Results 1-20 of 1,065 for garda speaker:Simon Harris

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I have been briefed on the incident which took place in the north inner city this morning. I understand An Garda Síochána has made an arrest. I thank An Garda Síochána for its swift and effective response to this incident, but I am also sure that people who were in that area, particularly children who witnessed this, would be very distressed. Thankfully, nobody came to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, and the Ministers, Deputies Ryan and McEntee, have put particular emphasis on road safety in recent weeks. We have met the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and An Garda Síochána to hear what more they can do urgently to address the issue. Following that meeting, we agreed a number of immediate measures that could be put in place, including further...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (22 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...to reduce, constrain and constrict further supply. That is idiotic, as well as being a disgusting act of criminality and an attempt to intimidate people. I am conscious there will be a live Garda investigation into that event. The issue the Deputy raised about security is important and I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, about it. I also take the point that the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (22 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...parts of the country have experienced significant population growth. Those areas include Meath, Kildare, my own county of Wicklow and others. I am concerned about the fair distribution of Garda numbers as we grow them. I will ask the Minister for Justice to give a view from the Garda Commissioner.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (21 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...the resumption of collision data sharing with local authorities. A cross-government group is being led by the RSA to resolve the issue. There have been a load of workshops between the RSA and An Garda Síochána, which collects the collision data in the first instance, in December, January, February, March and April to review each of the 161 individual data fields. There have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...antisocial behaviour in any scenario should obviously not be tolerated. From a Government point of view, we are reviewing the antisocial behaviour supports and measures that are available to An Garda Síochána. We are working to increase the Garda presence in County Kildare as well.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 May 2024)

Simon Harris: I agree with the need to continue to support and grow Garda numbers and the need to invest more in rehab services. We are doing both, but there is also a third piece. We need to call out the fact that it has become socially acceptable in far too many communities and social groups to snort a line of coke while having a drink at the weekend. The people doing that, who do not have an...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...of sharing information and data between our various officials, the importance of continued official engagement and acknowledging the good and important collaboration that happens very regularly between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána on many issues of mutual concern, including protection and security on the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...specific case. That is important because I do not believe some of the information the Deputy mentioned in good faith is accurate. I believe that information was transmitted from the IPO to the Garda. Therefore, the review regarding the case is important. However, the Deputy's secondary point is one I think we would share.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...the individual he mentioned and anybody seeking to exploit Ireland to know that this is an issue we will and do take extraordinarily seriously. There is also very significant collaboration between An Garda Síochána and Europol and Interpol and, of course, police forces in the UK as well. If the Deputy wants to give me any more specifics in relation to that case, I will be happy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 May 2024)

Simon Harris: ...They are going on a fast acceleration list for processing. That country happens to be Nigeria currently and I have no doubt that over the coming months, there will be significant progress. A total of 100 gardaí who were doing desk jobs relating to immigration will be freed up and put on the front line, working with the PSNI and also working on issues such as deportations. That will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 May 2024)

Simon Harris: You can hire whatever you want whenever you want. Is that this week's Sinn Féin health policy? If it is, can the Garda Commissioner hire whoever who he wants? Can the Minister for Education? I am just wondering where this ends.

Ceisteanna - Questions: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: ...assistance can be provided. Deputy Ó Murchú highlighted the range of issues he comes across as a constituency TD in terms of the spectrum of need, some in the criminal justice space, some in the Garda space, but also some in the rehabilitation space and the Tusla space. At the heart of what we want to do with community safety partnerships is to recognise that so that in a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: ...and Community Safety Act, which is expected to come into effect this summer. A significant focus of the implementation plan has been concerned with strengthening the internal capabilities of An Garda Síochána in order that the organisation possesses the capacity to drive future reform. Under the new governance and accountability framework, a non-executive Garda board will be...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: .... It went through the Business Committee without dissent this week. I say this respectfully, but in response to Deputy Mattie McGrath, I do not think in this House we should refer to members of An Garda Síochána as a gang.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: They are sworn members of An Garda Síochána. Shame on you. Condemn the attacks-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2024)

Simon Harris: -----in my constituency and community this week. Nobody in this country has a right to attack a man or woman of An Garda Síochána and you should condemn that outright, but of course you will not.

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: ...from that country will fall. We have seen that time and time again in recent weeks. It is also why the Minister has made the decision to free up from desk jobs in immigration the work of 100 gardaí so that they can now work more closely with the PSNI on an important collaboration between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, and also so they can work on deportations. I do...

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

Simon Harris: ...of the processes is important, such as fitness and vetting, and no one is disputing any of that. However, is there a more efficient way of moving through this, particularly at a time when we need more gardaí? There are quite a lot of people expressing an interest in becoming a garda and I know my colleague, the Minister for Justice, is working on this.