The division will be deferred until the weekly division time this evening.

Could I ask the Taoiseach to move a motion regarding the Estimates? It is normally done by the Chief Whip but she has stepped out.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett will speak on behalf of Deputy Mick Barry.

Deputies will be happy to hear that we have 12 minutes and 40 seconds left for these questions.

Yes.

Deputy Boyd Barrett has a minute and a half or two minutes.

The Deputies will have two minutes each. The Taoiseach might have to cede some time in respect of what I am sure will be the Deputy's substantial contribution.

No.

Thank you Deputy.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is small but important. I thank the Minister for bringing it forward. It makes a number of important changes to expand access to and engagement with our health services. The first of the proposed changes includes the all-important change to income earned from the rent-a-room relief scheme being disregarded for the purposes of a means test as it relates to applying for a medical card or GP visit card. This is an important step in removing a barrier to people engagi…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I would like to quote a part of his letter which he wrote with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, with regard to the events and the war in Israel in the occupied territories: Against the background of the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe posed by the imminent threat of Israeli military operations in Rafah, and given what has occurred, and continues to occur in Gaza since October 2023, including widespread concern about possible breaches of IHL [Intern…

I welcome the opportunity to mark the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko. I thank her for her presence here and for her significant contribution to keeping this issue on the agenda of many of my colleagues and of the Government. It is critically important that we continue to support the people of Ukraine as best we can. There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin and his administration pose a di…

I am happy to share with Deputy Lahart. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important matter. I am vice-chair of and a proud participant in the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. It is important, when speaking to our colleagues in the North and across the water, that we recognise our shared future. The restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland is such a positive development because the power-sharing authority is there to serve the people. Deputy McAuliffe commented on the potential for further coll…

We move to the Rural Independent Group. I call Deputy Nolan.

I agree with Deputy Murphy on the location of GoSafe vans, Garda cars or whatever it might be. They tend to be in the very last place you would want them, unfortunately. I am not sure they promote road safety for the vast majority of drivers because they probably should be in the tough-to-reach locations. All that said, just before Christmas on the new M9, I passed a Garda car and a couple of hundred metres later I discovered that such a thing exists as a stealth garda, because he was hiding between two stanchions …

My question relates to the Department's plans to support the SME sector in Ireland, for the very reasons that the Minister outlined in his response to the previous group of questions. There are significant increases in costs associated, in particular, with businesses in the hospitality and food sectors which have been contacting me in increasing numbers in recent weeks. The Minister has already set out a great amount of information in the House this morning and I cannot help but feel that this question should have …

I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. I do not disagree with anything he said. However, we need to focus on certain sectors which he already identified in his response to previous questions, specifically the food and hospitality sector. As I said already, that sector is under acute pressures including as a result of quite a number of Government measures which are incredibly welcome but which in the current climate have placed significant strain on their margins. As the Minister knows, energy prices are incre…

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive response. I recognise his point about a mini budget on the VAT question in response to Deputy Stanton's question. However, we need to try to determine a scheme that identifies those businesses that are struggling versus all of the businesses that the Minister rightly points out are opening up. The economy is buoyant and we are doing extraordinarily well but there are certain constraints, which I cannot help but feel that we, as a Government, have rightly introduced and br…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill which, as has been repeatedly mentioned, will provide better protection for consumers and existing consumers of financial service providers that have left the market. As the Minister outlined, it will ensure that consumers in the latter group will continue to have access to services provided by the office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. This is a just and appropriate response, because the effects of the uncertainty consumers face i…

I feel much better now, a Cheann Comhairle.