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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“We will always work constructively with colleagues on housing. I acknowledge the Labour Party has brought forward constructive proposals in relation to housing in this Dáil and the previous Dáil. I have a different perspective in terms of the Government's position on housing. In our rental reforms Bill, we brought forward very significant protections for renters. We introduced security of tenure, with tenancies of a minimum duration of six years, and what is, in effect, a ban on no-fault evictions. From quarters 3 to 4, we saw a reduction of 3.6% in notices of termination. This Government is presiding over the largest number of social homes built, if not ever, certainly in our lifetime. That is part of the record of this Government. Housing remains an emergency and remains the number one domestic priority for Government.”
“I acknowledge, as I always do, that this is an issue the Deputy has prioritised since he came into this House. It is something about which I know he feels passionately. I will check with the Minister for Health where we are at in terms of the roll-out of the early access scheme. I assure the Deputy, and, most importantly, the people who have rare diseases and parents of children with rare diseases, that the Government absolutely intends to make significant progress on this during our term of office. We have already taken a number of steps in that regard. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to get back to the Deputy directly on the early access scheme.”
“The MenB and MenC vaccines are included in the primary childhood immunisation program for babies born since October 2016. The MenB vaccine is offered at two and four months of age, with a booster dose given at 12 months. The MenC vaccine is offered to children at 13 months. Following a NIAC recommendation, since 2019, the vaccine has been offered as part of the MenACWY vaccine to students in first year. NIAC does not currently recommend a MenB vaccine programme for adolescents but it continues to review the epidemiology of it. It is carrying out an evidence review of the MenB vaccine in adolescents and young adults. Following that review, should there be a need for action, we will, of course, act. I know the Deputy will agree it is important that we follow the advice of NIAC.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Department of Health and the HSE are aware of the outbreak recently reported in the UK and are actively monitoring the situation. Based on information available, the HSE assesses that the overall population risk in Ireland related to the UK outbreak remains very low. This aligns with the assessment of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that the risk to the general public in the EU remains very low due to the very small probability of exposure and potential infection. Our immunisation programme is based on the advice of the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC. We have MenB, MenC and MenACWY vaccines to protect from diseases caused by meningitis A, B, C, W and Y.”
“I take the Deputy's point that saying something is a priority but asking someone to wait for three years clearly is not what people would rightly expect. On foot of his raising this issue, I will speak to the Minister directly to ask that she look into the matter and revert directly to him.”
“As the Deputy said, he raised this issue with me a number of weeks ago. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who committed to getting back to the Deputy. I will follow up with the Minister on foot of our interaction today. We keep the allocations we make for roads and transport under review as the year progresses. The Deputy has highlighted a specific concern in relation to Cavan and Monaghan and has engaged with officials there. I will ask the Minister to get back to him directly.”
“On foot of this matter being raised by the Deputy, I will make myself aware of the details. I do not want to comment on any specific legal actions or outworkings that could be ongoing because such cases require the law to be followed. There are protections in place, with clear rules in relation to tenancies outlined by the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. I expect all of those rules to be adhered to. Without commenting on individual cases, we have seen instances in the past where a practice was being considered and then was stopped because it clearly was not in line with the rules. I am happy to look into this matter further and to ask the Minister for housing to get back to the Deputy.”
“I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this issue. I want to clarify that this was not a decision taken by the Minister for Health but it was, indeed, a change in pricing practice by a number of pharmacies across the country. The position in this regard is as it always has been. I ask that pharmacists engage with their loyal customers on the issue and reflect on the comments of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I will ask her to provide the Deputy with the most up-to-date information on her Department's engagement with pharmacists on this matter.”
“I do want to assure Deputy Brennan that on foot of his question the family can be assured that the Department will provide every consular support that is possible, both via the team here in Dublin and in Colombia.”
“I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. First and most importantly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family of the late Claire Cullen. It is an incredibly heartbreaking case for the Cullen family and the community in Courtown in Wexford as well. I want to assure him and the House that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is very much aware of this tragic case. It also wants to extend its sincere sympathies to Claire's family. I am assured that consular support is being provided to the family through our teams and our embassy in Colombia and through our consular unit in Dublin. A dedicated caseworker has been appointed to this case. As with all consular cases, we do not comment on individual cases, but that is in order to protect the privacy of all of those who receive assistance.”
“This Government has a proud record of supporting the development of cancer services, but how we can do more to support people as they are on their cancer journey is something I am eager to explore with the Deputy and with the Irish Cancer Society. I will meet it today and I am happy to report back to the Deputy after that.”
“I thank Deputy Dolan very much. I appreciate him raising this issue today as Daffodil Day is tomorrow and this House will not be in session. I am meeting the Irish Cancer Society this afternoon. I am sure this is one of the issues that it will want to discuss too. I do not want to pre-empt what the Government may do in future budgets. Deputy Dolan would give out to me at an Oireachtas committee if we did that. We do need to look at this. Thankfully, people are living longer and cancer survivorship is increasing, but there are real burdens that go with cancer in terms of lost income and pressures on the family as well.”
“Sure. I thank him for raising the issue on behalf of his colleague, Councillor Reddy. I will speak to the Minister for education today and see if she or somebody on her behalf can engage with the equality in education campaign to see how we can bring progress to this as quickly as possible.”
“That is an important step to take, in terms of six-year tenancies and additional protections for tenants. I look forward to people seeing the benefit of that in the time ahead.”
“We have a State organisation in the Land Development Agency that is making a real and positive impact in relation to the delivery of homes right across our country. I have been on many sites with it in recent weeks and months. We do live in a housing emergency, of that there is no doubt, but it is important to quote the report in the round. I note that we did see the number of terminations actually fall in the final quarter, down 3.6% in quarter 4 compared with quarter 3 of 2025. We also saw the number of tenancies increase during that year as well. We have debated in this House before the unintended consequences of a no-fault eviction ban, as Deputy Hearne envisages, and we saw the outworkings of that in quarter 2 of 2023. We brought in a series of protections for tenants - very robust protections - in our recent rental reforms.”
“I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this matter. I know he is somebody who has consistently highlighted this issue and his significant concerns in relation to it. I do think there needs to be further examination and inquiry into these matters. The form that takes or how that is brought about is obviously a matter in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. I have not had a chance to discuss this with him, but I do share the view of the Taoiseach, as previously articulated in this House. I can only imagine the lives put on hold and the stress, strain and family pressures that all of this has caused people. Those people deserve answers and an explanation.”
“The Government works in a number of ways to try to help and assist families. We have brought in many services to assist people with the cost of education, including the free schoolbooks and hot school meals programmes. It was well known that the leaving certificate fees were reverting this year.”
“The key thing right now is the delivery of all of the projects we have funded, including the projects in Carlow and Kilkenny, the summer works schemes that will take place in Carlow and Kilkenny, and the extra special classes that will open in both of those counties and right across the country. We continue to work with schools that are at stage 2B to seek to move them on. We will keep in touch with the Deputy in relation to that.”
“I was making an effort to write them down, but I think the Deputy named nearly all of the 15 schools we had on the list. That was a good tour of the constituency. Whether they are schools in Carlow or Kilkenny, I get it. There is obviously great joy when a school list comes out and your school is on the list, but there is that sense of apprehension as to what it means for the school. That is why I really want those schools to know it is not the final word. The Government is very clear in relation to that. Our medium-term fiscal plan, more importantly, is clear in relation to that as well. There is, I think, €4 billion in capital funding in that plan that, in the lifetime of this Government, we will have an opportunity to allocate.”
“I genuinely believe that we will be able to make progress on many of them in the time ahead. Perhaps up to 15 of them could be in the Deputy’s constituency, which is also the constituency of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, in the interests of balance. We will review that matter in due course. The priority in the here and now is getting on with delivery, which, as the Deputy mentioned, is important. We have given a very large allocation of over €7 billion to education. We need to see quick progress on those projects. We will be reviewing and monitoring this matter. To the schools in the Deputy’s constituency and every constituency, this is not the final word on capital funding for education for schools from this Government.”
“In the medium-term fiscal plan that the Government has agreed, and that was approved at a European level only a couple of weeks ago, there is further capital to be allocated in the time ahead. As a Government, while we are not making decisions on it today, we will be eager to invest that in areas where we believe we can deliver real progress in communities in a speedy fashion. Schools and education have a very strong track record. The beauty of a school building project is that if you give it the green light, it goes ahead and it gets delivered quickly. We see them right across the country. The Deputy is right that there are a number of projects at stage 2B, which, for the benefit of those watching, are the projects that are basically waiting to go to detailed design, the phase before going to tender.”
“I take the point. The Deputy would not be doing his job if he were not restless to see even more projects delivered in his constituency. However, I would make the point that we have, quite rightly, invested a lot in education buildings in Carlow and Kilkenny and, indeed, across the country. As the Deputy said, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, published the €7.55 billion sectoral investment plan for education earlier this year. There are six projects in the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. There are also a further ten schools in those two counties that are now approved to undergo summer works schemes this summer. The Deputy is right that there is more to do. I want people in Carlow, Kilkenny and throughout the country to know that this is not the final word on capital when it comes to education.”
“I thank Deputy Cleere for raising the issue of school building projects in general, and our need to deliver more, but also specifically in relation to his constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. As he knows, since 2020, some €6.7 billion has been invested to increase capacity and upgrade school facilities. This is a record level of investment. Some €210 million in capital funding went to County Kilkenny and €51 million in capital funding went to County Carlow. Over that period, we saw 43 schools in County Kilkenny and 25 schools in County Carlow either being upgraded, having extensions built or getting additional accommodation. We also saw 45 special classes sanctioned for Kilkenny, eight of which are sanctioned for this September, and 32 extra special classes sanctioned for County Carlow, five of which are sanctioned for this September.”
“I take the Deputy's point, and will bring it to the attention of the Minister and the HSE, regarding the system and the need for more co-ordination. My own view on this is that there are certain areas where it is so specialist that there needs to be a national approach whereby people can move seamlessly to the most appropriate place across the country. I will certainly ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies on that. I wish the woman all the very best.”
“I hope that is the case. Certainly, I will ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies Fitzmaurice and Daly. I will just make a couple of comments. The point the Deputy made about the physical environment was a very important one. One of the happiest days I had as Taoiseach was the opening of the newly refurbished National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH. It has always been an incredible hospital in Dún Laoghaire. To a layman like me, it has performed miracles in people's rehabilitation journeys. However, the facilities were not where they needed to be. For somebody who has to spend a long period in a hospital on that journey, you need to have your bit of privacy, space, an en suite and access to therapy spaces. Real progress has been made in that regard.”
“I will try to work out what that means with regard to Merlin Park. The best thing I can do is ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. I offer the woman every good wish.”
“I appreciate and will pass on the praise the Deputy has levelled on the air ambulance and Beaumont Hospital, and the many interactions the woman has had with the health service. The short answer is I will ask the Minister for Health to engage with the Deputy and Deputy Daly on this woman's pathway of care and what can be done. As a rule of thumb and for good reason, we do not comment on individual clinical plans in the Dáil but I can certainly ask that the Minister engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. Based on what the Deputy has said, it sounds like much progress is being made, but there are clearly pinch points in key areas. Deputy Fitzmaurice referenced the speech and language therapy, physio and other areas. The Deputy mentioned a transfer to Ballinasloe, which I think has happened. I am hoping that transfer helps.”
“It is important to say that Deputy Fitzmaurice knows about a lot more than just agriculture. He knows about being a decent human being as well. I thank him for the way he is approaching this issue and working with his colleague, Deputy Martin Daly. That is one of the finest contributions I have heard in here in awhile. I obviously do not know the young woman the Deputy is talking about, but I can only imagine the absolute nightmare she, her husband, their young children and their wider family have endured. I hope one day, when she recovers, that I will get to meet her because she sounds like she has an extraordinary determination in her recovery journey. As we all know, albeit without knowing anything about the clinical situation, the progress people can make after the most incredible injuries is quite remarkable.”
“But the Deputy is interrupting me, and that is his choice. We will bring forward a package on Tuesday that will endeavour to target measures at those most in need and assist those feeling the pressure at the pumps. However, the package will also have to be done in a way that provides flexibility for this country to adapt to the unknown.”
“I have said very clearly that we should, in the first instance, always target those most in need. I have referenced the fuel allowance as a useful vehicle that we have used in that regard, but I have also made the point that there are real challenges at the pumps. In the past, we have made interventions around excise that have been of assistance to people. We are looking at what we can do in the round across a number of Departments. What we do has to be sustainable, it has to be proportionate and it has to be time-bound, because we have gone down this road before of thinking-----”
“The Irish economy approaches this moment of global challenge from a position of relative strength but we have also got to be conscious of leaving ourselves as a country with the flexibility to adapt our response, depending on where the situation goes. We all hope this de-escalates very quickly, for humanitarian and economic reasons. The Deputy asked about targeted measures and then made a proposal on excise, which obviously is not targeted. What I would say now is-----”
“I am genuinely not trying to be argumentative or provocative in relation to this because we need to work together on this but I have to say what we do now has an effect on what we can do in the future. The Deputy knows that, I know that and we all know that. The point I am making is, of course, we need to look at what we can do in the here and now. I get that, and that is what we are doing. However, we also need to be conscious, as we stand here in the Dáil in the month of March, of where the global economy could be in the month of September or July. What if the Deputy comes into the House then and says all of a sudden that we are not talking about energy but are talking about this or that. We need to look at this in the round.”
“We will finalise our proposals. The Deputy asks, why not right now? Literally, only an hour or so ago, the Minister for Transport finished his latest engagement with the hauliers. He is working through some of their proposals. We need to make one intervention here that tries to address the areas most under pressure. Whatever we do should be for a short sharp period of time in the first instance to provide us with the flexibility as a State to further respond to an evolving situation.”
“Nobody should be dismissing anybody's ideas that are brought forward in good faith because I do not doubt they are. We are all trying to achieve the same thing here. The only point I would make is that I am not sure the speediest or most effective way, being truthful, with the time of the year we are coming into, that is, bringing in temporary energy credits - and I am not saying this to be flippant - in a summer period that would not be in place in a winter period. There are other ways, more quickly, we can alleviate and help. I know this idea is brought forward in good faith. As I say, we all need to approach this with humility, and I certainly do too. However, it would require primary legislation and the likes. There may be quicker ways of helping people and possibly achieving the same aim the Deputy is trying to achieve as well.”
“They are real numbers. I accept that. However, a real number also is that now 470,000 households, more than ever before, are now getting direct help with their fuel costs. For the first time, 470,000 people receive help. That is real as well. The Deputy asked when. The when is Tuesday. When the Cabinet meets, we will act. The Deputy asked how quickly will the measures come in. He has to allow me finalise the measures but I said in my comments in the Dáil last night, and I said it again today and I repeat it, that we will attach a premium to measures that can come in quickly. The Deputy has mentioned some measures that could potentially come in quickly. I have heard the Deputy's idea in relation to the energy credit. I know it is put forward in good faith.”
“I have to be honest with the Deputy that it is not straightforward because we cannot predict with any sense of certainty how long this will go, how deep this will go and even if the conflict ends - we all want to see this conflict end and de-escalated - what the economic hangover from that will be. I have certainly been very hands on. I have been at meetings of the Eurogroup, ECOFIN, and with the Commission, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Taoiseach and Government colleagues in relation to this as well as with my own economic team in the Department of Finance as we seek to get this right. I take the point in relation to energy costs already being very high in Ireland. That is one of the reasons we have expanded the fuel allowance to a further 50,000 people. The Deputy mentioned the number of people in energy arrears.”
“I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. I will address each of his points. First, when this Government acts next week, I believe we will be among the first to act. There certainly are many countries in the European Union who are still pondering what to do. I mentioned only a few moments ago the Italians are looking at what to do for a 20-day period. There is huge volatility. I was in the UK the other day meeting the Chancellor of the Exchequer. From memory, they have announced an intervention of roughly £53 million, which is roughly the equivalent of €5 million in terms of Ireland's population. Lots of countries are trying to work out what is the best thing to do here.”
“Some €19 million was a lot in the context of the SNA situation; it is very manageable in the context of total voted expenditure. Second, we have contingency funds and the likes built into our overall €118 billion. I said two points but I have three points. Third, it will be additional funding to the Department of education. It will not be a question of robbing Peter to pay Paul within the Department of education. Our absolute commitment is to work to make sure every child due to start school in September can start school then with the maximum levels of support possible. I am conscious when it comes to "appropriate", that is often, I suppose, not subjective but based on the best information available at the time to a family and a school. We will certainly be working to open more classes and with schools and parents through the NCSE.”
“I agree with that but I stress that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is certainly not waiting for any further piece of work to be done. Of course, there are lots of further pieces of work under way but in the here and now, the Minister is working to make sure more classes are put in place and opened, with a particular focus on schools where they have a physical ability to open another class and where there are not longer lead-in times. I thank schools right across the country which are stepping up and showing real flexibility and leadership on this. The Minister does too. I am pleased the Deputy raised the issue of the €19 million because I want to say two things in relation to that. First, where it will come from is total voted expenditure of €118 billion.”
“We want to have the best data possible but the priority in the here and now is to make sure we prepare as best as we can for September and that we put in place robust plans to make sure no child is prevented from starting school. I am very conscious of the point the Deputy made about how being close to one's community is vital for people.”
“These are needs their children have. We are seeing a very significant increase in that need. In fairness to the Department, the Minister and the Minister of State and their predecessors, there was a real effort to try to get somewhat ahead of it this year with the opening of the portal in October but through no fault of any parent, even after that, a significant number of additional children came forward. I can understand why that is the case. What we are trying to do now is work our way through that. I do not have the exact numbers to hand right now but it is a somewhat fluid situation. I think the Deputy's idea of a centralised portal is a good idea and I will certainly talk with the Minister about that. I know she will engage with the Deputy as well.”
“It is the kind of thing we do in this place but in the real world, it is what is about happening in the here and now. Yesterday, we saw 36 additional special classes announced by the Minister and Minister of State. At our weekly leaders' meeting on Monday, there will be a special focus on education with the Minister and Minister of State where we will be updated on a number of these issues in relation to special education, SNAs and classes as well. That is important. What I can say is we are working around the clock to make sure no child will be prevented from starting school and to make sure every support possible is and can be in place. I do need to be honest. I do not like the word "demand". We are seeing a very significant increase in need. These are needs. Parents are not going around demanding things.”
“That is as a result of a very significant uplift in special education teachers and SNAs. We have made a decision, which the Deputy and I debated in this House previously, in relation to only proceeding with the review where there was an upward lift in SNAs. That means we were planning for about 1,700 or thereabouts additional SNAs this year. That figure will now be around 2,200, which means we will have over 25,000 SNAs in our schools this September. We have already provided funding for over 400 new special classes and at least 400 new special school places for the 2026-2027 school year. It is intended that would create around 3,000 new special education placements for September 2026. I think there will be a further memo going to Cabinet, probably in April, but the Deputy is right that people do not live by memos.”
“I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing up this issue and not for the first time. I know his professional and political interest and priority in relation to this, and he is right. This is a real time of anxiety for many parents across the country and we are acutely aware of that. I am aware of it as are the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. The Deputy's comments have been quite balanced because, objectively, we have seen some progress when it comes to special education. We now see special education funding of more than €3 billion this year, which is about 58% higher than it was in 2020. We see the majority of children with special educational needs supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.”
“The only place where there is dithering is where there is a Sinn Féin finance minister. Sinn Féin has powers in Northern Ireland to expand the fuel poverty funds but the only assistance, and it is a small bit of assistance, for people in Northern Ireland so far has been from the British Government. The Northern Ireland Executive, the Sinn Féin First Minister, the Sinn Féin finance minister and Sinn Féin economy minister have brought forward exactly zero euro and zero cent in measures to help people in Northern Ireland. This Government will act and act in the here and now. We are finalising our proposals and we will work with people and support them in the time ahead.”
“Because we want to get it right and a little bit of humility from the man who went on "Morning Ireland" this morning and got his figures out by €35 million a week would not go astray. The Deputy quoted an annual figure and said that we took in €38 million in windfall last week when it is €3 million. That is not a couple of million. The Deputy was out by €35 million a week. We are going to get this right, we are going to take it step by step and we are going to work with European counterparts. The Taoiseach is at the European Council, the Minister for Transport has just finished a meeting with the hauliers, the Minister for Social Protection is considering how we can assist because most in need and my Department's economics team is trying to present the best macroeconomic analysis.”
“Accuracy is important, figures are important and getting this right is important and that is exactly what this Government intends to do.”
“In fact, this year alone we are spending over €486 million on fuel allowance, €317 million on the household benefits package and €640 million on retrofitting. That is €1.5 billion on just those three measures alone. I heard Deputy Doherty's interview on radio this morning. When he was asked where all the money was going to come from, his answer was that we should just take it out of the surplus. He knows that if you keep taking things out of a surplus, it becomes a deficit. I also heard the Deputy say that the State is making a fortune on this and that it is estimated that it took in €38 million in taxes in one week alone as a result of these fuel costs. That is the annual cost not a weekly cost. Revenue estimates the cost at around €3 million per week.”
“Just last week, thanks to the intervention of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, we expanded the fuel allowance to ensure that 50,000 families on the working family payment can benefit. This has been backdated to January, with many families getting lump sum payments of up to €308. Some 50,000 real people have benefited. We live in a country where over 470,000 households, or over one quarter of all homes in Ireland, now qualify for the fuel allowance. We have also reduced VAT on gas and electricity to 9% out to the end of the decade. We are supporting over 500,000 householders, many of them pensioners, with an allowance of €420 annually towards their gas and electricity bills under the household benefits package. It is not correct to say that we are doing nothing.”
“They need to ensure that assistance can be applied quickly and that we keep the space to adapt the response, should that be required, in the weeks and months ahead. We need to be honest that there is very little certainty in terms of where this conflict will go and what the economic impact could be, particularly when we consider that the length and depth of the conflict is such an important aspect. The Government has already taken a number of actions. We have increased the fuel allowance to €38 per week. This means that the fuel allowance is now worth €1,064 per year to households. We are also expanding it in order that more people can qualify.”