Results 81-100 of 47,517 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: By the end of April, the Defence Forces will have submitted to me, and I will publish, a workforce plan that shows how we get to where we need to be in terms of personnel by 2028. That will require a number of pinch points to be addressed. We are now seeing real interest in joining the Defence Forces. We can all take a sense of encouragement from the fact that people want to wear the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I am very open to the idea of a specialist pay review. I said that to the Deputy on a previous occasion. We will examine that in the context of the next national pay agreement, along with the workforce plan. The Deputy put forward a set of challenges as to why people sometimes leave parts of the public service. I put forward a different set of reasons. I referred to full employment, a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Heneghan for continually raising this matter since his election to the House. My colleague the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has the lead role for cyber security and the Department receives inputs in the security domain from An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The National Cyber Security Centre, which, as is appropriate, is now part of that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: On this point we agree. A key priority for Ireland and our Defence Forces, our Naval Service and our country has to be to ensure we have as best an understanding as possible of what happens in our seas, below our waters. A key priority for me is to ensure the operational capacity of the Defence Forces is maintained and developed to get us to the level of ambition 2, LOA2, as defined by the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: Yes, we do. I take the point on the value for money or good value for the taxpayer. I will update the House once we get to the point where we place contracts and the like. Obviously, securing value for money is important. The only priority above that is securing this. That is why I think wise decisions were taken in years before my occupation of this office to put in place structures...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: The information available to me is that the existing personnel's training needs will be the priority. Training needs will be determined and delivered as part of the delivery of the programme and will encompass equipment level training, including maintenance, as well operational and tactical level training. Training and upskilling our current personnel as opposed to additional specialist...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: The first thing I will say, and I know we will all join in this, is that debates about triple locks and all that are terribly important but in the here and now there are men and women being deployed overseas. I had the honour of reviewing the 127th battalion that is heading out as part of the UNIFIL mission to southern Lebanon imminently, this month. We thank the 362 men and women of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: That is a space in which I am willing to and wanting to engage. I fully accept quite clearly that we do not agree on the issue of changing the role of the triple lock. I think the Deputy's position is to leave things as they are. I do not say that flippantly. I think that is the Deputy's position. My position is that we are going to change it. I am very happy to have a conversation...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: To military neutrality, which has not changed.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I would like make a point about last year's general election. This gets mentioned a lot. In fairness to my predecessor, who is now Taoiseach, the process and the policy process of changing the triple lock was advanced in the previous Government. The Deputies will remember the comments of Micheál Martin in the previous Government. When we then went before the people - Fianna Fáil...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Naval Service (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: The short answer is "No". I was enquiring about this recently. I have seen some media speculation in relation to this. I have been honest with the House. A major opportunity and challenge for the Defence Forces is going to be to secure a multi-role vessel programme and the upgrading of that. That is where the focus is and will remain. I am happy to provide that clarity. My priority as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Naval Service (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I am conscious when I read out the answers that a lot of these numbers and the likes are quite technical for people following this debate. I largely agree with what the Deputy has said. The replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi-role vessel is what is provided for in the equipment development programme. It is also what is provided for in the recommendations of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Naval Service (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Gibney very much. The point she raised around undersea cables - we may have a question on it later - is an important one because we need to have a better awareness of what is happening below our seas. The MRV programme can do that as can the radar programme. The rollout of that radar programme is priority one, two and three. It is a programme that will start to be rolled...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 4 together. The committee did a very good job. The timeline for pre-legislative scrutiny is set down by the Standing Orders of this House, to the best of my knowledge. The committee kept to those timelines and produced a comprehensive report, and I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire and all members of the committee for their work on that. As the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputies cannot pick and choose which mandates they like. I have a mandate - a very clear and a very large mandate - from the people of Wicklow and I have a mandate from-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: No, but I have a mandate to bring forward legislative proposals. I have a mandate to table draft laws, as do the Deputies opposite. I have a mandate to debate and discuss those laws, and my mandate is perfectly valid, as is the mandate of every Member of this House. The Deputies cannot pick and choose which mandates they like. We tend not to talk about the President in this House. I will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: I am not sure it was a majority, though.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Defence Forces (6 Nov 2025)

Simon Harris: That is good.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diaspora Issues (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: In line with commitments in the Programme for Government, work is underway on preparing the development of the next Diaspora Strategy, which will be launched at the Global Irish Civic Forum in April 2026. As part of this process, there has been a number of in-person engagements with Irish communities and stakeholders both at home and abroad so we can understand the needs and challenges...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Union (22 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Ireland is a strong supporter of EU enlargement, provided that candidate countries meet the necessary requirements for membership. We firmly believe that it is through EU membership that peace and prosperity can best be ensured across our continent. The change in geopolitical circumstances following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further demonstrated the strategic importance of the...