I move amendment No. 8: In page 15, to delete lines 23 to 26.

I speak in support of amendment No. 10 , which was tabled by the Member on my left, and amendment No. 11, tabled by the Member on my right. I agree with Deputy Howlin that the provisions in the Bill are overly proscriptive, are probably unnecessary and are draconian. It is already implied that these things actually exist, and I do not see why it has to be explicitly stated in primary legislation. It is completely unnecessary. On Deputy Cronin's point, this came up at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defen…

The Tánaiste may or may not be aware that an appeal relating to the Director of Military Prosecutions and the military judge has been submitted to the arbitration board. Even though the clause stipulating that they cannot join a representative association has been withdrawn from primary legislation, an appeal has been submitted. Will the Tánaiste consider withdrawing that appeal in light of what has been discussed this afternoon?

I raise the issue of road safety, especially in advance of the bank holiday weekend. Fatality statistics are trending in the wrong direction again, which is unfortunate and sad. At the last count, there were already 79 fatalities this year, which is ten more than the same period last year. We know what the reasons are for these things. We know it is driver behaviour, speeding, driving under the influence, being distracted by mobile phones and sometimes weather conditions, but one factor that is never really mention…

That is better than I was expecting; I thank the Taoiseach for the response. I also thank him for agreeing to meet the physicians. The feasibility study is a very positive development. Reducing the number of fatalities on our roads would be a sufficient reason for this system but I see my constituency colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, across the Chamber and am minded that this is not just about roads. From a farming perspective, there are many trauma incidents with machinery on farms and also on build…

I raise the issue of the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, a support scheme for farmers. The scheme has two main shortcomings. First, as we are all aware, the weather was horrendous up to a few weeks ago so a lot of the work initiatives are behind time. Second, there are some outstanding payments, even from last year, for some farmers. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach could raise this matter with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Two things could be done. First, some more flexibili…

On behalf of the Regional Group, I am grateful for the opportunity to make some brief comments on the Housing for All strategy. As the Minister of State knows, we on this side of the House are always fair. From a political point of view, Housing for All is the only strategy that exists, so we are critiquing a strategy in isolation. I would like it if there were two or three alternatives for objective comparison. Unfortunately, this is the only published one we have. When the Housing Commission’s report is published…

I want to associate myself with those comments relating to Lieutenant General Seán Clancy as well. It is a great bit of news for the general personally, his family, the Defence Forces and Ireland. I very much welcome that appointment. My question this morning relates to allowances payable to Defence Force personnel involved in the EU battle groups. I would be grateful if the Tánaiste could make a statement to the House.

I thank the Tánaiste for that response. I acknowledge and welcome the progress that has occurred over the past four years from a pay point of view in the lifetime of this Dáil, particularly from a basic pay perspective and also from the offshore allowances for the Naval Service perspective. On the EU battle group, when I compare the positive trends in previous years for basic pay and the offshore allowances with the trend in EU battle groups, I feel we can do a bit better. I welcome the principle of a standby allow…

When the Tánaiste doubled the offshore allowances on 1 January last, it had a very positive effect on the Naval Service. I am encouraged that there is a claim before the conciliation council relating to the EU battle group. If the Tánaiste could take a personal interest in that claim, it would be very much appreciated. There is one other anomaly I want to highlight, which he mentioned. These allowances are payable up to the rank of captain only, which is unusual because a couple of commandants are to be deployed as…

The Deputy has had his last slot to respond to this question. We are moving on to the next question.

I thank the Deputy. The last word goes to the Minister.

I thank the Minister. He can come back in again.

I thank the Minister.

I bid the Minister good evening. I am very grateful for the opportunity to make some brief comments to mark Europe Day on behalf of the Regional Group. While Ireland only joined 51 years ago, it is very fair to say that Europe has had a transformative effect on the country from a economic, environmental and societal perspectives. As the previous speaker mentioned, it is very important to remember not only has Europe had a very positive influence and impact on Ireland, but Ireland has also had a very positive and in…

We have concerns about the scheduling of the Second Stage debate on the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Thursday afternoon. A number of the most active members of the defence committee will be abroad on business on that day. We have concerns that the Chamber will be poorly occupied, which would reflect poorly on the House. We ask that the debate be postponed for a few days. Perhaps the debate on the Defence (Amendment) Bill could be swapped for the debate Deputy McNamara suggested. That is a suggested solution.

I raise the issue of supports for the farming community. As we know, we have had a pretty brutal winter and there has been almost incessant rain for the past six to seven months. A lot of supports are required to help our farming community through this difficult patch because it has really disrupted the normal farm routine. For instance, we still have animals in sheds and slatted units full of slurry. We have fertiliser that has not been spread and crops that have not been sown. I acknowledge the small progress tha…

I thank the Minister for the response. I agree that postponing the audits and inspections, even just for a few weeks, takes a lot of pressure off a lot of farmers. Something which has been mentioned to me and Deputy Canney and, I am sure, the Minister is the burden of administration on farmers. Professional farmers are doing what they love and we want them out in the fields doing what they are good at. We do not want them at kitchen tables, filling up incessant forms and creating a massive duplication of work. Most…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. From the outset I acknowledge the role of Deputy Verona Murphy, who had the initiative to come up with this concept in the first place. Deputy Denis Naughten and our group administrator, Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, put the meat on the bones of this motion. Family Carers Ireland advised us throughout the entire process. I can be 100% sure, as I am sure the Minister of State is, that every word in this motion has massive relevance, is really important and been…

A downpayment would prove that the Government is serious and has intent and would show that carers around the country will finally be recognised rather than penalised. The mantra that has come back to us over the last number of weeks is that carers feel they have been penalised rather than recognised. The speech that the Minister of State will make here and the budget in a few months' time are golden opportunities to right that wrong.