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 join the Deputy in absolutely condemning Hamas and Hezbollah, which offer no future positivity to the people of Palestine. That is not just my view on that; the President of the Palestinian Authority has been clear that the future of Gaza needs to be a Hamas-free future. I am also Minister for Defence. I have seen the utter destruction and death Hezbollah can bring to members of the Irish Defence Forces, and I think of Private Seán Rooney.”
“We need clear actions outlining who will be responsible and when they will be delivered. We also have a chance, through the national development plan review, to invest a lot more in the enablers to scale up housing particularly regarding water, wastewater and energy.”
“The Deputy is right to highlight housing, which is the biggest domestic challenge we face. There are many young people, both here in Ireland and Irish young people abroad, who want to see and need to see more progress made on housing. I would point out some progress has been made. The Deputy quotes headline figures which are perfectly acceptable to quote. However, of course we have put in place a number of schemes like help to buy and the first home scheme that make a real meaningful difference in the amount of money that somebody actually has to come up with versus the headline price. However, let me be clear, we have to do a lot more. Between now and July we will deliver a new housing action plan. I say the word "action" because we do not need to big, long, wishy-washy document.”
“On top of that, we have broader migration trends. Having said that, in this Government with its renewed mandate, we need to try to move beyond that emergency, build on the good positive pillars of work put in by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, working at a European level, using chartered planes for deportation where appropriate and giving people faster decisions on the right to be here, now having a Minister of State, my colleague, Deputy Brophy, in the Department of Justice, working with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. This will be an important area of priority for the Government in trying to show a way forward with a greater reliance on State facilities rather than taking facilities like hotels that may have been commercial or valuable to a community.”
“I accept the challenge that Government must always do more on communication and talking to communities because if we do not, misinformation and disinformation spreads mostly by elements of the far right who come to our communities, spread their lies, spread their fear and sow division. We have all seen that happen. I, as a centrist politician, have always believed that the centre must get involved in the migration debate because otherwise we leave a vacuum that is filled often by the far right with misinformation. We have been dealing with an emergency situation with a war on the Continent of Europe in Ukraine. We have been trying to provide assistance to more than 100,000 people from Ukraine who have come here at various stages and have been welcome as they are fleeing war and fighting for democracy and freedom back in Ukraine.”
“Government is making a number of efforts in line with the programme for Government to try to accelerate delivery particularly in the area of infrastructure. That new infrastructure delivery unit along with the new housing activation office are two practical examples of how we move forward. In the brief time available to me, I want to reference the child poverty unit, a crosscutting unit that enables us to look at the issue of child poverty and recognise it does not fall into any one Department but many Departments and many State agencies pulling together.”
“I give the one example of infrastructure delivery, which I know is an important issue in Meath and across the country. Setting up a new unit in the Department of public expenditure and reform to drive infrastructure delivery will be really important. For similar reasons the housing activation office is also important. As I said earlier, we cannot get into "pen pals international" where State agencies just keep writing letters to each other. We need to second people from the ESB, Irish Water and the local authorities, and get them around the table together in a housing activation unit and ask, "How can we get that site over there which could have homes for young people who want to get out of the boxroom?" How can we get those homes built and build them more quickly?”
“At the same time, we have to know that there are rules, that the rules are applied and that systems are efficient. Deportation is a part of any system. If somebody does not have a right to be here, they need to be asked to leave in the first instance and they have to leave. That is an important part of the integrity of any migration system. The Deputy's broader point is a good one. With so many crises and challenges that face our world, including our country today, not working in silos is really important. Not just this Government, but governments in general are designed with the department of this and the department of that and everybody works in their own way. We have been working very hard to try to breakdown those silos and see how Government can collaborate more across important thematic areas.”
“Even though I can point to the fact that I am proud of a lot of the work this country did - I do not mean the Government, but the people of Ireland, including clinicians - of course we always have to better prepare, evaluate and be best prepared for the next pandemic. That can only be a good thing. On the Deputy's comments on migration, I always say and I believe that we need a fair and firm system. The Irish people are fair and want to be compassionate. We know the benefits of migration. This country is better as a result of immigration. The Deputy referenced hospital waiting lists. I shudder to think how high they would be if we did not have so many people coming from abroad, working in our health service, including in our hospitals. The same is true right across the economy and I know the Deputy knows that too.”
“I thank the Deputy for her question. Her taking us through that is a reminder of the scale of challenge and crises that not just Ireland but the world has gone through. If any one of these things had happened in somebody's lifetime in the past, it would have been viewed as extraordinary. We have had financial crises, the global pandemic, the impact of Brexit on our country, very significant migration flows and, of course, war on the Continent of Europe again. We are living through truly extraordinary times which, of course, brings challenge. I also welcome that we have an independent Covid evaluation which is very important.”
“Pardon the pun. Not only is this children's hospital not the most expensive in the world, as the Deputy has said in the past, but it is not even the most expensive children's hospital being built on the island of Ireland per square metre according to the budget office of this Parliament.”
“I will just point out first of all that the Deputy is very well paid himself. This country spends roughly €110 billion on its annual budget. We made a decision to invest €2.2 billion over several years in a project that will transform children's health and deliver a world-class children's hospital that will not just serve people for the lifetime of this Dáil, the next Dáil and the one after that. Long after we are all dead and buried and gone from this Earth, children will still be being served in that hospital. This is a major transformational investment decision. Yes, we all know it costs more than expected. We all know that. It is absolutely crystal clear. We have been through that not just in this election but in the one before that as well. Now it is about getting on with the job of actually transforming children's healthcare.”
“We have also set up an infrastructure division in the Department of public expenditure and reform. It is very easy to sit over there and just have to stand up and correct everybody else's homework. It is much harder to come to work, roll up your sleeves and actually deliver for the people of this country.”
“We are going to be responsible for making sure that parents who slept on cold, hard floors in Crumlin hospital last night can have bed facilities. We are going to be responsible for children having single ensuite rooms. We are going to be responsible for providing a health service that will have more theatres than ever before, will have open spaces for our children, will have improved medical outcomes and will tackle waiting lists. Nobody gets everything right in politics. Many lessons have been learned. Before the Deputy asks me what that means, I will tell him. We did the PwC report. It looked at all the options and recommended that continuing and proceeding was the best option. We have brought in several changes in how we deal with capital projects since then.”
“I am going to tell the Deputy what it means. Calm down. He asked his question and I get an opportunity to answer it. It is how this place works. The Deputy asked a question about the children's hospital. I am responsible, of course. I am responsible for bringing the proposal to the Cabinet and for recommending that we proceed. The easiest thing to do in politics if you do not want to ever get into any challenging situation is to never make a decision. Does the Deputy know what else I am going to be responsible for, along with my colleagues in Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents, as well as those who served in government in the intervening period? We are going to be responsible for a world-class facility. We are going to be responsible for transforming children's healthcare.”
“Does Deputy Tóibín know why I am in my job? It is because we had an election and I got elected. Some 458,000 people gave their first preference votes to my party. An overwhelming majority of people gave votes to the parties and Independent Deputies who make up this Government. It is called a democracy. Aontú ran and got two seats. Congratulations. The Deputy does not lecture me and does not hire me, thank you very much. I answer to the people of Wicklow. They elected me with one of the highest votes in the country, so do not give me any of that sanctimonious nonsense. We all have a mandate in this House. We had a general election. The Deputy rehearsed his lines that he must practise in front of the mirror every morning. People went out and gave their verdict, and we are in the Government. We are getting on with the business, and yes-----”
“I assure the Deputy of my ongoing personal interest, that of the Minister, Deputy Foley, and that of the Government more widely.”
“I take the Deputy's point and his position with regard to the broader mica scheme and whether it can be changed. The Deputy knows the programme for Government includes a commitment to review it. The Deputy may correct me if I am wrong, but my sense of it when I meet playgroups and others affected is that they just want a solution. They are understandably less fussed on how that solution comes about, but want to know that there is a way for them to continue to provide the very excellent service that they do. What I want to echo and repeat in this House today is that the Government is committed to working constructively with them and others to try to find that way forward, through the childcare committee and Pobal in the first instance.”
“I believe Donegal County Childcare Committee is also exploring the potential cost of securing another building on behalf of the service. I am told that Pobal and the Donegal County Childcare Committee will support the board to decide on the strategy for the next 12 months. I know everybody in the Government wants to find a way forward. I am conscious that I have mentioned Raphoe, but it is not the only playgroup affected. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and all of us across government will work constructively with the Deputy to try to find a pathway forward.”
“On 25 March, Pobal, which administers that, was included on an email from the Raphoe Community Playgroup seeking further support, further sustainability funding and a written strategy of options on a plan of support going forward. It also raised the fear that the playgroup could need to close. A meeting was set up on 9 April between that service, Donegal County Childcare Committee and Pobal. At the end of the meeting, Pobal clarified that no decisions had been made on the building grants capital grant application, although it clarified the eligibility. Following on from that meeting, a steering group, comprising Pobal, Donegal County Childcare Committee and the service is to be convened. Pobal is now looking at further sustainability support options, and will bring forward proposals.”
“I am pleased to say that we provided some sustainability funding from strand 1 to try to help with the rental costs up to May 2025. I believe Raphoe Community Playgroup is currently providing service to approximately 22 children from this site and to 14 children in the prefab. I know, it knows and it tells me that the Volt House site is suboptimal as a permanent solution because the service has to operate as a pack-away service. I can only imagine the huge challenge in putting the equipment into storage at the end of every day and back out again the next day. The Deputy is right. In early 2025, Raphoe Community Playgroup did apply for building blocks capital funding.”
“Initially it was felt that the building would need underpinning rather than demolition, but by the end of February 2024 there had been significant further deterioration. There was a follow-up visit in March 2024, and the architect advised that the building would be unsafe to use past June, as the Deputy knows, and should be demolished. I commend the playgroup, by the way, because it has been extraordinarily proactive. I really have to acknowledge that because I have had quite a few dealings with it. It went on and identified a local building - I think it is called Volt House - to use temporarily for service provision, together with an existing prefab on its own site that is, thankfully, unaffected by mica. Renovations took place at both locations.”
“I thank Deputy Ward for raising this matter. I had the pleasure of meeting the Raphoe Community Playgroup during a relatively recent visit to Donegal. It keeps in touch with me directly, as I know it does with Oireachtas Members from Donegal. I see the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, in the Chamber as well. I know it also keeps in contact with the Taoiseach, the Minister for children and the children's ombudsman. I appreciate the Deputy referred to more than the Raphoe Community Playgroup, but I may use it as an example of the broader issue because it is one with which I am a little bit more familiar. A building inspection was carried out in Raphoe in autumn 2023 which revealed that mica was present in the foundations of the building.”
“What I did say, and I mean it sincerely, is that I will engage constructively with the Labour Party on the proposals it is bringing forward - the earlier the better - as I know it will. I will also meet today with Senator Frances Black in terms of our own proposals to bring forward legislation regarding the occupied Palestinian territory. I hope to be in a position to update the Government and this House on that next week.”
“The Deputy is right; this is genocidal activity. There are no two ways about it. The Israeli Government is rather upfront and blunt in outlining its military and political objectives for Gaza, which are abhorrent and clear breaches of international law. As I have been saying, and as I want to continue to say, the Irish people have, through their taxes, sent a significant amount of aid to the people of Palestine. That aid has been effectively, not to be flippant, parked in Jordan for the last four months. It is enough food for 6,000 Palestinian people. That is only a number of trucks out of the overall international contribution to this - all sitting there. There is only one reason and one reason alone that food cannot get in today, namely, the decision of the Israeli Government. We need to take more action.”
“I am very happy to keep in close contact with the Deputy and with this House because I recognise there is significant public interest and public concern in relation to this.”
“Officials from my Department are liaising with the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice, and the US authorities. I am concerned about some of the aggressive migration policy we see being pursued in the United States of America. In the first instance, it is not for us to determine the legality of the US Administration's actions in relation to its courts. It is for the US Administration to answer. In the same way, if we had a deportation flight landing in another country, there would be a presumption that those on the flight were lawfully detained. I am trying to piece together here information that is coming at us, in the first instance through US media, and the decision of the US courts.”
“I am conscious that this is the Dáil and I want to provide accurate information as I have it. It is very much an evolving situation because I am aware of media reports that suggest a US flight on 21 May landed in Shannon. This was a civil aircraft and as such no diplomatic clearance would have been sought or would have been required. The regulation of civil aircraft and flights is a matter for the Department of Transport. This morning I spoke to the Minister for Transport in relation to this. I have also spoken to my Department. As the Deputy and the House will be aware, diplomatic clearance to overfly or land in the State is required from my Department for any military and state aircraft but not for civil aircraft. What is most important is that we now have full clarity on what may or may not have taken place.”
“I thank the Deputy for her comments about our people, our diplomats, in Ramallah in our Palestinian mission. I was pleased to speak with the head of the Irish mission to Palestine yesterday, Feilim McLaughlin. He and his deputy were present in Jenin outside the refugee camp when the Israel Defense Forces appallingly fired what it described as warning shots in their direction, or over their heads specifically. This is the latest in a long line of intimidatory action by the Israel Defense Forces directed at diplomats or at our peacekeepers in Lebanon. We have conveyed our views in the strongest possible terms to Israel, as has the European Union, through the ambassador to Ireland. Deputy Bacik raised a specific issue on the deportation flight landing in Shannon Airport.”
“I very much appreciate that events have overtaken us. First, I join with the Deputy in acknowledging that it is the tenth anniversary of marriage equality today. I acknowledge the pretty significant role the Deputy's party played in this. I enjoyed being in government with the Labour Party during that period when we put this referendum to the people of Ireland and became the first country in the world where, by popular democratic vote, we voted overwhelmingly to recognise that love is love. I recognise, as Deputy Bacik does, that on this day there is still more work to do. In fact, as we have seen in recent times progress can go backwards. It is very important in 2025 that we continue to speak up for our values and the values of the Irish people on equality and inclusion. I just wanted to acknowledge that too.”
“They are not my words; they are the words of the Parliamentary Budget Office in the Oireachtas. That office has looked at the hospital Sinn Féin is presiding over in the North and the hospital we are presiding over here and it found that Sinn Féin's is more expensive than the one we are delivering.”
“Not only was the contract signed with BAM, do you know what happened then? It pulled out. As a result, Sinn Féin has further compounded the delays to the delivery of the project. Not only that but the children's hospital that it is delivering in Northern Ireland and that Sinn Féin's First Minister and vice president welcomed is more expensive per square metre than the children's hospital we are delivering in this jurisdiction.”
“The sheer hypocrisy of the Deputy. It was only in March of this year that the First Minister of Northern Ireland, who is the Deputy's party's vice president, said that she was delighted that £671 million would be spent on a state-of-the-art children's hospital at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital. Ladies and gentlemen, who was that contract with? Does anyone know? It was BAM: the same developer building the hospital in this jurisdiction.”
“I guarantee the Deputy that when this hospital is open - the Committee of Public Accounts was told today that it is due to be completed by September and to start treating patients in 2026 - it will transform children's lives. When we live in a country that is spending around €110 billion in an annual budget each and every year, investing just over €2 billion over a number of years for a hospital that will serve children well into the next century is a good and an appropriate thing to do. It will make a very significant difference to children's health services in this country.”
“The hospital will have 6,150 rooms and is located on 12 acres. This will be state of the art. I am pleased to say the hospital's elevated helipad is complete. This will be shared with St. James's Hospital and will offer rapid, safe access to key areas including critical care, theatres and the emergency department. Everything the Deputy raises in this House, and that all of us in this House raise, demonstrates the necessity for this hospital. We know it cost more than originally intended. That is true. However, the Deputy has been covering finance for his party for a hell of a long time, so he will know that we have significantly changed the approach we take to the delivery of infrastructure. He will know of changes we have made only in recent weeks as to the role of the Department of public expenditure and reform.”
“The facility at Connolly Hospital has now hit a milestone with 100,000 children having been treated there. Sometimes when people speak of this project, you would swear nothing has happened. However, 100,000 children have already benefited from having the Connolly Hospital element alone open. It is a world-class project of massive scale with an internal street the length of Grafton Street, 4 acres of open space and a massive increase in theatre capacity. It involves many of the things we discuss in this House with a view to making more progress on children's waiting times. It will have 22 operating theatres and procedure rooms and will provide every child and parent with a single en suite room. The days of parents having to sleep on hard floors at night as their children spend weeks, if not months, in hospital are coming to an end.”
“The commissioning work is able to start alongside it. That is a practical and appropriate thing to do so that we can get this hospital open and so that access can be granted on a phased basis as parts are fully completed. That is good. It is urgent. Children and parents need it. I am assured that the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, CHI and BAM are engaged on achieving this. Let us not lose sight of the facts. Within the overall budget for this hospital, a budget that has not changed from the €2.2 billion the Deputy asked about earlier, two satellite centres are already open. These centres, at Tallaght hospital and Connolly Hospital, are part of that overall budget, the overall envelope for the children's hospital project. They are complete and open.”
“Everybody in this House wants to make progress on children's disability services, assessments of need and access to therapies. My colleagues the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister, Deputy Foley, have the full support of the Government. I hope we can all work in a cross-party way to make the progress we really need to make in respect of children's disability services. I thank Deputy Doherty for raising the issue of the national children's hospital. The reality is that the hospital is now almost complete from a construction point of view. It is well over 95% complete and the technical commissioning is now under way. We are moving towards a twin track, where Children's Health Ireland has early access to the hospital. It is not a question of waiting for every single last bit of construction to be completed.”
“I will begin today by condemning the senseless antisemitic murder of Yaron and Sarah overnight. These were two young diplomats in Washington DC who were killed in the prime of their lives. They were a young couple, soon to be engaged. I think of them and their families, to whom I send our sympathies. I also think of all those present at the Jewish museum in Washington DC last night, who include one of our own young diplomats. Antisemitism is a disgusting, despicable and vile scourge and we should condemn it at each and every opportunity. I join with Deputy Doherty in welcoming Cara back to the Gallery of the Dáil. I look forward to working with her. I assure her that there is no tribal division here between the Opposition and the Government.”
“We will continue to urge the international community to vindicate our collective responsibility to stand up for the supremacy of human rights always.”
“We will provide financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority. We will bring forward our own legislation on the occupied Palestinian territories. We will seek a suspension of the association agreement between the EU and Israel. We will work at the International Court of Justice. We will support UNRWA when others turn their back on the organisation. We will do everything we possibly can to let the Palestinian people know that they are seen, that they are heard and that they are not forgotten. We will continue to represent the convictions of the people of this country and the democratic values on which this State was built. We will continue to fight for peace and for an end to the barbaric cruelty being endured by the people of Gaza at the hands of an Israeli Government engaged in war crimes.”
“In addition to this unprecedented level of activity by Ireland at the International Court of Justice, Ireland continues to press for action at EU level in light of the ICJ’s advisory opinion, including at all our interventions at the Foreign Affairs Council and by the Taoiseach at the European Council. This is just a summary of the practical actions Ireland is taking in response to this most horrific situation, but we must and will do more. Until hunger in Gaza is consigned to memory, until all remaining hostages are back with their families, until hospitals and schools in Gaza are functioning, until the hopes of Palestinian children turn into their realities and until we see two states - Israel and Palestine - coexisting in peace and security, Ireland will double down. We will not rest.”
“While Ireland’s submissions have been published by the court, and I encourage colleagues to read them, I would like to briefly update the House on the legal arguments made in our detailed written statement, which was prepared by my Department in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. We argue Israel is legally required, under international humanitarian law and as a member of the United Nations, to co-operate with and facilitate relevant UN agencies and programmes in the provision of essential humanitarian assistance and services to the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied territories, in particular those of UNRWA, as a subsidiary organ of the UN.”
“A declaration of intervention was also filed in Gambia's case against Myanmar on 20 December 2024. The purpose of both interventions is for Ireland to set out the factors it considers relevant in assessing whether a state is fulfilling its obligations under the Genocide Convention. On 28 February this year Ireland filed a detailed written submission with the ICJ in advisory proceedings concerning the obligations of Israel in relation to the UN and other international organisations, as well as states, in the occupied Palestinian territories. These proceedings arose from a UN General Assembly resolution Ireland co-sponsored in December 2024 following the adoption in October 2024 of legislation by the Israeli Parliament which, in effect, prohibits the presence and activities of UNRWA.”
“We have stressed the universal applicability of international law, including humanitarian law. This commitment has been backed by focused action at bilateral and multilateral level and in international legal proceedings. In 2023 and 2024, Ireland participated in advisory proceedings at the International Court of Justice concerning the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. The court’s advisory opinion in that case largely confirmed Ireland’s legal analysis, as outlined in our submissions to the court, that Israel’s settlement and related policies in the occupied Palestinian territory amount to illegal annexation. On 6 January, Ireland filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ under the Genocide Convention.”
“The Government’s analysis was that substantive amendments would be required to most, if not all, of the Bill’s provisions in order to bring it in line with our Constitution and to reduce the risk of EU infringement procedures. We want a Bill that will withstand the test of legal challenge. We want a Bill that will make impact. The programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to progress legislation in relation to the occupied Palestinian territory and aligned with the July 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion. As I said earlier, we now intend to advance this commitment. Respect for international law is at the core of Ireland’s foreign policy. Ireland has consistently stated this and consistently called on Israel to comply with international law. International law must apply to all countries.”
“We strongly support the sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence and we continue to call for the imposition of further EU sanctions. What is happening in Gaza and in the West Bank should not be taken in isolation. This is meticulously planned Israeli Government policy. It is illegal. It is unconscionable. It is inhuman. This brings me back to the issue of settlement trade. The Government’s position, and indeed that of the EU, is clear, namely, settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the realisation of the two-state solution. As this House will be aware, the Government carried out an extensive analysis and review of the occupied territories Bill late last year.”
“Ireland, the EU and international partners have been clear that there can be no forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza, nor any occupation of the strip by Israel. However, first we need a ceasefire and a permanent cessation of the hostilities. While the focus of this debate is on Gaza we cannot lose sight of the situation unfolding in the West Bank, where Israel is conducting its single largest operation in 20 years. At least 40,000 people have been displaced since January. Combined with unprecedented levels of violence and record levels of settlement construction, there is a huge risk of further destabilisation. Ireland is strongly opposed to Israel’s settlement policy and activities, including in and around East Jerusalem. This is a point I raised directly with Israel at the association council.”
“Together with a number of other donors, we also support the Palestinian Authority’s ministry for education to strengthen the education system and help to ensure more children can access education. Ireland welcomed the recent agreement among Arab countries on a joint plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. We must continue to work towards this aim. Ireland has consistently stressed that the governance of Gaza must involve the Palestinian Authority. There can be and will be no role for Hamas, which offers the people of Gaza no future. The Arab-led plan provides that Palestinian ownership must be a guiding principle in reconstruction efforts and that the right of Palestinians to remain on their own land must be upheld.”
“This dialogue provided an opportunity for the first time for the EU to engage at this level with the Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, whom I met last February in Munich. At that meeting we took concrete actions to financially support the Palestinian Authority and we commend the progress it is making in what is an extremely challenging environment. Ireland maintains strong channels of communication with the Palestinian Authority, including through our mission in Ramallah and the Palestinian Embassy in Dublin. As well as providing funding to the authority through the EU, Ireland also provides practical support to the Palestinian Authority on the ground, including in institutional capacity-building.”