Simon Harris

It came from one construction company in America that gave Sinn Féin $20,000. Sinn Féin tells the young people of Ireland it is on the side of the working people and Mary Lou-----

-----flies out to America to take the dollars from the big businesses, big companies and big builders.

Sinn Féin is the party that takes big money from big American building companies. Deputy Doherty is a hypocrite.

Funny boy, Pearse.

Funny boy, Pearse. Happy anniversary.

Fifteen years of shouting and roaring, offering nothing positive to anybody. That is you, Pearse. Happy anniversary.

The rent tax credit and RPZs are benefiting people in Donegal for the first time ever. You are welcome.

You are very fair.

You can say that again.

I thank the Deputy. I am very much aware that the cost-of-living crisis is still real for very many families across the country. The Deputy has asked me a specific question, so I am going to spend the time on it. I do want to acknowledge that and I also want outline why the Government has taken a number of measures to protect the most vulnerable, including a very significant increase in the workin…

I tried to largely agree with the Deputy on this occasion too. I accept it has taken a period of time since the regulator said it needed these new powers to get to this point we are at today where we have a draft statutory instrument. I would genuinely point out that those reasons are valid because this is a novel area. We are going beyond the requirement under European law. What we do has to be p…

I thank Deputy Stanley for raising these matters. I was indeed in Laois canvassing during the election. I was delighted that my new colleague, Deputy Willie Aird, joined the Deputy in Dáil Éireann.

They are promises that Deputy Aird is going to keep and he will work with the Deputy constructively in relation to that as well because we have a lot of work we need to do to deliver for the people of Laois and the midlands. The Deputy makes constructive and fair points. We obviously have to put the infrastructure in place to enable the housing capacity to be delivered. That is a statement of fact…

They certainly will be. When I look at the budget that was introduced just across the Irish Sea yesterday, I am very thankful to be the Minister for Finance in a country where we are able to dramatically increase our capital investment. That did not happen by accident; it happened due to the hard work and ingenuity of the Irish people. It also happened as a result of the policies that my party, Fi…

If I start making diary commitments for the Minister for Transport on the floor of the Dáil, I will find myself in a peculiar situation. I will certainly pass on the Deputy's request as I am sure the Deputy will be in touch with the Minister's office also. I live in a county not too dissimilar to the Deputy's in relation to commuter issues. I do take the point that far too many people are spendin…

We do need to see how we streamline that for important capital projects.

I generally believe it is very important for public officials to listen and engage, including those who have responsibility for the delivery of the projects in terms of the various agencies. I am sure if the Deputy reaches out to the Minister's office, he can engage with him. I am sure he has done so. I will certainly pass this on as well. I am in a point of agreement. First, I disagree with the i…

The Deputy is right. I have a note here. I am only going to read this bit out to show how frustrating what we receive sometimes is. The note is saying that for 2025, it is estimated that there are around 4,200 first year places available in County Kildare, with 3,794 sixth class pupils in the area, and on this basis the officials estimate a surplus capacity of around 400 places. Whoever wrote that…

As the Deputy approaches his first anniversary in the Dáil, he has definitely learned how this place works. I think he named every town in his constituency through the two contributions. I hear him. I also want to acknowledge and thank him for the constructive suggestions and solutions he has brought here on behalf of the schools, communities, parents and students he is dealing with in his constit…

I thank Deputy Doherty. I am aware of this issue and the significant concern of taxi drivers in relation to this. The factual position given by the Department is that dispatch operators are required to provide bookings to small public service vehicle, SPSV, licensed drivers using SPSV licensed vehicles only. Where taxi drivers choose to affiliate with a dispatch operator, they are free to contract…

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I congratulate him on his first year in the Dáil. I think I heard him say the other day that he is the first TD born in the 21st century-----

-----which is a significant milestone.

Did we? There you go. Well, comhghairdeas, and-----

Maybe you will. I would highly recommend it most days.

We will have a discussion offline about that. We used to be in government with the Labour Party. You have to be careful not to get too close to that crowd - I jest. I thank the Deputy for raising what is a really serious matter because school secretaries and caretakers are the beating heart of our community. We know them; we know them by name. We all want to see this issue resolved. Conscious of …