Confidence in Government: Motion
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

We now have the fiscal power to respond to external shocks. That was not always guaranteed. The external environment that we face is clouded in considerable uncertainty. Whatever the developments are in the Middle East over the coming days, the economic fallout of the conflict is likely to persist given the lasting a real damage to energy infrastructure. As a result, the supply-demand imbalance in energy markets is likely to continue for some time.
Although we cannot, of course, know the scale of the imbalance, it will depend on an array of factors. Ireland, as a small open economy, will always feel these global shocks but we are better prepared than we have been in the past. We entered 2026 from a position of relative economic strength. We expect the Irish economy to continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace than previously envisaged. My Department will shortly publish its updated economic assessment.
At moments like this, it has always been abundantly clear that we have an Opposition that has no shortage of spending plans but no strategy for growth.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14