I very much agree with Deputy Aird. First, with regard to dairy, that is why, when we were looking at the list of tariffs that may be reactivated by the European Union, specifically in my submission to the European Commission on behalf of the Government I highlighted the dairy concern we had and also the drinks industry concern. On foot of what the Deputy said, I will make sure that in the work programme for the Gove…
TDs / Simon Harris
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
566,209
words spoken in the chamber
566,201 as a minister, 8 as a TD
140
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 2,972 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 4 |
| January 2025 | 4 |
| February 2025 | 255 |
| March 2025 | 42 |
| April 2025 | 83 |
| May 2025 | 249 |
| June 2025 | 175 |
| July 2025 | 144 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 79 |
| October 2025 | 214 |
| November 2025 | 347 |
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| January 2026 | 97 |
| February 2026 | 197 |
| March 2026 | 187 |
| April 2026 | 226 |
| May 2026 | 119 |
| June 2026 | 127 |
| July 2026 | 93 |
| August 2026 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 83 |
| October 2026 | 53 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 2,685 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Wicklow 29 November 2024 to now
- office Taoiseach 29 November 2024 to 22 January 2025
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Defence 23 January 2025 to 25 March 2025
- office Minister for Foreign Affairs 23 January 2025 to 25 March 2025
- office Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 26 March 2025 to 18 November 2025
- office Minister for Defence 26 March 2025 to 18 November 2025
- office Minister for Finance 18 November 2025 to now
I absolutely will. The principal purpose of the trade forum is to bring representative groups and relevant Ministers, Departments and agencies around the table. I am pleased to say that a full and permanent member of the trade forum is our Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon. Also represented on that are his senior officials, the Secretary General of the Department of agriculture and the chie…
I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for the question. My Department publishes advice for outward travel in respect of more than 200 countries and territories. The advice provides an objective assessment of the risks individuals could face if travelling overseas. This is done with a view to trying to help them to make informed decisions for themselves. The advice is based on consultation with our embassies and consulates on the …
If the Deputy wants to send me on details, I would be happy to use them as examples, albeit anonymised, with which to engage on this matter. As he rightly said, our two countries, Ireland and the United States, have deep and strong bilateral relations built on a rich foundation of ancestral ties. We have economic, diplomatic and political links, including the long-standing US support for peace on our island. Now more…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 136 together.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I would like to reflect on it and come back to him with an informed view after I meet with Senator Black and my team in the Department to decide the best way to advance the commitment in the programme for Government. I acknowledge the Deputy's deep interest in this matter. I am deeply concerned by the negative trajector…
I am happy to take the details of the case Deputy Heneghan mentioned and to engage with him directly on it.
I thank Deputy Callaghan for her service in Óglaigh na hÉireann and for her tour of duty. I am glad to have her in my party, on our team and in the Dáil, bringing her experience of having served in Lebanon. Just by visiting, I got a an insight that is not even a fraction of what she would have experienced. Tha…
On my trip to Lebanon, of course I took the opportunity to raise the case of Private Seán Rooney, a stark reminder of the 48 people who have lost their lives serving with Óglaigh na hÉireann on tours of duty in Lebanon. We think of Seán Rooney and his family and we continue in our quest for justice and truth. I raised that with the defence Minister and the foreign Minister. I handed over a letter on behalf of the Gov…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 161 together.
I thank Deputy Clendennen for this question, which is timely because now more than ever, at a time when some countries are choosing to look inwards, it is so important that Ireland continues to look outwards and increase our global footprint. Global Ireland 2025 was launched by the Government in 2018 with the aim of doubling Ireland’s footprint and impact by 202…
Deputy Clendennen is so right. Not only should we be extraordinarily proud of our diaspora, as we are, but as a country we have done quite a good job of keeping the links and investing. Other countries ask Ireland about our diaspora strategies and how they can learn from and work with us on that. Ours is one of the few countries that has an emigrant support programme, where we provide relatively small sums of money t…
Deputy Clendennen is so right. That regional aspect is important to all that we do, making sure that we drive jobs and investment but also cultural and people-to-people links, not just with the big cities but also with the regions of Ireland and counties like Offaly. I would be very happy to work with the Deputy, chambers of commerce, Offaly County Council and others on how we might explore that as well.
When I was …
I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 151 together.
Last month, I had the honour of visiting and representing the Government in the iconic Irish-American cities of Philadelphia and New York. I was delighted to join Mayor Cherelle Parker and the people of Philadelphia to march in their St. Patrick's day parade. I met with a number of community groups and laid a wreath at the Philadelphia Irish Famine memorial. I h…
I thank Deputies Boland and Ó Murchú. Their questions overlap. With regard to what we heard from the business community and what we can do, there are a couple of things. I was struck by the great sense of uncertainty, even from very senior business leaders in the United States who are, no more than the rest of us, waiting to see the level of detail. It was good to get an insight from them in terms of the economic env…
While engaging and negotiating as part of the European Union, we need to continue to engage with the US Administration and to take every opportunity to share information. I genuinely believe - and I say this respectfully - the relationship is much more complex and interdependent than is sometimes articulated by the US Administration. It is much more interdependent, two-way and bilateral. We will continue to proactive…
I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for the question. I hope we can share the same view on this across this House. The programme of passport service reform has been very impressive. I was in Balbriggan with Deputy Boland recently. I am very proud of the work being done in the passport office there and in other passport offices. The Passport Office has come through the Covid pandemic and managed to reform the service. I meet a lo…
I would like to see progress on the issue of reminders. I am sure the gardaí would like to see that too, to make the process as efficient as possible for everybody. I will follow up on that directly. I echo the Deputy's request that everybody check their passport. We do our very best at times when people need to travel at short notice. It can happen to anybody for reasons of bereavement or other things. Our systems a…
So please check your passport. Maybe in that moment of harmony, we can conclude.
I have respect to the sensitivity of the issue. The issue relates to my other Department, the Department of Defence. I am aware that the Department is in direct contact with the Rooney family. We will continue to do that. I made it clear to the Lebanese authorities that the family intends to travel for the trial and it is important that there is real progress. We will keep in touch about the matter.
I thank Deputy Doherty for raising the question on children's disability services. I want to begin where he began by welcoming the special rapporteur from the United Nations for the occupied territories to Ireland and thank her for her work. With a representative of the United Nations in our country, I want to join with all Members of this House and with the Secretary General of the United Nations in expressing our d…
I am not rowing with Deputy Doherty today. He seems nearly disappointed that I am saying I am going to resolve the matter. He is right to highlight this issue. He is right to call on us to resolve the issue, and we are going to do that. I am not going to stand up and defend something that cannot be defended. A scheme was announced in good faith, people applied, and the funding now needs to be provided. The HSE has a …
I thank Deputy Bacik for the common-sense suggestion she made regarding a briefing for the Opposition. I apologise but with various international travel and the like over the last while there has been a bit of a lacuna. I suggest that on Monday we have that briefing for Opposition parties either with me or, if my diary does not allow, with senior officials because we need to get that flow of information going. I am v…
I, too, welcome that. On the occupied territories Bill, my office was in touch with Senator Black yesterday to arrange for me to meet with her. I will come back to the Deputy once that has happened. In the vein of controlling what is within our control, and we can talk about this more when we have our briefing and engagement, it is imperative that we look at what is within our control and what continues to bring jobs…
I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising what is one of the most serious issues we face in the public service and in the lives of children with disabilities, namely, access to therapy provision and the process they go through to gain that access. To be clear, the waiting lists for assessment of need are far too long. This is having a significant negative impact on the lives of children and their families. I accept the …
That is a fair question but the Deputy would rightly ask me a different question if I came in here and said the State was going to contest the cases, as that would not be a compassionate or decent approach to take on this issue. The law is clear on the 2022 High Court judgment. I am saying three things to the parents. First, we need to reform the system, potentially including the law, and the Minister, Deputy Foley, …
That is not what I am saying.
We are not.