‘Give me a break' – Watch shock moment Simon Harris & Pearse Doherty clash in fiery cost-of-living crisis spat
The
Advertisement
2
Pearse Doherty questions Simon Harris over the need for cost of living supports in the next budget
Credit: Dail Eireann
2
Simon Harris fires back at the deputy leader saying: "I really worry for your level of economic literacy."
Credit: Dail Eireann
Deputy leader Pearse Doherty told the Dail that there are more than 300,000 households behind on their
He said: 'Government cannot just swan off for the summer break leaving people in the lurch with stress and uncertainty.
'I say to you that you need to introduce a cost of living package, you need to continue with energy credits and you need to tell families that you won't cancel the help they rely on to help them with these massive energy bills this autumn.'
Simon Harris hit back with a list of supports that the Government are already putting in place including the expansion of the
Advertisement
READ MORE IN BUDGET 2026
The Tanaiste then went on the attack and blasted Pearse Doherty over a mistake he made in a recent debate where he claimed SuperValu was owned by a US multinational.
SuperValu is in fact owned by the Musgrave Group in Ireland.
Tanaiste Simon Harris said: 'If you genuinely believe that the economic challenge facing our country this summer is the equivalent to moments of economic challenge over the last couple of summers, I really worry for your level of economic literacy.'
He added: 'You spend a lot of your political career standing up here saying 'you don't get it over here, you don't understand, you're out of touch.'
Advertisement
MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN
'You know what I know? I know who owns SuperValu. And it's not an American multinational. I know who owns SuperValu.
'They sponsor the GAA. They sponsor the tidy towns. They are in towns around this country.
'They are a proud Irish company and you thought they were owned by an American multinational.
'You want Paschal Donohoe's job? You want Paschal Donohoe's job and you don't even know who owns SuperValu and can't even use Google. Give me a break.'
Advertisement
It comes as Paschal Donohoe confessed that there will be
SPEND PLAN
The amount of money that the Government has to spend in the upcoming budget will be set out during the Summer Economic Statements next week.
Speaking ahead of this key event in the budget process, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe warned there will be no repeat of the one off cost of living bonuses that were a feature of recent budgets.
The
Advertisement
The job losses and economic hit will be much worse if
Minister Donohoe said Ireland's finances is in a strong position to weather this economic storm but he claims the Government must make smart choices in the budget.
He said: 'We have a moment of uncertainty again. We will get through it.
'We will overcome it but in order to do that we have to make choices that are sensible and that we can afford.'
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
15 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Govt to discuss checks on legal challenges to planning decisions
Businesses and individuals bringing legal challenges to planning decisions will face additional restrictions under changes being discussed at Cabinet today. Minister for Housing James Browne is reforming the area of judicial reviews in Irish planning amid Government frustration at delays in securing permission for large housing developments. It is understood that the "leave to apply" stage of the judicial review will be removed as it is believed this is not functioning properly as a screening measure for valid cases. The aim of the change is to save time and costs. In addition, all applicants must provide evidence of sufficient grounds and sufficient interest. The protected status of environmental NGOs to take judicial review proceedings is maintained. Greater limits will also be put on the number of amended grounds applicants may add to their judicial reviews. The new rules will only apply to decisions made under the Planning and Development Act of 2024. The section of the Act relating to judicial reviews will come into force on 1 August 2025. Separately, Mr Browne will bring a memo to Cabinet providing for nearly €74m funding for rural community water schemes. This will fund 291 projects nationwide, covering 63,000 households. The Cabinet will also hear that the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will defer the introduction of health warnings on alcohol labels for two years. This is due to concerns raised about the impact of the move in the current global trading environment. The labeling requirement was due to come in next year but it is expected to be deferred until 2028. Meanwhile, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley will bring a memo to Cabinet to bring the Tuam intervention office under the indemnity of State Claims Agency. This will allow the State Claims Agency to handle any potential claims in relation to the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke will bring an action plan on market diversification for Irish exporters threatened by tariffs.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Breaking €40bn for housing under new infrastructure spending plan
The Government is due to announce the details of a flagship plan to build infrastructure over the next five years, with around €40 billion being allocated towards housing. The revised National Development Plan will contain €100bn funding for housing, energy, water and transport projects from 2026 to 2030. Around €30bn of that figure is said to be new funding, some of that coming from the Apple tax money and the sale of AIB shares. Housing delivery is the centrepiece of the plan, with increased funding to build homes and accompanying electricity and water connections. The Cabinet will meet this morning to agree this framework for infrastructure investment. With Departments set to be allocated funding for capital projects, ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann are also set to benefit. There will be a major increase in defence spending, with a focus on radar, sonar and force protection for Irish troops. Dublin's Metrolink will also receive funding. Separately, the publication of the Government's Summer Economic Statement will outline how much money will be set aside in the Budget for tax cuts. It comes as Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has been increasingly cautious about the public finances due to the threat of escalating tariffs from the US. The statement will set out how much tax will be collected and how much will be allocated to capital and current spending. The Department of Finance said it is focused on maintaining the stability of the public finances amid increasing uncertainty. It said the Government will continue to put money into the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, and the Future Ireland Fund. It said: "As a small open economy, we are vulnerable to external developments. This is why it is crucial that we have the resources available to maintain capital investment even in the event of an economic shock." Much attention today will be on the scope for tax cuts next year. A lot of that could be absorbed by a VAT reduction for hospitality, which the Coalition committed to introduce in its Programme for Government. Mr Donohoe has also ruled out one-off cost-of-living measures, a step which has drawn criticism from the Opposition. The Department of Finance said: "We are delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to increase capital investment in key areas, improving people's quality of life, boosting competitiveness and helping to attract and retain investment. "At the same time, we will continue to use the resources available to us to invest record levels of public money across the public service, improve healthcare, education and social protection." Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will outline expenditure plans for the coming year. He will say the Government is "moving away from the one-off measures of the past".
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Cutting costs: Vasectomies could soon be free across Ireland as men urged to 'step up'
Vasectomies may soon be offered for free across the country, the Health Minister has confirmed. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was responding to a question by Labour's Marie Sherlock TD, who told the Dáil that it was time for men to 'step up' and stop relying on women to use contraceptives. Responding to a parliamentary question from Ms Sherlock, Ms Carroll MacNeill agreed that there was 'significant inequity of access' to vasectomy, both geographically and based on ability to pay, and that the Government is now considering free access to vasectomies across the country. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Pic: Stephen Collins/ Collins Photos She said that the Department of Health's National Sexual Health Strategy is 'committed to scoping the potential for expanding access to male and female sterilisation', including vasectomies for men. The Minister also said that a strategy will be created 'as soon as possible in 2025.' Vasectomies are currently available without cost to some medical cardholders. Ms Sherlock told the Dáil: 'The responsibility for family planning shouldn't just fall on the woman's shoulders. There's a simple, relatively pain-free procedure that a man recovers from within a very few short hours, but obviously it has a transformative impact on the family. Marie Sherlock. Photo: RTÉ. 'We have to make sure in the whole family planning conversation that men step up and take their responsibility seriously. There's a real inequality of access to the service, and particularly outside of the main urban areas,' she said. 'There's a crucial issue here about how we encourage and incentivise doctors to take on the service, and crucially, then from the department of health perspective, that there is a decent geographical spread of these services across the country.' However, Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín, last night questioned whether the Government should be offering free vasectomies while Ireland's fertility rates continue to plunge. Peadar Tóibín. Pic: Fran Veale Mr Tóibín said: 'There are major questions in relation to where the Government is going in relation to this. So what we've seen in the last decade is a collapse in the fertility levels. They're lower now than the replacement rate, which means there's going to be significantly fewer children in future than there were in the past.' The fertility rate for 2024 stood at 1.5, a decrease of 0.5 from the 2014 fertility rate of 2.0. This is still higher than the European average, which stands at 1.38 births per woman in the EU. In Malta, the fertility rate stands at 1.06, compared to 1.81 in Bulgaria. Mr Tóibín warned that Ireland will create 'lopsided demographics, which means there will be fewer young people to be able to work, to provide the taxes to pay the pensions for people into the future. 'Good governance means a balanced demographics, and actually, at this moment in time, that means encouraging families to have more children. 'There's no doubt that the housing crisis is hammering families. They're delaying having children, and they're living, oftentimes, young couples in their parents' box room, which means that they can't have children and it's later and later until people are getting mortgages.' He went on: 'The cost of childcare is prohibitive for many, many people, and also the abortion rates have increased from about 3,000 abortions a year in 2018 to spiking well over 10,000 now.' 'All of these issues are pushing down the number of children that have been born. We should be giving families the economic confidence to be able to raise their children, to be able to have children, and so that we have a vibrant society and economy into the future.' Ryan Murphy, the operations manager at Sandyford, Dublin-based clinic said that vasectomies could not be accessed in multiple areas of the country, creating a 'two-tier system'.
