Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“I am pleased to say there has been significant investment in cancer services in the west in recent years. This year, 14 additional posts were allocated to the region, which support surgical oncology, radiotherapy, survivorship, CAR T-cell immunotherapy and those with a family history of breast cancer. My understanding is that the acute haematology oncology service is also being expanded this year, with the allocation of an additional advanced nurse practitioner. These nurses provide a dedicated telephone service for patients undergoing systemic anti-cancer therapy, enabling those who are ill to avoid attending the emergency department. The additional staff will help to expand the services further and to further improve access for patients. These posts will build on growth in cancer services in recent years.”
“I thank Deputy Connolly for the question. I also thank the Saolta group and the Irish Cancer Society for the work they do, much of which the Deputy referenced. It is good work on highlighting the issue for the Deputy's constituency and region. The Government that the Deputy and I are part of is committed to improving cancer care. We are committed to ensuring better prevention, maintaining improvements we have seen in Ireland, thankfully, in many cancer survival rates and protecting and improving timely access to treatment. As the Deputy stated, cancer services in the west and north west are delivered through a designated cancer centre in Galway, with local services operating out of smaller hospitals in the region. University Hospital Galway also supports a satellite centre for breast cancer at Letterkenny University Hospital.”
“The Leas-Cheann Comhairle might reset my time, if that is possible. I thank him. Deputy Tóibín takes this access to cash for granted. The economy cannot be taken for granted, by the way. He just kind of glosses over that fact. The fact that we have resources is down to the good, prudent management of our country by this Government, its hard work and the hard work of the Irish people. I have not had as long to write Deputy Tóibín's report card as he has had to write ours, but here is my go at it. Name-calling and personalised attacks: top of the class, Peadar has excelled this term. Rinse-and-repeat attempts at sarcastic humour: significant improvement during term time.”
“We have seen a section 39 pay agreement to help the workers working with people with disabilities. We have established a small business unit. We have extended the basic income scheme for artists. We have set up a Cabinet committee on water quality to fight for our farmers and try to protect our nitrates derogation, and we have reformed the way the Government delivers infrastructure, which was a key commitment we made in the election, because it takes too long to deliver key pieces of infrastructure. This Government, which is seven months in, as the Deputy said, and with five budgets to go, has already undertaken a lot of work and we will continue to do it while he will continue to critique us from over there.”
“Next week, the Deputy will see a major capital plan that we have all been working tirelessly on for a number of months that will see record levels of investment in key infrastructural areas like water, energy, housing and also the social infrastructure that is needed in our communities. We have established a national education therapy service for the first time in the history of our State to put therapists in our special schools in a co-ordinated, national way. We are undertaking major reforms in terms of how our health service operates, making sure that the rostering for our health service is done in a way that ensures the right people are there at the right times of the week, right throughout the week, including the weekend. We have made HRT free for women. We have taken clear measures to improve and reform our migration system.”
“We have been able to take real measures in the here and now, some of which I outlined, to help carers, to help increase the fuel allowance, to help improve the student grants, and to help reduce the cost of books and provide free books in our schools. We have been able to increase social welfare payments, particularly for our older citizens and our pensioners, to help them live with dignity. We have taken major steps towards housing reform, including around planning by taking the planner out of the back garden in terms of exempting a number of things people might want to do from planning. We have introduced and passed a new national planning framework so we will have enough zoned land to build the homes we need.”
“Let us have a little bit of decorum in how we speak in this House. The Deputy has spoken for three minutes. I am just looking to reply. The Minister, Helen McEntee, has done more than any Minister in the history of our State in terms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence with a zero-tolerance strategy. I am very proud of the work of this Government around the issue. We have a lot more to do on what is clearly a societal epidemic. The Deputy obviously gave us a report card there. I thank him very much for his perspective. We also have record levels of employment. We have an economy that is running budget surpluses. We have had the ability to effectively create two national wealth funds to protect our country from economic shocks.”
“Before I get into the politics of some of that, when we are talking about domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which is an important topic, can we please be clear that increased reporting is a good thing?”
“We will continue to work at a European level on climate and we have shown an ability, even within our European grouping, to vote another way if and when we have a different view, even if that view is not universally popular in Ireland but we believe it is the right thing to do by our climate and the planet. That is exactly what the Fine Gael MEPs did in advance of the last European election, despite significant pressure not to do that. If we look at the record of Seán Kelly, in particular, he is someone who represented Europe at the Paris climate agreement talks and at many international fora, including COP21. I am proud of my party's record in relation to climate and I will revert to the Deputy with a little more detail on my understanding of the procedure.”
“I do not accept the Deputy’s framing at all. I was endeavouring to engage constructively on this but the Deputy does not wish to, with “our guy” and “my guy” and stuff. My party's record on climate is very clear, thanks very much. We worked with Deputy O'Gorman in the last Government for five years. We worked with his predecessor, the former Minister, Eamon Ryan, around these issues as well. We have had people like Richard Bruton lead the way and play a very constructive role in terms of climate when he was Minister for climate action. Our MEPs, I believe, voted on a procedural motion. I do not think phrases like "your guy" is a fair assertion as to what happened.”
“I am happy to look into further detail of the procedural matter but Fine Gael is proudly a party that believes in the need for urgent climate action. I believe anything to do with the rapporteur of the committee was a procedural matter based on the relative strength of parties and groupings in the Parliament.”
“If the Deputy is being fair to my party's record in the European Parliament, as previous Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe was, he will acknowledge the Fine Gael Party has worked very constructively on climate issues. All Fine Gael MEPs voted for the climate restoration law, for example, which was remarked upon positively by Ciarán Cuffe. He singled out Seán Kelly for praise. Only two Irish MEPs did not vote for that: a Sinn Féin MEP and an independent MEP. I am proud of my party's record on climate and of the work the Government and Ireland is doing on climate. We certainly have a lot more work to do in relation to this. I outlined in the House last week some areas where we need a serious acceleration and I stated the national development plan would be an opportunity to endeavour to accelerate that work.”
“That point I am making to Deputy O'Gorman is this. I understand the rapporteur positions on European parliamentary committees are divided up, if not quite by a d'Hondt system, by a system reflecting the various strengths of parties in the Parliament. Fine Gael only has one MEP, I think, on the environment committee. It is Seán Kelly, who is a substitute member. I also understand there was a procedural vote on the issue, rather than a substantive vote. With the greatest of respect for committee rapporteurs, we need a sense of perspective. This person will not be the decision-maker and will not be setting the targets. Those are matters for the democratically elected members of the European Parliament.”
“I do not believe Sinn Féin should chair a committee on national security. It is not a shocking position for the leader of Fine Gael to hold that I do not think Sinn Féin should be anywhere near national security. I will continue to hold that view and I will work day and night to make sure it never is.”
“I do not, but I do not particularly think it is a good idea that Sinn Féin chairs the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security either. Sometimes that is way things work out in terms of the division of responsibility.”
“In constituencies across the country, we have seen the benefit: new schools, Garda stations, new healthcare facilities, primary care services, expanded public transport. We have invested lots of money but we have more to do, including getting to 300,000 more homes; investing in our health, particularly infrastructure around elective hospitals; and access to therapy services. The decision my ministerial colleague, Deputy McEntee, has taken to set up a new national education therapy service will be transformational. The national development plan next week will show the people of Ireland the measures we intend to take to keep our country safe and to invest in our competitiveness and in key infrastructure.”
“There is a constant attempt to interrupt. We had it the first time I answered the question and are having it the second time. I am trying to answer the question. I have one minute available. We are investing in public services and have put that money to good use. It is seen in communities across the length and breadth of our country. I have stood beside the Deputy at many a ribbon-cutting in County Wicklow where that money has gone.”
“I do not agree with that analysis at all. Absolutely, we have seen a significant increase in public spending and that has provided record numbers of new school places, record numbers of special schools and record numbers of-----”
“The one-off measures served an important purpose at a time of extraordinarily high inflation but we made it very clear to the people in the election that, if returned to government, we were getting back to one budget each year and there would be space and capacity in that budget to make progress on many issues the Deputy and others would like to see progress on.”
“It will enable a significant upward shift in investment in water, energy, housing and areas under pressure from a supply point of view like childcare and disability services. It is not about giving anybody a lecture on fiscal prudence. It is about saying thank God we are approaching this moment of economic instability with full employment, surpluses and, effectively, rainy-day funds. We have stood up in this House many times and people - not Deputy Whitmore, in fairness - have criticised my party and the Government for setting money aside for economic rainy days. That is looking like a better decision by the day. I agree we need targeted investments in infrastructure.”
“We all know our roles. That is useful. The main Opposition party has asked for universal one-off measures. The Social Democrats have asked us not to do that and to do targeted measures. I am telling the House that this Government will deliver a budget in October. We will set out the parameters of that budget in the summer economic statement, which I expect to be published next week. There will then be an opportunity to debate how best to get the composition of that right. I agree with Deputy Whitmore on this. We need to invest in key areas of infrastructure. She is right about the challenges that Uisce Éireann faces. She is right about the enabling infrastructure. Deputies will see from Government in the revised national development plan next week a very significant increase in capital investment.”
“I offer Deputy Whitmore that chance again. Tell me which one-off payment in the social welfare code last year she is against and that the Social Democrats do not want. Was it the child benefit payment? Was it the carer's payment? Was it the fuel allowance? Just let us know because the Social Democrats would not last year. They were happy to vote in favour of them all and their offices were happy to assist people in getting information on all of them as well. We have this thing about a united Opposition going on - or at least, I think we did. It cannot yet agree on a presidential candidate, so that is test No. 1. Now, it cannot agree on crucial budgetary matters either.”
“I do not blame the Opposition for any of the challenges the country faces. I just blame it for its hypocrisy. The Deputy gave out there about the one-off payments. Last year, I asked her interim leader to name one of them he did not want. I will ask Deputy Whitmore the same as well. Is it the parents in Greystones and Delgany who should not have got a double child benefit payment? Did the Deputy not want that? Did she not want the one-off additional payments to the pensioners in County Wicklow? None of the Deputies had the courage to tell me last year which of the one-off payments he or she did not think people wanted.”
“-----towns and villages across the country. It is a proud Irish company. The Deputy thought it was owned by an American multinational and he wants Paschal Donohoe's job? He wants Paschal Donohoe's job and he does not even know who owns SuperValu or cannot even use Google? Give me a break.”
“Deputy Doherty spends a lot of his political career standing up and saying the Government does not get it, it does not understand, it is out of touch. Does the Deputy know what I know? I know who owns SuperValu.”
“I presume I will get the few extra seconds, too. If the Deputy genuinely believes that the economic challenge facing our country this summer is the equivalent to moments of economic challenge over the last couple of summers, I really worry for his level of economic literacy. If he genuinely thinks-----”
“Deputy Doherty probably does not need Deputy Hearne's help. One would have to go back a very long time to find a summer recess in which we have seen a moment of greater economic uncertainty, yet Deputy Doherty does not want to talk about trade, he does not want to talk about tariffs and he does not want to talk about the 48,000 people who work in pharma in this country. He does not want to talk about global uncertainty. He has never seen something he does not want to spend more money on but we have to be honest with the Irish people. We cannot keep saying "spend, spend, spend". The Deputy talked about working people and working families. Does he know what I am going to do? Make sure they can keep working-----”
“There is an air of unreality about Deputy Doherty's contribution today and many of the contributions we have had during this Leader's Questions slot over the last number of weeks. Being very honest with the people of Ireland, one would have to go back a long, long time to find a summer recess-----”
“These are just a number of the measures we are taking in addition to reducing childcare costs, increasing student grants from September and increasing public sector pay, which will again increase on 1 August.”
“We have significantly expanded the fuel allowance in order that thousands more people, particularly older people, will qualify. They will not have to wait for the budget. That will happen from September. From then, more people will receive the fuel allowance than ever before. Compare that to the controversy we have seen with our nearest neighbours where they are talking about cutting fuel allowance payments. We are expanding them. For people who get into real difficulty, we have a social welfare system that also gives exceptional needs payments. I want people to know that. That is available for people who experience a particularly difficult bill as well. I know Deputies will know that through their offices.”
“From September every child who goes back to primary school or secondary school will receive free schoolbooks. That is helping households with the cost of living. General measures, such as every primary school child getting free hot school meals, reducing school transport fees and rolling out free GP care, all have an impact in assisting households with the cost of living in the here and now. Specifically on energy, on coming to office, the Government took a rapid decision to extend the 9% VAT rate on gas and electricity. This was a real, practical measure to help people with gas and electricity bills. We put in place a 40% reduction in the renewable electricity public service obligation levy. That will also save people money on their electricity bills.”
“It is expected to come back with an interim plan to look at issues relating to energy efficiency upgrades, the social protection supports we have a place, CRU customer protection measures and further efforts we can provide to incentivise tariff switching with the savings that households and consumers can make in that regard. I want people at home to know that we are taking measures in the here and now to assist them with the cost of living. Indeed, we are also taking measures in the here and now to specifically assist people with energy. Let me share details of some of those. The measures are being taken right now. For example, in the past week or so, over 221,000 children received the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. That is helping many of the households the Deputy referenced.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. First, let us very clearly acknowledge that there is a real problem in this country when it comes to energy prices. The facts are clear in relation to that, which is why we called this out very clearly in our programme for Government and acknowledged the pressure increased energy costs place on households and, indeed, businesses. We are seeking ways to lower those prices while also accelerating the pace of the development of renewables. That is why we have established a new national energy affordability task force to look at the structural reforms we can undertake in this country to reduce the cost of energy and electricity.”
“Deputy Carroll MacNeill and I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, as the Minister of State responsible for mental health to look at the serious points Deputy Cahill made. It sounds like there is a lot of stress and concern in the local community. I know the Minister of State will be eager to constructively engage with him and the HSE on this matter. I will ask her to come back directly to the Deputy.”
“It is one thing if it is optional but if it becomes almost mandatory to have it or you have to pay a much higher price, that is a legitimate cause for concern.”
“I am told that is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has a statutory mandate now to investigate anti-competitive behaviour to ensure consumers are not misled or exploited. I understand several major retailers have been prosecuted for misleading discount practices. These cases marked the first wave of enforcement under new pricing transparency laws. We have committed to strengthening the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission further in the programme for Government. Perhaps we could work constructively on what that law should look like. I will specifically ask the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, for a view on loyalty cards. I share the Deputy's concerns.”
“I think Deputy Carroll MacNeill and I find ourselves in large agreement with a lot of what Deputy Kelly said. I know I get myself in trouble from time to time for saying these sorts of things but the cost-of-living challenge is still very real for people. We have to acknowledge that. We have to prudently budget and carefully work our way through things and always protect our economy. We can quote all the economic statistics we want but the cost of living is still very challenging for many people I would loosely refer to as the squeezed middle. On supermarkets in particular, I welcome the measures taken by Minister of State, Deputy Dillon. He met the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and asked it to review again the Irish grocery retail sector on the issue of excessive pricing.”
“I thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. I was not aware of it but it needs to be stopped. There are enough challenges for people trying to get these tests without somebody gaming the system and exploiting people looking for a test. I will raise it in the first instance with the Minister for Transport.”
“We have not seen a level of growth, which should be an indication in and of itself as we carry out this review. Yes is the answer to the Deputy's question. We will ensure the community model is specifically examined in the context of that review and we will look at issues like core funding and high levels of administration and how that could be a barrier to an expansion of a sector doing good work in many counties.”
“I thank Deputy Currie for her work as Fine Gael spokesperson on childcare and as part of the Government's collective effort on childcare. The programme for Government is ambitious in this area. As we have discussed before, there are around 21 commitments in relation to childcare. The next step will be the publication of a new action plan on childcare and how we intend to advance it. I broadly agree with the Deputy. We do not want a system that is overly rigid. We have to have a system that recognises parents need to be empowered in what works best for their child. The idea that one model designed in an office is the model that will work best for everyone does not work. Community childcare providers have a significant role to play.”
“However, specifically on the issue of grocery prices, we want to ensure consumers are treated fairly, that pricing is transparent and that competition in the retail sector remains robust. Our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, has met with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and has asked it to conduct an updated analysis of the Irish grocery retail sector on the issue of excessive pricing. I am told that piece of work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.”
“I thank Deputy Daly for this. He is so right. The Government is absolutely at one in recognising that just because inflation has fallen, it does not mean the cost of going to the supermarket has fallen as well. The cost of living still remains high. People see that in their weekly shop. They see it when they go to the checkout with their trolley. While we have been very clear that there will not be a cost of living specific measure between September, October and December, that is not to say that a budget of over €100 billion - probably around €120 billion - will not try to help people with their cost of living. Of course it will. Every budget does, in terms of looking at what we can do for older people, younger people and families. That will be the approach we will all take together.”
“With respect to Deputies Devine and Ó Snodaigh, that has nothing to do with child protection. It is absolutely nothing to do with the point. Everyone is talking about 33 children. Why is nobody saying the next bit, which is that they are travelling from one far-flung part of the world to another with adults who are not their parents and the importance of child protection checks in relation to that? It is a perfectly appropriate thing to do. No migration service and no Minister for justice would be doing their job if they did not take that seriously.”
“What we are doing is applying the laws of our land - laws which the Deputy and his party have not proposed changing, laws in relation to child protection, which I am sure he takes seriously, and laws in relation to a visa system that has to be impartial and applied. We cannot provide visas on the basis of public petition. We have to provide them on the basis of the rules. We have to address child protection. We would all love this to happen in many ways. Who would not like to help children? Of course we would, but there is a "but" here. This has to be done correctly. There are child protection requirements around visas. Everyone is talking about 33 children.”
“Finally, the 2025 programme for Government also includes a commitment to examine the taxation of HVO used for commercial freight to support sustainable transport solutions, which the Department of Finance is also undertaking.”
“Our programme for Government commits to targeting older homes still using oil to switch to renewable heating systems and to consider the use of sustainable biofuels to reduce emissions from existing home boilers where deep retrofits are not always possible in the short term. These commitments are framing the work now under way to develop our new heat policy statement and the roadmap to phase out fossil fuel heating systems. There is a draft statement that is informed by the findings of a new national heat study. This has undergone extensive consultation and will set out our new overarching approach to decarbonising the heat sector as well.”
“I thank Deputy Clendennen for raising this issue. We have been progressing the renewable heat obligation to ensure the increased used of renewable fuel types across the fuel heating sector is possible. The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is now preparing the heads of Bill for submission to Government shortly. Representatives of that Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland also participate in an expert group on renewable and low-carbon fuels and the drafting of a new heat policy statement is now at an advanced stage. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and I recognise its importance in Offaly and the surrounding areas.”
“I thank Deputy Scanlon for raising this important issue for his constituents, particularly those who travel from Bellaghy to Sligo town and are affected by the deficit he has identified in public transport provision there. I am very proud of the work we have done together over the last number of years to expand the Local Link services. It was one of the great success stories of the last Government from a public transport point of view. On foot of the Deputy raising this today, I will ask both the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, and the NTA to consider the point he is making to see how the issue can be best addressed.”
“The migration service would not be doing its job, from a child protection point of view, if it did not raise those issues. There is an appeals process open. I know that while it is a matter for the Department of justice, my diplomatic colleagues in Tel Aviv and other places provide information on the best way forward and give the best advice possible. That will continue.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. We had an informal word on this issue last night and I know of her very sincere and good interest in this matter and I acknowledge that. Everybody acknowledges that everyone is acting in good faith here. People here in Ireland are trying to do something good for children from a war-torn area. There is no two ways about that and I acknowledge that too. On the information available to me, when applications came in for visas, and without overly getting into individual applications, they were processed in a very efficient way. Applications were being submitted at various points up to May. To be given a decision by 9 July, if anything, seems to be a faster processing time in terms of an answer than usual, probably because of the sensitivity of this. There are legitimate issues.”