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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“The Deputy will be aware that my clear priority throughout this was to ensure the safety and well-being of Irish citizens. As such, officials from across my Department, including our embassy teams in Tel Aviv, Amman, Istanbul and Ankara, provided all possible and appropriate consular assistance to all of those affected. I also thank those involved in the flotilla who acted as liaison points with my Department. I had an opportunity to meet some of them and some of the families who were gathered in the Gallery here. I and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, met them at a time of great worry and anxiety.”
“I thank Deputy Heneghan. I am really pleased that all of the Irish citizens detained following their participation on the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have now returned home. I thank them, and the Deputy as part of that flotilla, for what they did to highlight the horrific humanitarian catastrophe, the genocide and the famine in Gaza. It takes guts. It was an act of courage by a well-meaning, peaceful global citizens who posed no threat whatsoever to Israel. That is the very clear position. I also thank officials in my own Department, including our embassy team in Tel Aviv, led by our ambassador, Sonya McGuinness, working in conjunction with our international partners, because I know they put a lot of work into ensuring the release and the well-being of our citizens.”
“Surely if we are moving towards, or can get to any moment of, peace, a ceasefire, or a cessation of hostilities, one of the first areas in which there could be progress is the return of children who effectively have been kidnapped and abducted from their families and from their nation.”
“It is. When I attended the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland I attended a number of meetings on this with the then Prime Minister Trudeau. It is horrific. When I visited Ukraine, I visited Kyiv and I met with the International Red Cross and UNICEF and visited a centre that was working with children and families where there had been forced displacement. It is an absolute horror. I note that the First Lady of the United States has taken an active interest in this. That is a welcome development. I was encouraged that yesterday the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Commission talked about wanting to host its own summit on this in early 2026.”
“We note that such alleged crimes are the subject of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. We have raised this issue in all our statements in multilateral forums, in our national capacity and as part of the European Union.”
“We are engaged in discussions on the future work of the coalition and on how it can support efforts to ensure the return of Ukrainian children to their families and communities. The European Council has condemned in the strongest terms Russia’s unlawful deportation and transfer to Russia and to Belarus of Ukrainian children. I also had the opportunity to speak with Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on these issues. As part of its overall response, Ireland has consistently supported strong sanctions against Russia in response to aggression in Ukraine, including a range of measures targeting individuals and entities involved in the forced transfer, deportation and military indoctrination of Ukrainian children.”
“These children face Russian re-education so-called, vilification of their nationality, forced adoption and coercion to accept Russian citizenship. The idea of snatching somebody's child creates such a horror. As I have said previously, it is my firm belief that the forced displacement of many Ukrainian children is morally repugnant and I am sickened by what is happening to Ukrainian children. On 23 September this year, during the United Nations high level week, the Taoiseach attended an event hosted by Ukraine and Canada, called Restoring Childhood and Humanity: Advancing Peace, where he underlined that the forced removal of children from their homes is one of the most callous and egregious crimes committed by Russia. Ireland is a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.”
“Deputy Lahart is doing a lot of heavy lifting this evening. I thank him for taking this question and I also thank Deputy 'Chap' Cleere for tabling the question. It is a really important issue and one that Ireland has genuinely tried to shine a spotlight on and has tried to work on in international coalitions for quite a period of time. We have been consistently condemning the deportation and the forcible transfer of children, which amounts in our view to a war crime or a crime against humanity. At the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday, I underlined our condemnation and our support for all efforts to hold Russia accountable for crimes against the Ukrainian people. The deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia or Belarus is part of a co-ordinated effort to erase Ukrainian identity. Let us not forget that.”
“There has been a couple of missed opportunities here. Regarding the drinks industry, it makes no sense to have 15% tariffs in place. Not only does it not make sense from an Irish perspective but it does not make sense from a US perspective. There are Irish drinks companies that would want to establish more presence and job opportunities in the US that will put their decisions to invest in the US on hold as a result of the tariffs. Trying to broaden those conversations out in the time ahead will be important.”
“On these visa applications, Secretary Lutnick was telling me he did not have direct responsibility for it but I made the point to him that what I am sure they do not wish to do is to have some sort of chilling effect on people who may wish to go and carry out critical roles in the US economy, or on the innovators and entrepreneurs who wish to establish businesses. I thought there was a need to have a good engagement on that. That engagement will continue and our embassy in Washington will continue that as well. Being honest, on the chance of broadening the number of carve-outs, the American position - as opposed to ours - is to see successful implementation of the joint framework in the first instance, but that joint framework does include language around having further discussion and engagement.”
“The Deputy's second point is also really timely. We need to position ourselves, and we do, but we need to continue to take every opportunity. I always say US companies do not locate here for the weather. They locate here for a number of reasons, one of which is access to the massive market that is the European Union. Ireland is proudly a member of the European Union. We are proudly at the heart of it and we must remain there but we can also be somewhat of a bridge as a country within the European Union that understands, at least, the American perspective. Even if we do not always agree with it, at least we have that understanding of it.”
“Deputy Burke is so right. We have to constantly push back against that idea of it being a one-way street because that is not what the economic relationship is, as the Deputy rightly says. There are over 200,000 Americans who got out of bed this morning, probably many of whom voted for President Trump, and went to work in Irish-owned companies in every state across the United States of America. It is a significant two-way flow. One of things we are doing to try to make that even more real now is by providing a breakdown state by state to see what it means in the state of Georgia, Illinois or California. That is an important way to be able to engage at that state level as well. We have had a number of governors here recently and we have been utilising that opportunity to talk about the state-by-state benefit of the two-way relationship.”
“It also allowed for a more detailed understanding from us of US thinking in policy areas of crucial importance for Ireland, and the interests of our businesses and citizens.”
“We discussed the issue of ongoing US section 232 national security investigations into the pharmaceuticals and semiconductor sectors and I raised the impact of the expansion of the section 232 measures on steel and aluminium and the detrimental effects on Irish manufacturers, particularly in the agritech sectors. I raised the recent US proposal to raise the cost of H-1B visa applications, and noted the importance of pathways for mobility for high-skilled workers, innovators and job creators. The meeting with Secretary Lutnick was an important opportunity to ensure that senior interlocutors in the Administration are fully aware and briefed on Irish priorities, views and concerns in respect of the wider transatlantic trade and business environment.”
“I highlighted the mutually beneficial economic relationship between Ireland and the United States, which continues to create jobs and opportunities for both Irish and American citizens and businesses. I briefed Secretary Lutnick on our new economic impact report, which measures Ireland’s trade and investment across the US and the fact that as the fifth largest source of FDI into the US, Irish businesses are employing over 200,000 people across the United States, including in every single state in the US. On tariffs, as the Deputy would expect, I raised the potential expansion of the list of goods exempt from the baseline 15% tariff rate, including the need to look for carve-outs for spirits and the medtech sector.”
“I thank Deputy Burke for the question. I met Secretary Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, on 25 September at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC as part of a broader bilateral visit to the US. This meeting provided me with a valuable opportunity to discuss the dynamic economic, trade and investment relationship that exists between our two countries, as well as the implementation of the joint statement on an EU-US framework agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade, which was published on 21 August. This meeting followed on from my last visit to Washington DC in April and reflects our ongoing dialogue with the US Administration on trade and economic issues. We discussed a variety of issues of critical interest to Irish businesses and people.”
“I would hope we would see some sort of blended approach where we would be able to utilise such resources for a variety of purposes, including the reconstruction. The broader point of all of this is that we all hope we can get to a point where we start talking about reconstruction. That is why we really need to see in the coming days if the next phase of work being proposed by President Trump can yield progress in terms of getting Putin to a negotiating table where he would meet with President Zelenskyy and try to negotiate an enduring peace that respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
“Ireland agrees with that principle. The European Union is clear that Russia needs to pay for the destruction. What we also need to do - and based on what the Deputy said, the Ukrainian ambassador is correct - we have to find lawful ways of doing this. We have to work with international partners. There are some member states in the Europe Union that have concerns around this for a whole variety of domestic economic reasons. They need to be teased through as well. If there was a way forward to better utilise that resource, how do we utilise it? Some member states talk about utilising it for the immediate military needs of Ukraine. We do not get directly involved in that in terms of lethal military equipment because of our neutrality. There are also the budgetary needs of Ukraine, which are real, and the reconstruction needs as well.”
“I do not want to say off the top of my head that they have not, but I am not aware of any such recent briefings. However, it is available. I will talk to the Taoiseach to how best to facilitate the Deputy's suggestion. It is a good one because there is a war on the Continent of Europe. This country is going to have the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year. As the Deputy said, there are issues with the shadow fleet. There are real issues in relation to the incursions into European airspace. We saw it in Copenhagen only recently. We have seen it in Romania. We have seen it in many countries, such as Poland and Estonia, in recent days and weeks. We are not immune from these threats either in any matter or means. It is a very construction suggestion.”
“I also reiterated that Ireland is supportive of exploring options for the further use of Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine. It is expected that European leaders, including our Taoiseach, will return to this discussion in the coming days at the European Council.”
“It is more important than ever that we bolster support for Ukraine across all work strands, both to help Ukraine as it fights Russia's illegal war of aggression but also to project a focused and unified European Union. Our country is supportive of exploring options for the further use of the immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine. However, it has to be done in line with applicable laws and in careful co-ordination with international partners. Discussions are under way on options to do this. I was part of some yesterday in Luxembourg. EU leaders held an exchange on the issue during their informal meeting in Copenhagen at the start of this month and an outline proposal has been shared. Yesterday, I reiterated Ireland's support for maintaining pressure on Russia by quickly reaching agreement on the 19th sanctions package.”
“The asset freeze is temporary and does not involve the seizure of the asset in question. Separately, under another Russian sanctions regime concerned with sectoral measures, over €200 billion of sovereign Russian assets, including those of the Central Bank of Russia, have been immobilised within the EU. This measure prohibits any dealings with such assets. No such sovereign Russian assets are held in our country. The extraordinary revenue generated from these immobilised sovereign assets has been used to service an EU-G7 loan to Ukraine. To date, Ukraine has received €14 billion from the EU under this mechanism and €25 billion in total. Ukraine's funding needs are enormous. We should be honest and upfront on this.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 140 together. I thank Deputies Lahart, O'Meara and Ardagh for the questions. Russia has to be held accountable for its action. In my view, Ireland's view and the view of the Government, Russia needs to pay for the destruction that it has brought and is sadly still bringing about by its illegal brutal war in Ukraine. As a result of extensive sanction measures, in particular the Ukraine territorial integrity sanctions regime, the private financial assets of more than 2,500 individuals and entities have been frozen across the European Union. As the Deputy indicated, around €1.84 billion of these assets are frozen in Irish institutions. These are assets of listed individuals and entities that are frozen under the sanctions regime.”
“Canada is not a new market, but we have already seen since CETA has come in how the level of trade in goods and services between Ireland and Canada and Canada and Ireland has gone in the right direction. There is huge potential. We are just scratching the surface of the full potential of that relationship. The point is right that we do not have enough discussion - if the Deputies do not mind me saying so - in this House about trade and the economy. We have loads of discussions about how to spend the money. That is not unimportant, but we never have enough discussions about how to generate it. We are a small open economy. When countries like Canada want to do more business with this country we should be saying, "Thank you very much" and engaging with them constructively. I look forward to when they come in and having that debate.”
“I agree. Prime Minister Carney is a friend of Ireland. Canada and Ireland are friends. We need to work together. I am delighted to hear of the friendship group and Deputy's McGreehan's chairpersonship of that. I am delighted that hear from Deputy Lahart of the foreign affair committee's visit to Canada. They can perhaps drop off the invite to County Louth while they are there. I agree with Deputy Burke about that whole issue of trade. That is why we have published the action plan on market diversification. We want to continue to trade and grow and develop further our trade links with the United States, but we also want to look to new markets and opportunities.”
“I am sure he will be delighted to. The Deputy brought President Biden there so why not Prime Minister Carney? As the Deputy can imagine, we will want that visit to have a legacy, and that legacy has to be based on opportunities to deepen ties. The de Chastelain link is one we are very proud of. I had the honour of meeting that man, who was an incredible individual. The Deputy is right to highlight the people-to-people links and educational links. Let us certainly explore that. I would be happy to work with the Deputy on how we can develop proposals in the education space that we could consider for the next stage of the development of Ireland-Canada relations.”
“That is a great idea and a very constructive suggestion. There will be a number of opportunities where we can try to constructively explore this. One would be the fact that the Taoiseach has invited the Canadian Prime Minister to visit Ireland next year. I am delighted to hear that the Prime Minister has agreed, so we will have Prime Minister Carney here. I will let Deputy McGreehan ask the Taoiseach if he can come to County Louth.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, emphasised this in his meetings with a number of diaspora organisations during his visit to Toronto last month. A landmark cultural initiative, Canada-Ireland 180, will be held in 2027 to mark 180 years since the Famine migration of 1847.”
“My Department is continuing to work with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and legal advisers on the drafting of the arbitration (amendment) Bill 2025. I expect to be in a position to publish the Bill in the coming weeks. A new report on deepening trade and investment between Ireland and Canada shows that Ireland is now the tenth largest investor in Canada, and Canadian investment in Ireland is up 131% since 2016. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will lead a trade mission to Canada next month to further develop these economic opportunities. Of course, the relationship is not just trade. Supporting the Irish diaspora in Canada and promoting Irish cultural links continue to be priorities for the Government.”
“It is very important, not just for the deal in and of itself but also for the message it sends out about this country and the values we have in relation to trade. If we cannot do free trade with Canada, what better nation could be find to do free trade with? In August, I had the opportunity to speak with the new Canadian Foreign Minister, Anita Anand, on a number of international issues and trade relations, including the Government’s commitment to ratifying CETA. As the Deputy will know, CETA has already been provisionally applied by the EU and Canada since September 2017 and has contributed to a significant increase in Ireland’s bilateral trade in goods and services with Canada. That trade increased from about €3.2 billion in 2016 to more than €10 billion in 2023.”
“Ireland and Canada enjoy a strong relationship based on a common history and a shared commitment to democracy, human rights and a rules-based international order. I am pleased to say there have been a number of positive developments in this relationship in recent months, including the visit by the Taoiseach to meet with Prime Minister Carney in Ottawa last month. Both reaffirmed the enduring friendship between our two countries, our commitment to deepening economic ties and the importance of Ireland’s full ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement by 2026. This is very important. It will be interesting to see, but I hope all Members across this House support the passage of this deal.”
“That is why I have put the information on the record of the Dáil that my Department has informed me that it has reviewed its records, and the flight in question was a civil aircraft that travelled from South Carolina to Athens in Greece and landed in Shannon Airport on 12 October for a technical stopover.”
“I have been quite clear in relation to this matter, in relation to the role my Department plays, in relation to the types of flights that require diplomatic clearance, in relation to the monthly log that is published on the Government’s website and in relation to the system of exemptions that operates under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, as operated by the Department of Transport. I have also been clear that in 2023, 2024 and to date this year, no applications have been received or exemptions granted for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft to a point in Israel. I think this is important.”
“As the flight was carrying the unloaded personal weapons of troops, it was required to apply to the Department of Transport for such an exemption. The flight in question received an exemption to carry munitions from the Department of Transport.”
“There was a second article on 17 October that reiterated the claim that the State had allowed the transfer of munitions of war on board a US military plane and, indeed, that it had apparently been authorised by me to touch down at Shannon Airport to travel through Irish territory on its way to Israel. Having reviewed the Department’s records, the flight in question was a civil aircraft that travelled from South Carolina to Athens in Greece and landed in Shannon Airport on 12 October for a technical stopover. As this was a civil aircraft, no request for diplomatic clearance would have been sought or required from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The granting or refusal of an application for an exemption to carry ammunition of war is a matter for the Department of Transport.”
“My apologies. This is what appeared online in relation to a story alleging that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had authorised a US military plane to refuel at Shannon Airport on Sunday on its way from what is now called the Department of War airbase to an Israel Defense Forces base.”
“The current information on the website covers the period from 2015 to last month, September 2025. My Department will continue to publish details relating to overflights and landings on a monthly basis, as well as work to compile and publish historical data relating to overflights and the landing of foreign military aircraft where and when possible.”
“The policy of diplomatic clearance is well known and is fully understood by the United States and other international partners, and is done in full compliance with Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality. Since October 2023, diplomatic clearance has been granted on a small number of occasions for US military aircraft to land in Shannon for the specific purpose of transporting senior officials travelling from the United States to the Middle East. Stringent procedures for diplomatic clearance were followed in full on each of these occasions. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is committed to the highest standards of transparency on this issue, which is why it publishes monthly statistics in relation to overflights and landings of foreign military and state aircraft on the gov.ie website.”
“Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in intelligence gathering; and that the flight in question does not form part of a military exercise or operation. It is expressly prohibited for civil aircraft to carry munitions of war in Irish sovereign territory without being granted an exemption to do so by the Minister for Transport. The system of exemptions is operated under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989 by the Department of Transport. In 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, no applications have been received or exemptions granted for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft to a point in Israel.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 162 together. Responsibility for the regulation of foreign aircraft landing or overflying the State is shared between Departments. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has primary responsibility for the regulation of foreign military and other foreign state aircraft, while the Department of Transport leads on the regulation of civil aircraft. Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”
“While we might have different political perspectives from time to time across the Atlantic Ocean, we have always cherished certain values, such as freedom, democracy, not rewarding aggression, territorial integrity and sovereignty and peace. The idea that there is now likely to be some engagement between President Putin and President Trump on European Union soil in Hungary is somewhat provocative. We want to make sure the EU and US are very aligned on what might take place at those talks.”
“I genuinely believe the US Administration and President Trump want to see an end to the war. I believe they want to see a ceasefire. It is fair to say that there have been different tactical or strategic approaches to how to bring that about on both sides of the Atlantic. Europe has been clear on the sanctions and the need to exert maximum economic pressure. However, - and I say this quite objectively; I picked this up at our meeting in Luxembourg yesterday - there are now good lines of communication between European leaders and the Trump Administration. It is important we keep closely aligned on this.”
“The EU 27 could not agree a statement condemning the attack by Russia on our EU delegation office in Kyiv because Hungary did not want to agree to a line that blamed Russia for the attack. That is what we are dealing with and it needs to be called out. However, we are finding ways of getting on with it. For example, while Hungary might have blocked the drawdown of funding under the European Peace Facility, EPF, we have now provided direct funding of €100 million, as the Deputy will remember, through other avenues we came up with, working with Denmark and Lithuania. We need to continue to move forward with that.”
“I am satisfied that the tightening up of the sanctions regime is of significant assistance but I am also clear that there are always people looking to get around the sanctions. Russia is always looking to get around the sanctions, to be specific. That is why when the package comes forward - we need to see the 19th package agreed, I hope this week - we need to start preparation of the 20th package and a focus on the shadow fleet and removing any reliance Europe has on energy from Russia as quickly as possible. The Deputy is right to call it out. Hungary is behaving in a really bad way in this. We have to be brutally honest about that. It is trying to block solidarity efforts.”
“That is why we are preparing a 19th package of sanctions, which I hope the European Council will be in a position to agree later this week.”
“The Government continues to participate in the coalition of the willing meetings. Ukraine is engaging positively and constructively in discussions on a potential ceasefire, despite the Russian military assault on its towns, cities, ports and critical infrastructure. It is clear that one country is so far showing no interest in peace and that is Putin's Russia. We all want to give peace a chance. We all want to get to a lasting, enduring peace, but the rest of the world is talking about this while Putin is still carrying out terror activities on the civilian population. Russia is not taking seriously in any way the prospect of a ceasefire. It remains intent on escalating its aggression so we need to continue to look, at an EU level, at what we can do to increase the pressure on Putin to get him to the negotiating table.”
“At an EU level, I work closely with counterparts on the Foreign Affairs Council, together with whom we remain committed to working with Ukraine to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. The Ukrainian foreign minister frequently joins the Foreign Affairs Council by video-call. In fact he joined it yesterday in person. I also had a bilateral meeting with him last month in New York during the UN high-level week. As part of that meeting, I, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, announced a further €33.5 million in humanitarian development and peace supports which will provide crucial support for Ukrainian suffering as a result of Russian aggression. The Taoiseach spoke to President Zelenskyy on 1 September and reaffirmed Ireland's strong support for and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the abducted children. It was brought up yesterday at the Foreign Affairs Council by the Commissioner and the European Commission now intends to hold a specific summit on this in early 2026. That is in addition to the other activities under way in the various international coalitions, including some Ireland is part of. The Deputy is right to put a spotlight on this. It is one of the particularly cruel and despicable aspects of Russia's illegal aggression and invasion of Ukraine. I regularly engage with Ukraine's political leadership through our embassy in Kyiv and its embassy in Dublin. There is a strong channel of engagement between our Governments.”
“However, we are also saying that in a different context from the one we were in only a number of weeks ago. The Deputy is right that the genocide cannot be forgotten or undone. There has to be accountability. I do not dispute any of that, but we also have a chance now, albeit a fragile one, to try to secure peace and implement the peace plan. There is no plan B. That is why we have to put our shoulders to the wheel on that too.”
“Fundamentally I do not disagree with what the Deputy said. I would like to see the occupied Palestinian territories not occupied. I would like to see a Palestinian state. I would like to see a peace plan that provides an opportunity for a state of Palestine alongside a state of Israel and people living in peace and security in both of them, so yes, we should move ahead with the occupied Palestinian territories but we should also use every bit of diplomatic heft we have in Ireland, the EU and the UN and work with our Arab friends and colleagues to try to end the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories. We have to focus on that too - and I know we agree on that - but we remain committed to the legislation. I outlined that to the House tonight. I will be back with an update shortly on it.”