to do more on the public transport network. We are...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague, Deputy Noel McCarthy, for raising this important issue. I can only imagine the degree of frustration being felt by his constituents in Ballyhooly, which he is giving voice to today. I am due to meet Uisce Éireann tomorrow and I will raise this issue with its representatives and come back to Deputy McCarthy directly.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Daly. I have known the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to be described in many ways, but "silent" is a new one on me. I will ask him to engage directly with the Deputy. I have heard about the challenge this has created, the impact it is having on the livelihoods of people and the vacuum or lack of clarity on the position. On foot of the Deputy raising this issue today, I...