Results 21-40 of 47,282 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: That is a new one for me but I will take that away because we need new, novel and important ideas. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My comments relating to Donaghmede stand in the sense that it is a deeply tragic, upsetting and a very serious incident. It merits full investigation in the first instance by the gardaí and that is under way and more broadly regarding...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy has never been lacking in ability to get attention but it is good to have him back in this House. I am glad he is back safe and well. I thank him for his kind words for our Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW and I am pleased to see the progress. I had the chance to speak to both Deputy Heneghan and Deputy Ó Muirí last night regarding some of the progress...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I need to get the Deputy the exact figure, which I can do once I leave the Chamber, but yes, we will hit the target. It is an important target. I acknowledge the important role that the Deputy's part played in government, including the former Minister Eamon Ryan, as he was at that time. We are committed to it and on track to hit that target. I will get the Deputy the number for the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy raises an interesting point. He has raised somewhat similar points about inheritance tax and the likes in the past as well. It is about fairness and equality in how our tax systems, schemes and the likes treat people. It is a debate that is genuinely worth having and it is certainly thought-provoking. It is quite a technical and complex area. Obviously Deputies do not have to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I want to address the Deputy's first point on Donaghmede. I join with her in rightly acknowledging the very difficult, challenging, stressful and sometimes dangerous environment in which our care workers find themselves. None of us can fully comprehend the most horrific, tragic and saddening situation care workers endured yesterday. I want to join with the Deputy in paying tribute to them....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I assure the Deputy that there is an urgency on our part in this regard. I agree with her - I do not want to say it is not just a social issue because social issues are important - but it is also an economic issue that there are people at home today or who are changing their working hours or working arrangements, not out of choice but out of a lack of access to childcare in a way that works...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I have never heard the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, trashing anybody; it is generally not the way he operates. The issue is very important. The Deputy asked me to try to untangle it. In my mind it is quite clear. The Taoiseach, the Government, Members across this House and people across the country are very committed to the issue of climate action. I was sitting here beside the Taoiseach...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I will start by acknowledging the deeply upsetting incident that took place in a Tusla facility in Donaghmede yesterday. This is a shocking event. My thoughts and those of people right across the House and country are with all of those impacted by it, in particular the bereaved family and those injured. The loss of life is unconscionable. The focus must now be on the welfare and safety of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: I am answering the question, Deputy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The only other place that happened in the world was when Liz Truss was British Prime Minister. Sinn Féin's solution was to take hard earned taxpayers' money from young couples like those the Deputy met in Galway and give it to the energy companies, throw it away. That was never a good idea. I welcome the fact that the Deputy now acknowledges that it was not and is no longer pursuing...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: That was the choice on offer to the people in the last election.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Sinn Féin's plan was to give money from taxpayers to the big energy companies and our plan was to consider permanent and sustainable ways of reducing costs. Again, I hope the Deputy tells people that we have taken measures in the budget to help them with the cost of energy. I am sure she tells them that we took a measure around reducing tax on energy in the budget. We decided to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: The second thing we did-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: -----was to increase the fuel allowance to help people most at risk including, by the way, working people. I do not like the way the Deputy suggests helping people through social welfare is not helping working people. Many, many, many working families benefit from the fuel allowance situation.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: We have increased the fuel allowance by €5. We have also extended it to more than 50,000 households, including people on the working family payment – the clue is in the name: the working family payment. Some 460,000 households will now benefit from the fuel allowance, more than a quarter of the households in the country. That is a practical measure that we took in the budget....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: -----for those on renewable energy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: Deputy Gould, maybe one day they will give you a go at Leaders' Questions but today it is Mairéad so please let her do it. To try to help people with the cost of energy, we have applied a zero rate of VAT on the installation of solar panels, something people look for. We have reduced the rate of VAT on low emission heat pump heating systems. We have increased the number of additional...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: That is just not true. I just told the Deputy what we are doing. She asked a very important question on a very important issue. The whole assertion of her question and the premise behind it was that we did nothing on energy. She stood up, and the record of the Dáil will show it, and said we did not reduce tax. I am telling her that we reduced value added tax on energy bills for the...

Confidence in the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: Motion (15 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: A different campaign.

Confidence in the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: Motion (15 Oct 2025)

Simon Harris: There was a press conference.