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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“The planning permission on that was due to expire in December 2022, and it was anticipated that an application to extend the duration could be submitted but then there were changes to the Planning and Development Act, and therefore they had to basically submit a new application. That is the history; everybody knows it but it is just important to say it. A new grant of planning permission was received in December 2023. There were a number of conditions attached to that. Decarbonisation measures were included in a revised project scope, and a design team is finalising the tender documents in line with revised technical guidance issued by the Minister, Deputy McEntee's Department. The Department of Education remains in very close contact with the design team and with the patron throughout the process.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I thank Deputy Heneghan for the question and for raising these two issues regarding the Irish language, particularly the school in his constituency, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, and also Foras na Gaeilge and its funding. Let me address both of them. I hear and understand the Deputy's frustration but as he knows, this school is going to be a very large-scale capital project. The aim is to include the provision of a new 600-pupil school building, including all the associated ancillary accommodation. My understanding is that the project was originally authorised to proceed to tender upon completion of the pre-qualification shortlisting in September 2022.”
“To be honest, when it comes to climate, there is not much low-hanging fruit. There is a climate emergency. The planet is on fire and we are trying to take pragmatic, practical measures to help to move the dial in respect of the changes we need to make in Ireland.”
“I often say that we need more common sense in our politics. The problem is that common sense is a subjective concept. There is common sense in collecting revenue through a carbon tax and in specifically doing what we have committed to in our programme for Government. In a very honest and an upfront way, the programme for Government states that we are going to continue to use carbon tax revenues to fund: social welfare measures for those most in need; agri-environmental schemes to help our farmers - rather than lecturing or talking down to them - in terms of the adaptations they need to make to continue to produce some of the best food produce in the world; and retrofitting, in order to help make peoples' homes more environmentally friendly, warm and cheaper to heat. That is where we are trying to get to.”
“We use climate tax as one of a number of measures to try to get Ireland to where it needs to be in relation to climate action.”
“We are trying to make sure that there is fairness to this. One example in this regard relates to the Department of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, where a great deal of the money being used to fund the expansion of the fuel allowance comes from carbon tax. Sometimes, people wonder where the money they pay in carbon tax goes. It is bring used to try to ensure that those most in need of keeping warm - thankfully, we are having a nice day today - can do so. It is about also making sure from a climate point of view that we make it easier for people to meet the cost of retrofitting their homes. We have a fundamental policy disagreement on this, and I recognise that upfront. The Government has been very clear in relation to the Climate Change Advisory Council recommendation and the recommendations of the scientific experts who feed into it.”
“However, it is important that we empower local authorities to deal with local roads. They sometimes have the necessary degree of local knowledge that allows them to recognise which roads are safe and can have a positive input. In the context of carbon tax, we in this country have to be very honest about the climate debate. We have a huge amount of work to do to get both our country and Europe to where they need to be when it comes to climate action. One small part of the overall work that needs to be done relates to carbon tax and what that revenue raised by means of this tax is used for. The Deputy contacts Ministers on behalf of his constituents in Limerick asking about the fuel allowance and retrofitting. I am pleased to say that much of the money that is collected through the carbon tax is now going back into those areas.”
“I thank the Deputy. I was taking in a lot of figures there; I appreciate that the Deputy has done a lot of work on this. The purpose of the Deputy's question is largely around the issue of carbon tax. On the issue of speed limits, it is about trying to get it right. It is about recognising - we all share this view - that far too many people die on Irish roads. Being very honest, the progress we had made is now at best stalled; in recent years, we have gone backwards. We all know and think about far too many tables that have empty seats around them. The speed limit issue is about trying to get that right, because speed kills. As a politician, I like to rely on the expert advice and input of the likes of the Road Safety Authority in terms of how we get this right.”
“We have taken measures in relation to hot school meals, school books, reducing college fees and, crucially, we have done something really important, that is, we have created jobs, providing people with employment across the length and breadth of this country. That should never be taken for granted.”
“We support young people in so many ways. I found myself having to shout at the radio the other day about broken promises in relation to statutory sick pay. Read the Fine Gael manifesto. We were very clear during the general election in relation to five days of statutory sick pay. It is there; it is in black and white. We made it clear to people. There was no statutory sick pay scheme two years ago. There is now. There will be auto-enrolment in terms of pension provision from next January, thanks to the work of this Government. We are moving towards a living wage. We have the second-highest minimum wage in Europe. It has risen by more than 33% over the past five years. We are reducing childcare costs.”
“It is not that anybody is breaching the minimum wage; it is that we have a tiered system of minimum wage in this country. The Deputy and I have different views on that but people are following the minimum wage. It is just tiered and applies differently to different people in different age brackets. That is the system that we have had in place. After the Deputy goes into that café and outlines his view to the café owner and goes back to his job as a TD, the café owner is left having to pay the bill and having to think about how they are going to keep the doors open and continue.”
“However, he has also outlined very honestly, as he should, that he is trying to get a balance right to make sure that young people throughout Ireland have access to employment, and that the companies and businesses they are working in can keep their own doors open. Of course, we will continue to keep these issues under review. There are many ways we are helping young people with their own cost of living, with their educational opportunities, with the reduction in college fees and the like. We want to continue on that positive trajectory.”
“I accept this was not always the case in recent years with very high inflation but we are back now, thankfully, in a position where wage growth is exceeding inflation and exceeding it effectively. In other words, the extra money people are getting in wages is now outstripping any increases in the cost of living. It is wrong to say the Dáil voted for this. The Dáil allowed a timed amendment for a Bill to progress on Second Stage. To people who follow these matters, that is not the same as saying the Dáil passed a law in relation to this. There is no suppression of a decision in relation to that. The Minister has outlined the process he is taking.”
“When you talk to an employer one of the reasons they will cite is the fact of trying to keep down the cost. One of the things that the Government is collectively doing across parties and across the Independents, with the Minister, Deputy Burke, is looking at the whole issue of how we can help businesses with the cost of doing business. That is against a backdrop not of wage suppression, which the Deputy referenced but is simply not the case, but of a minimum wage that is increasing year on year and that will increase again no doubt in the year ahead and years ahead, and that has increased by 33% over the past five years. It is now the second-highest minimum wage rate in Europe.”
“We have to work day in, day out to make sure that businesses remain viable. I do not know whether the Deputy was directly quoting people but language about sweeties and all that sort of stuff is just utterly offensive to young people who work bloody hard and play a very good role in so many parts of our economy. I also know that many of the businesses they disproportionately work in, often part time, often during college and the likes, are businesses that are to the pin of their collar in trying to keep the doors open. I challenge the Deputy to call into a café, hotel or restaurant in his constituency, as I am sure he does. I am sure he will hear from them the challenges they face in meeting the pay bill. I am sure he will see in cafés throughout the country, as I do sometimes, reduced opening hours.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy. I do not believe anybody can credibly suggest that this Government is anti-worker. In fact, there are many more workers in this country as a result of this Government's and successive governments' efforts to create jobs in every town, village and city throughout our island. To have workers, you need to have jobs. There are many more people in employment. Many of us remember days in this House where the biggest challenge being raised on Leaders' Questions and at every other opportunity was that people could not get a job in Ireland. There were very high unemployment rates. We have worked extremely hard to get to a much better place, to get to a place of effective full employment. That is something we should never take for granted. We cannot be complacent about that.”
“It has been - not by the Deputy - sometimes misrepresented or discussed in recent days as though the minimum wage will not continue to rise or that the journey towards the living wage will not continue; it will. We will continue to see the minimum wage increases. At present, we have wage growth in Ireland of approximately 3.5% to 4% and inflation at approximately 1.7%. We are back seeing real wage growths and people's incomes going back up. We are now also trying to help in other ways. Hot school meals and free school books are of course benefiting everybody but also our low paid workers. We will continue our positive agenda in this regard.”
“I assure Deputy Bacik the Government is unified in wanting to support our workers and economy and wanting to protect their jobs too. I agree low paid workers and workers in this country are certainly not responsible for the many turbulent challenges the global economy faces and the impact that may have on Ireland. We are very lucky to live in a country where our union movement was very constructive in its engagement, even during the darkest days of the financial crisis. I acknowledge that on International Workers' Day. It does not mean we always agree with them or they agree with us - I do not want to kill their street credit - but it is important we have that constructive engagement and I acknowledge that. On the living wage, this was about trying to calibrate it correctly.”
“It is chaired by the Taoiseach and is attended by myself, the Ministers for Finance, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Social Protection and other relevant Ministers, to tease through in a collaborative way a range of issues that relate to our economy, enterprise and the like. That is a structure that works well too. Of course, Government must always balance all these issues by making sure we hear the concerns of our small businesses, medium-sized businesses and indigenous-owned businesses across the country. I take the point they should never be pitted against each other. Employers know that looking after their employees well is in their interest for a variety of reasons. The Government will see further minimum wage increases and recognise the ongoing work of the Low Pay Commission. I acknowledge the work done by Deputy Nash on that.”
“Changes such as remote working have also had a positive impact on many workers, though I acknowledge we continue to work through all the change that brings about together. It has largely been very positive for many workers and certainly for many people I meet when I go about my business. We have made progress on issues such as parental and paternity leave. We published - through the Minister, Deputy Burke's work for consultation - an action plan on collective bargaining, which has been one of the key asks of the union movement in its engagement with Government in recent times. More broadly, I am pleased we now have the Labour Employer Engagement Forum, LEEF, which works very well.”
“We have pay-related benefits, which is a really important reform, that took effect at the end of March and this, again, provides a greater safety net to workers if they lose their jobs. I am pleased that auto-enrolment will be introduced from 1 January 2026. I acknowledge the proposals my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, brought forward on that to Cabinet this week. This will ensure that workers right across our country will have greater financial security and comfort in their retirement. It addresses a real divide that has existed in respect of pensions for a very long time. We have also had other important changes, including a new public holiday on St. Brigid's Day, introduced in 2023, and legislation to ensure employers must distribute tips fairly among their employees.”
“I thank Deputy Bacik for that. I also wish everyone a happy International Workers' Day. I would like to acknowledge the incredible work done by workers right across our country in the public service and in the private sector, as well as the many people who work here in Leinster House to help our democracy function on a daily basis. Objectively, it is fair to say a lot of positive measures have been taken, as the Deputy referenced, in recent years to support workers. The minimum wage in Ireland has been increased by more than 33% in the past five years and if I am correct, we now have the second highest minimum wage in Europe. We have introduced statutory sick pay when, two years ago, we lived in a country where there was no statutory sick pay scheme.”
“Now that the Government of Ireland has done that, we will decide how best to populate the office, process matters - I want to understand the processes followed regarding key personnel - and we will then address all those matters and put this together.”
“That is what we are doing. It was not Sinn Féín's idea or ours; it was a good idea that came from the Housing Commission and we are trying to act on that. The Minister was quite right this week to bring forward a proposal to Cabinet to move that forward. The only decision the Government of Ireland took this week was in that regard.”
“I am not sure whether its Deputies read the policies but that is what they all ran on in the election. They ran in the election and said that he wanted to establish an office to bring together people to break down silos relating to housing.”
“I am very on board with setting up a housing activation office and I thought Deputy Doherty was too. It is in page 98 of Sinn Féin's own plan, about breaking down the silos, bringing in expertise, and-----”
“That is the only decision that we have made. We have not made any decisions about personnel or pay. Process matters with all of these issues. We will continue to engage as a Government, now that we have made the decision on establishing the new office, on how best to staff that office. The overriding objective will not be personality but will be getting the job done and making sure that people who live in box rooms in their mums' and dads' homes can move out and into their own home. We are taking on board the good suggestions from the Housing Commission. Heaven forbid, we might even be taking on a reasonably good suggestion from Sinn Féin about trying to establish a unit just like this. I am quite surprised that Sinn Féin seems to be so against it today.”
“I love the way Sinn Féin loves to laugh and joke about the issue of housing. It proposed in the general election that if it was elected to government, and thank God we were spared that, it would establish a new office to bring forward all of the different structures to break down silos. That is what Sinn Féin proposed. The Housing Commission proposed that, and so did the Government. When we got together after the election and formed our programme for Government, we said we would take on board what seemed like a sensible idea, to second people, bring in expertise, and try to get homebuilding accelerated. That is a good idea. On Tuesday at Cabinet, we agreed to establish that office, something very similar to what Sinn Féin wanted on page 98.”
“It talked about a housing delivery oversight executive office to bring in expertise and people from different utility companies to ask how we are going to unblock a site and build more quickly. The Deputy is in favour of that idea, which is why I am surprised at his opposition to the idea of setting up this office. Page 98 of the Sinn Féin housing plan does not talk about jobshares or anything else but about setting up a housing delivery oversight executive to bring forward exactly what we now want to do too. Sinn Féín talks about bringing it forward on a statutory basis, ultimately, which I am happy to talk to Deputy Doherty about, but it talks about setting it up in the first instance-----”
“The Cabinet committee on housing will meet about that issue today. We have also published the new national planning framework, which was before this House this week and indeed the other House. It is key to ensuring that we have enough zoned land across our country to build homes. We all know that when it comes to the building of homes for our people and getting people out of box rooms, one of the key barriers that people find with regard to construction is silos, where there is a site but there might not be a water connection or a wastewater connection, there might be an ESB challenge or there might be another blockage. When the previous Government set up the Housing Commission, it recognised this issue and called for structures to be put in place.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. We all agree that housing is the most important issue. There is a housing emergency in this country. There is an onus on all of us to come forward with ideas and policies to try to make real and meaningful progress for people in the country. I hope we are at least united on this. This Government has taken a number of steps on housing since coming to office only months ago, including publishing an implementation plan for the Planning and Development Act 2024, publishing draft legislation about short-term letting and the regulation of that sector, bringing forward proposals regarding exempted development and making it easier for people who want to construct developments, particularly on their own land and in their own gardens, and indeed having a new housing plan by the summer recess.”
“This country is proudly on the side of openness, peace, negotiation and compromise. That is what this Government wants and I believe it is what the Irish people want. I look forward to working with Senators in this House in the time ahead. I congratulate those who are newly elected and newly appointed and I congratulate those who have returned. When I have to step out of this debate, my colleagues in the Department will continue to engage intensively. If I miss any of the questions that may come, I will be back directly in the days ahead. I thank the Seanad for having me here today. Let us work in our national interest at this critical juncture in our history. Go raibh maith agat.”
“Participation provides a unique opportunity to build on the investment made under Global Ireland and to work towards our ambition in the programme for Government to further strengthen Ireland's influence around the world. South Africa's priorities for the G20 Presidency align with Irish values. My colleagues in government and I have been working hard to maximise the opportunities for Ireland which participation in the G20 offers. With the prevailing international trade situation and the geopolitical developments, there is so much going on in the world, to put it mildly. We are facing a critical juncture. Our response, Ireland's response, to the challenges of the coming period has the potential to shape our economy and society not just for the months or years ahead, but for the next generation.”
“Our engagement is guided by our long-standing and principled position of respect for international law, respect for the equal right to self-determination, peace, security, dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike, and unwavering support for the two-state solution as the only way to bring about permanent peace, security and stability in the region. Finally, I would like to highlight to the Seanad that in December the Government was honoured to accept an invitation from South Africa for Ireland to participate as a guest country of South Africa's G20 Presidency, which runs until November. It is the first occasion ever that Ireland has been invited to participate in the G20 and we are keen to maximise this opportunity.”
“As we meet today, there is Irish aid in trucks in Jordan to help over 6,000 people in Gaza, but it cannot get in. It is a disgrace that food and shelter cannot get in. It is a disgusting situation. We need to see the hostages released absolutely without condition. We also need to see humanitarian aid flow. Ireland will use its voice in every forum - here, in the European Union and internationally - to continue to advocate for a return to the cessation of violence. That is an absolute priority. We will use all tools at our disposal - political, legal, diplomatic and humanitarian - in response to the dreadful conflict.”
“These are not the actions of a country which has a genuine interest in peace. As the aggressor, it is for Russia to demonstrate the necessary willingness to engage in peace efforts by stopping these attacks and adhering to its commitments as part of a limited ceasefire. Like every Member of the Oireachtas, I am extremely concerned by the negative trajectory of the situation on the ground in the Middle East, in Israel and in Palestine, particularly in Gaza. My focus and that of the Government is on supporting international efforts to bring about the immediate cessation of hostilities, a return to the ceasefire, a hostage release agreement and its full implementation including the release of hostages and the resumption of humanitarian access at scale.”
“It has increased energy costs and, of course, it has impacted on global food security. While Ukraine, the US and the EU have shown their commitment to achieving peace, Russia persists with its war of choice through its relentless assault on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Let it be clear that there is nobody who wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. I have stood in Kyiv. I have been with the people of Ukraine. I have been with the President of Ukraine. They want peace. Putin may talk of peace while continuing to bomb civilian infrastructure, energy and ports. There is no doubt that of the two presidents involved here, one has committed to an unconditional ceasefire to help to bring about peace and the other is continuing to bomb while trying to set preconditions.”
“Thankfully, we are living in a country with full employment, with more people in work than ever before, with budget surpluses and with money set aside for the rainy day. We have a proud track record over the generations of being a good place in which to do business. We are proudly embedded within the European Union. We understand the United States and how business works there. You know what? We will get through this together. That is an important point not to lose sight of as well. I will briefly move to some other key recent developments in international relations that I know the Seanad is interested in. Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine has obviously had devastating impacts on the people of Ukraine but it has also impacted wider European security and prosperity. It, too, has disrupted trade flows.”
“We need to focus in the hours, days and weeks ahead to get to a better negotiated position. I believe that is in our national interest. The second point I want to make is that we will, of course, continue to work on an all-island basis. I had a call yesterday with the First Minister, the deputy First Minister and the economy Minister of Northern Ireland. We will continue those lines of communication in the days ahead. I will speak again to the economy Minister before I attend the meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, as we work through this. I want to make a final point on international trade. This is a day of great uncertainty and nervousness for people who have gone out to work wondering what this means for them, the Irish economy, their family and their businesses. We are approaching this from a position of strength.”
“One of the wisest things we can do is listen to one another as we jointly shape our best responses and the best way forward. We have convened a further meeting of that forum for tomorrow. I will make two points. People talk a lot about what supports should be put in place for business. I think it is agreed across the political divide that we have a proud track record in this country of supporting business, backing business, big and small, and not being found wanting in relation to that, but we should not jump over a very big piece of work now which is mitigation. The most important thing we can do in our national interest right now is work at an EU level to get to a better place. Rather than rushing to a conversation around supports and what supports, we should not accept the inevitability of the current rate being the rate forever.”
“I will make it clear to colleagues that Ireland is absolutely committed to EU unity and that you have to negotiate from a position of strength but that any response must be proportionate and any response in terms of a list of reciprocal tariffs should be produced with one aim only, namely, to bring about a negotiation and get people to the table to find a negotiated way forward. A full-blown trade war is in no one's interest. It is equally important to me that we have open, strong, two-way channels of communication with Irish business. This is why we established the Government trade forum to facilitate discussion with business stakeholders, State agencies and Departments. We are in an uncertain period in global history. Nobody knows for sure what will happen in the weeks and months ahead.”
“Last week, I had a constructive and engaging call with the US Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Howard Lutnick, and we agreed to keep in contact. I remain in very close, often daily, contact with the EU trade Commissioner, Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, and other EU trade ministers. I spoke with the Commissioner again yesterday. I have spoken in recent days with a range of EU counterparts, including those of Germany, Finland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia and Sweden and I have a call with the Spanish trade minister this afternoon. Next Monday, I will attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Trade in Luxembourg. This will be the first opportunity for the EU 27 to come together at a political level. We will discuss how we can take forward our collective response.”
“While the trade surplus was €50 billion in 2024, it is estimated that the services deficit was €163 billion, meaning that Ireland has an overall deficit with the US in the order of €113 billion. President von der Leyen said this morning that the EU is open to removing barriers to transatlantic trade. This message is important and welcome. We are ready to support efforts to make the global trading system more fit for purpose. Tariffs are not the way to do this. Negotiations are the way to make progress. Negotiations on transatlantic trade and an alternative path to reduce barriers, not raise them, are the way forward. Maintaining open channels of communication and staying in close touch with all sides have been my guiding principles over the last period.”
“The European Commission has made this clear but that does not mean the Commission or Ireland will ever stop seeking to negotiate, seeking dialogue or seeking solutions that work for everyone. We will strongly encourage continued and intensified dialogue between the EU and the US. Together, we have the largest and most important bilateral trading relationship in the entire world. EU-US trade in goods and services reached €1.6 trillion in 2023 and the EU-US goods and services trade is actually broadly balanced. The difference between EU exports to the US and US exports to the EU stood at only €48 billion in a €1.6 trillion relationship, in other words, the equivalent of only 3% of total trade between the EU and the US. For our part, Ireland has a trade surplus in goods with the US and a trade deficit in services.”
“They come here because they do well in terms of having access from this small country to a market of more than 450 million people. We are not isolated on this issue. Around a dozen countries in the European Union have a very significant pharma presence. We should push back against the narrative that it is Ireland and Ireland alone when it comes to pharma. The analysis does not bear that out. The EU - the 27 member states, including Ireland, and the Commission - will now assess yesterday's announcements. It is clear that firm and proportionate action to defend the interests of Irish and European businesses, workers and citizens will need to be considered.”
“We must remember, however, that the Rose Garden event was a press conference and our officials, in the coming days, will have to assess in detail the legal orders that the US will and has presented that underpin that press conference. I am also aware of previous suggestions by the US President and members of his Administration of potential tariffs on pharmaceuticals. This is something we are working very hard at a European level to try to avoid or mitigate. President von der Leyen said this morning that the European Commission will engage in strategic dialogue with particular sectors, including the pharmaceutical sector, to allow for us to work with like-minded countries on a way forward. That is really important. Ireland has a lot of pharma industry. As I keep saying, these companies do not come here for the weather.”
“I want them to know that we have their back, we will work together and we will get through this together. These tariffs will affect businesses up and down the country across all sectors. In a trading environment where we all know that the cost of doing business is a constant concern, that is, quite simply, a deeply unwelcome development. It is important to be clear in trying to respond this morning to something that only happened late last night. There are many points that we still need to clarify, including the on-island differential effects. We need to assess the full details of the US plan, once it is released and published in the Federal Register. At this moment, it appears that pharmaceutical goods do not attract the reciprocal tariff.”
“They drive inflation and hurt consumers. We must be upfront and honest. A 20% blanket tariff on goods coming from the EU will have a significant effect on Irish investment and the wider Irish and EU economy. It represents a huge challenge to Irish exporters to the US across all sectors. There is a lot of focus today on big industry, and I understand why, but I want all of us to think this morning about small Irish businesses. In all of our towns, in all of our villages, in all of our constituencies, people have worked really hard to diversify markets. I think of people in my home town of Greystones who sell candles and diffusers, small businesses on the main street of my home town that are exporting to the United States, and have woken up this morning to great uncertainty. I hope and believe we will all speak with one voice on this.”
“It is really no exaggeration to say the developments of recent weeks, and most particularly the developments of recent hours, are reshaping the international trade landscape. For Ireland and the EU, the announcement yesterday of a 10% baseline tariff on goods entering the US, along with reciprocal tariffs on certain trading partners, set at 20% for the EU, including Ireland, is the most serious escalation in a trade dispute that began last month, first with tariffs on steel and aluminium, and then on the car industry. These tariffs risk reshaping global value chains that have been built up over decades. My view, our view and Ireland's view on tariffs is crystal clear: they are economically damaging for all sides. They disrupt deeply integrated supply chains which benefit businesses and employers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“That is why when we formed this Government, I took the decision to transfer responsibility for trade policy to the renamed Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade because of that interconnection. Against the turbulence of recent weeks, the uncertain outlook ahead and the announcements made by the US Administration last night, I am more convinced than ever that this was the right decision. I would like to make use of the time this morning to update the House on work we have been doing to manage the challenging new international trade environment. I will also use this opportunity to update on some of our key foreign policy concerns, including the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as to report on our work over the St. Patrick’s Day period and our ongoing guest membership of the G20 group.”