I have a follow-up question about the triple lock. The Tánaiste said he would bring amendments before the House. Is there any indication of when we will see those amendments? My second question is intended to be constructive. What would the Tánaiste think about some of his officials briefing Opposition Deputies and spokespersons on defence and foreign affairs? Perhaps that could be arranged in the coming weeks.

I welcome the opportunity to make some brief comments on the international security consultative forum. As someone who attended in person, I can say that I found it very useful and worthwhile. I am interested in international relations in any case but I picked up a lot of good nuggets at the forum, which I was not expecting, chief among them was that it is actually okay to have a different view from somebody else and to respectfully disagree with someone. Perhaps this is a skill in decline at the moment. We are pic…

What direct medical supports has the Minister’s Department provided this year to Ukrainians living in Ukraine, and will he make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister. That was an impressive list of supports, which is good and which I welcome. I want to single out UCD’s Ukraine trauma project for two reasons. First, I thank the Minister for his €170,000 support and his personal intervention, without which it would not have happened. Second, I highlight the six people involved. They are very humble people who have never asked for any recognition and it is important the House acknowledge their contribution. It was the brainchild of Professor Gerard Bury, Profe…

I acknowledge also the role of the Irish Embassy in Kiev, which has been very hospitable and generous when we are out there. Likewise, I acknowledge Mr. Peter Ott, a Kildare man working for an NGO out there, Caritas, which is very supportive, as well as retired Lieutenant Colonel Ray Lane, who is working with the UN from a mines-clearance point of view. I am reassured by the Minister's comments. Knowing Professor Gerard Bury, I am sure he is already planning the next course for 2024. Of course, we will be very grat…

I want to raise with the Minister the very concerning and serious developments during the week whereby access to the Chinese market for Irish beef has been suspended temporarily. The Minister will be fully aware that this is the last thing needed at this moment by those in Irish agriculture, particularly suckler farmers, and particularly after the year just gone. We have had historically high input costs for feed, fuel and fertiliser and we have reduced margins and CAP payments. We have had the disastrous nitrates …

I thank the Minister. I echo his sentiments on the credibility and robustness of our surveillance system. That is to be applauded, and that is what we are leaning on reputationally. I have one other concern, namely, the consequences if the meat factories seek to take full advantage of this development and lower the prices of carcases even more. Are there any safeguards to prevent this? Can the Minister assure the House it will not be allowed to happen on his watch? Is there anything we can do to ensure the factorie…

I very much welcome the opportunity to contribute and make a few comments on the readout from the most recent European Council meeting at the end of October in Brussels. I am just going to focus my comments on two main areas. The first is Ukraine and the second is the Middle East. From a Ukrainian point of view, I am sure the Minister of State is probably aware that only in the past couple of hours, the European Commission has recommended that accession talks begin between Ukraine and the EU before the end of the y…

I wish a good evening to the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. It is always a pleasure to interact with a constituency colleague across the floor of the Dáil. I wish it were under better circumstances. While I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this historic debate, I recognise it is historic for all the wrong reasons. I have been on the planet for 46 years but do not recall any time in that period when the world has been so tumultuous and so turned on its head. It is concerning. A major war in Ukraine has be…

I will raise the issue of childcare provision and early childhood education. I acknowledge that there has been some progress in the past couple of years. There were some good announcements last week as well, which will take a small bit of pressure off. While I acknowledge some moderate progress, there is a whole lot more to do. The reason I mention this today is, at best, the Government has just one budget remaining in its lifetime and this Dáil only has one budget left so the window of opportunity to fix this prob…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I agree there has been some progress, but more definitely needs to be done. What a wonderful legacy it would be for the 33rd Dáil to bring in free early education for the people of this country. I accept there are competing priorities but whenever I ask for someone's priorities, I never ask for their press releases or the statements they have made; I always say, "Show me your accounts," because it is only in the allocation of finite resources that we reveal our true prioritie…

I am very glad that the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, is here this afternoon because I know he is genuinely interested in defence affairs. He was the Opposition spokesperson for defence and was also Minister of State at the Department of Defence for the first two and a half years of the Government's term. I presume he has looked through the defence portfolio relating to the budget. It is very good to have him in the Chamber. The recurring theme of my contribution will be one of hope. Unfortunately, however, i…

Táim an-bhuíoch agus sásta as a bheith anseo inniu chun labhairt faoin ábhar tábhachtach seo. Is é an t-ábhar is tábhachtaí faoi láthair, nó in Éirinn ar aon nós. I will begin by endorsing the views already expressed by my good colleagues. I associate myself with their remarks. I acknowledge the very proud history of the Garda. For the past 100 years, its members have watched over the country through times of war and peace, boom and bust and thick and thin. By and large, they have served the country very well. One …

The free schoolbooks for primary school children scheme is working very well across the country. It is taking a lot of pressure off hard-pressed families in every constituency. The problem now is getting children to school in order that they can take full advantage of this scheme. As we know, the national school bus transport scheme has been under a lot of pressure in the last couple of years. A review of the scheme is ongoing, although it seems to have been going on forever. When does the Taoiseach expect the scho…

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed opening statement. I welcome the opportunity to make some comments and contribute to this debate on the windfall gains in the energy sector. Like my colleagues, I certainly welcome the content of this Bill, but also like my colleagues and like the Minister of State, I recognise how belated it is. The war in Ukraine began 18 months ago and we are only now commencing the Second Stage of this Bill. That is a major issue as most of the damage has been done at this stage. T…

I know the Minister is a busy man, as is his colleague, Senator Hackett. I am not sure if he got a chance to read the entire Irish Farmers' Journal this week. There was a very interesting article on page 14. The newspaper was seeking the views of farmers on a potential dairy reduction scheme. My key question to both Ministers is on whether the Government has proposals for any potential dairy reduction scheme. If so, when is it going to be published?

I thank the Minister for that very useful response. I very much accept his views in regard to the beef sector. Some of the responses were quite interesting. Some 80% of the respondents to the survey by the Irish Farmers' Journal said they want nothing to do with a dairy reduction scheme. We can understand why; it is a very emotive issue. They have invested in their own technology and they do not see why the most efficient farmers in the world here in Ireland should be replaced by less efficient farmers elsewhere on…

I totally accept the Minister's bona fides in that regard. For me, priority number one must be the technology pathway. The Minister announced yesterday his plan to increase clover, reduce fertiliser use and to have better feeds to reduce methane, among other measures. There is an option here, and I am glad the Minister is exploring it and doing it from a partnership perspective. What is very obvious from the article is that there should be three criteria. I am glad the Minister clarified one, which is that it shoul…

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the most recent meeting a fortnight ago. It is only right that Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine dominated proceedings and the agenda. That is completely appropriate and to be expected. I welcome the EU’s ongoing condemnation of the unnecessary conflict and the statement that the war would end tomorrow if the Russian Federation would withdraw and invoke a unilateral ceasefire. I welcome the EU’s condemnation on the mass forced deportation of civilians to Belarus and Russia. The…

I raise with the Taoiseach today the issue of modern methods of construction to help alleviate our national housing crisis. We know that the Office of Public Works, OPW, is doing some good work at the moment, putting up modular housing around the country. These are high-tech high-spec modular units but they are all single-storey bungalow-type accommodation. The vast majority of EU countries allow for multistorey modular housing. Entire apartment blocks can be built relatively quickly and safely to a high standard b…