-----remains opposed to-----
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 am not going to be heckled in the House.
I talk directly to farmers every day of the week.
I talk to-----
I thank Deputy Ahern for his question. Obviously, in terms of debating these things, that is a matter for the Business Committee but I have no issue with debates taking place. There is a lot of legislation to get through between now and the Christmas break but I am sure there will be an opportunity to debate and discuss the transport plan. I would make a number of points on it. First, we are investing a very signific…
I thank Deputy Rice for raising this important issue. I want to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves in terms of getting the latest update from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I will make sure that the Department makes contact with Deputy Rice today in relation to that issue. I will not say anything regarding an ongoing case in the European Union but I know that the consular service in suppor…
I will absolutely ensure that Deputy O'Gorman is also briefed in relation to this situation. I am being intentionally cautious in what I say until I speak directly to the Department of foreign affairs on this because of the active nature of the case that the Deputy has raised today. I appreciate the seriousness of it and appreciate the importance of timely intervention. I will seek the latest from the Department as s…
I thank Deputy Collins for raising what is clearly a very sensitive matter but he does so with the affected family's consent. I want to reply with the same sensitivity. I am conscious that this is a public forum but my heart goes out to that man and his family in what is an extraordinarily difficult and challenging time. I am also concerned by some of what the Deputy has said there. I will immediately ask the Ministe…
I thank Deputy O'Meara who represents the people of Tipperary North with distinction and hard work. I thank him for raising this important issue today, which he has also raised with the Taoiseach. This is an issue about which people right across the country feel very strongly. Indeed, I have had a number of meetings with a number of community organisations that are simply asking for the publication of guidelines to b…
The Deputy just has to sit over there and ask us to do things; we actually have to do them. We will publish these-----
Deputy O'Meara makes a fair point. There are 48 of them. When he stands up to try to ask a question, the Deputies try to shout him down. They should give him a second. He is asking a question on behalf of the people of Tipperary North.
He has a right to hear from me on behalf of the Government. I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising the issue. We are actually going to deliver the guidelines and not just shout about it.
I thank Deputy Clendennen for his question. This is an issue, as he rightly says, that has been discussed for quite a number of years. A consultative panel was established, as he says, in 2016. I understand that the Department of Justice is holding meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders in other ways, while An Garda Síochána also meets with stakeholde…
I agree with Deputy O’Rourke on the point that we all want to see a successful resolution to this. School secretaries and caretakers play an important role in our communities. They are engaging, as is the State, in good faith to try to make progress. I welcome the fact that it has now been referred to the Labour Court. The Labour Court has a strong track record of resolving such disputes. Of course, the State side wi…
I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter for Killarney. One can see the compelling case for a need for this in such a vibrant and busy town. CCTV can play an important role in assisting the Garda and acting as a deterrent to crime. I am going from my memory but I thought the policing Act in this House brought in new kinds of structures to try to help to ensure clarity around how CCTV could be rolled ou…
My heart goes out to the family of Aoife. We think of them particularly as they approach the tenth anniversary. It sounds like the most horrifically sad and tragic situation. From what I recall, Scouting Ireland may receive money from the Department of children. If that is not the right Department, I will bring this matter to the relevant Minister’s attention and ask him or her to consider the Deputy’s point and liai…
I remember the long and frequent exchanges in this House around the need for that special school in Monaghan. I am pleased to hear that it is now open but I take the point that there is a need for a permanent building. In the education capital allocation that was recently given to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, there is a significant additional allocation for special school…
I do.
I hope it does not make the Deputy uneasy, but I find myself agreeing with him on this issue. Along with a number of Government colleagues, I must acknowledge, I have been trying to pursue this. There is significant institutional resistance - let us call it that - to what I see as a common-sense proposal.
I am trying to work my way through it. Someone who is 71 years of age could drive kids to a football match but that same person could not drive the same kids to their school. If it is safe to drive them to the football match, it must be safe to drive them to the school. It has to be logical. Bus Éireann has a very specific view on this. I think they are entirely wrong. On foot of the Deputy’s question – he has riled …
I will do my best.
In my new role, I practice prudence every day but I take the broader point regarding the importance of this project. I have heard it from a number of colleagues as well as from Deputy Farrelly. In the context of capital budgets, often capital budgets are announced but not every project moves at the same time.
There can often be an opportunity to make amendments or additionalities because not every plan necessarily p…
The Deputy is right to highlight this issue. In every report, in particular in the housing report, the need for more apprentices is very apparent. I would just make the point that we are making good progress in the number of new apprentices and in the number of programmes in which apprenticeships are available. We need to make it continually attractive for people to be an apprentice. The Minister for Further and High…
We do, and we need to see a bit of respect from State agencies for the people's elected representatives. This is a point I make frequently. I have made it this week in relation to one State agency. If an elected representative is trying to engage in a project, they are doing so because it matters to the people they are elected to represent. It is very important that mechanisms are put in place in this regard. Unelect…
I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue on behalf of farmers in Wicklow and Wexford. I know the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Martin Heydon, is working very hard in relation to this issue. In fact, he is working very hard on a number of issues, be it the nitrates derogation, Mercosur, and getting a properly adequately resourced CAP with less bureaucracy that works for farmers in the new multi-annual financia…