Results 1-20 of 45,231 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Policies (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I appreciate that the Deputy’s question has been somewhat passed out by events and am happy to update him on the current position. I welcome the announcement by President Trump yesterday of the suspension of the higher tariffs announced on 2 April for a period of 90 days. This means that the EU and the UK, including Northern Ireland, will now face the same baseline tariff rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Policies (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The US has paused, for 90 days, the 20 per cent tariff on exports from the EU to the US which had initially came into effect yesterday, 9 April. This move is very positive and can serve to deescalate what risked turning into a damaging trade dispute. The US tariffs on steel and aluminium remain in place. At the Foreign Affairs Council on Trade last Monday the European Commission stated...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Policies (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I am aware of arrests made by authorities in the province of Balochistan, in south-west Pakistan, in recent weeks and of the ongoing unrest in this region which has witnessed violent insurgencies and political and ethnic conflict in recent years. Ireland, through our Embassy in Islamabad, is monitoring developments in the region closely and has engaged regularly with both the EU...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Relations (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that officials in my Department and the Embassy of Ireland, Germany, are aware of these reports. I can further confirm that officials in the Irish Embassy in Berlin are engaging with the relevant German authorities on the matter. I wish to assure the Deputies that officials in my Department and the Embassy of Ireland, Germany, stand ready to provide consular assistance,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 78 and 82 together. I propose to take Questions Nos 18488/25, 18412/25 and 18360/25 together. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is committed to continuously enhancing our effectiveness and efficiency. This is critical as we respond and adapt to a rapidly changing international environment while continuing to serve the interests of Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 77 together. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has no bodies under its aegis and has no projects underway with CeADAR. The Department is supportive of the Centre’s work and mandate, in particular its focus on helping organisations to adopt and leverage the value of AI and machine learning. The Department recently invited CeADAR to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: Officials of my Department are familiarising themselves with AI and its possibilities through a variety of means, including contacts across the civil service, academia and the private sector. Much of the Learning and Development offering for staff in the Department is centralised through OneLearning, the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre. There is no current offering on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Correspondence (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department attaches the highest priority to excellent customer service. Our interactions with the public are guided by the commitments outlined in our Customer Service Charter, which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/65cf5-customer-servic e-policy/. In addition to the central customer service team, the Department operates a dedicated Passport...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Correspondence (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department attaches the highest priority to excellent customer service. Our interactions with the public are guided by the commitments outlined in our Customer Service Charter, which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/65cf5-customer-servic e-policy/. In addition to the central customer service team, the Department operates a dedicated Passport...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Consultations (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I have not had any discussions with international counterparts on the topic of an 'EU Defence Union'. Decisions with regard to security and defence remain a national competence within the EU. It is the prerogative of Member States to make arrangements which serve their own national defence needs, in lreland's case our traditional policy of military neutrality is characterised by our...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The number of cancelled Naval Service patrols in the past 24 months owing to staffing or capacity constraints is 46. There have been no patrol days cancelled since the change in operational posture in August 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: All recruits are required to successfully complete approximately 24 weeks induction training in order to be appointed to the rank of Private 3*. Payment of Military Service Allowance (MSA) only commences on appointment to that rank. All personnel in receipt of MSA can be called upon to carry out a range of duties, associated with this 3* rank. For the Deputy's information, Military...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his question. All recruits are required to successfully complete approximately 24 weeks induction training in order to be appointed to the rank of Private 3*. Payment of Military Service Allowance (MSA) only commences on appointment to that rank. All personnel in receipt of MSA can be called upon to carry out a range of duties, associated with this 3* rank. For...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: It is not possible to collate the necessary data, to reply to this question, in the time available. I will revert to the Deputy, with a substantive reply, as soon as the material is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: In 2024, my Department published the Defence Policy Review, which identified hybrid actions as those conducted by state or non-state actors, whose goal it is to undermine or harm a target by combining overt and covert military and non-military means, including disinformation, cyber-attacks, and economic pressure. The Defence Forces have established a new Joint Cyber Defence Command. This new...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The military authorities have advised that, as of the 28 February 2025, the latest date such figures are available for, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,502 personnel. The recruitment and retention challenges in the Defence Forces have been previously acknowledged. To address these, a range of measures have been implemented. These include an increase in recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Legislative Process (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 112 together. The General Scheme of the Bill which would govern overseas deployments of the Defence Forces was agreed by Cabinet on 4th March last, and the pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) process will commence once the Oireachtas Committees are established. That process takes approximately eight working weeks (excludes Easter and other holiday...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: Since the 1990s, the long-standing policy of my Department has been to withdraw from the provision of married quarters for serving personnel. This policy approach remains reflective of the State’s move away from the historic provision of tied housing for State employees. The move away from this provision was accepted by senior military management at the time and has been acknowledged...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy may be aware that a consultant was commissioned by the Defence Forces to assess the condition of the derelict and vacant housing in barracks, including those in the Curragh Camp and its suitability for conversion/refurbishment to provide for additional single living-in accommodation for Defence Force personnel. My officials will be reporting to me with recommendations on how to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Data (10 Apr 2025)

Simon Harris: My Department’s Information systems and databases are designed using enterprise level technologies and are scalable to meet the increased data processing capacity required for evolving technologies such as AI. On foot of a policy making recommendation in the Department of Defence Capability Review (2022), my Department is currently in the process of developing a Data Governance...