Results 641-660 of 46,232 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The sheer hypocrisy of the Deputy. It was only in March of this year that the First Minister of Northern Ireland, who is the Deputy's party's vice president, said that she was delighted that £671 million would be spent on a state-of-the-art children's hospital at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital. Ladies and gentlemen, who was that contract with? Does anyone know? It was BAM: the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Not only that-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I have more to say, please. The contract was announced and it was welcomed.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Not only was the contract signed with BAM, do you know what happened then? It pulled out. As a result, Sinn Féin has further compounded the delays to the delivery of the project. Not only that but the children's hospital that it is delivering in Northern Ireland and that Sinn Féin's First Minister and vice president welcomed is more expensive per square metre than the children's...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: They are not my words; they are the words of the Parliamentary Budget Office in the Oireachtas. That office has looked at the hospital Sinn Féin is presiding over in the North and the hospital we are presiding over here and it found that Sinn Féin's is more expensive than the one we are delivering.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: Get over yourselves with the absolute hypocrisy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I very much appreciate that events have overtaken us. First, I join with the Deputy in acknowledging that it is the tenth anniversary of marriage equality today. I acknowledge the pretty significant role the Deputy's party played in this. I enjoyed being in government with the Labour Party during that period when we put this referendum to the people of Ireland and became the first country...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I will begin today by condemning the senseless antisemitic murder of Yaron and Sarah overnight. These were two young diplomats in Washington DC who were killed in the prime of their lives. They were a young couple, soon to be engaged. I think of them and their families, to whom I send our sympathies. I also think of all those present at the Jewish museum in Washington DC last night, who...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Freedom of Information (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: I am fully cognisant of the statutory obligations that apply under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, and I am satisfied that records relating to government or official departmental business are retained in line with the requirements of the Act.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Inquiries (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may issue a civil letter of freedom (Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta) to an Irish citizen for the purpose of a marriage abroad. This is not an Irish requirement, but a requirement of the country where an applicant might want to get married. All applicants should check with the registry office where they are getting married in order to ascertain...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Issues (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the 2008 Act“). Section 7(1)(a) of the 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to them. To meet this requirement, each passport applicant must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department’s Blended Working policy for staff in Ireland is framed within the context of the broader Civil Service Policy on Blended Working. All officers who avail of blended working are required to attend the office at least 50% of the time, over a four week period. The specific arrangements of individual work patterns are agreed locally as part of the Blended Working Agreement....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel. For reasons of operational security it is not appropriate to disclose the versions used.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses videoconferencing software provided by Cisco. Department staff can access Teams calls via an Internet browser. For reasons of operational security it is not appropriate to disclose the versions used.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department is currently in the process of migrating some of its services to the Microsoft cloud platform. For reasons of operational security it would not be appropriate to disclose details of the services.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses Lotus Notes to support a small number of business units. For reasons of operational security it would not be appropriate to disclose the version used.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently uses Colt and Virgin Media as commercial internet service providers at headquarters. The current annual cost of these contracts are €8,016 and €6,000 respectively excluding VAT.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: In line with the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations, my Department launched its Blended Working Policy in late October 2022. Staff availing of blended working are required to attend the office on a minimum of 2 specific days each week as agreed with their manager. Employees can apply to avail of blended working through the centralised online application system...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department's core IT infrastructure is provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) under the 'Build to Share Managed Desktop' Shared Service My Department uses Microsoft Teams as part of the Department’s collaboration and communication platform. Microsoft Teams is included in the user productivity suite of services provided to all staff in my...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department currently utilises Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our cloud service providers. The Department is currently implementing a five year Technology Strategy and Roadmap. It is aligned with ‘Connecting Government 2030: A Digital and ICT Strategy for Ireland’s Public Service’ which has a core principle of ‘Digital by Default and Cloud...