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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“All of that is true but it is also true and reasonable to say to the starving people of Gaza today that our priority now is flooding Gaza with humanitarian aid. Our priority now is making sure that the peace plan works and that will involve Israel living up to its obligations but also Hamas. It needs to get off the stage. It needs to disarm. It has no future under this peace plan. There is no future for a terrorist organisation. We know what it is like in this country to have our identity hijacked by a terrorist organisation that offer the people of this country no future. Hamas now needs to get off the stage and give the Palestinian people a chance.”
“We are taking action under the International Court of Justice. That is how it works. That is how we hold people to account at international level. We support the international courts and make a submission. It used to be the demand of the Opposition that we would do that. We have done that. We remain committed in respect of that but we also remain committed to the peace plan. I presume that is a plan the Deputy supports. We have to give this plan an opportunity. We have to give the opportunity for peace. Yes, we must pursue accountability and, yes, Israel has committed genocide. I do not dispute those facts at all. Yes, we will continue with the case before the ICJ and work with South Africa. We will continue to support the ICC.”
“Ireland is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court and we view it as the cornerstone of our international system of criminal justice. We will continue to work with our international partners, including within the EU, to support the ICC in fulfilling its mandate. We are also providing very practical support to the Palestinian Authority and its reform agenda thereto.”
“Notwithstanding the positive and welcome recent developments, Ireland has made it clear that the EU must keep the package of measures proposed by the Commission in response to Israeli human rights and other breaches on the table. I underlined this point at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg yesterday. With regard to ensuring Israel’s compliance with international law and accountability regarding that, Ireland has filed a declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice, ICJ, in South Africa’s case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. Ireland also filed a detailed written submission within the ICJ in advisory proceedings concerning the obligations of Israel in relation to the UN and other international organisations as well as states in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
“However, the Deputy is right that there does need to be accountability. We cannot just say we will seize the ceasefire now and everything moves on. I get that point too. Ireland has consistently been at the forefront of calls for Israel to comply with international law. We always stress the universal applicability of international law, including international humanitarian law. That is why we were the first to write to the President of the European Commission requesting an urgent review of Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations under the association agreement. The subsequent review led to the package of proposals from the Commission, including the proposed suspension of the core trade-related provisions of the association agreement.”
“Like the Deputy, I welcome the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a deal to end the horrors in Gaza and to try to bring about peace. I also warmly welcome the release of 20 Israeli hostages after two long years in captivity. Every effort must also be made to find and release the bodies of the remaining hostages. Our focus must now be on preserving the ceasefire and flooding Gaza with desperately needed humanitarian aid. The people of Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering. In all my conversations with Arab nations, and I have had many, and in all my conversations with European counterparts and the UN, that is the plea of the region. It is the plea of the people of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority and Arab nations. That is where our focus is.”
“I want to be respectful to the process we must go through in government. People know and understand that. I have outlined to the House what the Government will do. We have the pre-legislative report of the Oireachtas committee and will be considering our next steps. We will decide on that shortly and I will update the House.”
“I agree that just because we are a small country is not a reason not to do something. More and more over recent years in the European Union, many coalitions of small and medium-sized countries have come together to work on issues and that has helped move the dial at European level and sometimes at an international level. Recognition was one, as was the fact that we went from being one of only two countries to seek a review of the association agreement to getting to 17 and then 19 was another, along with the fact that we were in a minority view that there should be actions taken on foot of that to that now being in my opinion a majority view. Whether it is a qualified majority remains to be tested. What we have been doing here in this Oireachtas on behalf of the people of Ireland has had an impact at European level.”
“At EU level, I spoke about using all the levers at our disposal to help change the calculus, get Netanyahu to a ceasefire and end the genocide. We now have that fragile ceasefire but it is fragile, and as people have referenced, there have been incursions and moments of significant concern, even in the past few days. Therefore, it is right and proper that we are dynamic in how we continue to respond to this situation, but we now have aid flowing into Gaza, we have a peace plan that needs to be pursued, we have the hostages back in the arms of their loved ones, and we have the remains of deceased hostages being released and the rest need to be. We also need to get on to the very thorny and tricky issue of how one governs and reconstruct Gaza and bring about a two-state solution.”
“My position remains the same as I outlined in this House many times. Of course, I am going to discuss and engage with Government colleagues on this and the Government will obviously make its decision as a collective and present its legislation to the Oireachtas. I will dutifully debate that back and forth in this House. I need to allow that process to take its course. I have respect for the way the Government makes decisions. While I reiterate my commitment to the legislation, I also remind people why we talked about the legislation in the first place - certainly why I did. I talked about using all the levers at our disposal to bring about a ceasefire. There is now a ceasefire. The ceasefire is very fragile.”
“I think I gave an indication about the timeline during the debate in the House on the flotilla. Notwithstanding the positive and welcome recent developments regarding the ceasefire and the hostage release deal in Gaza, Deputy Ó Laoghaire is right that it is extraordinarily fragile. We need to keep all of our options very much there. Now is not the time to remove such actions and we have made that view very clear at an EU level as well. It is still our intention to proceed as planned.”
“The main purpose of the Bill is to prohibit the trade into the State from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade held a number of hearings on the general scheme and received submissions representing a range of views and perspectives. I see the Chairman of the committee, Deputy Lahart, is here and I thank him for his work. Pre-legislative scrutiny is an important part of the legislative process. Detailed work to analyse the report and recommendations is well under way, with a view to getting the best and most robust legislation. The next steps in the process, including the timeline for the progress of the Bill will be considered by Government shortly.”
“That remains my position and that of the Government. I think it is objectively fair to say, and there is not much disagreement on this across the House, that the immediate focus has been on the humanitarian aid and supporting the peace plan, on seeing the ceasefire and the hostages being released and looking at practical ways that we can help. International law remains international law and breaches of international law remain breaches of international law. The commitment in the programme for Government on the occupied Palestinian territories remains consistent. In June, as the Deputy knows, the Government approved the general scheme of the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (prohibition of importation of goods) Bill.”
“Of course, we would be willing to have such a conversation but my initial reaction would be in line with the Deputy's. I remain to be convinced that Ireland could play a constructive role in any such force at this moment.”
“The European Union welcomes the peace plan. It is imperfect, as all peace plans are. We also have to be very honest that there is a lot of high-level detail in the peace plan. As phase two commences and we begin to flesh out what some of these things look like and how they operate it is going to be a real challenge. Yes, we have got to keep the pressure on Israel 100%, and we also have got to keep the pressure on Hamas. We have watched the public executions carried out by Hamas on innocent Palestinian people. Hamas has no future for the people of Palestine. It is certainly not part of the fabric of the people of Palestine and we need to be very clear on this. Neither I nor the Government have been part of any conversations on an international stabilisation force.”
“It is a question of how we get into that space of working in, as the Deputy says, an area that we are usually pretty good in and where we have a good track record. Yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council I raised the issue of UNRWA. We also discussed it today with the UN representative. I was very pleased that at the European Union level yesterday, talking about the primacy of the UN agencies in terms of humanitarian aid was a clear focus. The alternative that was put in place was a real disaster.”
“Yes, is the short and blunt answer. The Deputy has probably heard in recent days that there are now plans for a reconstruction conference on Gaza. This is likely to be in Cairo next month. We need to see where the invitations go but Ireland will certainly be represented there at a senior level. There will be an opportunity for Ireland, along with other international partners, to see what more we can do. The Deputy is entirely correct that the immediate focus is flooding Gaza with humanitarian aid. In a practical sense that meant 750 tents from Ireland being sent to Gaza. When we spoke to Tom Fletcher today that was a specific reference to a practical support from the Irish people last week.”
“In my intervention at the meeting, I called for the EU to support the flooding of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ireland will also continue its diplomatic efforts, stressing that the two-state solution must be at the centre of any sustainable peace deal.”
“This contribution brings Ireland’s support for the people of Palestine since October 2023 to more than €95 million and support in 2025 to over €35 million. The funding allocated last week provides money for the likes of UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation. This is an important and practical way in which we can help. At EU level, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President Kaya Kallas, has been clear that the peace plan requires strong international backing to succeed and that the EU stands ready to do its part. The situation in Gaza and in the West Bank is being discussed at every level, and was at the centre of discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg yesterday.”
“I welcome the ceasefire and the hostage release agreement, which is a significant moment of hope. I welcome the release of living hostages and that the process to return the remains of those who were killed has begun. In this first phase, preserving the ceasefire agreement and ensuring humanitarian aid enters Gaza at scale is a central focus of all of my engagement with international counterparts, including EU colleagues yesterday at the Foreign Affairs Council. The Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has resulted in famine and untold horror for people in Gaza. Ireland stands ready to assist in every practical way to achieve long term and sustainable peace and to alleviate human suffering. Last week, I announced an additional humanitarian package of €6 million for Palestine.”
“Today, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and I met Tom Fletcher, as did the Taoiseach and, I think, the President. Tom Fletcher is the humanitarian chief of the UN and he has just come back from Gaza. He is literally one of the few people you can speak to who has been on the ground in Gaza. As the Deputy correctly alluded to at the start, the fragility of the ceasefire is very real. It was good to be able to have a conversation with someone in charge of humanitarian aid in the United Nations who is now talking about getting to a point where up to 4,000 trucks per week can get in to Gaza. They are planning, as the Deputy says, to get that flood of aid going, which is some reason for encouragement and hope after such a bleak, horrific humanitarian crisis, a genocide and a famine.”
“I thank the Deputy for bringing the matter to my attention. I will certainly ensure that contact is immediately made with the Minister for children about the Happily Ever After childcare service. Perhaps there is also a role for the county childcare committee in relation to this. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to look into the issue and to revert directly to the Deputy’s office.”
“They have done the State a huge service. We have established a tribunal to investigate the many important issues. The culture needs to change. There can be zero tolerance for any gender-based violence, domestic violence or sexual violence within our Defence Forces.”
“Yes, I know, but you should have got a substantive response. My sincere apologies if that did not happen. I will ensure that it does now because there can be zero tolerance for this. “Zero tolerance” cannot just be a phrase. The Defence Forces cannot recuse themselves from zero tolerance. It has to apply to every part of Irish society, including the Defence Forces. I am open to meeting that individual. I just need to take advice on the appropriateness of it and what the current status of the case is. Certainly, let me come back to the Deputy in relation to that and the appropriateness of it. On the victims of crime Act, again, I want to engage with my officials on it, but it seems logical to seek to extend it to the Defence Forces More broadly, the Deputy rightly mentioned the Women of Honour, which is important.”
“The Deputy is right to raise this, and I have heard it raised in the House over the last couple of weeks. I am pleased to be able to say that we now have significant funding for 2026 onwards. The Deputy’s question is a valid one, namely, whether there is anything that can be done between now and the start of 2026. My understanding is that the Department of housing keeps this under review and, as it gets closer to the end of the year, if there is an ability to provide additional funding to local authorities that can carry out the works, it tries to do that. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to look specifically at the case of Monaghan and revert to the Deputy directly.”
“I look forward to visiting Cashel with the Deputy in the time ahead and perhaps being able to meet with the school community there.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with me and previously with the Minister for education, and not for the first time. I know this is something he has been following and working on intensively since his election to the Dáil to represent Tipperary South. I welcome that it looks like we are at a moment where it is about to move on to the next phase. What we then need to make sure is that there are no delays and that we progress this with a bit of momentum behind it. I know how important this is. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has worked very hard in terms of increasing the budget for special education, both capital and current. I know this is a school she will keep in close contact with the Deputy on, as will I.”
“I thank the Deputy. There is a lot of merit in what he has said. The Government has published in recent weeks a market diversification plan recognising, as the Deputy states, that while we do a lot of trade between the United States and Ireland, and the United States and Europe, and intend to continue that, we also have to make sure we look for other opportunities for Irish business in both directions. Those connection routes are really important. There has been an unprecedented number of Government Ministers in Japan over the course of the year because of Expo being hosted there, and the opening of the new Ireland House in Tokyo. I will ask my Department to undertake that piece of work and come back to the Deputy. We will do it under the umbrella of the market diversification strategy.”
“It is an important issue. The idea of any child being othered in any school on the basis of their own wishes and choices, and those of their parents, on the education they access is not appropriate. I know the Minister, Deputy McEntee, would share that view. I will talk to the Minister about where her mind is at with regard to a circular. It certainly sounds sensible to have some degree of clarity and consistency and ensure what is meant to be in place is actually happening in the school community. I will ask the Minister to talk with the Deputy directly and I am sure she will have a look at it.”
“I will not cut across the Minister, other than to say that we can differentiate, and should be able to do so, between governance failures and shortcomings in an agency or organisation and the vital work done by artists on the ground in the community supported through that agency. I know that is a view shared by the Minister. I will ask him to come back to the Deputy directly on this. The basic income scheme, which was meant to be a pilot, was rolled over and has now become a permanent scheme. The Deputy welcomed that, and I welcome that. We also need to look at the overall capital and current budget for arts and culture in the round in terms of the investment we will see in major arts and culture projects in the years ahead. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to come back to the Deputy directly.”
“I thank Deputy Donnelly for raising what is a serious issue for his constituents, based on what he has told me. From memory, I think there was some legislative work done on this in the previous Oireachtas. I need to refresh my memory. I will certainly ask the Minister for justice to seek the views of Garda management and respond to the Deputy directly.”
“That also includes Celbridge. The Celbridge campus project has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency. There are three schools within the campus project, St. Raphael's Special School, Celbridge Community School and Scoil Naomh Pádraig. In March, the Department formally approved the project to progress to stage 2A of the architectural design process. This involved the design team developing the design, fully costing the planning of the campus project and preparing the necessary documentation. The NDFA will be continuing to engage with the school authorities. I will ask the Minister to get an updated timeline for the Deputy.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this and for his ongoing focus on infrastructure delivery in north Kildare following our discussion in the House last week. It is our collective priority to ensure every child in the State has access to a school place. I know the Department of Education and Youth, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, are working hard on that. We remain determined to do that. Kildare is an interesting county in the sense that you can see enough school places in the county as whole. Of course, as the Deputy has pointed out they are not spread equally across the county. There are pinch points, particularly in the part of Kildare represented by the Deputy. That is why the roll-out of the pilot Apply to School system marks a significant step forward in sharing information. I hope that can be rolled out nationwide.”
“The point the Deputy is making is that there is a need to get the funding and fee model right. We can have a headline figure that says one thing but if people are actually withdrawing from the scheme, that is obviously having a more detrimental impact on the Deputy's constituents. The Deputy can expect a road map from the Minister in the coming weeks that will set out how we get from here to where we want to go on childcare.”
“Deputy Lahart is entirely correct. There are 21 commitments on childcare in the programme for Government, which is a sign of how seriously we are all taking this and what we are hearing from our constituencies. There is a need to look at how we move sequentially and together regarding all of this because fees are a big part of it. It is a second mortgage for many people so it is a really significant issue. It also involves places. Access to places is a challenge for everyone but it is a more pronounced challenge in some parts of the country. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is doing very good work on this. A mapping or advance planning unit in her Department is looking at where the need will be most acute if and when we start investing in more public and community facilities because we will start there.”
“It is breaking my heart to think about all these schools, which were in my constituency before Wicklow was carved into two. The Deputy is minding them in the Wicklow-Wexford constituency until we are one day reunited. Tinahely National School is a school I know well. I will certainly work with the Deputy and Mr. O'Connor constructively on this matter. I will ask the Department and the Minister to come back to the Deputy. Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew is a large and growing school. I am aware of its expansion in recent years. I am happy to ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy on its sports grounds.”
“As the Deputy has rightly said, the Minister is concluding a review of the employment permits scheme. In looking at a long-term position on this matter, he has had significant engagement with the sector. It is expected that a report will be concluded in the coming weeks. He will then consider the next steps. I will certainly work with and support him on that.”
“I thank the Deputy for bringing up this issue and her ongoing work on this with the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke. I thank the Minister for his work on this as well. The programme for Government is very clear on this. It says that the Government will "Ensure sufficient employment permits to support the agri food sector including the equine, dairy, horticulture, fish and food processing industries". We have given a commitment to do more to assist this industry by making sure there are sufficient employment permits. It is clear from what the Deputy is telling me that there are not enough permits at present. As she will be aware, the Department ran a scheme on a pilot basis to see how that would go for the sector. All of the extra applicants were taken up very quickly, which shows the demand in this area.”
“I know Deputy Daly has a professional background in this as a doctor, which is important to acknowledge. The Minister's only interest, and I know it is that of the Deputy and everybody in the area, is the safety and well-being of expectant mothers and their babies. We all share that view and we all want to get that right. I remember the Walker report. I think I was the Minister for Health at the time when it was commissioned. It was seen as an important and seminal moment and it does need to be fully implemented. I am sure resources will be forthcoming. I know the Minister has a real determination to invest in Portiuncula as well. I do not like to hear what the Deputy said about any sort of confusion on this. I will ask the Minister to reflect on the Deputy's comments here today and liaise with him directly.”
“It is important the recommendation is taken seriously. Currently, there are two separate programmes, the legislative medical cannabis access programme, MCAP, and the administrative ministerial licence programme. I will come back to the Deputy directly on the matter.”
“I thank Deputy Collins for raising this matter. I want to pay tribute to Vera Twomey because if she was watching this she would be the first to say that she and I had a very testy relationship at the start. However, I very quickly realised that Vera was a mum who would do anything for her child. I think of poor Vera and the late Ava today. They changed Ireland in terms of the reforms that were brought about. I remember signing the licence for Ava to get access to medicinal cannabis in order to bring her some degree of ease from the most horrific situation. We owe Vera a debt of gratitude for the work she did and I thank her for that. I remember poor Ava fondly and I think of her and Vera and her family today. I will ask the Department of Health where this is at and how it intends to act on that recommendation.”
“I am sure he will be happy to engage with Deputies who have an interest in this issue. The new Planning and Development Act outlines quite a bit of work to be done on noise. There will be a chance for people to have input on the final draft guidelines. I will ask the Minister of State to write to the Deputy directly and expedite this as quickly as possible.”
“I am a bit frustrated by this myself as I am often asked this question and I have to give the same answer. The Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, has responsibility for this and is doing very good work on it. I am very grateful to him for that. We need to see these guidelines. I have to be honest that when we see the guidelines not everyone will be delighted with them, I am sure, but we still need to provide a degree of clarity as to what the planning landscape looks like from a guidelines point of view in terms of renewable energy. Deputy Catherine Callaghan raised this matter with me recently in relation to her constituency. The Minister of State has told me that the guidelines are forthcoming in the next months. I will ask him to keep the House updated.”
“President Macron and others have said that if Europe is not going to move, they will move unilaterally on this. We are checking that out with our Minister and the Attorney General as what we can do within our own scope while pushing for more to be done at a European level. Perhaps this is an area where I could ask the Minister to convene spokespeople or the likes from relevant political parties to see if we can derive some policy consensus in these areas.”
“Yes, is the short answer. I go further than that and say we would be interested in working with the Deputy and across the House in relation to this. I am conscious that this is an area in which the Deputy has expertise and a significant background. It sounds like she met a number of other experts too. I am very concerned about this area in terms of the impact on our democracy, on our children and on public safety in general. Social media and digital media is a good thing but the regulation is not where it needs to be. I would be interested in receiving those solutions from the Deputy. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, is proactive in this area. For example, at the moment, we have a digital age of consent is 16. Clearly, that is not being applied by the companies. We need to legislatively address that.”
“We have increased the number of training places in colleges. We are looking at international recruitment and how we can work with regulatory bodies in terms of more people coming in. We also looking at how we reform the legislation to make sure that people have a right to assessment of need but that it works in a more efficient and effective way for everybody. I will ask the Minister of State to speak to the Deputy on this matter.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on behalf of Willow and her parents. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Naughton, is sitting beside me. She is very happy to talk to the Deputy about this. I am pleased that Willow finally got her assessment. In the budget last week, we significantly increased the money to use private capacity for assessments but I acknowledge that is for the assessment. There is then the issue of accessing the therapies. We have seen a very significant increase in the budget for disability this year. It is up €618 million for 2026 on 2025. That will provide us with much more funding to hire more therapists. However, I have to be honest with Willow's parents and everybody here that trying to find and recruit therapists is a challenge we have identified.”
“I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this issue. It is horrific to hear of anyone experiencing that. The Deputy said that she has heard of another case today but she said that she has heard of many cases. I will ask the Minister for Finance to consider this matter to see what further safeguards are needed regarding this and also how we can get beyond people talking to bots when they are looking for information. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy on this matter.”
“On the broader issues the Deputy has raised regarding Dublin Bay and the need for information, I will ask the Minister and Irish Water to take a look at that and come back to him directly.”
“The Deputy has never been lacking in ability to get attention but it is good to have him back in this House. I am glad he is back safe and well. I thank him for his kind words for our Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW and I am pleased to see the progress. I had the chance to speak to both Deputy Heneghan and Deputy Ó Muirí last night regarding some of the progress being made in Clontarf and we need to see a lot more of that. On the private wires Bill, let me ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to come back to the Deputy directly on a timeline. He briefed us at Cabinet on this very recently and it is pretty imminent. There is a lot of good progress being made on that.”