Results 1,121-1,140 of 45,281 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (23 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: The next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Co-ordination is scheduled for Tuesday, 29 October 2024.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 25, inclusive, together. I visited Washington D.C. earlier this month to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States. This is an especially important landmark, as the United States was the first international partner to recognise the fledgling Irish State. My planned programme included a meeting at the White House...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: While I remember it, I will start with the Deputy's point about the hub, which is a good idea. I am very eager to engage, and to have our counterparts here engage, with Ministers Murphy and Archibald on it. If that has not happened, I will ask that it does. It is a sensible suggestion that the Deputy has made. He also referenced the case of Sean Brown. I will say, on the record of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: Regarding Deputy Barry's point about bus services, the commitments given by Minister for Transport yesterday were given in good faith after his engagement with Bus Éireann on these matters. I will continue to keep a close eye on this. I hope to be back in this House too. If we are, I am sure both of us will continue to monitor this issue and no doubt, Deputy Barry will continue to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 15, inclusive, together. I welcomed the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to Farmleigh House on 7 September. His visit to Dublin followed our meeting in Chequers on 17 July, when we resolved to have a reset of the Irish-British relationship. At Farmleigh, we agreed to take forward strategic co-operation across four pillars, which we set out in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: These questions get more interesting the closer you get to the end of this Dáil. I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established by the Government on 10 April and most recently met on 1 July. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. The membership of the committee...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policies (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: "Yes" is the answer to Deputy Barry. I absolutely agree that Uisce Éireann should accede to that request for a face-to-face meeting. I have written to the chief executive on behalf of the Deputy's constituents following his representations in the House last week where he showed the Dáil the horrific situation his constituents are experiencing with water quality. I have written...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: To Deputy Healy-Rae, I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to him in respect of the ophthalmology unit in Tralee and the timeline for its reopening and to get him some details on that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I will get the Minister for Health to revert to the Deputy directly on the issue. I thank Deputy Flaherty for highlighting what sounds like an extraordinarily difficult and traumatic situation for Jacob and his family. I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, about that. I know there was some funding in the budget to try to have better joined-up approaches between CDNTs and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policies (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. Ireland's well-being framework is a programme for Government initiative to measure progress and policy impact in Ireland in a more holistic way. The framework consists of 11 dimensions which reflect different aspects of well-being. It is supported by a dashboard hosted by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and made up of 35...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: The party leaders, including the Deputy's own colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, had a briefing on this matter with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government yesterday. It is at a very advanced stage. It is something I would certainly like to see happen in the lifetime of this Government. I believe it is possible. It is obviously a collective decision and there is a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising the issue. I know all too well the importance of advanced paramedic cover. The Deputy is quite right to highlight the difference between it and more regular paramedic cover. I would be interested and will inquire with the Minister for Health as to what is behind that fall-off in numbers. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly and revert to...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue for fishermen and the fishing communities he represents. I will certainly talk to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, about this issue and, if the Minister believes it appropriate, am very happy to assist in raising and escalating this at European level.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this issue and I look forward to discussing it further in Killarney in the next couple of days. My understanding is technical advisers were appointed for the scheme in April 2020. I have been told that the Department of Transport has advised that TII can provide the money required to Kerry County Council to progress the route option selection phase. A...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Whitmore. There are now more teachers than ever working in the Irish education system. In March of this year, there were 78,646 teachers employed, with less than 1% of resignations and less than 2% of retirements annually. The teacher allocation ratio in primary schools is now at the lowest level it has ever been but I accept the broader point in respect of shortages and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I will certainly look into the specifics and ask the Minister for Health to revert. We should be very careful in saying things about hospitals being not safe for patients. St. Michael's Hospital is a very good hospital providing very good care to many people, including my family, over the years.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: Let us not suggest the care being provided in the hospital is not safe. That is not a responsible thing to say in this House. The care in St. Michael's Hospital is safe and excellent. I will ask the Minister for Health-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I will ask the Minister for Health to revert to the Deputy directly on the issue. To put it in context, as of August of this year, there were 27,901 more staff working in the health service than there were in 2020. That is 9,375 additional nurses, 6,184 other people working across the hospitals, 4,092 health and social care professionals and 3,330 doctors and dentists. There are tens of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I met some taxi drivers yesterday in Santry and they were highlighting a number of the challenges they saw in terms of the rigidity of the current system. There is a review under way. I will get the Deputy a timeline from the line Minister with regard to where that is at and when it is expected to have an output. The point the Deputy makes is right. We need to see a partnership...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McGrath for his passionate belief in a service that clearly is making a positive impact in his community. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, informs me that Tusla and the Department are engaging and talking on this. I will make the case to them that the Deputy has made here and see if we can make progress on the issue.