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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“Deputy Helen McEntee is being appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence, where I know she will bring to bear her years of experience as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and as a senior member of the Cabinet. This appointment will come at a time when Ireland's place in the world and our relationships with Europe, the United States of America and our nearest neighbours in the UK and further afield have never been more important. It is a moment of great geopolitical upheaval and instability, but one in which Ireland has been and must continue to be a calm, reliable voice for diplomacy and dialogue. I know that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, will continue to be a strong voice for that approach.”
“I will move to the Department of Finance, where my commitment is working with the Minister, Deputy Chambers, to continue to steer Ireland's economic policy; to continue our record level of investment in infrastructure while we reform delivery; to pull every lever we can to deliver increased housing supply; to wisely manage our resources to deliver better public services as our population grows; to protect jobs and back businesses and farmers; and to save and plan for the future in an uncertain world. I look forward to working closely with the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Taoiseach in the time ahead.”
“I can only wish my good friend, Paschal, along with Justine, Oscar and Lucy, every happiness and success in the next chapter of their lives. He should know that we will always be here for him and we will always count him among our friends. Paschal, go raibh míle maith agat agus comhghairdeas. I turn to the appointment of Ministers, which the Taoiseach has just announced.”
“His calm stewardship helped to guide Ireland through some of the most challenging periods in our recent history, including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and a period of major global economic uncertainty. His prudent management of the public finances has underpinned Ireland's recovery and growth, ensuring that our economy remains resilient and our society continues to prosper. Of course, those of us who work closely with Paschal on a personal level know that he brings to the job a determined and undimmed optimism, unflappable good humour and exceptional collegiality and friendship. We are immensely proud of all he has done and of his latest achievement as he becomes managing director and chief knowledge officer of the World Bank, based in Washington DC. It is impossible to find words for how much we will miss him as a friend and colleague.”
“He has also served as Minister for Transport and Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, where he established himself as a highly effective and trusted Minister. On the international stage, he has been elected as president of the Eurogroup on three occasions, which makes clear the extremely high regard in which he is held by colleagues across the EU. In the constituency of Dublin Central, Paschal won and repeatedly held a seat for Fine Gael time and again. He did so through his sheer personal effort, hard work and the characteristic bond he has built with his constituents to whom I know he has been deeply committed. He has performed all of these roles with an acumen that has led to a unique level of public trust in his steadiness, steeliness and stalwart dedication to this country's economic well-being.”
“The Dáil meets today at a time of change within the Government, but equally at a moment of continued cohesion. This is made possible because we live in a country with a stable Government that has a collective commitment to a programme for Government and a clear mission to build and secure a prosperous future for the people of Ireland. My friend and colleague, Paschal Donohoe, has served with unparallelled distinction for over 18 years as an Oireachtas Member and over 14 years as a member of Dáil Éireann. He has presided over ten budgets as either Minister for Finance or Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, which, if not quite record-breaking, is an extraordinary achievement in any modern parliamentary democracy.”
“This sounds like an extremely difficult and concerning case. I cannot, because I do not have information, make commitments on the floor of the Dáil in relation to people having medical procedures. I cannot do that but what I can do is ask that the transcript of what the Deputy has outlined be sent to the Minister for Health and that she would ask that the NTPF consider the Deputy's request and come back to him directly on behalf of Sarah. We are thinking of her at this difficult time.”
“I wish to extend the sympathies of everybody, including my colleague, Deputy Michael Murphy, with Deputy Healy in relation to the people of Clonmel and the family of Monica del Bigio. It sounds like a remarkable life and contribution. May she rest in peace.”
“The Deputy always makes a very efficient use of his time. There are two important issues there. On the John McNeela case, it will require legislation. I have asked my officials to explore the most expeditious vehicle with which to take that forward. I will ask that a written update be sent to the Deputy very shortly on that. On the issue of school places, the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, is doing what the Deputy suggested by putting in place that kind of common application system - I think that is the phrase. It is rolled out in a number of areas to test it. This year, it is hoped that it may be rolled out more broadly in the time ahead. We are also trying to bring forward dates for enrolment and the like. I take the point the Deputy made.”
“I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue and for the comprehensive list of towns and townlands in County Kerry where there are challenges in relation to mobile phone coverage. I know the Minister for communications has a blackspot task force operating in his Department to identify these. It is quite peculiar how this happens. There are areas very much in the heart of urban and rural Ireland that are experiencing these issues. I will ask that the list the Deputy has read into the record of the Dáil be given directly to the Minister for communications and that he raise that with the relevant authorities under his remit and come back to the Deputy directly.”
“We are now back with a very steady pipeline, for want of a better phrase, of gardaí going in and out of Templemore. I know the Minister has plans to further increase the capacity in Templemore as well. The programme for Government also commits to exploring other opportunities to recruit and train more gardaí. Making sure that every part of Ireland gets a fair provision based on the needs of the community, including Clonmel, Cahir and other towns, is important. I will certainly support the Deputy in making sure south Tipperary is adequately resourced, and I will speak to the Minister.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy very much for raising this issue. Garda attestations are one of the most joyous occasions I have attended in a variety of roles. Putting on the uniform of An Garda Síochána is an ultimate act of public service and I join with the Deputy in wishing everybody well tomorrow. I presume the Minister for justice will be in the Deputy's county tomorrow. I will ensure the Deputy has an opportunity to raise this matter with the Minister directly. In the first instance, the distribution of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I will ensure the Deputy’s views are conveyed directly to him. I do, however, take the point the Deputy made. We have gone through several challenging years in terms of Covid, the college being shut down and the likes.”
“I thank Deputy Sheehan for raising this matter and highlighting the issue Limerick Chamber has also raised with the Government. I thank the Deputy for the useful description he has given me of the issue not just in terms of the congestion and the traffic issues and the environmental issues they cause but also the dangers in terms of cars coming to a sudden halt. On foot of the Deputy raising this issue, I will speak with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and ask that he examine how the Government can assist and respond to the Deputy directly.”
“I thank Deputy Cummins for raising this issue. She is right. I have heard from people in relation to this issue too and I am pursuing it through my office. I will absolutely do as the Deputy has asked. The Minister and the Minister of State brought in a welcome reform, which I know the Deputy welcomed too, to try to get ahead of this and be able to properly plan earlier each year for the next September to reduce the stress, anxiety and worry of parents and their children with additional needs. I take the point, however, that if they are logging onto a website, seeing the portal is closed and finding the system too complex and too difficult to navigate, this is not where it should be. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to speak with the head of the NCSE and get back to the Deputy directly.”
“I am aware of all that too. On the specifics relating to the train station, I ask the Deputy to allow me to ask the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to take a look at this issue and to come back to the Deputy directly and see what can be done.”
“I have had the honour of meeting a number of people in Drogheda in terms of the Drogheda city campaign but also regarding this idea of making sure the town is adequately resourced and supported from a local authority point of view, the whole tug between the two counties and the likes of that.”
“In fact, I think we could further enhance the protection of a child through the use of technology in relation to this. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, and we will be back on this matter.”
“The Deputy is entirely right. It is an enormous stressor. Verification is really important. The Deputy has made that point and it is absolutely correct. Child protection and all those aspects are really important and no one in this House would ever do anything to weaken that. We can move on from wondering if somebody will ever answer the telephone in a rural Garda station. Gardaí are very busy people. They are doing a great job getting out and about, and we want them out and about. By the way, I am really proud of the passport service and of its turnaround times. It is a great example of public sector reform. I am very interested in working with the Minister for justice to try to develop a better protocol that will move us towards the 21st century in terms of how this is done.”
“In fairness to successive Governments, particularly the past Government and, indeed, the start of this Government, we have obviously been dealing with a variety of emergency situations and trying to respond in real time to a significant increase in the numbers. We need to move now from an emergency footing to a more planned, organised system. That includes the issue of accommodation and having greater clarity around it. Deputy Neville's suggestion is a constructive one in that regard. I intend to discuss it with both the Minister for public expenditure and reform and the Minister for justice. This is an area we would expect to be dealt with like any other area of public money. It should be like that in this area too.”
“I agree with that. Let me first say that none of my comments is in relation to anyone in an IPAS centre. Everyone who comes to our country deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to be safe. We all condemn some of the callous, disgusting and despicable criminal acts we have seen in recent times. It is legitimate, though, and, indeed, important that we debate some of the issues the Deputy is talking about, particularly when taxpayers' money is being expended in this area. We scrutinise the spending of taxpayers' money right across our public services and we should also scrutinise the spending of public money in relation to migration policy. It is an entirely appropriate and perfectly legitimate area of debate and I think the Deputy's suggestion is a good one.”
“In a country as small as our island, we are seeing some councils taking over one year to turn around a void, while some - I take the Deputy's point that his council is very good in this regard – have it done in less than 16 weeks. I will specifically engage with the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, with regard to Limerick on foot of the Deputy raising it and I will come back to him.”
“We fundamentally agree with the Deputy that turning around vacant homes in a quicker manner, particularly turning around council stock in a quicker manner, is really important. It is one of the specific items we bring up each time we meet with local authority chief executives. We had four meetings in the past couple of weeks. We will meet with the Deputy's local authority very shortly. I am happy to have a conversation if there are funding issues we can assist with, but I would make the point that the figure of €11,000 does not include, obviously, additional money that is available through retrofitting, for example, which a lot of the voids might require. There is a significant discrepancy, both around cost and time, across the country.”
“I am told the HSE has launched an extensive communication campaign, which will continue throughout the winter season across national and local media, targeting people who are eligible to receive the flu and Covid-19 vaccines. In fact, I think I heard one of those ads this morning. The specific issue in relation to healthcare professionals and others is an important one. It is an issue that the Minister for Health is focusing on, as is the Chief Medical Officer. I understand the Minister recently wrote to a number of training bodies to request their support in the promotion of flu vaccination among their trainees, members, fellows and staff. There is work under way through the HSE national immunisation office in terms of peer-to-peer champions in our hospitals and community healthcare settings.”
“I thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter and his work on promoting vaccination during his time in the Department of Health. I know it is an issue on which he worked very hard. I am told that we generally have one of the highest flu vaccine uptake rates for older adults in Europe. That is positive. I join the Deputy in reiterating to everyone the importance of getting that vaccine. Based on the trends he has referenced, we could very well have an intense flu season. Vaccination provides people with important protection, as does the Covid vaccine. I am also pleased to say that we now have the children's flu vaccine. I know the HSE is seeking to expand the provision of the children's flu vaccine into schools.”
“The Deputy is also right, in that it is important when we have these conversations that they do not neatly divide between urban and rural. I am proud that we are in a Government that has a good track record in supporting the postal network. I will certainly raise the specific issues the Deputy has raised with the Minister for communications, Deputy O'Donovan, and ask that he raise them with An Post.”
“I will certainly do those things on behalf of both the Deputy and his constituents. I will make contact, via the Minister, with An Post regarding the local postal service disruptions that people are experiencing. When I think back to the Covid period, which was a difficult period of time in our country, some of the unsung heroes I think of are the postmen and postwomen. I remember that we did not even have to ask them. They contacted the Government to say that they knew where the vulnerable people lived in their communities because they went to their houses every day. They offered to do things and they did them. There was no talk of terms and conditions. They just rolled up their sleeves and got involved. They represent the very best of our community spirit.”
“If anything were to be done in this space, it would require Government and Opposition support. Some of Aontú's suggestions are interesting and I am happy to constructively engage in that regard.”
“There are six Fine Gael councillors out of over 30 on Kerry County Council, for example. Our councillors decided, through our democratic structures, how they wished to engage. The Deputy is not wrong, however, on the issue of spoiled votes. Just to be clear, I do not ignore that. People got in their cars, got on their bikes or walked to turn up at their polling stations - they did not sit on the couch - and they took a decision to spoil their votes, which is a democratic act that they had every right to do. I do not think there is one homogenous reason people did it, but people found the field narrower than they expected. Quite frankly, it was narrower than I expected. We are happy to reflect and engage on that. We will not have another presidential election for another seven years. Aontú has put forward some proposals.”
“I am not going to comment on our President, because we do not do that in this House, other than to congratulate her on her election and wish her well. I also thank all of those involved in the inauguration this week. It was a moment of immense pride in our country. We have had only ten Presidents. The inauguration was done very well. We have our elections, we have our ruaille buaille and then we pull together as a country. We all send every best wish for strength, resilience and joy to our President. I thank the Defence Forces, the Garda, the ushers and everybody involved in making the inauguration such a memorable occasion for our country. I reject out of hand the diktat comment but I do not have time to get into it now. I wish we had the overall majorities on local authorities that the Deputy thinks we have.”
“We are taking steps to implement the renewable energy directive. It is complex and wide-ranging, but it is a really important element. Meeting our targets will be very challenging and that is why we are now strengthening governance arrangements. The climate action plan programme board has already met three times, involving senior officials from all the main sectors, including energy, transport and agriculture. Its remit now is to focus on the delivery of the action required to accelerate delivery and close the emissions gap. We will be taking very seriously and, of course, reflecting on today’s report of the Climate Change Advisory Council.”
“I thank Deputy O'Gorman. The Climate Change Advisory Council has acknowledged today that progress has been made, particularly on the roll-out of retrofitting and the use of renewable energy and solar in our homes, but it is also crystal clear that the progress being made is not enough and that we need to do much more. It is important that we not be fatalistic about climate change. The Deputy is certainly not fatalistic about what we can do. There has been significant progress. Ireland's emissions have fallen for the past three years. We now have the lowest level of emissions in 35 years, despite our population having grown by 50% over that period. That is quite a startling statistic. However, the Climate Change Advisory Council's annual review highlights the scale of challenge to remain within the carbon budget envelope.”
“I am not disagreeing with the Deputy on that, so just let me finish. Third, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy O’Donovan, is engaging with the Attorney General and others across government to examine what is possible within domestic law to take further action. I expect he will have proposals on that very shortly, and I hope within this calendar year. Fourth, since entering this House in 2011, I have never called for a debate on any issue, but I actually think having one on this is something we would really welcome. We should have it. The Government will support the Deputy at the Business Committee in trying to find time to tease through what our practical proposals would be in this area.”
“No, I am not. I have three points. First, I agree with the Deputy on this issue and I am quite alarmed in terms of online media, including social media. We talk a lot about the positive impacts, but not about the negative and detrimental impacts in many areas, most particularly child safety. To use parliamentary language, I am irked – this is a very weak word – by some of the advertisements I see from social media companies in national media telling us they are doing this, that and the other. That is not what we want. I do not wish to speak for the Deputy but it is not what I want. It is not what we are talking about here; we are talking about a minimum age below which children do not go on social media. Not anything else, not any sop. I just wanted to say that.”
“There will be new sports calls opening early in 2026, but I will ask both Ministers to determine how they can support the Deputy.”
“I thank Deputy Kenny. I agree with him on the importance of community infrastructure. We talk frequently about building homes, which is vital, but having community infrastructure in place is also vital, as the Deputy will know as a public representative and teacher. I am pleased to hear that Mayfield Sports Complex received some funding from the Community Recognition Fund, but I hear the Deputy loudly and clearly that this is not enough, given the scale of the challenges it faces. I will ask Deputy O’Donovan, as Minister for sport, and Deputy McEntee, as Minister for education, to engage with the Deputy on this matter. I am aware of the significant funding we have committed for sports under the national development plan.”
“For the Deputy from Cork specifically, we have a commitment in relation to a Cork city centre task force, which will also make a real difference in looking at issues like vacancy, dereliction, over-the-shop living and the regeneration of the beautiful city that he represents.”
“Please give me a chance to speak. Deputy Gould is right in relation to dereliction and vacancy. It is also factually correct to say that we are making substantive factual, statistical progress on that. It is also that we have now appointed and funded vacant housing officers in each local authority. It is also that we are planning in this plan-----”
“As a Government, we have put our money where our mouth is, with a very significant increase in funding for energy efficiency schemes for homes, to use the example the Deputy has given. The challenge we face is to make sure that this is matched by flexibility, rather than rigidity, and the understanding, as the Deputy rightly says, that there is an affordability issue for many people, who are perhaps watching this today. They will say, “I would love to change the car to an EV” or “I would love to do the retrofitting but I am worried about affordability.” We are very conscious of that, and we intend to take steps. It is not about lecturing people on climate. They do not need to be lectured. They understand it. They get it. They need to be supported in making the transition. That is in all our interests.”
“The Deputy is entirely correct. People are fundamentally good, and they fundamentally want to do what is good for them, their families, their kids, the next generation and their communities. Everybody wants clean air. Everybody wants a better environment. Everybody wants a better climate. We instinctively want to pass on our planet to the next generation in better shape than we inherited it. That is how people work. Government and State schemes need to comprehend that as well. There is no doubt in my mind that the Deputy is correct that there are people who want to make changes in how they live, how their home is heated and how they operate their farm, perhaps, but who still worry or who find that there are barriers in relation to that.”
“I will ask both the Minister and the SEAI to consider the proposals, and perhaps the Oireachtas committee could also give further consideration to this.”
“I know, because they write to me, that there can sometimes be a frustration from our constituents and the public about, perhaps, the length of time or the rigidity involved. I want them to know that the largest investment in that Department's capital plan now, over €3.7 billion, is specifically for how we help to upgrade, from an energy efficiency point of view, homes in our country. Considering that is a fact, it is now time to answer the questions that Deputy Ó Muirí has asked in terms of how we can perhaps be more pragmatic or innovative in relation to that and, indeed, in respect of how we target the homes that are more dispersed. This is a relatively small island with a relatively small population, although there is very fast population growth. We have a very dispersed population, and that poses significant challenges.”
“The encouraging news, at a time when COP is ongoing, is that this provides for a total capital funding envelope under the national development plan of €5.64 billion in investment in energy, climate and our circular economy sectors over the next five years, together with planned electricity grid investments that will be leveraged by a separate equity investment of €3.5 billion. That is a significant scale-up in investment in climate, in energy and in our circular economy. A key priority in the sectoral plan and for the Government will be to make sure that gets channelled into investment in energy efficiency programmes. In fact, the largest single programme in the plan, up to €3.7 billion of the €5.6 billion, will be invested in residential energy efficiency programmes through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.”
“I welcome the work of the Oireachtas committee as to how we can be more flexible and innovative in how we use what is a significant level of public investment in trying to put in place grant schemes and incentives to help people make the transition. There might be a little too much ideology or perfection as opposed to pragmatism in relation to some of these schemes. That is my starting point. I welcome the fact the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, our colleague the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, yesterday launched his Department's sectoral capital plan under the national development plan.”
“Go raibh maith agat for raising this matter. I thank the Deputy for the work he is doing on the Oireachtas committee and as our party spokesperson in the area of climate action. He triggered a number of thoughts on my part in relation to this. The overriding priority has to be that the perfect is not the enemy of the good when it comes to homeowners being supported. The Government and I consider the current system to be too rigid in certain areas. There are many people who want to do more in relation to making their homes warmer, cheaper to heat and more environmentally friendly. However, there can be logistical and practical considerations, including the age of the housing stock and the age and well-being of homeowners. We need to take that on board. I will ensure that this matter is discussed and considered by the Government.”
“That is why the Taoiseach, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I are meeting each of the local authorities' chief executives in small groups. We have met four so far.”
“On the issue of serviced and zoned land, with the residential zoned land tax, which has not been without challenge by farmers and others, issues which we are working through, as the Minister, Deputy Heydon knows, we have seen a significant increase in transactions. In other words, people are not sitting on residential zoned land. That is encouraging. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, with the Minister, Deputy Browne, has issued section 28, which is basically to instruct our councils to zone enough land for at least 83,000 houses. This is not rocket science. You have to over-zone because, obviously, not every zoned site converts into homes. It took a little too long for some local authorities to get that point.”
“I really appreciate that because this united Opposition thing gets presented a lot, but there are different voices and different perspectives. The Deputy is the first Member of the Opposition who has critiqued the Government for not going further with our VAT reduction measure. The rest of them have slated us for doing anything at all in respect of it. That is a point of difference. When you are in government, you are trying to get these balances correct. We made a decision that the acute viability issue related to apartments. We had to make a balanced decision about the composition of the overall package of what was available with regard to tax, and we continue to monitor that. We are encouraged by what we are seeing and by what the industry has said to the Government and to the Oireachtas housing committee in recent weeks.”
“It ran a successful public relations campaign in the context of looking for significant additional funding. I have said this directly to it. We provided that funding on the proviso that there will be a link between it and housing supply. Uisce Éireann cannot be the answer to everything. It has to empower developers involved in small or reasonably small developments in rural and regional areas to put infrastructure in place once it is to the Uisce Éireann standard. That has now been agreed and it will be in place by February.”
“We will bring proposals to leaders by the end of this month as well, because we need to make sure that where there are projects that are of national significance and there is common good, we speed up delivery. I have significant concerns about the use of judicial reviews and environmental law. I cannot understand environmental law being used to slow down the delivery of wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater treatment plants improve our environment. In Ireland and in Europe, there is overregulation in this regard. We need to make sure there is not a brass plating or a gold plating of regulation in this country. We also need to ensure that people cannot have an each-way bet with judicial reviews. The Deputy can expect changes from Government in that regard. Uisce Éireann has made progress.”
“I am not saying that we are there, but the position is much better than it was. I am putting the House on notice that this Government intends to bring forward legislation in respect of the delivery of critical infrastructure in an emergency manner. I remind people at home that we did that before. We did it in relation to Brexit in the context of port infrastructure. We did it in Rosslare and at Dublin Port. We certainly did it for temporary gas storage. It can be done, and we need to do it. Not everything can be classed as critical infrastructure, but there are major projects, such as those the Deputy referenced, that clearly are critical in nature. We will bring proposals to Government before the end of the year.”