Results 681-700 of 45,281 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I am pleased that Gaelscoil Phádraig is making progress in its building needs but I take the point that a school needs teachers, which is a vital component of any school. I can imagine the stress that it is causing for the principal and others there trying to fill those vacancies. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to look directly at the issue the Deputy has raised on behalf of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the constructive suggestion. It is what many people right across the country are asking, namely: can we pull everybody together and get all the levers that are necessary to address what is still a housing emergency in Ireland? The new Cabinet committee on housing will meet for the first time under this Government next week, I think, on Monday. We are also committed...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of audiology services in Cork. I am informed there are two factors particularly impacting the waiting lists in Cork. One is demand in our ageing population. That is something we should be able to plan for. The second is a specific issue regarding recruitment pressures. The Department of Health and the HSE are working together to remedy this with a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy made a very good point. We need to reflect on some of this again. Stoves would have been very helpful in many houses during the recent storm. We have to show more flexibility rather than ideology when it comes to delivering these initiatives. We have a climate emergency. We are deadly serious about making progress on it but when people are willing to do their part to help with...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I congratulate and thank Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living for the excellent work it is doing, which is demonstrated by what Deputy outlined in the huge increase of the numbers of people using the service as well as the huge increase in the services provided including transport. I take the point about the need for the State to follow that up with an appropriate level of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and I thank Tina for raising the case of her son, Michael Joseph. While I am pleased to hear he is doing well in playschool and so on based on what the Deputy said, he rightly used the word “hurdle”. As a mother she has got over one hurdle in the assessment of need and now there is the worry of the next thing. We need to do much better at breaking down...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I was very grateful to have an opportunity to meet those people in Clonmel. The sincerity of their feelings was very clear to me and I fully accept their bona fides. A pause needs to be placed by the Department on the situation regarding Ukrainian accommodation. I made this very clear. What I mean is the idea of uprooting children in the middle of the school year is not acceptable....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I do not wish her to think that my inability to reply today is in any way disrespectful. I just want to get her an accurate answer. There have been a number of meetings of the interdepartmental group, which is based in the Department of the Taoiseach. I think, from memory, it met as recently as last week. We eagerly await the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. This is my first time interacting with him so I offer my congratulations on his election. If the Minister had done anything other than what he did yesterday, it would have been irresponsible. Establishing an external review is exactly how to achieve what the Deputy wishes to achieve in terms of clarity in the roles of the Department and the Arts Council, and the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and welcome his colleagues from Cork North Central to the Dáil. The Government is proud to be in a position to invest significantly more money in sports infrastructure for all the reasons outlined by him, including the importance of health and well-being of our people, and the great progress we are seeing in competing in international events such as the Olympics. I...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I have heard of the concern the issue is causing in his community and in County Offaly.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: It is causing concern in Laois and Offaly. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, as the Minister with responsibility for this area, to engage directly with the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and for his persistent work on the matter on behalf of the people of counties Longford and Westmeath. Last year in Longford and Westmeath, more than 660,000 hours of home help were delivered. That was more than 51,000 hours ahead of target. Funding has been provided for this year to at least maintain that level of service. I am pleased to tell the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. This Government is determined to work on an all-island basis on many issues. It makes sense to do that. I have already been to Belfast and met the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and other political leaders. The programme for Government specifically commits very substantial additional funding to grow shared island projects in the years...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: Certainly, nobody on this side of the House in any way laughs about such matters. The Deputy is entirely correct. They are extraordinarily serious matters. Men and women get up every morning, go to work, do a hard day's work and pay their taxes, and they want to see those taxes spent well to deliver for them and their families and communities. It is also fair to say, however, that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I accept the Deputy's passion on this matter. Perhaps I speak in a calmer tone than he does on occasion, but I ask that he please not misunderstand that. There is absolute fury on Government benches in respect of this situation. The people we represent - the people who voted for us and the mandates we have received - are extraordinarily annoyed about this matter. The Deputy is right....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: That is what a responsible Government does. A responsible Government also garners the facts. Let us do that. We do not need faux outrage. What we need are the facts. Gather the facts and then Government will make a proper determination when it has the information. That is what some of the Deputy's colleagues on the Opposition benches have rightly called for. We need to go through this...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I have already said that I believe this issue is very serious. I believe we need to get to the bottom of it. I believe people in well-paid positions in public bodies should be expected to deliver and to be cognisant of the public sector spending code. I believe the arts community has been let down. I also believe that as we have an external review, there are legitimate questions about...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Doherty. The long and the short answer is yes, we will be engaging with the ESB. We will also, in line with our programme for Government commitment, be engaging on the issue of energy costs overall. I can point to a number of measures the previous Government took and that this Government will be taking in respect of assisting people with their energy costs. People will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: A Dáil debate would of course be useful. I agree with Deputy Bacik that if we had committees established - and I hope we will very shortly - I am sure there would be very serious questions asked of the Arts Council. Breaching the public spending code cannot be a consequence-free zone. It simply cannot. These issues are, quite frankly, absolutely alarming. People can make mistakes in...