I presume that, in all meetings with members of the British Government or Northern Ireland Executive, legacy issues are discussed. A message needs to be clearly and repeatedly given to the British Government concerning its proposal to introduce an amnesty for murderers, be they members of the state forces or of paramilitary organisations, some who masqueraded as republicans and others who masqueraded as loyalists. Under no circumstances should such persons be given an amnesty for committing heinous crimes that, in …

I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle selecting this important issue for discussion here this evening. We are now approaching the 49th anniversary of the bombing in Belturbet, County Cavan, that caused the deaths of two young innocent teenagers, Geraldine O'Reilly from Belturbet and Patrick Stanley from Clara, County Offaly. On many occasions, I have raised the issue of this heinous crime, through Dáil questions, debates in this House, at Oireachtas committees and directly with the British authorities. Sadly, nobody has…

I thank the Minister of State for being present this evening. He has often spoken to me privately on this issue and he has assured me that every possible effort will be made to pursue these inquiries through An Garda Síochána. I am also very pleased that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, confirmed to me about the information I put on the record of this House, which came to me through the detailed research of Professor Burke of the University of Nottingham following his work on British state papers, about the clear evid…

This day 28 years ago Albert Reynolds and John Major signed the Downing Street Declaration. That agreement was central to the successful negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to our country. Every community on this island continues to benefit from that agreement. Following on from the Downing Street Declaration, the first peace-funded programme, PEACE I, was established in 1995. PEACE I and successive programmes have enabled much-needed economic, social, educational and community development…

As we all know, the Ireland-Northern Ireland protocol is part of the withdrawal agreement. I know from my interactions with businesses in neighbouring counties north of the Border that they are anxious that the protocol works and that whatever difficulties and issues there are be resolved as soon as possible, without any threats of anybody triggering Article 16. They are anxious that the Government, along with the European Union, continues to work towards resolving whatever outstanding issues there are. Professors …

Since the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, we have all become more conscious of the value of community policing. We saw in our own communities a greater presence of gardaí. That was particularly reassuring for people living on their own or older people. In my home town in Cavan, community gardaí were recently appointed and that has been warmly welcomed by the local community. I see they are out meeting people and getting to know them. Likewise, the local community know the local members of An Garda Síochá…

I understand that, within the next number of weeks, the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan will have to be submitted to the European Commission and, I presume, that goes to the Government for approval before submission to Europe. As we know, since we joined the then EEC in 1973, the Common Agricultural Policy has been of huge importance to our farming and agrifood sector, to the rural economy and to the overall national economy. Thankfully we have record levels of drink and food exports today and they …

As a country, we welcome President Biden's strong interest in our country, particularly his ongoing and unequivocal support for the Good Friday Agreement. He has taken every opportunity to outline the importance of this international agreement and its significance, not just to our country, Britain and Europe but also to the United States. President Biden and other senior political figures have continually given a message to the British Government that Brexit must not damage any aspect of the Good Friday Agreement o…

The idea of an amnesty in regard to legacy issues, as proposed by the British Government, is absolutely reprehensible. An amnesty would mean putting an end to all investigations and prosecutions. The Stormont House Agreement is a balanced and comprehensive framework to deal with legacy issues and should be implemented. It is unbelievable to think any government would want to cut off all potential avenues to the truth. Such an idea is absolutely deplorable. Some family members have invested huge time, effort and res…

During a Question Time last July I referred to the work commissioned from the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, by the shared island unit of the Taoiseach's Department, across all areas of possible co-operation on a North-South and an all-island basis. That comprehensive research project is to be welcomed. In that context, I requested that a specific study be undertaken by the NESC on the particular challenges faced by the Border region, North and South. I again emphasise that the needs of the central Bor…

I have raised with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the need to intensify co-operation and collaboration on an all-Ireland basis in the whole area of further education. In fairness, the Minister, Deputy Harris, has indicated strongly his interest in this specific area. In the context of the establishment of the new Department and the shared island initiative, further education could be a real beneficiary and its further development would be of major benefit to students…

It is an area we need to drive forward and to which we must give momentum.

The programme for Government makes a welcome commitment to help people improve their social insurance contributions beyond pension age. What strategy has the Minister put in place to enable that much-needed reform to be implemented?

I welcome that this important issue has been covered by the Commission on Pensions and referred to the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands. As we all know, people's insurance contributions can be interrupted for a myriad of reasons. A person may take time off to rear a family or care for a family member. In some instances, a person may have had no opportunity to take up employment. Sometimes people emigrated and their insurance contributions were interrupted. Thankf…

I welcome the Minister's commitment to advance these necessary reforms, which are generally for people who have contributed to society and want to ensure they have a decent pension when they decide to cease employment. I sincerely hope these new measures and reforms can be introduced in a realistic timeframe.

As the Minister is aware, this is not just a critical time for the Permanent Defence Force but for the Reserve Defence Force. Unfortunately, the personnel enlisted in the Reserve at present is the lowest ever, at only just in excess of 1,500 personnel. A significant recruitment campaign and additional resources are needed. The Reserve Defence Force, as I often put on the record of the House, is often underutilised and many times underappreciated. It stood with other agencies of the State during very difficult times…

Since the last national risk assessment was published in 2019, there have been major challenges for this country and, indeed, for the world. There is the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we suffered the cyberattack on the health services, the HSE and the Department of Health, and we also encountered Brexit and the fallout from that. We must have an all-island and all-Ireland approach to major health challenges. Co-operation and working together were established in 1992 in what is known as the Ballyconnell Agreement. It w…

I welcome the Taoiseach's ongoing engagement with members of the Northern Ireland Executive and the leaders of the political parties. It has been almost ten months since Britain left the EU, and the protocol on Ireland-Northern Ireland is still a subject of concern. Triggering Article 16 would be disastrous for the entirety of this island and for Britain. It is clear from all surveys the business community in Northern Ireland realises the value of the protocol and wants it to work well. Recent surveys show also tha…

The banking landscape in this country is changing dramatically. The departure of Ulster Bank will impact seriously on the Border region in particular. KBC is also leaving the country. The decision by Bank of Ireland to close one third of its branch network has also caused great disquiet in many communities throughout the country. At the same time as these bank closures are happening, households and businesses still need traditional banking services as much as ever. I hope that the Minister can give some good news a…

Yes.