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.”
The complete record
Every one of 4,585 lines we hold for Simon Harris, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 67 of 92.
“All the parents came together and said they would not provide smartphones while their children were in primary school. This really took off and right around country now this has become the norm. The Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee, has taken a number of important decisions on this issue. I want to assure Deputy Feighan the Government and the Minister are committed to supporting the safe and ethical use of the Internet by children and young people. Guidance will soon be provided by circular to all schools on putting in place policies to ensure schools are mobile phone-free zones during the school day and to support student learning by helping them to disconnect, to learn and to make friends without the distractions that can arise from the use of mobile phones.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising what he rightly says is a very important issue. I do not think any of us in our constituencies, communities or across the country have not heard from parents, teachers, boards of management, parents' associations and principals debating and grappling with this issue. Everything the Government wants to do in this space is actually about empowering parents, young people and school communities. My hometown of Greystones became one of the first parts of the country where the schools decided, of their own volition, to introduce a ban on smartphones in primary schools. It was really empowering because, all of a sudden, it removed the almost peer pressure of kids telling their parents they had to get a smartphone because someone else had one.”
“When it comes to the protection of retail investors, the Department of Finance and the Central Bank work in tandem. The Central Bank regulates firms that operate in Ireland, including those that provide investment advice and sell investment products. I would also flag the role of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. If, however, there are issues here, because we should always strive to do better, we are very happy to engage further on this.”
“I am very conscious of not wanting to say anything that cuts across any legal process or court process. I know the Deputy is as well. I will therefore refrain from going any further on that issue other than to reiterate that the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who is here with us, is committed, as is the programme for Government, to reviewing the dental legislation more broadly for the reasons I have outlined. A number of regulations have been commenced recently, since the Minister took office, that became effective in May and that I think are positive developments in modernising the regulatory structures that underpin the work of our dentists. On the issue of the Central Bank and financial advisers - I ran out of time a little the last time - we are eager to continue to engage on this.”
“Finally, on the issue of regulation of financial advisers, I am pleased that the Central Bank of Ireland met with the Deputy and his constituents, as he says, I think in May of this year to discuss issues he has raised in this House and to advise on the roll-out. I think he and his constituents found that meeting to be helpful. We are very happy to engage with him constructively on any lacunae or areas where he believes there is a need for improvement from a regulatory or legislative perspective.”
“That requires dentists to make statutory declarations as regards any disciplinary proceedings or any judicial proceedings in the State or in another jurisdiction which may directly or indirectly result in the dentist being prohibited or restricted from providing one or more kind of health or social care. It has also broadened the grounds for inquiry to include matters which might be declared by a dentist or where a dentist fails to comply with the declarations requirement. This important provision is intended to ensure that the Dental Council becomes aware much earlier. Reform of the Dentists Act is planned for and those new regulations are in place.”
“My understanding is that dentistry is currently underpinned by a range of legislation, the Dentists Act 1985 being just one piece. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is committed to reviewing and updating that Act, and the continued protection of the public and high oral healthcare standards will be a priority in that regard. In the meantime, I am very pleased to say that the Minister signed a commencement order relating to certain provisions of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act on 30 April 2025. I think they came into effect on 6 May of this year.”
“The Minister will also meet with HIQA herself in the next week and there will be an opportunity, I am sure, for a full and frank exchange of views on this. The establishment of HIQA was an important step. There are good people at work in HIQA, and HIQA does a good job, but no organisation is beyond reproach or beyond questioning as to what happened in specific cases. There are legitimate questions that the Government will want to ask and explore with HIQA. As regards the issue of dental legislation and the likes, I will need to be careful in one matter because I believe the case referred to in the article is perhaps before the courts and subject to in camera proceedings. That does not prohibit me from answering the broader point, which relates to the practice of dentistry and the reforms on which the Minister for Health intends to lead.”
“There was quite a lot in that, so let me endeavour to get through it. To start where the Deputy finished as regards the issue of accountability and the safety and well-being of people in our nursing homes, I reiterate that it is the intention of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, along with the Minister of State, Kieran O'Donnell, to bring forward adult safeguarding policy proposals within the next month or so and to seek permission from the Government to draft the general scheme of safeguarding legislation. This is badly needed, it will make a big difference and I know it is something on which many experts and others who contributed to the RTÉ programme commented, including the acute need for it. It is a priority for the Government and we will make progress on that.”
“It is called fake news. We are not blocking her Bill. We are passing a timed amendment that means her Bill will move forward in 12 months if we have not got our act together, and we will get our act together. That is why the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, months before Deputy Coppinger's Bill got permission to draft his own Bill. Victims and survivors do not care whose Bill it is; they care about action. This Government will take action to protect victims and to make sure we do it in a way that is compatible with our Constitution but protects victims and survivors in a way they are not today. That is what we will do, and we will get it right.”
“Let me be clear: domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is still an epidemic globally, including in Ireland. We are not immune to it. That is not to say that the work that has been undertaken has not brought about real assistance. I refer to the expansion of refuge places, the establishment of Cuan, record funding for groups working with people in this area and training now being in place, which is a key part of the zero-tolerance strategy. That includes training for people in the public service and for our courts system. Our courts system, however, is not where it needs to be. I think members of the Judiciary have recognised that too, and that is why we are changing the law, so on this issue I plead with the Deputy not to start telling people we are blocking her Bill and doing nothing for a year. That is called misinformation.”
“The Deputy will bring forward her legislation today and we will work constructively to pass a good, robust Bill as quickly as possible.”
“I am not saying it is perfect; it is far from it, but my understanding is that this legislation has not operated in any manner or means as it was intended to. Therefore, we have listened very carefully to the views of victims and survivors. They have made clear that they felt compelled to agree to waive the disclosure hearing in order to not put a successful prosecution at risk or to risk delaying their trial. That is an appalling vista and was never the intention of the 2017 provision. Records are routinely being released. That was not the intention of the 2017 provision. We are fully aware of the stress and revictimisation that the disclosure of personal records can have on survivors of sexual violence, including counselling records. We are not waiting for a year to do anything. The Minister has approval to draft this legislation.”
“It is our intention to legislate, or it is not just our intention in that the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, already has Government approval for the general scheme of the criminal law and civil law (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2025. That is the vehicle through which we intend to address this issue. The Government will not vote down the Deputy's Bill because it is an honest effort to make progress on a very important issue. Therefore, we are saying that the Deputy's Bill will be read today and the Minister's Bill will be brought forward. Let us try to get progress on this on a cross-party basis and work together in this regard. For the record of the House, there was an effort in 2017 to reform the law in this area and put in place a process through which the courts would assess the relevance of counselling record.”
“The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, received Government approval to bring forward legislation in this area last month - in advance of the Deputy's Bill being tabled for discussion in this House - building on the Minister, Deputy McEntee's work to make sure that we rectify the exact issue she rightly highlighted. I too have met victims. I am horrified; how can anyone not shudder when they hear what the Deputy said about the survivor of child abuse and the impact it has had on the survivor in accessing CAMHS. The Deputy is not wrong on this; this is a very serious issue that has a real chilling effect on victims and how our criminal justice system and courts system interact with them.”
“This is a very sensitive issue. I am just making the point that every time Deputy Coppinger stands up it does not have to be a case of the Government being a terrible bunch of people and that she is great. Sometimes, perhaps there are just some issues that are so important that we should actually work together to try to make progress on them. The reason we are delaying the Deputy's Bill, to use her phrase, is not out of disrespect for her Bill; it is actually out of respect for what she is trying to do and in recognition of the fact that we have our own Bill.”
“-----regarding domestic, sexual and gender-based violence than she has. She worked on a cross-party basis at every opportunity to make progress. The Deputy does not need to take my word for that; victims' groups and survivors' groups acknowledge that. I saw it with my own two eyes as well. Not every issue has to be partisan, or Government-----”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger. First, I do not think that is a fair portrayal of the Government's record, Fine Gael's record or the Government's position regarding this issue. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is sitting beside me and I challenge the Deputy to name any Minister who has done more-----”
“That is why the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, became the first Minister of State with responsibility for older people ever, based between the Department of Health and the Department of housing, because we must get this model right. There are also genuine, serious issues of personal accountability. There is no law, ideology or model of care that can excuse away, either in its existence or its absence, the conduct of people who decided to physically manhandle elderly people with dementia. I want them held accountable and the Garda to look at the matter.”
“I agree with Deputy Sherlock's earlier point that there are many good nursing homes in this country. There are many good public nursing homes and many good private nursing homes, big and small, throughout the country. I do not have an ideological view in that regard. I just want older people to have a choice in their care, I want their families to be supported in making those decisions and I want to know, whether it is a public or private nursing home, that everyone is safe and is being treated with dignity. I also believe we should be more ambitious about care in the community and that far too many people in Ireland go into a nursing home far too early. I can think of good examples of where we have housing alternatives in place and home care opportunities, but they are far too rare.”
“There are actions that should have been identified and acted upon at a much earlier stage. Yes, we need to have a much broader discussion about the model of care we have for older people in this country. That work is under way. Of course pay and terms and conditions, just as Deputy Sherlock rightly says are factors in other sectors such as childcare, are factors in this also. We also need to get the legislative basis right. We need the safeguarding legislation. We also need to make sure that HIQA understands its role and has all the tools it needs. I also think we should look at statutory home care as an alternative legal basis for how we care for older people. These are the three areas where I would like to see action shortly.”
“I urge that a referral is made to An Garda Síochána with regard to the footage we saw. What I saw with my own two eyes were haunting scenes of people being, in my view, physically assaulted in their home. The Government has a responsibility to do things absolutely but so too do people who carry out those actions. There is a need for a Garda investigation into what we saw with regard to the individual actions of people in relation to that. HIQA also has questions to answer and I welcome the fact that the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is due to meet it, along with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. HIQA is good organisation in many ways. I have known HIQA for a long time and I think it has done good. There are good people in HIQA. There were serious shortcomings also in this regard and there can be no doubt about that.”
“I want to make the point that we need to get the safeguarding legislation in place. This has been very apparent in what we have seen in recent days with RTÉ's very excellent work. The Minister will bring to Cabinet within the next month the adult safeguarding policy and seek Government permission to draft the safeguarding Bill. We will then work intensively and constructively with Members across the House to get the right piece of legislation passed in a timely manner. This is really important. I have been reflecting on this. I fully accept that people work in very demanding environments but I also believe that what stems from what we have seen in our television screens in recent days are real questions of personal accountability. There are laws in our land today in relation to assault and how we conduct ourselves.”
“I thank Deputy Sherlock for highlighting this really important issue. The short answer is that I believe the State is too reliant on the private market when it comes to nursing home provision. This is why we established a commission of care. We need to look at the entire model of how we care for older people in this country. I also think the fact we have one statutory scheme as to how we care for older people, which is nursing homes, and we do not yet have a statutory scheme for home care, is another issue. I will commit with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to work constructively with Deputy Sherlock and her party on this issue. I will also ask that consideration be given to some of the issues Deputy Sherlock has referenced with regard to the 2022 report.”
“Eoin Ó Broin said he and Deputy Doherty meet them regularly. Sinn Féin is all over the place on housing. Its policy did not work so it does not have a housing policy now. All it has is noise and street activism. We will be taking specific measures to support students; do not worry we will, because we have their backs.”
“Hang on a second. In Donegal today there is no rent pressure zone. In the proposals brought forward by the Minister, Deputy Browne, the rent pressure zones will be extended to Deputy Doherty's constituency and we will bring forward legislation next week to do this. Deputy Doherty did not reference the changes in relation to no-fault evictions. He did not recognise the fact that rent pressure zones were due to expire in December were we not to take these measures.”
“The Government produced a series of measures this week that will extend for the very first time rent pressure zones to the constituency Deputy Doherty represents in Dáil Éireann. Do you not welcome that?”
“It was always the intention that we would bring forward an initial Bill to extend rent pressure zones and then further legislation which we can take the time to tease through in order to get this right in terms of what the new system looks like from March.”
“Therefore, we have taken a balanced approach that supports renters while also providing security, clarity and certainty for those who wish to invest in our country. Of course, this is the latest in a series of announcements to be made, which includes extending planning permissions, expanding exempted developments, extending the role of the Land Development Agency, the new national planning framework to have more zoned land and, very shortly, significant capital investment in water, wastewater and energy so that we can deliver that enabling infrastructure. All these measures need to be looked at in the round to try to get a functioning housing market that can get us to the 300,000 homes we need over the next number of years. The measures in the package we have brought for this week are balanced. I was at the Cabinet meeting this week.”
“It has come up with concerns around how we would actually go about reference rent and the challenges that would pose. Similar challenges were outlined by the ESRI. This is the latest measure to help to support renters. The Deputy is continuing to misinform people. People in rental accommodation watching in today need to know that we have kept the RPZs for them and extended a protection that was due to end. People in the Deputy's county and in other counties who do not have the protection of RPZs need to know that next week we will bring forward legislation to extend those protections. We also have to look at what we can do in regard to supply. The sons and daughters and other people who want to rent need more accommodation to be built.”
“It is important to recognise that the Government proposals did not fall from the sky. They are grounded in the Housing Agency's review of this matter. For those looking in at home, the Housing Agency is the body charged with coming up with ideas and proposals as to how we can accelerate housing supply. That is what it is asked to do. We have published the report of the Housing Agency, which is a detailed document. I am sure Deputy Doherty has had the time to go through it. It outlined a number of findings, including how there has been evidence of meaningful price moderation due to the RPZs. It outlined how institutional investment has reduced considerably since 2023. It has also made a number of recommendations, including based on international literature review.”
“The Government worked intensively to come up with a package that is balanced and provides an extension of the rent pressure zones. Many parts of the Deputy's county - I think the entire county - including Carndonagh, Buncrana, Lifford, Letterkenny, Milford, Glenties and Donegal town are not protected by rent pressure zones as of today. Under our proposal and the emergency legislation that we will bring forward next week, which I heard the Deputy's party leader say she will support, we will extend rent pressure zones to people living in Donegal and other parts of the country, including Carlow, Cavan, parts of Cork, Clare, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and elsewhere. We are extending rent pressure zones nationwide and we are also keeping, for existing tenants, the 2% rate.”
“I join with Deputy Doherty in extending my sympathy to all of those caught up in the very tragic and horrific plane crash this morning. We think of all of them and their families in what is an evolving story with, no doubt, more information to come. I too want to extend my sympathies to the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, on the loss of her mother. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis. We think of her at this time. I thank Deputy Doherty for raising the important issues of rent, renters and housing supply. The Government took a number of decisions this week to extend rental supports and protections. Let us not forget that, prior to that decision, rent pressure zones were due to expire at the end of this year. Rental protections associated with that were due to disappear.”
“However, we expect that, after the brutal murder of Private Seán Rooney, heaven and earth is moved to make sure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice. From my engagement with my Lebanese counterparts, who are new to government, I took that our message is understood and our depth of feeling is shared by them as well. I will be keeping in close contact with them and with our embassy presence in the region. Without wanting to cut across any court proceedings or anything else, there is obviously an obligation on the United Nations as well to support the provision of information in every way possible to the Rooney family. Seán Rooney's family deserve answers and they deserve truth. I will be doing everything I possibly can to make sure we assist and support them in every practical way.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 80 together. The Government remains fully committed to seeking and securing justice for Seán Rooney, his family and for the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who served with him with pride and distinction. During my recent visit to southern Lebanon, I conveyed this in very clear and blunt terms to the new Lebanese Government, its defence minister and its foreign affairs minister. I understand the issues in respect of the separation of powers and the independent judicial system but the Irish people have been long-standing supporters of the people of Lebanon. We are proud to stand by the great people of Lebanon. We are proud to support Lebanon, its security and the very fragile peace there that we wish to uphold.”
“I assure him that seeking external expertise, particularly international experiences and how we can learn from other jurisdictions, is very much under way. I see this very clearly in my own Department with the issue of maritime security. We are looking at what other coastal nations have done and making sure we can learn from best practice.”
“The Deputy is absolutely right. I can assure him that it will be all of those things and it will be multifaceted. Certain Departments have primacy in terms of their direct responsibility for the security of the State and the country. My Department and the Department of justice are obvious ones in that regard. However, all Departments and all agencies have a role to play. That is why I think it is so appropriate that this work is co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, the ministerial council on national security is chaired by the Taoiseach and the national security secretariat resides within the Department of the Taoiseach. That convening role and ability to pull everybody together on this is both welcome and necessary. I will seek a note for the Deputy on this.”
“As someone who has been in government for quite a long time now, I am really encouraged by the level of co-ordination we are seeing, the structures that are being put in place and the breaking down of silos, real and perceived. Today we are moving ahead with the national maritime security strategy, which is another piece. This recognises that Ireland is a small country geographically speaking in terms of land mass, but it has a vast ocean and has undersea cables and the like that need to be protected. Yes, we have a lot of work to do on this but we have strong foundations and we need to build on them in the time ahead. We will do so with the ministerial council on national security and our new national security strategy.”
“I agree with everything the Deputy has said. We face multiple and varied threats. This is not just Ireland but all other European countries as well. I was cheering inside when the Deputy said that neutrality cannot be used as an excuse for complacency. We all value military neutrality but sometimes when defence and security are mentioned in here, questions are raised about military neutrality. In fact, being militarily non-aligned and neutral, if anything, places a greater obligation on us to take our own defence and security seriously, because we are not in a military alliance that would allow us to rely on others to do so. That is why we have to step up spending on defence and security and also on justice and the infrastructure required by An Garda Síochána.”
“The preparation of that strategy is being co-ordinated by the national security secretariat in the Department of the Taoiseach, with inputs provided by a range of relevant stakeholders, including both my Departments; the Department of justice; the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; our Defence Forces; the Garda; and the National Cyber Security Centre. The preparation of a draft strategy covers a broad range of national security issues and it will include the implications of more recent security, defence and international developments and their related impacts, including the implementation of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The timeline is a matter for the Department of the Taoiseach, but I expect it to be later this year.”
“The ministerial council will ensure that at the highest level there is a structured, ongoing review of our strategic national security interests and systematised monitoring of progress with delivery on the Government's commitments in this area, including the delivery of our new national security strategy. Our national security strategy will reflect the changing geopolitical landscape, notably the altered security situation in Europe, and will ensure a whole-of-government approach to defence and deterrence.”
“All are pieces of a puzzle with a view to enhancing further our national security. The Taoiseach recently established the ministerial national security council, to which the Deputy alluded. As Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence, I and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration are also members of that council. Both the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have current roles and responsibilities relating to national security, including the fact that the Secretary General of the Department of Defence and the Chief of Staff are members of the National Security Committee and will attend meetings of the newly established ministerial security council.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for the question. As he rightly says, our programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments relating to national security. It is probably the most robust programme for Government in terms of national security and the focus, quite rightly, on security and security defence infrastructure. It acknowledges that this is a time of geopolitical upheaval and challenges to democracy internationally, with threats and challenges arising from the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape across the world. In this context, our Government will bring forward a number of measures relating to justice, defence, cybersecurity and central co-ordination, a review of our existing structures and a national security strategy.”
“I agree with the point Deputy Smith makes about the need for that kind of structural, strategic look at those key pinch points, those personnel, and I take the point he makes about commercial activity. To Deputy Crowe's point, without over-commenting on it for a load of operational and security reasons, there are workarounds in place to ensure support for the Garda in terms of the Garda air support unit and our air ambulance situation. I assure the House that contingency planning is in place in this regard. The Government was asked by our military leadership to do something this week, that is, to provide the service commitment scheme. I was told that if we did, it would be quite impactful in getting the hours back up and running to where they need to be.”
“It raises a broader issue of those pinch points where there are specialist personnel who are significantly qualified, very happy to join the Air Corps and very proud to serve, but after a number of years other opportunities present themselves and, as per human nature, people will be attracted to them too. We will have to do a deep dive rather than play whack-a-mole such that it is this today and that tomorrow in terms of those pinch points around specialist personnel. I am considering bringing in external expertise to advise in that regard.”
“I will not get into the specifics around any individual commercial enterprise other than to say it is factually true to say there has been an increase in commercial activity in this area even since the 2021 report was carried out. We are operating in an environment where we have a global shortage of air traffic controllers and increased commercial competition for air traffic controllers. Those two factors were decisive in saying we need to go ahead with the service commitment scheme in the here and now to make sure that working in the Air Corps, as well as being a huge commitment to the security of our State and public service, is sustainable for people who have families, mortgages and lives like everybody else. We had an earlier question from Deputy Crowe on this.”
“Yes and yes. Yes, the plan is to get the service back up and running on a 24-7 basis as quickly as possible. The exact timeline for that, to be blunt, depends on the individual conversations the Air Corps leadership is having with individual people in terms of air traffic control. Those conversations are under way and I am hoping for a readout with an update on that very shortly. There are provisions in place to ensure the continuance of the emergency air ambulance, which I think is based in Athlone, generally. I do not want to be pedantic because the service is not operating at full capacity in terms of hours, but it is operating from eight to eight as opposed to nine to five. Those are the current operational hours, with contingency arrangements in place outside of those hours as well. Deputy Smith is correct.”
“All of these individual actions are now in train and are aimed at ensuring that both existing personnel and those known to be considering leaving the service are actively incentivised to remain. These actions build on other specific measures that have already been initiated as regards recruitment. It is important now that we see that action. It is unusual - and I hope this shows the sense of urgency we are attaching to this - to take these steps outside of a pay process or outside of local bargaining. Local bargaining was the route through which I think the Government and others would have originally envisaged these matters being considered. The fact that we have separated this from local bargaining highlights the critical nature of getting this matter resolved.”
“This is just one of a number of things that need to happen because I think - and certainly hope - it will get us to a much better place. I hope it gets us to that place relatively rapidly. There are clearly other things that need to happen, many of which are on the operational side as well. I have said very clearly to the leadership of the Defence Forces and my own leadership that we need to see a rolling series of updates on what they are doing in implementing the various recommendations. We have, as I said, introduced a service commitment scheme for air traffic control personnel. We have approved new promotion opportunities within the service. We are also open to the outsourcing of aspects of training provided.”
“A request was made when I brought together the Chief of Staff, the head of the Air Corps and others that one of the practical measures the Government could take is to immediately introduce the service commitment scheme. There was a view, I think it is fair to say, from military leadership that this would be a significant and helpful step in ensuring the retention of people in the here and now to get the service back up and running to the 24-7 service that it needs. We took that decision on Tuesday at Cabinet. It is now a Government decision and it has been made. I have conveyed it to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and they can now, I say respectfully, get on with it in terms of engaging with any individuals who may benefit. I know it is something that is recognised as significant by the Air Corps.”