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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“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I take from his contribution the depth of feeling there obviously is in his community in relation to this and all of the sports clubs, autism families and others that he highlighted. In light of his raising it I will ask the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to take a specific look and to come back to him with an informed view on this. The Government has taken a number of measures to prevent land hoarding, as the Deputy called it, including the residential zoned land tax. We are also going through a process of meeting with chief executives of country councils individually, that is, myself, the Taoiseach and the Minister for housing. I will arrange that we meet South Dublin County Council shortly. I will come back to the Deputy.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. While I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting with the Coventry centre, I have had the pleasure to meet with many centres working in the UK. I share his view that they are doing incredible work. I visited one in Camden Town in London relatively recently and I am aware of the work it is doing with survivors of residential abuse and mother and baby homes. It is incredible work. I will ask, in the context of drawing up the new strategy, our embassy in London to see what we can do to assist, and I will come back to the Deputy.”
“I turned to one of your favourite authors, and from a book you gave me a couple of weeks ago by Timothy Snyder, in which he states: A patriot ... wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well - and wishing that it would do better. Paschal, you have been nothing if not a true patriot.”
“Can you believe it is 5,364 days since you stood and made your maiden speech? That day you talked about diversity, stability, addressing the banking crisis and creating jobs. In the subsequent days before you ever became a Minister, you contributed frequently, thoughtfully, philosophically and with immense knowledge and understanding. You have stayed entirely true to your values over those thousands of days. I cannot help thinking of your time as a Trinity student and the famous quote in the Long Room that states, "I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." I think that might be a vision that you share. However, as you address this Chamber for the last time and depart the Dáil, I was trying to think of how best to define you and your great contribution to our country.”
“I never quite thought there would be a day when Paschal would ask me to spend more money but it did come on his final day. I really want to thank you, Paschal - Deputy Donohoe - for this question. It is fitting on your last day in Dáil Éireann that you are talking to us about borrowing, but now about borrowing books instead of borrowing money. When I walked into what was your former library yesterday, I thought I had taken a wrong turn and walked into a library, such was the collection of books you have built up there. Thank you for your support for our various library projects around the country during your various Ministries. They include projects in Kinsale, Virginia, Macroom, Trim, Castleblayney and Thomastown, so many of which you visited and all of which your fingerprints have been involved in.”
“Yes, we will. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Religious freedom matters. It matters in our own country too. Sometimes, there is an effort in what is sometimes called the progressive agenda to try to exclude the conversation on this, including parents who want to send their child to a school of a religious ethos of their choice, which is that parent's choice. I welcome the publication of the report today. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, probably as we speak, is raising at the issue of Sudan at the Foreign Affairs Council. Ireland specifically asked that Sudan be tabled as a substantive item at the Foreign Affairs Council today. I will also ask the Minister to take up the issues the Deputy referenced relating to Nigeria and other parts of the world.”
“I appreciate the Deputy's strong mandate to represent people in this House on this issue. I respect the fact he engages with us on this regularly. I will point out that the figures we cite are not just headlines. They are a genuine commitment to provide from the Exchequer an extraordinary, quite rightly, sum of money to try to assist people with this issue. I accept there are challenges that we are all trying to work our way through constructively, including Government Deputies, such as the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. That is why there are commitments in the programme for Government and legislation is coming forward. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to specifically come back on those homes the Deputy mentioned.”
“I have outlined very clearly what the Government is doing to help those most in need. I appreciate the fact the Social Democrats have brought forward a proposal around targeted energy supports. One crowd here wants a universal support, another does not want any supports and the Social Democrats wants targeted supports. If this is a united left, I would not like to see them divided.”
“I make the point that the budget, by any objective standard, was a progressive budget. It was a progressive budget that helped those with the least the most. That is how progressive budgeting works. It is there in the ESRI SWITCH model and the likes as well.”
“As a Crohn's sufferer, I have a conflict of interest here as well. I will talk with the Minister in relation to this matter. More broadly, and I say this to be helpful, while there is sometimes a need to change laws, and we will always consider constructive Bills that Deputies like Deputy Wall bring forward, sometimes there is just a need for a bit of common sense in making sure there is clarity in relation to the use of toilet facilities and the likes. As always, the Minister will constructively engage. Sláintecare is bringing us on a journey that is trying to overhaul a lot of the structures in place around long-term illness and so on. That work is under way but I look forward to considering the Bill.”
“It is a democracy. Remember that. The Deputy asked me a question and I will answer it how I wish. The answer I wish to give is I want to understand exactly what happened in relation to that situation from the Department of education because the practice the Deputy referenced is not widespread. Nor is it reflective of this Government's commitment to investing more in education, most particularly when we saw an increase in capitation funding for all our schools in the recent budget, quite rightly so, because investing in education is key to our economic success.”
“I have heard this raised a couple of times. I would certainly like to hear more in relation to this. We have increased our funding levels to schools each and every year. We increased our capitation funding in the budget this year. I have never before heard the idea that children have to bring their own toilet roll to schools. This needs to be explored and we need to understand more comprehensively the rationale behind the sending of any such email to parents. That is not a widespread practice across our schools.”
“It is about how we make sure our local authorities are empowered to be ready - I say that in a supportive way - to draw down the maximum amount of funding. Let me explore that. I am also conscious we are having this conversation against the backdrop of the very difficult situation around job losses in the county recently. I am thinking of the Fastway workers and others, and their families, at what is a difficult time. On the EU Just Transition Fund programme, I take the point that we can always look at how we can make things better and cut bureaucracy. I am a fan of that but we have seen 15 calls from that fund between October 2023 and December 2025, with over €93 million in funding now committed to projects. That funding is now being distributed to grantees. It is expected further project announcements will be made in the coming weeks.”
“The Deputy is getting the benefit of the challenge, depending on her perspective, for the fact that I visited her county recently on Deputy Clendennen's invitation. I had a chance to meet some of the local authority officials. I share the Deputy's view that they are very good people. I am often quick enough in this House to say when I find a local authority that is not lifting enough weight or not doing enough. I was very taken by the people I met in the town hall, or municipal district office, in Edenderry, which is a beautiful building. There is more that can be done. The Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, was involved in conversations there with councillors and others on the idea of EU funding officers.”
“I take the point the Deputy makes about the need to make sure at an EU level that we are doing all that we can in relation to ensuring that we benefit here in Ireland and that the midlands benefits and County Offaly benefits too. I suggest we reflect on how we can use our Presidency of the Council of the European Union which will take place in the second half of next year to perhaps showcase some of the good work that has been done but also perhaps to showcase some of the challenges that we need to overcome in terms of how such schemes are administered as well. I am certainly committed to working with people in a constructive manner in relation to this as well. I am happy to receive any correspondence or insights from the Deputy in relation to this.”
“There was €22 million made available to local and community-led projects in eight midland counties to implement innovative plans supporting the transition across a range of activities, whether support for local business, for community development, research, tourism, heritage projects, the development of greenways and opportunities for education, training and re-skilling. The EU Just Transition Fund programme is providing up to €169 million to support the longer term economic transition of the region arising from the end of that peat extraction and peat-fired power generation. Fifty-six projects have been successful in their application. These included 18 projects in County Offaly.”
“The aim here is to ensure that no one is left behind as we take action in relation to climate. Deputy Nolan is correct. The midlands is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this area. That is why we will step up and help too. The national Just Transition Fund, as the Deputy will be aware, was established in 2020. It was a key pillar of our plan for the midlands to try to support workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat extraction by Bord na Móna.”
“I thank Deputy Nolan for raising the matter and the constructive way in which she has brought forward suggestions. I visited County Offaly recently with my colleague, Deputy Clendennen, and Councillor Noel Cribbin, in Edenderry and I was pleased to see lots of good work going on in terms of swimming pool plans, school plans and big work being done on the main street, which I know had caused some temporary disruption for shop owners but the benefit of which they recognise as well. I want to see central government working with local government, working with Offaly and working with communities in the midlands to make a fair stab here of the Just Transition Fund and to make sure that the benefits are felt, that the bureaucracy is minimised and that we can get things moving as well. We are absolutely committed to a just transition.”
“The Deputy is right to identify the issue, as the programme for Government does, because we want Irish people back in this country. We want their ingenuity. We want their contribution. We want to bring people home. Often we need their skills as well. Their families want them back. This is something that comes up as a barrier in the long list of things people are trying to work through when planning on relocating to Ireland, perhaps with a family and the likes, and if there are hurdles we can remove here, we certainly should. I will speak to the relevant Ministers on foot of the Deputy raising this and in the background of our new national diaspora strategy.”
“Without being argumentative, I am not sure he can, based on the information available to me on the importance of anything we do in Ireland being in line, in relation to that ten years, with European legislation, but let me check on foot of the Deputy raising it here today. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond. What we certainly can do, though, is look at how we can get those reciprocal arrangements in place. We are determined, not only at a political level but from the Irish ambassador to the United States down in terms of our diplomatic network there, that there is real work going on in terms of trying to reach those agreements.”
“Reaching agreement is therefore not just a matter of political will; it has at its core competency around road safety, which is something we all take very seriously. I am told that on average the technical independent assessment process takes approximately two years. On foot of the Deputy raising this matter today, and given that we will have a new diaspora strategy next year, which the Minister of State is currently finalising and will bring to the Government next year, I will ask that he specifically reflect on the issue of reciprocal arrangements in relation to driving licences.”
“I was going to say that we are working through this and trying to reach agreement on it with a number of US states, but the Deputy has expressed concerns about the speed of that. I will ask the Minister of State to come back to him directly on that. He is doing some very good, focused work with our embassy and consular network in the US. They have started with states where there is a high number of Irish people, which makes sense. I will also ask the Minister of State to reflect on what the Deputy said about learning from other EU countries which, he perceives, do this in a more efficient or effective way. He mentioned Belgium and a number of others. The way we do it at the moment is this: Ireland may make bilateral licence exchange agreements with non-EU jurisdictions. It is a technical and independent process.”
“That is of huge benefit to people from Ireland and across the 27 member states. I understand an Irish driving licence can be renewed in Ireland up to ten years after the date of expiry; after this time, the licence cannot be renewed and the person is no longer considered a qualified driver. On foot of the Deputy raising this today, I will explore this further but that is the best information available to me. The second point relates to our diaspora. I have to acknowledge this comes up a lot. In my past posting, when I met Irish people abroad who were considering coming home, the issue of the driving licence came up time and again. The Deputy is right to highlight it. Our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, is leading for the Government on this in the context of the new diaspora strategy.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. There are probably two parts to the question. The first part relates to the ten-year limit after which the licence expires. My understanding is that because our Irish driving licence operates within a framework of EU law, the driving licence legislation is EU legislation which all member states must comply with. I always get nervous saying that as though we are blaming the EU. We are part of the EU so we can always explore these issues with partners. However, the standards for testing drivers are set at an EU level. The benefit for all of us is that opting into this EU system enables us to have a driver's licence that works across the European Union. Rather than it being an impediment to an Irish citizen, it is a great gift with the primary benefit of allowing a universal EU licence.”
“I accept her challenge in terms of understanding the legal advice available to the Minister as to why the Bill as currently drafted is the way it is, and seeing if there is the possibility of making further changes. I do not want to make a commitment on the floor of the House that I cannot deliver on, but I am committed to having that conversation with Government colleagues and coming back to the Deputy directly.”
“Nikita Hand is an incredible woman who I have had the honour of speaking to. I think our media need to reflect on the amount of coverage they give to some people who represent the very worst of us - vile individuals - versus the attention and focus they give to courageous, incredible people like Nikita Hand. How these issues are framed in the media should also be considered. I am not disagreeing with the Deputy on this. I do not think anybody in this House, regardless of party politics, will disagree with the idea that counselling notes should not be part of a criminal trial. I accept fully the logic of the point about the chilling effect of the possibility of notes being used. I agree with the Deputy on that point.”
“Instinctively, I agree with what the Deputy has said about counselling notes. Cases should be heard on the evidence before them. When somebody goes to seek counselling or therapy, that confidentiality, privacy and sensitivity matters. I will not say something in this House that turns out to be legally wrong but the Government will try to get as close to what the Deputy suggests as is possible. We will take very seriously the recommendations of the justice committee and the recommendations and work of the likes of the Rape Crisis Centre, which has a very significant degree of expertise. I will commit the Government to working collaboratively and closely across the House on this matter and will specifically engage with the Minister for justice on the issues the Deputy has raised.”
“We are doing things. We have established Cuan, the national agency. We have a zero-tolerance strategy. We are seeing funding for additional safe spaces. The Minister for justice is taking this matter extraordinarily seriously. He has secured Government approval to progress the criminal law (sexual violence, domestic violence and international instruments) Bill 2025, which includes measures to allow perpetrators of domestic violence to be included on a new register run by the courts and to strengthen the law further in relation to sexual consent, which is a very important step to take. I will not comment on the work of the DPP for fear of challenge in respect of the separation of powers but I take the Deputy's point on our criminal justice system and legal system needing to take this extraordinarily seriously.”
“Perhaps there is an argument that we could have more debates in the House, and we should, but I certainly welcome the fact that there is now much more discussion on legislation, in Oireachtas committees and in Cabinet committees with regard to issues of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I will also inform the House that it was agreed at the North-South Ministerial Council that we will work on this on a North-South basis. I thank the First Minister and deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland for their engagement with us on this. That is an indication of how seriously this issue is being taken, as it should and must be, across the island of Ireland. I will not use all of my time to let people know what we are doing in this area.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for raising this really important issue. I also thank those in the Gallery for being here today. Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a global epidemic and it is an epidemic in Ireland. We should call it out for that. We should acknowledge the advocacy and bravery of those who come forward and seek to bring about much-needed change in this area. It should not be seen as an issue to be addressed by women alone. It involves leadership from all of us in all political parties right across this Dáil, across these Houses and across society. I do not mean to be argumentative but the Deputy said there are no debates in this House. I beg to differ.”
“That came into force for all employees on 6 March 2024. This was a big step forward in terms of entitlements and having a legislative framework for the first time. It is right and proper that we now consider it. If we get remote working right, it will result in huge opportunities, including the opportunity to expand access to the labour force and to address issues of congestion. However, we must also get it right as regards supporting our economy and making sure our public services work in the way our constituents expect. This consultation is an opportunity for everyone to have their say.”
“I will certainly ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to take on board all of those sensible suggestions. I will ask him to come back directly to the Deputy and to engage with TII and the NTA with regard to Operation Freeflow, signage, gardaí and the frequency of the trains. I join with Deputy Wall in encouraging people to make their views known on the consultation on remote working. We should remind ourselves that remote working at scale in Ireland arose very quickly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pace at which people, employers, public services and, to some degree, education changed their work practices was huge. However, if we are honest, it was also somewhat unplanned. There was a global pandemic and people were trying to keep the show on the road. We then legislated for the right to request remote working arrangements.”
“We will consider what legislative steps to take, what to review and what amendments to make to legislation on the back of that public consultation.”
“Indeed, I opened a remote working hub in my own hometown very recently. The roll-out of our national broadband plan, which was opposed by many but which has worked and been delivered on time and on budget, has made a real difference in giving people that crucial infrastructure to work remotely. Only on Tuesday of this week, my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, launched a public consultation as part of a legislative review of the right to request remote working. I inquired as to how that review was going the other day and was told that over 2,000 people had already made submissions. That is quite incredible. Roughly 1,600 of those 2,000 responses came from workers while around 400 came from employers. I encourage the Deputy and everybody else to make their views known.”
“The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, will shortly outline the sectoral investment plan, which is basically the outworking of the new national development plan funding in terms of the advancement of projects. I will ask the Minister to take on board the comments Deputy Wall has made here today and the constructive suggestion he has made in relation to TII and what more it might be able to do. The Deputy has rather cleverly and appropriately linked this to the debate and discussion on the development of policy with regard to remote working. As he will remember, we gave a commitment that there would be full public consultation in relation to the policy on remote working. A lot of good work has been done in this area. I am informed that there are now more than 400 connected hubs.”
“I can think of the impact for people trying to get to an from childcare providers and meet school collection times. That is stress, as well as, of course, the environmental impact of being stuck in congestion and the impact that can have on air quality. We are very much aware of the congestion. I am aware of the regular accidents on the route and the safety issues as well. We intend, through our national development plan, to invest a huge amount in transport via upgrades to the road network but also to address the points Deputy Wall made on making public transport work more effectively for more people who wish to use it, once it works for them.”
“I thank Deputy Wall very much for raising this issue. The N7-M7 corridor is, of course, a critical part of Ireland’s national road and motorway network. I will get to some of the challenges, but there has been significant investment in recent decades, most recently the completion of a major upgrade to the motorway between Naas and Newbridge in 2021, which also included a bypass for Sallins. The Deputy is also right that since 2019, traffic levels on the M50 have grown by at least 11%, which equates to about an extra 50,000 trips per day. We are seeing the impact of that congestion on our road and motorway network. The Deputy was also right to highlight the fact there are real-life impacts from this. He gave the very harrowing reality of a cancer patient stuck in traffic trying to get to a crucial hospital appointment.”
“I am sure Deputy Doherty accepts that in those numbers - those large numbers - are many people who are benefiting, and will benefit, directly from the financial assistance from this Government towards energy costs that I have just outlined, but he never makes those points. His party has a partitionist approach when it comes to energy policy.”
“Yes, there is always more to do, yes, the cost of energy is a real cost and, yes, we need to look at how we can drive down the cost of energy, move more quickly to renewable energy and how we can do even more to support people, but please do not mislead people, particularly people who might be tuning in to this debate, in terms of the fact that there are supports available to them. There are decisions we have taken that are available to people in the here and now. I would encourage people to know that, to not be cold this winter and to seek the supports and assistance that are in place.”
“I hope everyone will help us amplify the message that any person under serious financial pressure can seek an additional needs payment, in addition to what I outlined already, for heating costs through their community welfare officer. On top of these direct financial supports, we are also investing record funding in retrofitting to help people upgrade their homes, make them more energy efficient and make sure people's homes are warmer. The budget for the warmer homes scheme has increased to €280 million, which is an elevenfold increase since 2020. I want to specifically address the issue of disconnections. A disconnection moratorium is in place for registered vulnerable customers from the start of this month until 31 March, and indeed for all customers for the winter period in a few short weeks' time.”
“Under the household benefits package, 532,000 homes are receiving support, another practical measure being funded by this Government. We took the decision in the budget only a few weeks ago to freeze VAT at the lower 9% rate on gas and electricity bills for the next five years to provide that reduced VAT rate not just in the here and now but for the lifetime of the mandate of this Government. We have reduced the PSO levy to directly help people save money on their bills. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has met the four largest energy companies and they have confirmed they each have hardship funds in place and are working to support vulnerable customers. I want to be very clear that this winter, nobody should be afraid to turn on their heat during the cold weather.”
“I would encourage everybody to look at the broadened criteria and put in their application for the fuel allowance. Second, not only have we increased the fuel allowance, we also expanded it to those receiving the working family payment. The Deputy talks a lot about working people and working families in this Dáil. This is why we have decided to make sure that people who are in receipt of the working family payment are able for the first time to receive the fuel allowance. This means that over 450,000 households or roughly one quarter of all homes in this jurisdiction will qualify for the payment. We are supporting over 500,000 households, many of them pensioners, with an allowance of €420 towards their gas or electricity bills.”
“I am very conscious of the cold weather in the past number of days and the fact that a cold weather alert issued from Met Éireann in the past hour or so but I want people at home - I want to speak specifically to people at home - to know that unlike the assertions made by Deputy Doherty, this Government is intervening and taking real actions to help people with fuel poverty this winter and in the here and now. We have done a number of things to help. In the budget only a few weeks ago, we took the decision to increase the fuel allowance. The fuel allowance is now worth over €1,000 per year for that fuel allowance period we are now in. More people, families and households than ever before are getting access to direct assistance with their fuel bills from the Government. This is an action we took.”
“I look forward to preparing a new medium-term fiscal plan with colleagues - the Minister, Deputy Chambers, in particular - setting out a budgetary path to anchor sustainable public finances, deliver progress on the economic and social priorities of the Government and protect the long-term prospects of our country. I know that when developments like today's occur, it can be a moment of intrigue and it can certainly be a moment of shock but it will not be a moment of interruption. There will be no pause in the momentum we must demonstrate in the business of Government. There is always more to do. We will meet the challenges which confront us now, just as we have done in the past. Let us get on with the job.”
“For me, economic prosperity and social cohesion go hand in hand, and I know that is a value we share across government. We must manage our public finances responsibly and equitably for our citizens. As per the programme for Government, we will use windfall receipts to address strategic infrastructure deficits, never for the day-to-day, and we will continue to build up our long-term savings funds to help this country withstand future shocks. Should that shock come, I, and the Government, will always cleave to two principles: we will continue to build and we will continue to protect our public services.”
“We must be balanced and we must be responsible but we also must know that the security of our economy depends on investing in the ingenuity of our people. So, with every decision we make in the time ahead, we must continue to invest - invest in our people - protect jobs and enhance our economic competitiveness. Having served as Taoiseach, as a senior Minister in five Government Departments and as a Minister of State in the Department of Finance, having chaired the Cabinet committee on the economy and having chaired the Government trade forum, I am looking forward to taking on the role of Minister for Finance, and working with colleagues across government and across the Oireachtas on economic policy and keeping this country's economy secure.”
“We have just published the new national housing plan and we will shortly publish an action plan to accelerate the delivery of essential infrastructure - key priorities for every member of this Government. We have been able to provide record levels of investment and we must now match that with record levels of effort to deliver continued success. We should not take our strong economic position for granted. It is not an accident that we are in the economic position we find ourselves in. We must continue to be careful. We must continue to be prudent as we face geopolitical headwinds and potential economic volatility. We have run budget surpluses for the past three years, and we must continue to make the right political choices in the years ahead.”
“He will work there to lead the agenda on better procurement of public contracts and advancing the Government's digital agenda. I know Frank will bring to this role his many years of experience as a Member of both Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. I am particularly pleased that in making today's appointments, I have had the opportunity to promote three women, including the country's first female foreign affairs Minister and first female defence Minister. I am putting forward a team of talent, experience and commitment across government to work in a united fashion with the two parties in government and with our Independents to implement our programme. Paschal leaves us having just completed his final budget but it is the first of five budgets for this Government. We have much work to do and we remain intensely focused on delivery.”
“Deputy Emer Higgins will take on the role of Minister of State with responsibility for disability at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Working closely with the Minister, Deputy Foley, she will advance this enormously important role as we seek to bring about a step change in the delivery of services following an unprecedented level of investment in the last budget in disability services and through the implementation of our new national disability strategy. In recognition of his long service and significant experience in the Oireachtas, Deputy Frank Feighan is being appointed to the role of Minister of State at the Department of public expenditure with special responsibility for public procurement, digitalisation and egovernment.”
“It also comes at a time where we are preparing for Ireland to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year. I look forward to working closely with her and colleagues across government on what will be a significant period for Ireland and its place in the EU. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton is being appointed Minister for Education and Youth, where I know she will bring valuable years of experience, including as Minister of State in that Department. She has a particularly deep commitment to children with special educational needs. I know she will continue to develop the national education therapy service, increase the number of special places and SNAs, increase teacher supply overall and drive forward our new school building programme, which is needed for our growing population.”