For families who are most in need, the protections remain in place and I want to say that. The protections are in place for any student with a full medical card, anybody covered under their parent's or guardian's card will continue to be fully exempt-----
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
Show as a table
| 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 |
| December 2025 | 192 |
| 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 get confused sometimes as to the Sinn Féin economic position. Is it everything must be free or is it that we should we target supports at those most in need? If it is that we should target supports at those most in need-----
Do not tut-tut at me, please. If it is that we should target supports at those most in need and if it is Sinn Féin's position that every cost-of-living measure that was in place pre-Covid should remain in place post-Covid, that is a very different sort of Ireland. We made it very clear we were moving to sustainable, permanent reductions in core areas; the permanent reduction in college fees, the permanent progress we…
These fees were last charged in 2019. They will be at the same level they were since 2012 which means in real terms, they will be a lot less. Crucially, protections for students in need financially, through that medical card system which means they are fully exempt, remain in place.
So do I and so does my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, sitting here beside me. I know Deputy Lawless does too. When I think of Knock Airport, I always think of two things. One is the visit I had there during the election campaign. It was a very good visit with Deputy Dillon, former Taoiseach Enda Kenny and others. I think it was also the place where the late Pope visited when he came to Ireland and I …
I thank Deputy Michael Collins for raising this important issue, which I know he regularly raises. I will specifically speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, about the issues in west Cork and what further actions can be taken there on the issues the Deputy raised. Evidence shows that around 2% of children and young people should require the support of CAMHS but referrals are continuing to increase every year …
I move:
(1) THAT for the purposes of the tax charged by virtue of section 95 of the Finance Act 1999 (No. 2 of 1999), that Act be amended, with effect as on and from 25 March 2026, by the substitution of the following for Schedule 2 to that Act (as amended by section 52 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2023 (No. 39 of 2023)):
SCHEDULE 2
RATES OF MINERAL OIL TAX
(2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the publ…
What is the Deputy's answer then?
Not in the North.
Do your job in the North.
It will be on Tuesday. The Deputy said Tuesday, Wednesday or whenever, but there is quite a lot of clarity from Government in relation to that. We intend to bring forward an appropriate intervention at our next Cabinet meeting, which will be on Tuesday. Work is under way in relation to that right now. As recently as the past hour or so, the Minister for energy and transport met with the Irish Road Haulage Association…
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 this right, we are goin…
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.
The Deputy's comments…
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 where there are not long…
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 meeting the Chancellor o…
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. However, we also need to b…
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 round across a number…
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 only imagine the ab…
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 in Dún Laoghaire. To…
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 and €51 million in c…
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 I really want those …
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.