Simon Harris

It is the regional Independent group----

I am sorry. The groupings are for the Deputy, actually.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the regional Independents, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, and Deputy Danny Healy-Rae.

I thank the Deputy very much for the question. I will ask the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW to revert on the specific project the Deputy referenced. I will point out that the OPW has assured the Government it has taken steps to enhance its own governance procedures to ensure that value for money is achieved in the delivery of projects. The Government is committed to achieving v…

It is extraordinary.

I thank the Deputy for his inaugural comments in his new role as a TD for Wicklow-Wexford. I wish him well and look forward to working with him, being from the neighbouring constituency of Wicklow. He is right that the previous Government and our colleague, the former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, showed great leadership on the issue of vaping in bringing forward very important and progressive publi…

I congratulate the Deputy on her election to the Dáil. I wish her well. She is right to highlight the issue of University Hospital Limerick. It is a major issue for her constituents and for people in the mid-west more broadly. I could quote figures showing the increased budget, the increased staffing and the increase in beds that have taken place, but I accept there is much more to do. That is why…

I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl. It is good to see him back in his role of advocating for his constituents in Kildare South. I join with him in expressing sympathy to the family of the Aga Khan on his passing, and to the community he led. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, and I discussed this only yesterday. Tributes have been led by our President and throughout the country in acknowledging the huge philant…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is not the first time that he has passionately raised the importance of the northern distributor road. The proposal was established in the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy, CMATS. It is seen as an absolutely essential or, in the words of the strategy, a "critical enabler" for its delivery. My understanding is that the road only emerged as a pr…

Those words were clearly anything but what the Deputy has termed them. As she has rightly said, if the Deputy reads the programme for Government, and she referenced it, it commits the Government to working with the sector through the mechanisms that are available to progress the issues. As I said to her colleague Deputy Kerrane when she raised this matter, we have seen the interim agreement in Oct…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I know it has been a source of huge frustration, annoyance and anger for people who want to know when this will become available. Budget 2025 announced the intention to fund the medicine cost of hormone replacement therapy products prescribed to women to help to manage the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause. This is for women who have been p…

I must say I agree with the Deputy. This is a bizarre situation where somebody over the age of 70 can drive kids in a private bus to the soccer or GAA game at the weekend but cannot drive them to school in a Bus Éireann bus. It is either safe or it is not safe and the inconsistency in relation to this is quite farcical and annoying at a time when we are trying to get more drivers. I have raised th…

If the Deputy sends the details to my office I will engage immediately with the Minister for housing in relation to that matter.

I thank Deputy O'Meara and congratulate him on his election representing the people of Tipperary North. I wish him very well. The programme for Government contains a number of commitments in relation to this. The Deputy is right that housing is the biggest challenge that our country faces and it is the biggest priority that the Government intends to address. As he also rightly highlighted, there i…

I thank Deputy Geoghegan and congratulate him on his election to Dáil Éireann, representing the people of Dublin Bay South. I look forward to working closely with him. I want to thank him for the instrumental role he played in the Dublin city task force during his time as Lord Mayor and first citizen of Dublin. We have a really good piece of work now, with very clear recommendations and owners bes…

As the Deputy knows, I agree with him on this issue and I am supportive of this project. It could be a real enabler for the south-east region. The new Minister of State sitting beside me, Deputy Canney, is due to meet his officials in the coming days specifically on that issue. It is, as Deputy Cullinane fairly acknowledges, specifically referenced in the programme for Government. Once the Ministe…

I thank Deputy O'Gorman and wish him well in his new role over on that side of the House. I am proud of the work we did together in the last Government in terms of supporting UNRWA when other countries, as the Deputy rightly says, withdrew their support. I acknowledge the role that the Taoiseach played in increasing the level of funding that we were providing to UNRWA. As recently as this morning …

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes the ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of hostages that has taken place to date; urges all parties to ensure full implementation of all phases of this agreement and commends the effort of stakeholders for their ongoing efforts as facilitators; deplores the loss of so many civilian l…

May I take it when I have finished?

Will the clock be paused?

I welcome that, but the motion published and publicised by Sinn Féin yesterday wrongly attributed comments to officials in my Department.

I accept that, but it is important that Department of Foreign Affairs officials are not misrepresented in their comments. I stand by their integrity in what they say. I am submitting an amendment on behalf of the Government that sets out the full range of meaningful actions taken by the Government as well as our broad approach to important recent developments and current considerations. Last mon…

They are major legal issues.

They have all been detailed and legal advices, including those of the legal adviser from the Department of Foreign Affairs, have been shared at the committee. We are happy to provide further detail. It is about getting legislation that is lawful, Deputy McDonald, not about pretending to do something for the sake of it. We must get this right. We must continue to work in that regard. The Deputy sho…

We do not need tut-tutting. We can be a little more mature in this debate.