Simon Harris

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This article is about the Irish politician. For the musician, see Simon Harris (musician).
Not to be confused with Simone Harris.

Simon Harris
TD
Harris in 2024
16th Taoiseach
Assumed office
9 April 2024
PresidentMichael D. Higgins
TánaisteMicheál Martin
Preceded byLeo Varadkar
Leader of Fine Gael
Assumed office
24 March 2024
Deputy
Preceded byLeo Varadkar
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
In office
27 June 2020 – 9 April 2024
Taoiseach
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byPatrick O'Donovan
Minister for Justice
In office
17 December 2022 – 1 June 2023
TaoiseachLeo Varadkar
Preceded byHeather Humphreys
Succeeded byHelen McEntee
Minister for Health
In office
6 May 2016 – 27 June 2020
Taoiseach
Preceded byLeo Varadkar
Succeeded byStephen Donnelly
Minister of State
2014–2016Finance
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2011
ConstituencyWicklow
Personal details
Born (1986-10-17) 17 October 1986 (age 37)
Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
Caoimhe Wade
​
(m. 2017)​
Children2
EducationSt David's Holy Faith
Alma materDublin Institute of Technology (attended)
Simon Harris' voice
Simon Harris discusses crime, in the Dáil, as Minister of Justice
Recorded 16 February 2023
This article is part of
a series about
Simon Harris
Incumbent
Ministerial posts (2014–2024)
16th Taoiseach (2024–present)

Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and formerly served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016.[1][2][3]

Born in Greystones, County Wicklow, Harris first became involved in politics during his teenage years. Elected to Wicklow County Council in the 2009 local elections, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election, becoming the "baby of the Dáil" at age 24. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointed Minister for Health.[4] On the formation of the coalition government in 2020, he was appointed Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.[5] From December 2022 to June 2023, he also served as Minister for Justice while Cabinet colleague Helen McEntee took maternity leave.

Following the resignation of Leo Varadkar in March 2024, Harris was the only candidate in the 2024 Fine Gael leadership election. After being elected party leader, he was appointed Taoiseach on 9 April 2024. Aged 37, he became the youngest Taoiseach in the history of the state.[6]

Early life[edit]

Harris was born in Greystones, County Wicklow, in 1986. He is the eldest of three children born to Bart and Mary Harris.[7][8] His sister was born on his third birthday, and his brother is eight years younger than him.[9] A great-uncle of his was a Fine Gael councillor in Dún Laoghaire.[10]

Harris was educated at St David's Holy Faith Secondary School in Greystones, where he was active in drama and was head boy.[11][12] At the age of 13, he had written a play.[13] He first became involved in local politics as a fifteen-year-old when he set up the North Wicklow Triple A Alliance to help the families of children with autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit disorder.[11] As a Junior Certificate student, he lobbied politicians to get better facilities to allow children with such disabilities to be integrated into mainstream education.[14] Harris was a member of Fianna Fáil and canvassed for Dick Roche in the 2002 Irish general election,[15] but later joined Fine Gael and was elected to Young Fine Gael's national executive in 2003.[16]

Harris initially studied journalism and French, at the Dublin Institute of Technology, but dropped out in first year.[10]

Early political career[edit]

Harris began working as an assistant to his future cabinet colleague Frances Fitzgerald in 2008, when she was a member of Seanad Éireann.[13] At the 2009 local elections, Harris was elected to Wicklow County Council,[17] with the highest percentage vote of any County Councillor in Ireland,[13] and to Greystones Town Council.[3] As a councillor, he served as chairperson of the County Wicklow Joint Policing Committee and Chairperson of the HSE Regional Health Forum.[18] He was a member of Wicklow County Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee[18] and Wicklow Vocational Educational Committee.[18]

Harris was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011, taking the third seat in the Wicklow constituency.[17] As the youngest deputy in the 31st Dáil, he was selected by Fine Gael to nominate Enda Kenny for Taoiseach, making his maiden speech.[19] Harris served on the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, and Reform.[20][21] He was also a member of the Oireachtas cross-party group on Mental Health, and introduced the Mental Health (Anti-Discrimination) Bill 2013, in June 2013.[22]

Harris ran unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate in the South constituency at the 2014 European Parliament election.[3]

In government[edit]

Harris at the National Ploughing Championships in 2019

Minister of State[edit]

On 15 July 2014, Harris was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Public Procurement, and International Banking.[23][24]

During a period of intense flooding throughout the country during the winter of 2015 and 2016, Harris was forced to deny accusations that the government had left €13m in the budget for flood relief works in 2015 unspent, while he had also secured funding for flood defences in his own constituency.[25]

Minister for Health[edit]

On 6 May 2016, Harris was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Health.[26][27] In his first year in the job, Harris faced the possibility of 30,000 health workers and 40,000 nurses going on strike.[28] The planned strikes were later called off.[29]

In 2016, Harris contributed to the "A Healthy Weight for Ireland – Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016–2025", a policy outlining "the Government's desire to assist its people to achieve better health, and in particular to reduce the levels of overweight and obesity", in which Harris claims that "the approach taken in developing this policy was based on the Government framework for improved health and wellbeing of Ireland".[30]

In 2017, Harris was accused of "practising hypocrisy" over his stance on the Sisters of Charity's ownership of the National Maternity Hospital.[31] The controversy saw the resignations of Dr. Peter Boylan and Prof. Chris Fitzpatrick from the board of the hospital.[32][33] The Religious Sisters of Charity later relinquished ownership of three hospitals: St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, St. Vincent's Private, and St. Michael's. Harris was re-appointed when Leo Varadkar succeeded Kenny as Taoiseach in June 2017.[34]

Harris supported the legalisation of abortion in Ireland. He was the minister responsible for the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution,[35] approved in a referendum, which removed the constitutional ban on abortion.[36] He also introduced the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which permitted abortion under specified circumstances.[37]

On 26 April 2018, the HSE confirmed that 206 women developed cervical cancer after having a screening test which was subsequently deemed to be potentially inaccurate on lookback, once a woman presented with a confirmed diagnosis of Cervical Cancer and given the known limitations of screening using smear technology.[38] In the resulting scandal, Harris was criticised for his handling of the matter on multiple occasions.[39][40][41][42][43]

On 20 February 2019, Harris survived a motion of no-confidence over his handling of the rising costs (over €2 billion) of the new National Children's Hospital.[44][45] The motion was voted down by 58 votes to 53 with 37 abstentions.[46][47][48]

Harris introduced the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020, emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was enacted on 20 March 2020.[49][50]

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science[edit]

On 27 June 2020, Harris was appointed as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, leading a new department in the government led by Micheál Martin.[51] On 4 May 2022, he published "Funding our Future", a new policy on sustainably funding higher education and reducing the cost of third-level education for students and families.[52]

Harris was the Fine Gael Director of Elections for councillor James Geoghegan's campaign in the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election.[53] Following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach on 17 December 2022, he was re-appointed to the same position, as well as Minister for Justice on a temporary basis during the maternity leave of Helen McEntee.[54]

Fine Gael leadership[edit]

Leo Varadkar resigned as leader of Fine Gael on 20 March 2024, triggering a leadership election. Varadkar indicated that he would also resign as Taoiseach upon the election of the new Fine Gael leader. Nominations opened at 10 a.m. on 21 March 2024. By that afternoon, more than half of the Fine Gael parliamentary party had announced their support for Harris to be the next leader and all other cabinet ministers had ruled themselves out of the contest. Harris confirmed his intention to run for Fine Gael leader on the evening of 21 March 2024 on the Six One News.[55] When the deadline for nominations was reached on 24 March 2024, Harris was the only candidate, and he was confirmed as leader at the party's meeting in Athlone the same day.[56][57] Both other government parties have indicated that they wish the government to run its full term notwithstanding the change of leadership.[58][59] Varadkar tendered his resignation as Taoiseach to the President on 8 April.[60] The Dáil reconvened after the Easter recess on 9 April, when Harris was forwarded for the nomination of Taoiseach.[61]

Taoiseach[edit]

Harris with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, 11 April 2024

Following the resignation of Varadkar as Taoiseach on 8 April, Harris was nominated by the Dáil as Taoiseach on 9 April 2024, by a vote of 88 to 69. He received his appointment as Taoiseach by President Michael D. Higgins shortly afterwards as the youngest in the history of the state.[62] Accepting the nomination of the Dáil, he paid tribute to his predecessor and acknowledged his status as the youngest elected officeholder, promising to be a "Taoiseach for all".[63] The cabinet formation of the 34th government was announced by Harris in the Dáil that evening; with the appointment of Peter Burke as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment after Coveney's departure, likewise with Patrick O'Donovan as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in replacement of Harris.[64]

Personal life[edit]

In 2017, Harris married Caoimhe Wade, a cardiac nurse. They married at St Patrick's Church in Kilquade.[65] They have a daughter and a son.[9] Harris lives with Crohn's disease,[66] but has said it has little impact on his day-to-day life.[67]

Harris is the eldest of three siblings.[68] His brother is autistic and runs the autism services charity AsIAm, which Harris co-founded.[69]

Harris is noted for his social media presence, especially on TikTok, having been nicknamed the "TikTok Taoiseach".[70][71] He used Instagram for live streams while Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was cited by the Irish Examiner as a rare occasion in which a government minister took questions from the general public.[72][73]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Simon Harris". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  2. ^ Collins, Stephen (2011). Nealon's Guide to the 31st Dáil and 24th Seanad. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 185. ISBN 9780717150595.
  3. ^ a b c "Simon Harris". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Frances Fitzgerald is Tánaiste in new Cabinet". RTÉ News. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Simon Harris Becomes Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Research". 9thlevel.ie. 27 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  6. ^ Murphy, Glen (9 April 2024). "In Pictures: Simon Harris becomes youngest Taoiseach in history of the State". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Siblings celebrate in style". Bray People. 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Harris celebrates his 30th birthday". Bray People. 22 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
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  10. ^ a b Cullen, Paul (17 May 2016). "Simon Harris as Minister for Health: the challenge awaits". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Dream debut for young Simon". The Irish Independent. 8 September 2000. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  12. ^ "St. David's hands out Student of Year awards". The Irish Independent. 3 June 2004. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
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  29. ^ "Thursday's strike action by nurses has been called off". The Journal. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  30. ^ Ireland Department of Health (2016). A Healthy Weight for Ireland – Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016–2025. Ireland Department of Health. p. 3. ISBN 9781406429268. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Simon Harris accused of 'hypocrisy' for backing Sisters given previous stance". Irish Independent. 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  32. ^ "Obstetrician Peter Boylan resigns in dispute over National Maternity Hospital". Irish Independent. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  33. ^ "Senior doctor quits project board in support of Peter Boylan". Irish Independent. 28 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Assignment of Departments of State" (PDF). Iris Oifigiúil. 2017 (52): 883–884. 30 June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  35. ^ Grace, Aisling (10 March 2018). "Thousands attend Rally for Life in city centre". Trinity News. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  36. ^ McDonald, Henry; Graham-Harrison, Emma (27 May 2018). "Ireland moves forward with abortion law reform after historic vote". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Abortion legislation introduced into Ireland's parliament". Shropshire Star. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  38. ^ "Smear test scandal: 206 women develop cancer after all-clear". Irish Independent. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  39. ^ "Martin accuses Harris of 'dumping' on CervicalCheck team". The Irish Times. 20 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  40. ^ "Former CervicalCheck boss says Harris was warned that offering extra smear tests could cause delays". The Journal. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  41. ^ "Health Minister criticised for describing 'good news' in relation to CervicalCheck scandal". Irish Examiner. 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  42. ^ "Simon Harris Under Renewed Pressure Over CervicalCheck Scandal". East Coast FM. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  43. ^ "CervicalCheck scandal: Harris denies 'lack of empathy' for women affected board". Irish Times. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  44. ^ Flanagan, Pat; Quinn, Trevor (1 February 2019). "Massive €2bn overspend on National Children's Hospital could have been avoided". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  45. ^ Cullen, Paul. "National Children's Hospital set to be world's most expensive medical facility". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  46. ^ Regan, Mary (20 February 2019). "Minister for Health survives no-confidence vote". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
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  49. ^ "Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Second Stage – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Vol. 992 No. 3". Oireachtas. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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  52. ^ "Minister Harris publishes landmark policy on funding higher education and reducing the cost of education for families". Government of Ireland (Press release). Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  53. ^ "Fine Gael bye-election candidate James Geoghegan intends to deliver for Dublin Bay South as bid to win Dáil seat begins". Fine Gael (Press release). 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  54. ^ Lehane, Micheál (17 December 2022). "Reshuffle: Who is in the new Cabinet?". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  55. ^ "Harris confirms Fine Gael leadership bid as others opt out". RTÉ News. 21 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  56. ^ "Simon Harris pledges to win back trust of voters who no longer support Fine Gael as new leader". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  57. ^ Murphy, Paul Hosford and Greg (24 March 2024). "Simon Harris commits to 'renewal' of party in first speech as Fine Gael leader". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  58. ^ Bray, Jennifer (21 March 2024). "The next leader of Fine Gael prepares to step into the fray". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  59. ^ "Simon Harris faces range of demands ahead of general election if elected FG leader". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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  61. ^ Cunningham, Paul (25 March 2024). "Harris to discuss transition of power with Taoiseach". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  62. ^ "Two changes in reshuffle as new Taoiseach Simon Harris names his Cabinet". 9 April 2024. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
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  64. ^ "Dáil votes to approve Simon Harris's new Cabinet". 9 April 2024. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  65. ^ "Minister for Health Simon Harris marries cardiac nurse". RTÉ News. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  66. ^ O'Regan, Eilish (20 September 2016). "Crohn's sufferer Simon Harris hails camera that can be swallowed". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  67. ^ Murphy, Gary (24 March 2024). "Who is Simon Harris? Inside the world of boy wonder turned Taoiseach-elect". The Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  68. ^ "Simon Harris in Profile". Irish Independent. 22 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  69. ^ "Simon Harris, who can 'dance to any tune you play', has long been planning for such an eventuality". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  70. ^ "Meet Simon Harris, Ireland's first TikTok prime minister". POLITICO. 26 March 2024. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  71. ^ "Labour conference told 'TikTok taoiseach' Simon Harris lacks vision". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  72. ^ Kent, David (22 March 2024). "The 'TikTok Taoiseach': How social media helped Simon Harris shine". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  73. ^ Matthews, Jane (1 April 2024). "Students gave us their take on Harris's time at Higher Ed (and what they make of his promotion)". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Finance
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Health
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
New office Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
2020–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Justice
December 2022–June 2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Taoiseach
2024–present 		Incumbent
Honorary titles
Preceded by Baby of the Dáil
2011–2016 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of Fine Gael
2024–present 		Incumbent
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