Results 861-880 of 45,281 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: They put forward alternatives that were emphatically rejected by the people who interpreted them-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: They failed to deliver, they lost the election and we are getting on with the job.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the issue of infrastructure and I want to get straight to that. I acknowledge the huge impact the storm has had on people right across the country and most particularly, people in the west and the north west. I am very conscious of the fact we can read out figures showing how many people have been reconnected to power and very good progress has been made,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I hear the Deputy and I hear her advocacy for her county and her region, and for good reason. We will review the national development plan and our capital plans. We intend to publish that as a Government in the summer period. This will be an opportunity to map out what the increased level of capital funding will mean for the lifetime of this Government and provide that pipeline of capital...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I do not need to dismiss the Sinn Féin housing policy because the people of Ireland did.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: Sinn Féin must be one of the only Opposition parties in the European Union to actually see its vote collapse in the general election, down by 5.5%. It lost the election.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: This is a very serious issue, and I repeat that an issue that is serious deserves a serious response. When I was elected leader of my party and then Taoiseach less than a year ago, I made it very clear that we all needed to work together to fix housing for once and for all. At the start of this new Dáil, we should not seek to divide on this matter. We should actually seek to come into...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: The completion figures for last year are disappointing; that is true. When we look at the past three years together, however, we have significantly exceeded the housing targets that were set. We significantly exceeded them in 2022 and 2023. We now have good momentum, with in excess of 60,000 commencement notices over the past year. This will, of course, as night follows day, translate...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Prisoners Abroad (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that officials in my Department are aware of this case and are providing ongoing consular assistance to the citizen and their family. I appreciate that this is a difficult situation for all concerned. As with all consular cases, my Department has assigned a dedicated case officer to the family and they remain in regular contact with them. Their case officer will continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Artificial Intelligence (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department is actively exploring the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and the various policy considerations that arise. None of the Department’s current programmes or services are driven by Generative AI models. A limited amount of research has been done within the Department’s ICT Unit on Large Language Models (LLM) that has incurred approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: Strengthening our relationship with the United States is a key priority for me and for this Government. Strategic political engagement is an important part of that effort at both Federal and State level. Ireland’s Consul General in Austin did not meet with the Mayor of Dallas in 2024. However, the Consulate of Ireland in Austin General engages regularly with elected officials and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Contracts (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: The Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for two Votes - Vote 27 (International Cooperation) and Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs). Overall expenditure under both Votes for consultancy services engaged by my Department in 2023 and 2024 to date are set out in the schedule at the link below. As a number of contracts are multi-annual, their expenditure in each year of 2023 and 2024 are listed...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Legislative Measures (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: As set out in the Programme for Government, the situation in the Middle East remains a central foreign policy priority, notably advocating for a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine through the realisation of the two-State solution. Settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the realisation of the two-State solution. As the House is aware, in light of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Student Visas (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: Ireland and the US enjoy deep and strong bilateral relations. As is outlined in the new Programme for Government, it is a priority for Ireland to strengthen our political, cultural, economic and trade relationship with the US at all levels, recognising the unique significance of the mutually beneficial relationship between us. An element of these important reciprocal relationships are the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Artificial Intelligence (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: In line with the National AI strategy and the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Security Guidance on Generative AI for Public Sector Bodies, my Department continues to keep the use of artificial intelligence for business purposes under review. My Department's core IT infrastructure is provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) under the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: Unfortunately, the information sought by the Deputy could not be collated in the timeframe provided. My officials will collate same and I will arrange to have this data provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Meetings (6 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: The Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) was established in 2021 with a mission “to ensure Ireland develops appropriate, leading edge and trusted defence and security capabilities in the land, sea, air, space and cyber domains, in order to protect our society, create jobs, drive research and enhance Ireland’s economic growth”. National Defence Industry...

Situation in Palestine: Motion [Private Members] (5 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: We do not need tut-tutting. We can be a little more mature in this debate.

Situation in Palestine: Motion [Private Members] (5 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: You can do what you want, but you can be a little more mature in relation to this.

Situation in Palestine: Motion [Private Members] (5 Feb 2025)

Simon Harris: This Government has taken a number of actions on behalf of the Irish people. I am proud of the approach Ireland has taken. I believe Irish people are proud of the approach we have taken. We are on the right side of history in this country. The Palestinian people and the President of the Palestinian National Authority know that too. One day, the Deputy might also acknowledge the positive...