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The Candidate
The Explainer
2 Apr 2026
Does Simon Harris want to create a nation of investment bros?
00:00

Finance Minister Simon Harris has outlined (again) what his much-flagged personal savings and investment scheme is going to going to look like. Well, kind of. We still don't know the exact details but we have the broad strokes: it'll encourage people to put money into a government-run investment account, rather than letting it languish in a savings account. The Social Democrats aren't impressed so far, though. They say the scheme is basically a "tax break for millionaires".


Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Rónán Duffy and Jane Matthews look at whether this might finally be the thing that moves Irish people away from savings accounts and buying property to make money.


Also: Do we have enough TDs? Michael McDowell thinks so. The Senator has called for a referendum to cap the number of TDs, saying if the population continues to grow, it'll cost a lot more money to accommodate them all in Leinster House. Should this happen? And more importantly: will it?


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