Simon Harris

Because we want to get it right and a little bit of humility from the man who went on "Morning Ireland" this morning and got his figures out by €35 million a week would not go astray. The Deputy quoted an annual figure and said that we took in €38 million in windfall last week when it is €3 million. That is not a couple of million. The Deputy was out by €35 million a week. We are going to get thi…

I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing up this issue and not for the first time. I know his professional and political interest and priority in relation to this, and he is right. This is a real time of anxiety for many parents across the country and we are acutely aware of that. I am aware of it as are the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. T…

I agree with that but I stress that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is certainly not waiting for any further piece of work to be done. Of course, there are lots of further pieces of work under way but in the here and now, the Minister is working to make sure more classes are put in place and opened, with a particular focus on schools where they have a physical ability to open another class and wher…

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. I will address each of his points. First, when this Government acts next week, I believe we will be among the first to act. There certainly are many countries in the European Union who are still pondering what to do. I mentioned only a few moments ago the Italians are looking at what to do for a 20-day period. There is huge volatility. I was in the UK the other day meet…

I am genuinely not trying to be argumentative or provocative in relation to this because we need to work together on this but I have to say what we do now has an effect on what we can do in the future. The Deputy knows that, I know that and we all know that. The point I am making is, of course, we need to look at what we can do in the here and now. I get that, and that is what we are doing. Howeve…

I have said very clearly that we should, in the first instance, always target those most in need. I have referenced the fuel allowance as a useful vehicle that we have used in that regard, but I have also made the point that there are real challenges at the pumps. In the past, we have made interventions around excise that have been of assistance to people. We are looking at what we can do in the r…

I am trying to have a substantive conversation with the Deputy's deputy leader about energy.

I am acting in good faith and saying I want to work with people, and Deputy Hearne is just shouting at me.

But the Deputy is interrupting me, and that is his choice. We will bring forward a package on Tuesday that will endeavour to target measures at those most in need and assist those feeling the pressure at the pumps. However, the package will also have to be done in a way that provides flexibility for this country to adapt to the unknown.

It is important to say that Deputy Fitzmaurice knows about a lot more than just agriculture. He knows about being a decent human being as well. I thank him for the way he is approaching this issue and working with his colleague, Deputy Martin Daly. That is one of the finest contributions I have heard in here in awhile. I obviously do not know the young woman the Deputy is talking about, but I can…

I hope that is the case. Certainly, I will ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies Fitzmaurice and Daly. I will just make a couple of comments. The point the Deputy made about the physical environment was a very important one. One of the happiest days I had as Taoiseach was the opening of the newly refurbished National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH. It has always been an incredible hospital …

I thank Deputy Cleere for raising the issue of school building projects in general, and our need to deliver more, but also specifically in relation to his constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. As he knows, since 2020, some €6.7 billion has been invested to increase capacity and upgrade school facilities. This is a record level of investment. Some €210 million in capital funding went to County Kilkenny …

I was making an effort to write them down, but I think the Deputy named nearly all of the 15 schools we had on the list. That was a good tour of the constituency. Whether they are schools in Carlow or Kilkenny, I get it. There is obviously great joy when a school list comes out and your school is on the list, but there is that sense of apprehension as to what it means for the school. That is why …

The Government works in a number of ways to try to help and assist families. We have brought in many services to assist people with the cost of education, including the free schoolbooks and hot school meals programmes. It was well known that the leaving certificate fees were reverting this year.

I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this matter. I know he is somebody who has consistently highlighted this issue and his significant concerns in relation to it. I do think there needs to be further examination and inquiry into these matters. The form that takes or how that is brought about is obviously a matter in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. I have no…

We have a State organisation in the Land Development Agency that is making a real and positive impact in relation to the delivery of homes right across our country. I have been on many sites with it in recent weeks and months. We do live in a housing emergency, of that there is no doubt, but it is important to quote the report in the round. I note that we did see the number of terminations actuall…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett very much. I know we are not allowed to do a back-and-forth, but could I ask him if the children are in the school?

Sure. I thank him for raising the issue on behalf of his colleague, Councillor Reddy. I will speak to the Minister for education today and see if she or somebody on her behalf can engage with the equality in education campaign to see how we can bring progress to this as quickly as possible.

I thank Deputy Dolan very much. I appreciate him raising this issue today as Daffodil Day is tomorrow and this House will not be in session. I am meeting the Irish Cancer Society this afternoon. I am sure this is one of the issues that it will want to discuss too. I do not want to pre-empt what the Government may do in future budgets. Deputy Dolan would give out to me at an Oireachtas committee if…

I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. First and most importantly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family of the late Claire Cullen. It is an incredibly heartbreaking case for the Cullen family and the community in Courtown in Wexford as well. I want to assure him and the House that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is very much aware of this tragic case. It also …

I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this issue. I want to clarify that this was not a decision taken by the Minister for Health but it was, indeed, a change in pricing practice by a number of pharmacies across the country. The position in this regard is as it always has been. I ask that pharmacists engage with their loyal customers on the issue and reflect on the comments of the Minister, Deputy Ca…

On foot of this matter being raised by the Deputy, I will make myself aware of the details. I do not want to comment on any specific legal actions or outworkings that could be ongoing because such cases require the law to be followed. There are protections in place, with clear rules in relation to tenancies outlined by the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. I expect all of those rules to be adhered…

As the Deputy said, he raised this issue with me a number of weeks ago. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who committed to getting back to the Deputy. I will follow up with the Minister on foot of our interaction today. We keep the allocations we make for roads and transport under review as the year progresses. The Deputy has highlighted a specific concern in relation to Cavan and M…

I take the Deputy's point that saying something is a priority but asking someone to wait for three years clearly is not what people would rightly expect. On foot of his raising this issue, I will speak to the Minister directly to ask that she look into the matter and revert directly to him.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Department of Health and the HSE are aware of the outbreak recently reported in the UK and are actively monitoring the situation. Based on information available, the HSE assesses that the overall population risk in Ireland related to the UK outbreak remains very low. This aligns with the assessment of the European Centre for Disease Preventi…