Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

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 going to take it step by step and we are going to work with European counterparts. The Taoiseach is at the European Council, the Minister for Transport has just finished a meeting with the hauliers, the Minister for Social Protection is considering how we can assist because most in need and my Department's economics team is trying to present the best macroeconomic analysis. The only place where there is dithering is where there is a Sinn Féin finance minister. Sinn Féin has powers in Northern Ireland to expand the fuel poverty funds but the only assistance, and it is a small bit of assistance, for people in Northern Ireland so far has been from the British Government. The Northern Ireland Executive, the Sinn Féin First Minister, the Sinn Féin finance minister and Sinn Féin economy minister have brought forward exactly zero euro and zero cent in measures to help people in Northern Ireland. This Government will act and act in the here and now. We are finalising our proposals and we will work with people and support them in the time ahead.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19