Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, has made revelations concerning his imminent return to the United States. He confirmed in two weeks he will be meeting President Joe Biden at the White House, despite the refusal of officials to disclose the trip’s date earlier. It is standard White House procedure to only disclose presidential schedules a week in advance.
Harris has been a subject of ongoing rumours regarding his possible announcement of a general election concurrent with his trip to Washington DC, scheduled for early October. He responded to these speculations, particularly from Irish journalists, saying he’s both flattered and bemused. He asserted that there’s no link between President Biden’s diary, his availability and Irish political affairs, hence no correlation regarding the timing of the elections. Harris reiterated his unchanged stance on the matter.
His visit to Washington DC is expected to be brief due to the impending budget release in October. He stated the importance of navigating through all legislation that follows this. The trip will be used as an opportunity to foster Ireland’s relations with the US and market the nation.
In responding to queries, about whether he would expedite the committee stage consideration of the Finance Bill (scheduled to be discussed in early November), Harris made clear that he doesn’t partake in the scheduling decisions. These are entirely up to the line Minister. He emphasised the busy period ahead, with a budget to finalise, housing targets to establish, a national planning framework to agree upon, and significant legislation around mental health and defamation to progress. Harris clarified that an election will take place once the government has completed its term and all their work is accomplished.
Despite the ongoing banter about a November 15th date, he dismissed it and stated he is yet to decide on a specific date. Curiously, he holds the sole power to propose a dissolution of the Dáil. He expressed his amusement over the convincement of others regarding this specific date.
When speaking about the approaching budget, Mr Harris indicated a willingness to consider the expansion of mortgage interest relief. He voiced a promising tone for pensioners, hinting at noteworthy increases in the state payments due to them. Furthermore, he mentioned possibilities of an increase in the Working Family Payment and child increase payment.
Mr Harris emphasised the significant increase in support that should be expected by pensioners, carers, and individuals living with a disability. Yet, he expressed a desire to concentrate on improving the situation of children in the forthcoming budget. After establishing a child poverty unit in his department, he believes it’s time to make some crucial interventions to target child poverty. Many children live below the poverty line today, and this needs addressing.
“If given the opportunity to be the Taoiseach post the election, my pursuit would be to sustain the child poverty unit,” he declared. “Assigning a specific budget to it will greatly enhance our efforts to counter child poverty. This arrangement is especially beneficial if the serving Taoiseach endorses it”.
On the topic of the Budget 2025, he mentioned plans to include one or two energy credits. The amounts are yet to be decided, and he anticipates it will be lower than the previous year. He also stated that it is undecided whether it will be one or two energy credits.