Results 101-120 of 43,181 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: -----but they also want to know that there is a functioning rules-based system as there is and on which the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has taken a number of measures to make more effective. Regarding the data issue, I am very confident that the information that has been provided to the Government on processing times is exactly what people are seeing in the International Protection Office....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: -----entered over-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: Pardon me?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I speak for the Government of which the Tánaiste is a part and I am very confident in saying that the Tánaiste, I as Taoiseach and all members and parties of the Government are very clear on this. The Tánaiste made a valid point yesterday that does not contradict the Minister, Deputy McEntee's point at all.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. First, we have data and we gather data relating to the International Protection Office. While I am not suggesting the Deputy is, we cannot ignore the reality of the island that we live on and the peace settlement that we have on this island. So, we do not count the number of people who come over the Border by nationality or anything else; we know that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: Deputy Howlin knows this well too. As I imagine Deputy Bacik knows, when people present at the International Protection Office, very experienced staff, who have done incredible work in a very intense environment, carry out interviews and the likes, and garner, not anecdotes, but data and information on how people have come to our country. They are telling Government and we are telling the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: Now let us discuss how we can address those issues. Let us discuss how the PSNI and An Garda Síochána can work more closely. Let us discuss how we can work to protect the common travel area from abuse. Let us work to see how we can - I welcome the Deputy's comments - work at an EU level because I do not believe we can go it alone. We may differ on some of the detail of the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: That is a really important thing to do. The people on Mount Street and people in Deputy Bacik's constituency would believe that is an important thing to do. Regarding the legislation the Minister for Justice intends to bring forward, she today received permission to draft that. The Minister intends to enact legislation by the end of this month. In that legislation she will outline how...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: What I am very well aware of is not allowing this country to become a pawn in any politics in the United Kingdom. I hope that is something that the Deputy and I can agree on because as political leaders in this Parliament, I hope the Deputy will also agree that we have every right to set our own migration policy, we have every right and obligation to make sure that migration policy is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I am very clear that those operational agreements are in place under the common travel area and I am very clear that we are going to legislate so that we will have absolute clarity so it can work. I am also really clear that it is only one of a number of things that we need to do. The more significant thing that has been done in recent weeks is not the legislation today but the faster...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: First, I agree with the Deputy's comments about this being a welcoming country and about there being no room for racism in the country. It is important that we live in a country where the leader of the Government and the leader of the Opposition can come together in our national Parliament and say that. That is important, and I welcome that. However, let me say this: there is no confusion...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The Cabinet Committee on Migration, Integration and Ukraine was established on 9th April to oversee the development and delivery of whole-of-Government responses to the system of international and temporary protection for those arriving in Ireland from abroad, including international and domestic policy options, accommodation and other supports, integration, community engagement and public...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Broadband Infrastructure (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The Department of the Taoiseach uses the Government Networks Fibre Connection for phone and data communications and is not paying for any services using copper communication lines.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Union (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The CSO is an independent Office under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach. The Statistics Act 1993 specifies a number of non-statistical roles and responsibilities which are assigned to me as Taoiseach. These include the signing of Statutory Instruments in relation to statistical requirements. The following table lists all of the Statistical Statutory Instruments which became law...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Responsibilities (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: On 10 April I appointed Hildegarde Naughton T.D. as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip and at the Department of Education with special responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion. Minister Naughton attends at Cabinet and also attends the Cabinet Committee on Children and Education and Disability which I established.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Local Authorities (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The Department of the Taoiseach does not provide grant-aid funding to local authorities.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I do agree.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I do not have note in front of me but I will take up the Minister for Health. We are increasing GP training places and I accept there is more we need to do. I will come back to the Deputy on it.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: The Deputy should be ashamed for trying to correlate or link any of them in any way shape or form to me. Linking me to disgusting, vile, racist posts is quite a disgusting thing to do. I thought the Deputy was better than that, but maybe not. The reality of the situation is that my commitment to scoliosis treatment has seen more people get their surgeries carried out in this country. The...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (24 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. . As I said to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, I take this issue very seriously. I thank the Deputy for his correspondence on Liam's situation. I can only imagine how distressing it is for Liam and his parents. I have been in contact with the Minister for Health on the issue and I have asked the Minister to reply directly to the Deputy on it.