Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“This report shows there are more tenants, tenancies, landlords and homes than there were this time last year. That is not to say that there is not a very significant housing challenge or that we are not still in the midst of a housing emergency, but it is to provide some fair and balanced analysis of the actual report that has just been published. The Deputy referred to protection for renters. He knows, because he voted against them, that we took measures in this House to strengthen the rights of tenants. He knows that there are people in his constituency in Donegal who are now covered by rent pressure zones who were not covered before this Government brought in that legislative measure.”
“The report also shows that there are clear signs of continued resilience in the Irish rental sector. We see more tenancies and landlords in the market than we did at the same time last year. That is a statement of fact. There are more tenancies, more tenants, more landlords and more homes. In many ways, this also tallies with the information we have seen from a recent market report on daft.ie which showed a modest rebound in the availability of rental properties. We have seen 16,548 new tenancies registrations in the first three months of this year. We have also seen 246,477 registered private tenancies in quarter one of this year, an increase on last year. A total of 105,847 private landlords registered in the first quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year.”
“I am grateful to the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, directors for the publication of their update today. When any report is published, it is very important not just to just cherry-pick one figure in isolation and present it as the reality or, indeed, the totality of the analysis that has been carried out by the RTB because, of course, that is not the case at all. In fact, the report that was published a very short time ago shows that there was a 39% decrease in the number of termination notices issued in the month of March compared with the month of February. While the Deputy might be right and while he may wish to scoff, the reality also shows that there was a downward trend from February to March in terms of termination notices. That is also in the report, but perhaps it was overlooked.”
“I am just making the point that not just in Ireland, but also in Europe, we are going to need to continue to explore what more we can do to get away from fossil fuels beyond the conversation about how we subsidise the paying for fossil fuels.”
“The answer is that I am hoping we can do more on measures in the budget to help people adapt, and I am hoping we can do more in each budget that comes thereafter. The budget is 6 October. I know the Deputy does not need to be told this, but the point I was trying to make is that we should not reduce the conversation in here to just about a cash support right now if there are actually other things we can do that would have greater benefit for people's households. We have made a lot of changes already this year. We are seeing the numbers significantly up and we are seeing huge demand even this week in people accessing and seeking to access these schemes.”
“I will ask the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to come back to the Deputy on the specific areas of her constituency to which she referred.”
“I am conscious that Fingal East has one of the youngest populations in the country and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. We are seeing more houses being built and more people moving in, and they require school places. Sometimes the Department of education can be right on the macro and wrong on the micro. It needs to take a look again at specific parts of the country, including the Deputy's, where there is acute need. We made a significant additional allocation of €668 million to the Department of education about a week or two ago. That was a recognition there is going to be a need for capacity in the school system from this September, most particularly in relation to special educational needs and the provision of additional classes.”
“He has confirmed that during the course of the year, spending trends across the Department will be monitored and that it will look to reallocate any savings which may arise to schemes such as the local improvement scheme. I am hoping that there may progress on that throughout the course of the year whereby if we see that there is an underspend in one area, we can reallocate the money to an area like County Offaly where there is acute demand. I will keep in touch with the Deputy on this.”
“Deputy Clendennen is absolutely right. I love the local improvement scheme. It works really well. It makes a real difference to rural communities. As he said, people in rural communities who are always looking to get on and help themselves but sometimes are looking for just a little support as well. It is also clear that people like the LIS, and that is why there has been such a demand. We have seen that across the Deputy's county in places like Birr in the context of the carrying out of works on non-public roads that are not normally maintained by local authorities at all. Since 2020, Offaly County Council has been allocated more than €4.5 million in LIS funding. I have discussed this issue with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, who has responsibility for this.”
“I thank Deputy Brabazon for raising this significant issue of annoyance, concern and inconvenience for his constituents on the James Larkin Road and in the surrounding areas. As he says, all of us and our communities expect some degree of disruption when works have to be carried out. However, we also expect that these works will be completed in a timely manner and that there will be an awareness and an understanding on the part of those charged with carrying them out on behalf of the taxpayer that they would be done expeditiously. On foot of the Deputy raising the matter, I will speak to the relevant Minister and ask that he make contact directly with Uisce Éireann and encourages it to come back to the Deputy directly to see if this can be speeded up.”
“It is not for me to tell anyone their business, but perhaps, in the first instance, the Deputies in the constituency could come together and meet the Ballymun Implementation Board and then meet the relevant Ministers to discuss how we can take this forward.”
“I thank Deputy Hearne for raising this issue in relation to Ballymun and the absolute horror his community experienced this week when that young child found and discharged a gun. As the Deputy quite rightly said, it is a miracle nobody was seriously harmed or even worse. I take his point that this is not an isolated incident and that there are broader issues in respect of community safety in Ballymun. Similar to my response to Deputy McAuliffe, I assure the Deputy that I will speak with the Minister for justice on this. The Ballymun Implementation Board, from what I can see, is doing very good work, so there is a need for us to further support it. I am very open to facilitating conversations in that regard.”
“On foot of the Deputy raising this matter in relation to Loreto College Swords, I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and ask that she engage with the Deputy directly to see if a solution can be found. On education capital more broadly, I would say that the list is not the final word from Government. There will be further allocations made in the time ahead in relation to building more school projects. That is really important. The Deputy's point is that in the here and now, 16 young women cannot access transition year. Let us see if a solution can be found. I presume that if people work together it can be found, but I will ask the Department to engage and the Minister to come back to the Deputy.”
“I thank the Deputy. I make the broad point that this country, including Irish farmers, benefits hugely from free trade. Most of what we produce in this country in the agrifood sector is sold abroad. We are a better and more prosperous nation, and farmers are better and more prosperous, as a result of free trade. However, we had specific concerns about Mercosur because level playing fields, common application of standards and environmental issues matter too. That is why we did not vote in favour of the Mercosur deal and agreement. I know the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade was in Poland this week meeting her counterpart. I will seek an update from her as to whether they discussed the issue of Mercosur and whether there are any plans for us to take further action.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of St. Aidan's and St. Senan's. I thank them for all they do to meet the needs of the young people of the community and people with additional needs in Enniscorthy. I also acknowledge that for them to be able to do that in the way they want, and the way people expect them to do it, we need to work with them to support them. On foot of the Deputy raising this, I will ask that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, speak to the NCSE and that it or the Minister make direct contact with him to follow up.”
“I am told the project is at design stage and that it is a somewhat of a complex design process owing to the challenges in reinforcing an existing pipe or routing a replacement given the congested nature of the route. It obviously needs to do this while trying to maintain capacity to meet present and future demand. A number of solutions are being investigated but in the interim, immediate steps have been taken to respond to bursts in the area and to try to manage supply interruptions. On foot of the Deputy raising this today, I will ask that Uisce Éireann come back to him directly.”
“I join with Deputy Neville in welcoming the students from Confey College. Before I get to the seriousness of the water burst, if you got a day off school for that and a day in the Dáil, it is not a bad week, and there is a bank holiday on Monday. They are welcome and it is great to have them in Leinster House. The point my colleague and friend, Deputy Neville, makes is a serious one. I know it is one he has been campaigning on and highlighting for quite a while. We have rightly resourced Uisce Éireann to a significant degree. It is now important that it engages with communities to come up with solutions. I know it is committed to solving and replacing the necessary section of the mains water network that the Deputy has highlighted and there is now a funded capital project in place to address that issue.”
“I can point to some positivity in the Deputy's area in the past while but I will speak to the Minister and ask that he liaise with the Commissioner. We must then support the Ballymun implementation group to do its work. We have invested a lot in setting up that structure and bringing partners together around the table. Perhaps now might be a timely opportunity for the Government to take stock with that group about what it believes should be the next steps. I am happy to discuss that.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that I know has been harrowing for his community and constituency this week. On a human level, there is the trauma and loss of childhood innocence for an 11 year old and the other child the Deputy rightly referenced. For that child to come across and fire a gun, it is but for the grace of God that nobody was seriously injured. That is not to take away from the trauma and the real shock and fear it has caused in the community. I will ensure this is discussed across Government, and I know it will be. Our colleague, the Minister for justice, is keeping in close contact with An Garda Síochána. I know there is an active investigation. I take the broader point about Garda numbers and resources.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue about the financial contribution scheme and Dublin City Council's view that it requires funding for it. Truthfully, I am not sure of the next steps but on foot of the Deputy raising it, I will speak with the Minister, Deputy Browne, and ask him to come back to the Deputy directly.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with the housing assistance payment. As he rightly says, the law is clear about people not being able to refuse a tenant on the basis of HAP. He is also right to highlight the fact that there are sometimes people trying to skirt the law in this regard. I will bring those comments to the attention of the Minister for housing. The second issue he raised about rent limits is important and I am pleased to tell him the Department has now undertaken a review of all the existing HAP rent limits to ensure there is sufficient support under the HAP scheme to assist eligible households to access accommodation in the private rental sector. It is intended that the review process will conclude before the end of quarter 2, so this summer.”
“I take that point too. I think €1 in every €8 in the health budget is now spent on drugs. The Deputy's particular point about rare diseases and the need for Ireland to significantly up its game in terms of an early access programme is serious and sincere. I will ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to come back to him directly. Considering that this matter comes up too often in the House, perhaps we could facilitate time for a proper detailed debate on it in order to hear everyone's ideas.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again and for acknowledging Deputy's Aird's interest and work in this area as well. I am very sorry to hear of those extraordinarily painful, difficult and sad situations regarding children. I will seek an urgent update from the Minister on the specific drug and the condition to which it relates and on the Deputy's broader point regarding early access. I am taken by the point the Deputy made in respect of the process, particularly as, quite frankly we are now in a vastly different situation, from a funding point of view, in relation to new drugs than we were when I was Minister for Health. The drugs budget now is €4 billion a year-----”
“On the Deputy's point about the need to have a plan for replacement jobs in Laois and the use of IDA Ireland land is a fair on, as is that which he makes around people's quality of life and traffic congestion. We believe passionately in balanced regional development. On foot of the Deputy raising this matter today, I will ask the Minister to speak to IDA Ireland and to come back to him directly.”
“The short answer is that I will speak to my colleague the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, in relation to this. Thankfully, we live in a country that has had full employment for 16 consecutive quarters, but we are not in any way complacent in saying that. We are seeing a churn, for want of a better phrase, in the jobs market. There is no room for complacency. That is why IDA Ireland, which had its most successful year ever last year, and Enterprise Ireland are receiving a lot of Government support.”
“We are not ruling out further interventions that may be required. At this stage, however, we are not quite sure where the energy situation or the war will be. We continue to keep the matter under review.”
“Some of the ideas the Deputy's party has put forward around solar panels merit serious consideration. It has been a constructive contribution to the debate; I say that sincerely. We believe we are doing a lot more to try to help people make the transition. The figures show some progress, and there has been a 186% increase in people accessing grants. However, solar is an area we can go further on. If the proposals of the Social Democrats are constructive in relation to that, they will get proper consideration by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Government as a whole. I know that, and I know that the Minister has engaged constructively in respect of this matter. On energy credits, I have to keep making the point - because I really believe it - that an energy crisis in the winter is very different to an energy crisis in the summer.”
“Before answering, I would like to welcome the young people in the Gallery from the Youth Advocate Programme, Foróige and Springboard Family Support Project, all of whom appeared in front of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality. Deputy Keogh, the Chair of the committee, asked me to say that. They were before the committee in respect of the topic of online safety, which, I assure them, is something we always discuss here across the political divide. Listening to young people's voices is an important of that. Go raibh míle maith agaibh for your contribution. In the context of this crisis, we cannot afford say we are the Government and this is our idea, you are the Opposition and they are your ideas and because they say it, it is a bad idea and because we say it, it is a good idea.”
“I rarely disagree with the Deputy, and I do not mean to be argumentative, but that woman in Wexford received penalty points because she was speeding not because there was a lack of signage. Speed kills. I encourage people to put up correct signage, but we are living through a road safety crisis. Static cameras are an effort to try to assist people. Nobody likes to get penalty points. If you obey the rules of the road, you will not get penalty points.”
“We are listening, we are acting. It is an important and serious issue. We have made a lot of progress in relation to improvement to our cancer services over a sustained period. Under the current national cancer strategy, we have already allocated €105 million to support our cancer services and an additional €120 million in direct investment in radiation oncology centres in Cork and Galway to address the radiotherapy equipment needs. Funding has been allocated in this year's capital plan to progress a linear accelerator replacement programme under way at St. Luke's radiation oncology network in Dublin as well and I expect progress on that very shortly. My understanding is that the Department of Health and the HSE are developing a strategic infrastructure programme to plan for replacement and expansion at public radiation oncology services.”
“The Deputy is right; time does not stand still. There are real people waiting for this increase, and waiting longer than they ever expected they would have to and longer than we would have wished. I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge that they are people who worked bloody hard in public service for the good of our country, through a great and proud tradition of working in CIÉ. Many of us know people in our community who served in CIÉ in our public transport or railway network over many years. We all want to get this resolved. To them today, I want them to know that there is real ongoing, active work on this between all of the relevant Departments, most crucially the Department of Transport and the Department of public expenditure and reform. I know everybody wants to bring this to a conclusion as expeditiously as possible.”
“The main thing I want to say to the Deputy today is that there is very sincere, very intense engagement to try to get this matter resolved for once and for all, as expeditiously as possible, but also to make sure it is done in such a manner that it is stable going forward and we do not find ourselves in this situation again.”
“Everybody is working now to really get the proposal reviewed and the relevant ministerial consents in place at the earliest possible time. I am struck by the point the Deputy made around proper communications in relation to this, though, being honest and blunt with people and not giving them a sense it is going to be on a particular date and then it ends up being at a further time. I will engage with Ministers and more broadly with the system in relation to that. I know it is something the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, would also feel strongly about.”
“Since then, and I acknowledge the work of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien on this, the Department of Transport has been working with its own financial and commercial advisers, including NewERA, to engage with all relevant stakeholders, whether that is the Pensions Authority or the Department of public expenditure, on the next steps to progress that agreement and bring CIÉ pensions onto a more stable footing for the benefit of active and retired scheme members. We do not want to see this ever happen again. As part of that, they are also reviewing all the relevant statutory instruments and of course the matter of increases to pension payments. I am pleased to tell the Deputy that there has been very positive engagement between the Department of Transport and the Department of public expenditure and reform on the policy issues.”
“As I know Deputy Butterly knows, between 2008 and 2022 both schemes did not meet the statutory minimum funding standard which is required by the Pensions Authority. At the end of 2023, those schemes did meet that standard. The most recent CIÉ pensions proposal in 2025 was negotiated across a number of months between the group and the trade union group. I thank them for the work they did on this with the aim to ensure the stability of the scheme while crucially ensuring there was no reduction in benefits, and providing overdue increases, which is the nub of this issue, for CIÉ pensioners. A ballot on the proposal ran, I think, from 11 July to 15 August last year. The ballot passed both schemes on 19 August.”
“I thank my colleague, Deputy Butterly, for raising this matter. I accept her challenge and request in terms of seeking progress and expediency in relation to this. I am also conscious of CIÉ pensioners who are probably watching this and thinking there has been nothing expeditious about it. I am conscious of that as I say it. I did speak with ministerial colleagues on this during the week and I know there is a shared sense of urgency to get this done for once and for all in the interest of these pensioners. I thank the Deputy raising it today. Factually, issues in relation to CIÉ pensions are primarily a matter for the trustees of the pension schemes, which is the CIÉ group and their employees. The CIÉ group operates two defined benefit pension schemes, namely, the regular wages scheme, RWS, and the 1951 superannuation scheme.”
“We do have options in terms of being able to do more in the time ahead but the politics and the facts of the surplus are a little more complicated than is sometimes presented.”
“This is a projection as to what we believe the surplus could be by the end of the year. It has not come in yet. This is the month of April; it is what we believe the surplus could be by 31 December. I think that sometimes gets missed in this debate. There is not €9.4 billion of a surplus sitting over there now. The third point I would make, and I say this respectfully, is that in the past perhaps people talked of rainy day funds. We do not have any such fund in Ireland any more. We have two funds that are very clearly actively being used, one around infrastructure, climate adaptation, capital projects, metro potentially and for other things, and another called the Future Ireland Fund, for demographics, including a population that is going to get older in the Deputy's constituency and mine.”
“I would make a couple of points on the surplus. First, it is better to have one than not have one, and it has enabled us to bring in a €750 million package of supports, one of the largest in the European Union, and not have to borrow for it. If you look at our nearest neighbours in the UK, they brought in a smaller package for their citizens per head of population. They had to borrow and were charged around 5% on the market for that as well. We are using the fact that we have a fiscal buffer to the advantage of our citizens in being able to have a larger package in place but also not having to borrow and pay interest for that package as well. To reassure people, I would also make the point that the €9.4 billion is not sitting in the Department of Finance getting dusty.”
“One of the areas we are looking at in the time ahead, as well as having discussions about what we can do in the here and now to help people with the bills, is whether there is more we can help people do to break that cycle around being so reliant on fossil fuels and being in homes that can sometimes be cold, drafty or the likes. In the next couple of weeks, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will be updating Cabinet on the work of the national energy affordability task force. In addition to that, my Department of Finance is doing some work on energy economics and what the right levers are to pull to try to address energy poverty. I will be very happy to update the Deputy when we have those two pieces of work completed.”
“I get that, but there are also lots of people in the Deputy's constituency and mine who are trying to do the right thing by their own home and their own lives to save a few bob too. We have already made a number of changes to try to help people with electric vehicles, EVs, solar panels, windows, doors and heat pumps. In fact, the changes made by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, only in recent weeks are already seeing a big benefit. There has been about 186% of an increase in people looking for home upgrade grants. I have made the point - and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, myself and everybody in Government shares this point - that we have to be constantly restless to do more in this space.”
“We commissioned it as a Government because we always want to monitor what can be done in this area. It did find the fuel allowance to be effective and it talked about targeted measures. That is why I think the trajectory we are on, under the leadership of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, of expanding the fuel allowance, making sure more people than ever before are accessing it and the increases to it in recent years are all measures that make real differences to people. I have been in the homes of many people where they will tell you the difference that makes as well. I welcome the fact that the Deputy has also referenced what more we can do. He would be the first to remind us that there are certain sectors of society that it is harder to transition away from diesel and fossil fuel.”
“The package we have put in place for farmers, fishers, farm contractors and hauliers, and the engagement we will have with contractors in the construction sector, is all an effort to recognise that, yes, a fuel and energy crisis impacts everybody in our country but there are some sectors of society and some industries that are heavily dependent on fuel and that it has a greater impact on. I welcome the generally broad welcome that there has been across those industries for these packages. Of course, it is important we keep them kind of simple and non-bureaucratic and that we get payments out as quickly as possible. I am pleased that the farm scheme will open, I think, next Tuesday as well. I already referenced in an earlier engagement the report of the ESRI, a report we commissioned.”
“I thank Deputy Collins. I join with him in wishing Brigid McGlynn all the very best. I was not aware of that. I say it from a position of affection and respect that she has been part of the furniture around here in all the time I have been here. She is quite an institution in and of her own and I wish her and her family all the very best, and indeed the best, as the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins tells me, with their Dublin Hills goat's cheese venture as well. I wish her all the very best and every health. I thank Deputy Collins for acknowledging the package that has been put in place. We can always have a debate in this House around more, and we should, and what else can be done.”
“A broader point I want to make - I made this point when I was Minister for higher education - is that there is an epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Irish society. Our colleges and universities are not immune from that and, therefore, there was a very strict programme of action that they were all meant to undertake. To hear the Deputy - and I accept she said it in good faith - use the word "performative" is something I know none of us would like to ever see, so I will ask the Minister to reflect on that broader point too.”
“I am not in any way, shape or form undermining or implying any doubt in regard to what the victim has said to the Deputy and others. I am simply respecting the role I have versus the roles others have in society. There are obviously processes outside of here that have to establish fact. I do not say that to be in any way lacking in empathy; it is just to be factual. On the broader point the Deputy makes around the Minister and asking whether the Minister can provide any further assistance, guidance or linkages with the governing authorities, it is certainly a point I will discuss with the Minister, Deputy Lawless. I know the Minister already met with the student and was eager to do so.”
“The final thing I will say is that this House has quite rightly taken serious action in recent years on the sharing of intimate images, or indeed even the threat of sharing intimate images under Coco's Law. That law is very clear and robust on that and I expect the laws of this land to be applied without fear or favour. Clearly, if there are any breaches, complaints or allegations of a breach of that, An Garda Síochána should investigate it fully.”
“I remember from my own time as Minister for higher education a significant body of work that was under way in the universities in that regard. Therefore, I am concerned and disappointed - and it is an understatement - to hear some of what the Deputy has told me here today. I am conscious the Deputy has also said some of this is not straightforward in terms of the academic piece. I acknowledge that and I know the Minister, Deputy Lawless, had an engagement with the student, quite properly, on foot of the Deputy raising this issue here. I will speak to the Minister again and perhaps there is an opportunity to engage with the governing authority as well as the college. I will ask the Minister to come back to Deputy Coppinger directly.”
“I need to be very conscious of that, and I am not being in any way critical of the Deputy, but when it comes to referring to a rapist or a rape victim, there are places outside of the Dáil where, quite rightly, importantly and appropriately, those issues should be determined and established. I join the Deputy in commending all the students who stood up and spoke up for zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The Deputy made the point that it was not just women or female students at that protest but it was also men because men cannot recuse themselves from this huge epidemic in Ireland as regards sexual violence. I fully agree with her in a broad sense that every college, workplace and educational setting has an absolute duty to be a safe environment.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for raising this issue and this case again, and I say that sincerely. I know the intense and constructive ways in which she has been engaging to try to support this student. I say that before I say the next piece, which is I am genuinely not 100% sure how to answer this question, for the reason that I am conscious, based on what she has told me now and what she has said previously in this House, that there are parts of this that may require due process. There are very clear laws in this country, quite rightly, regarding rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual violence. An Garda Síochána are the people who enforce those laws and no part of Irish society, no matter what kind of governing structure anybody has or academic autonomy or anything else, is independent of or separate from those laws.”