Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

Are there by-elections on, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle? Sorry - I will certainly respect the rules of the House and take that point, but I also take the serious point the Deputy made because it is a serious issue. There are people feeling hurt today and we have to acknowledge that. I feel very strongly that we have to facilitate – the Deputy suggested ways we could do this and it is worth exploring those – ways of being able to debate migration in this country. That is a legitimate and important part of our democracy. We will all have different views, for example, on whether we should opt into the EU asylum pact. We believe we should, some people do not. We have different views and that is fine. That is politics and policy. It is evidence and debates that we will follow and work our way through. That is what we should be doing in this House. However, that is different to making comments grouping people based on race, religion or ethnicity. I am quite sure it was unintentional but those comments have caused significant hurt to a significant number of people who make a very fine contribution to our public services and society. It is up to individuals what they wish to do, but I am quite sure, knowing Bertie Ahern, that he did not intend that harm and, therefore, he should reflect on it further.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14