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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“It is why we published, and got through this House, a new national planning framework to provide more zoned land. It is why we are establishing a housing activation office - to break down silos. It is why we will invest significantly more in Uisce Éireann in the weeks ahead for water and wastewater treatment plants as well. We have a lot more work to do. On the number of social homes, yes, we have more work to do but something else is also true. The Deputy must get invited to the same events I get invited to in my constituency. We are seeing a very significant increase in the number of social homes coming onstream. Last year, roughly the largest number of social homes were allocated since the 1970s. There were never more social homes allocated in my lifetime than there were last year. We need to keep that momentum and seek to do more.”
“That means delivering measures that, when looked at in isolation, can understandably be critiqued or questioned but when you look at them in the round, all of the measures we are taking are to try to get a bit of momentum back into private investment in our housing market to increase supply. We saw during the lifetime of the last Government that the number of houses very significantly increased from approximately 20,000 a year to a bit more than 30,000 a year. If we are being honest, they then plateaued. They plateaued at a level that is too low. That is why we are now taking measures to try to increase supply. It is why we have taken the decision on planning permission extension and on making more developments exempt from planning, particularly in gardens, attics and the like.”
“These figures are not figures calculated by the Government in a party political sense. These are figures calculated by the State in a robust, impartial manner. They often deliver very difficult news for Government from a political point of view. Could we at least have the decency to respect the impartiality and robustness of those who gather statistics in Ireland? If we start trying to erode belief in statistics, that is part of a bigger agenda. The Government is committed to the delivery of more than 300,000 homes by the end of 2030 - that is clear in the programme for Government. That is what we need to get to and we are taking big and bold decisions in the here and now to deliver those results over the next number of years.”
“I hate to burst the Deputy's gotcha moment but I suggest he might wish to interrogate his numbers. I am not sure whether we should do a show of hands, but I imagine there is not a Member of Dáil Éireann, other than himself perhaps, who is not aware of the fact that there can be duplications. There can, of course, be people involved with more than one local authority. There can be people in my constituency who can live between Greystones, Bray and Dún Laoghaire and they might be in touch with the two local authorities there. Going further south, people could be between Wicklow and Wexford. If you go to the west, they could be between west Wicklow and Kildare. If the Deputy wants to hand me over all of that data and information, he can but this is what people do when they seek to be divisive. They try to dispute official figures.”
“We have an opportunity here through vaccination and other means to effectively eradicate it. I invite all Members of the House to use the opportunity of Deputy O'Gorman's question to recommit to vaccination and to push back against the misinformation out there. I will commit to coming back within three weeks to the Deputy.”
“I give that commitment. We will come back in three weeks with a definitive plan on that. While I am on my feet, I suggest, as this relatively new Dáil commences, that every Member of this House would publicly commit to supporting the vaccination programme. There is no room for pseudoscience or wannabe doctors who are not doctors. I want to know if every single elected representative in every single political party is committed to supporting the HPV vaccine for young boys and young girls, one that can effectively eradicate a form of cancer in this country. What an incredible thing to say. We have it within our grasp over a number of years the ability to effectively eradicate a cancer, one that disproportionately affects young people, especially young women, but not just women.”
“I passionately believe in this, as I know Deputy O'Gorman does too. I did not know this question was coming up, so I do not have a direct answer for the Deputy on when it will happen, but I undertake to speak to the Minister for Health today on the matter and I will come directly back to him on the issue. I am always open to hearing if there is a particular reason or obstacle that I am not aware of, but this is a very important catch-up campaign. There is a reason it is in the programme for Government. I expect it is something on which there is cross-party support. I will revert to the Deputy directly on it.”
“As Deputy O'Gorman says, we did also expand the vaccine to boys. By the way, this did not happen by accident. There was an organised and concerted campaign to run down the vaccine and to suppress vaccination rates. There was misinformation and disinformation and downright mistruths and online campaigns. Thanks to Laura Brennan spearheading the campaign, we collectively managed to see the uptake rates increase again, working with clinicians and the HSE. We have given a commitment to extend the catch-up programme. In direct answer to the Deputy's question on whether it is going ahead: we put it in the programme for Government, and it is going ahead. If there is anybody in some part of the Civil Service who thinks they know better, I assure them that we intend to deliver on the programme for Government commitment.”
“It seems the Taoiseach stole my line, because I was going to say I would find out. I thank Deputy O'Gorman for raising a very important issue. I will answer the questions directly, but I join with him in talking about the importance of a science-led, evidence-based approach to vaccination. I am very proud that largely, but not exclusively, in this House we have taken an approach across party lines, where we follow the evidence and listen to the doctors. As a result of that, we have seen lives saved and cancers prevented. I knew Laura Brennan personally. I wrote to her parents as recently as last week. She was an incredible young woman, who has saved countless lives by dedicating her final years to working to promote the vaccine. Her family are very proudly continuing that work.”
“Let me be clear that I am aware of - and am not in any way disputing - the huge challenges that exist in terms of capacity. People are waiting too long too see a GP. There is a need to ramp up capacity in general practice further, not just the number of doctors but also the number of support staff. The Deputy's point about salaried GPs is a serious and constructive one. I take the point that we were dealing with a new model. We found a way forward in respect of that. I would like to see an acceleration of the roll-out of salaried GPs. I will ask the Minister for Health to liaise directly with the Deputy on that.”
“I assure the Deputy that my head is firmly up in the air. There is a lot of work going on in this area. However, as she and I know from talking to GPs, not just in our county but also across the country, it is not just about the number of GPs. It is also about the supports they want to allow them to hire more nurses, the triaging of patients and out-of-hours services. The Deputy referred to GPs leaving the country. The figures I put on the record show that GPs are coming to Ireland. Some 118 GPs have chosen to come to Ireland and it is their home. They are very welcome, and we are thankful for them being here. They are already in practice and treating patients. A further 18 are in the process of completing the course. There are plans to get the number up to 250.”
“I visited one salaried GP practice in Deputy Gannon's constituency. The name escapes me right now, but he knows the doctor. It is a good model, but we need to see this become more the norm. There is funding provided to the HSE for the roll-out of salaried GPs. As Deputy Whitmore stated, there are many doctors who want to deliver medicine but who do not want the challenge of running a small or medium-sized business, as these practices often are. We can learn a lot from that model. I will ask the Minister for Health specifically to outline to the Deputy her plans to roll this out. However, it is something that the Government and I are very much in favour of. It provides another option to further increase capacity.”
“The budget for general practice went to €211 million under the 2019 GP agreement, with a further €130 million under the 2023 piece. There are approximately ten commitments in the programme for Government that relate to supporting general practice, including structured chronic disease management programme expansion and the full national coverage for GP on call. One of the positive developments we have seen in our constituency is the roll-out of the out-of-hours GP service in Loughlinstown. That service did not exist five or six years ago. There is also the provision of additional supports for GP practices in rural areas and areas of increased need because the lack of access is not equal across the country. I do not have a specific note on salaried GPs. All I can say is that the Deputy is right. Salaried GPs are a good idea.”
“Some 350 new entrant training places were made available from 2024, and 346 new entrants commenced training last year. It is encouraging that almost all of the new entrant training, even though the number increased significantly, have been taken up. The intake for 2024 can be measured against the fact that 286 people went into training in 2023. GPs are also being recruited from abroad. That commenced in 2023 under a joint HSE and ICGP international medical graduate rural GP programme. There are currently 118 of those GPs in practice, and a further 18 have completed the two-year course. Funding has been provided to bring the number on the scheme up from 118 to 250. We have increased investment in general practice to try to address some of the cost issues that many GPs talk to us about.”
“I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this issue. She is right. It is a real challenge in lots of communities, including the ones we are proud to represent in Dáil Éireann. I am grateful for the capacity review report she referenced in terms of the ESRI and the detailed work it has done, which will assist in workforce planning and which shows the growth in GP capacity that will be necessary in light of the growing and ageing population we will have in Ireland. In fairness, the Deputy acknowledged some measures that have been taken. I contend that numerous measures have been taken to increase the number of GPs practising in the State. The annual intake to the GP training scheme increased by approximately 80% between 2019 and 2024.”
“They do not like the truth. He went on to say, "In Belfast alone we’d have seven ... Nationally, I’d say it exceeds 40 or 50 ..." The biggest property owners and investors in Dáil Éireann are those in Sinn Féin. Do not give me "We are on the side of the working people". It is a load of bull that people see right through. You are the wealthiest party in this House-----”
“Do not talk to me about the privileged classes when the largest property owner and investor in this House is the Sinn Féin Party. Let us remember Deputy Cullinane's party is the biggest property owner in the Dáil. His party's director of finance Des Mackin boasted to The Irish Times -----”
“It would have meant increasing the rent for existing tenants. I do not expect consistency from Sinn Féin on policy development, but a little bit of recognition it contested a general election on the basis of abolishing rent pressure zones and replacing them with reference rents, something the Housing Agency the ESRI and I reckon a hell of a lot of renters do not think are a good idea either.”
“Just give David his chance this week Matt. You might get a go next week. In the Sinn Féin housing plan the party is in favour of reference rents, which the ESRI said would be unworkable and complex and the Housing Agency said would be unworkable, complex and lead to more disputes. Sinn Féin knows what a reference rent would have meant.”
“Deputy Cullinane does not need to lecture me about students. When I was Minister for further and higher education we reduced student fees every year and we extended the renter's tax credit to students while Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland continues to expect students to pay way more to access college. Do not worry, and more importantly students should not worry, because in the forthcoming budget we will take more measures to protect students, so please do not try to create this generational anxiety about what we are going to do to support our students at a time when we have more people than ever before in our history accessing third level education. We will continue to support students. I tell the students or the renters or the people Sinn Féin tries to mislead that it is that party's policy to abolish rent pressure zones.”
“I said: "We will be taking specific measures to support students; do not worry ... because we have their backs", and we do and we will.”
“These include the establishment of an Coimisiún Pleanála, the decision to extend planning permissions that could have expired, the decision to make more developments exempted - because in some local authorities about 50% of a planner's time can be taken up on small things like attic conversions or modular developments in the back garden - and the new national planning framework we have brought through this House to ensure there is enough land zoned to get to the 300,000 plus homes we need to deliver by the end of 2030. Next month we will see a very significant programme of investment from Government in the key enabling infrastructure to deliver homes, particularly to do with water, wastewater and energy as well. So we are taking steps. I know exactly what I said about students last week.”
“Rent pressure zones staying in place and going nationwide is a good and sensible thing to happen in terms of protecting existing tenants. The Deputy quoted the Central Bank report, but of course he just quoted parts of it. The Central Bank also said our rent pressure zone reforms will have a positive effect on supply. Its representatives acknowledge housing projections are subject to uncertainty, but they said this morning it is not impossible to reach the targets, though there are a number of steps that need to be taken. Many of the steps they have outlined are areas where we have seen Government place a priority focus on in recent weeks.”
“I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this important issue. I want to be very clear for people watching at home that the decisions the Government has taken and the legislation the Government is taking through the Houses this week is legislation that will extend the rent pressure zones. As everybody renting across Ireland knows, the rent pressure zones were due to end at Christmas. Had we not taken action they would have ended. They would have disappeared. Not only have we taken a decision to extend the rent pressure zones based on the advice of the Housing Agency and others, we have also taken the decision to expand the rent pressure zones to parts of the country that were not covered and to do that in a speedy fashion. About 11 counties in Ireland will benefit from that.”
“I have got a bit of this today. Everybody does their best in representing their constituents but with the position I hold within Government I need to be conscious even if cases can be readily identified, even if not named. I do not want to comment on that but take that as read. I am not aware of the correspondence from the UN but I will make myself aware of it now the Deputy has brought it to my attention and I will inquire into that now. More broadly, on the whole issue of SLAPP and the likes, the defamation Bill the Minister for justice is bringing forward will give consideration to these issues. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to consider the Deputy's comments and revert to him directly.”
“I think the INTO will be very satisfied with its very effective campaign this week. I say that in all sincerity because it did have a very effective campaign this week and clearly met with so many TDs as it should in doing its job in highlighting the needs of its schools. To reiterate the point I made earlier to Deputy Mythen, and on the concerns he raised regarding schools, in particular in Wexford, Government will look at how we better financially support our schools. We do not make specific announcements on how best we do that until the budget in October but education is a key part of our programme for Government and we are very committed to doing more and supporting our schools. There are legitimate issues which the INTO has highlighted this week. We will consider all of these in the context of the budget in October.”
“It has been a positive development in our healthcare landscape. The way it went into University Hospital Limerick is an example of robust examination. Nobody gets everything right but on this occasion there are legitimate questions. The Minister will be engaging and meeting with HIQA next week. We will continue to pursue this. No organisation is beyond reproach and it needs to reflect in this instance.”
“The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and I are listening to Deputy Ó Muirí and he is so right. What has haunted me from the programme, and he has captured it very well, was the lack of basic humanity. Yes, there is more this Government needs to do and will do. The Minister, Deputy MacNeill, and the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, are leading on this as regards safeguarding legislation and all of that. We will do it as a priority and we are taking it extraordinarily seriously. However, there is also just basic humanity. How can any human being do that to another human being? How can anyone take an elderly man and thrown him on a bed like that, or hurtle someone with dementia down a corridor? It sickens all of us. There are questions for HIQA to answer. I want to say that in a balanced way as HIQA has done a lot of good.”
“I thank Deputy McCormack. I agree with the premise. All of us on the Government benches feel very strongly about this. There was very good engagement with the INTO by many of us in our constituencies and at the day it held this week in Buswells Hotel. I thank the INTO for the constructive way in which it has engaged with us. Obviously, all of these matters will be considered in the context of the budget but this Government is fully committed to education, supporting our schools, principals, teachers, and crucially, our children. I hope we can make more progress in these matters in the budget in October.”
“I thank the Deputy. It is my intention to bring the general scheme next week. There is a very small chance it will go to the following week but it is my working assumption that I will get it to the Cabinet next week so, yes, I believe we will meet the timeline in June. I have been keeping in touch with the Chair of the foreign affairs committee, Deputy Lahart, about this. The Attorney General is doing that for me. I believe I will have that advice to help inform the PLS process. I probably will not have it in advance of the Bill going to Cabinet next week. It is likely that this Stage of the Bill will be published, as envisaged in the programme for Government, with goods. I reiterate that I want the PLS process to genuinely consider if the inclusion of services is possible from a legal point of view.”
“I thank Deputy Clarke for raising this very important issue. After I leave the Chamber I will discuss it directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who has responsibility for mental health. There are a number of actions that the Minister of State is already working on. I want to say that funding is not and will not be a constraint to this. There are real challenges around recruitment, retention of services and, more broadly, reform of CAMHS services. I will ask the Minister of State specifically to come back to the Deputy on what more can be done in the here and now. Nobody wants to see a child or young person left in a significant state of distress. Those numbers are far too high.”
“My understanding is that the scheme's preliminary business case is expected to be submitted to the Department of Transport in early 2026. I believe the Department allocated €4.5 million to Limerick City and County Council to progress the scheme during 2025. We will keep a close eye on this. The national development plan will provide an opportunity to accelerate funding for crucial infrastructure projects like this one.”
“I thank Deputy O'Shea for raising this important issue for his constituents. The N20 is a strategically important route. The proposed project aims to enhance regional accessibility, to improve the network, to connect the cities of Cork and Limerick, and to improve connections to west Cork and Kerry. It will really help to allow balanced regional growth and development. The N20-M20 Cork-Limerick project will provide much better connectivity between Ireland's second and third largest cities, as well as other towns along the route including Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow and Blarney. As the Deputy said, it will address safety deficiencies on the existing route. It will also deliver active travel infrastructure along the corridor. I am very supportive of this project, as I know the Deputy is.”
“They cannot be in prison unless we expand prison capacity. Our population has grown. I believe in alternatives to prison but there are some people who need to be behind bars. This House has passed laws to extend prison sentences but has not put in place the prison capacity to support those extensions. I have been Minister for justice. No Minister for justice wants to receive reports notifying him or her that people are being released from prison because there is not enough prison capacity. We need to fix this. The location of prisons is a matter for the Prison Service. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has my full support in expediting the delivery of prison capacity and prison spaces. We need a new prison as well, by the way, to keep up with our population.”
“I would like to be allowed to answer a very serious question. Thank you. Prison capacity is a very serious issue. There are far too many people out on the streets, causing chaos in communities, who need to be in prison.”
“The digital age of consent is 16 and I believe that should be applied in a very real way. The Government is considering how best to examine it.”
“She met the chair of the task force this week and its interim report is due shortly. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, has asked his officials to examine international initiatives under way or being considered elsewhere to protect the safety of children. My position is really clear on this. We live in a country where the digital age of consent is 16. Therefore, I do not believe we should be on social media in advance of that age. I heard the comments of President Macron in a similar vein this week. I have an open mind on how to enact these things. We have age verification structures that clearly do not work and industry would acknowledge that. We need to get serious about this. It is a ticking time bomb that is having a really detrimental impact on the health and well-being of our young people and often on their safety as well.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I had the pleasure of meeting Councillor Nealon from Sligo yesterday and discussed this with him. I also met yesterday pupils from a school in Claremorris in the Deputy's constituency who were in the Dáil. When I bumped into them and asked if they had any questions, the first question they asked was what I would do about this idea of the social media ban. It was interesting to note the amount of them in favour of it. These were sixth-class students in Claremorris National School. It gave me a real insight into the pressure young people are feeling. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has an online health task force in her Department to look at the health and well-being impacts of online and social media on young people.”
“I thank the Deputy. He is right. I have been in the Chamber since the news emerged. I join the Deputy and everybody in extending the sympathies of the House and country to all those affected, to the people of India and to those likely to be affected in our nearest neighbour, the United Kingdom. My Department is actively monitoring the situation in real time. We stand ready to assist any citizen, though I am not aware of any citizen in relation to this. More broadly, from a humanitarian point of view, we are always eager to assist. The situation is very much evolving.”
“I appreciate why the Deputy raises this issue but there are two things I will not do. First, I will not interfere in any sort of judicial process around the status or examinership of a company. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle surely would not allow me to do so under the rules of the House anyway. Second, I will not interfere in the awarding of State contracts. We know where that has got the body politic in the past. The awarding of State contracts is independent of the political process. More broadly and from a policy perspective, we always want to support Irish companies and industry. I have heard reference to this company before in this House during a debate around the circular economy. State agencies including Enterprise Ireland are always available to meet any Irish company to discuss what supports can be put in place.”
“I thank the Deputy. I have been discussing this matter with my colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade today. We are monitoring the situation very closely. I have asked for an update from our embassy in Egypt and that our consular section keep me directly updated on these matters. The protection and well-being of any Irish citizen in any part of the world is something my Department and the Government takes extremely seriously and I will be keeping a close eye on this.”
“I thank the Deputy for bringing up this issue. The INTO has rightly highlighted the issue with the Deputy and colleagues across the House in recent days. Many of us have had the opportunity to hear directly from the INTO. The Deputy is right that real challenges are faced by our schools. It is objectively fair to say we have increased the education budget a lot. Much of the focus has been on reducing class sizes and on special education needs. We all support that but there is a legitimate issue around capitation and a sustainable level of funding. The Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, will consider all of this in advance of the budget due in October. She will meet and engage with the INTO and others in the run-up to it.”
“I thank the Deputy for bringing up this issue. I undertake to pass that on directly to the Minister for housing and ask him to look into the matter immediately with the local authority and come back to the Deputy directly on the issue. There is a housing emergency. We need to build homes and take every opportunity to do so. We will have a national development plan review next month which will significantly increase further investment in housing and housing-enabling infrastructure. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to look at the issue affecting the Deputy's constituents.”
“We provided significant assistance to people in regard to energy credits and we will continue to do so. However, what we will not do is adopt the policies of Liz Truss, which was a Sinn Féin proposal.”
“The only part of this island where phone pouches have been rolled out by a government is in Northern Ireland and where the First Minister is a member of Sinn Féin. I challenge the Deputy to talk to parents, principals and teachers in Donegal because they have been asking for support in relation to phone use. If the Deputy does not recognise the challenges posed by social media and smartphones, that is on him. Yes, I listen to my constituents when it comes to energy prices and yes, we will continue to support people with the cost of living. However, who I do not listen to when it comes to what to do about energy prices is Liz Truss which is exactly what Sinn Féin proposes, namely, to give taxpayers' money to subsidise energy companies with the cost. That is not the way the way to go.”
“The serious point the Deputy makes is entirely right. It is perfectly right that Deputy Feighan has a right to ask a question, Deputy Coppinger. That is how we work in this democracy. Our lads are elected too and they can ask questions in the Dáil. I thank Deputy Feighan for bringing up such an important issue that is on the minds of all parents around the country, the mental health and well-being of our young people. In the time available to me, I want to return to the news of the horrific plane crash. Since we have spoken, it has become apparent that at least 30 people have died in a plane crash involving a plane from India that was heading towards our nearest neighbours in the UK, at Gatwick. I know the thoughts and prayers of everyone in this House are with all of those affected.”
“I am not sure if the Deputy is proposing pouches for the Dáil. It might slow down the dissemination of information from parliamentary party meetings to the fourth estate, which I am sure would significantly inconvenience some people.”
“Across Government, we need to look at what more we need to do to allow our children be children and to allow them to learn and be educated in a safe environment in which you hear the sounds and voices of young people laughing and talking to each other rather than doomscrolling on their phones during the day.”
“Examples include the pouches referred to by the Deputy, lockable boxes, cubby holes and drop off and collection at the school office. Whatever works best for the school can be implemented. The funding from the budget remains in place. A new procurement process will be published in the coming days and schools will be able to seek to apply to draw down funding and put in place the phone-storage solution that works best for them. This is a pragmatic and sensible way to proceed. I think it will be welcomed by school principals, teachers, boards of management, and I believe, young people, in many cases. We need to build on this.”
“Further guidance will be provided to post-primary schools outlining the terms, conditions and mechanisms for post-primary schools to apply for funding to enable them to purchase secure mobile phone storage solutions. Funding of €9 million in total was allocated in the last budget for this measure. In the coming days, we will see a new procurement process published. This central procurement arrangement will be available to schools in the autumn of this year. This will not delay schools in applying for and accessing funding for phone-storage solutions. An application process will be open to post-primary schools soon and the issuing of funding will commence shortly thereafter. Schools will now be able to apply for funding for whatever phone-storage solution works best for them.”