Unfortunately, I will not be there for that photo opportunity on Thursday because the Dáil will still be sitting.

I welcome that the Minister is going to Galway. The reason I put my hands up is that we had the former Taoiseach back in 2017 tell us it was not fit for purpose. It is now 2025. I am looking at a HIQA report from last year that states that a strategic assessment preliminary business case had been completed, approved by the Health Service Executive board and submitted to the Department of Health, so forgive me if I am little frustrated. I was born, bred and reared in Galway. I have been in and out of that hospital f…

I welcome that the Minister is going there-----

I welcome it, but she should listen to what I am saying. Back in 2015, it was not fit for purpose. We had Leo Varadkar down there telling us it was not fit for purpose, then we had Deputy Micheál Martin as Taoiseach, and here we are in 2025 and we are getting more and more plans. I welcome that there is something at the end of this month.

We have 31 people in there with nowhere to go due to delayed discharges. We have a serious problem with privacy and dignity. We have a problem with lack of staff and lack of clinical leads, notwithstanding the progress. I pay tribute to the staff. Let us go back to Savita Halappanavar in 2012, and forward. This is a hospital seriously under pressure, a congested site with not enough staff and not enough beds. It is short 232 beds according to its own press release. I pay tribute to the staff. What I do not pay trib…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the need for a new maternity unit at University Hospital Kerry. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss additional funding for local authorities for housing adaptation grants, mobility aid grants and housing for older persons. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil - To discuss the lack of crèche places in areas of growing population in Kildare N…

He thought he was.

Baineann mo cheist go sonrach le cúrsaí tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht agus go háirithe le mír 9 d’Acht na dTithe (Gaeltacht) (Leasú), 2001. Faoin mhír sin, tá cumhacht ag an Aire agus ag an Roinn airgead agus acmhainní deontais a chur ar fáil do chainteoirí Gaeilge chun tithe a athchóiriú nó tithe a thógáil. Níl an mhír sin á húsáid faoi láthair ó 2009 ar aghaidh, áfach. Is mian liom soiléiriú a fháil cén fáth nach bhfuil sí in úsáid.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tuigim nach luíonn an cúram seo leis. Tuigim a chás. Tá sé ag seasamh anseo in ionad an Aire, an Teachta Calleary. Is cúis díomá agus imní go bhfuil sé ráite go neamhbhalbh ag an Rialtas anois nach bhfuil sé chun scéim na ndeontas a thabhairt ar ais. Ní thuigim cén fáth mar bhí sé sin ag feidhmiú go maith. In 2009, cuireadh €4 milliún ar fáil don scéim seo. Mar is eol don Aire, tá géarchéim thithíochta sna Gaeltachtaí uilig. Is í an Ghaeltacht i nGaillimh an Ghaeltacht is mó sa tír. T…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Is maith an rud é go mbeidh cruinniú idir an t-údarás agus an tAire mar beidh an Bille um Údarás na Gaeltachta (Leasú), 2024 os ár gcomhair arís an tseachtain seo. Bhí cruinniú le bheith ann idir BÁNÚ agus an tAire freisin. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an cruinniú sin ann sula dtagann an Bille os ár gcomhair arís. Arís, níl aon chúis tugtha ag an Aire nó ag an Roinn cén fáth nach bhfuil siad ag baint úsáid as an mír seo. Tá sí ann agus tá cumhacht ag an Roinn agus ag an Aire deontais a chur…

My question is very specific and relates to a specific organisation. It is about a specific series of meetings the Department of Defence has had with the Irish Defence and Security Association. This is my third time asking for the minutes of these meetings. On the last occasion, whoever was in the Tánaiste's place told us it was his intention to publish these minutes. I have two notes here. To say they are opaque would be extremely generous. Will the Tánaiste answer my question?

I did not see those minutes. Perhaps we did not look properly. I do not know. I welcome that they are there. I will take back the word "minutes" because these are not minutes. What I have are two notes. To describe them as "minutes" is utterly wrong. In the notes of one meeting that was held in Newbridge, we see that a person took the notes in October 2024. We have no idea of the agenda or of the outcome other than that "It was agreed that ... and some of his team" and so on. It is vague and opaque and we have no i…

The arms industry is supplying arms for genocide to be carried out in Palestine. The Tánaiste knows that. He has spoken about it. This group represents the arms industry, it lobbies for the arms industry and it has an open door to the Department. I know of a series of meetings. Is the Tánaiste confirming that the minutes, or whatever we are going to call them, of all 11 meetings that have been held are available? He should be able to confirm that. He should be able to tell me the nature of those meetings, where the…

Does that include the arms industry?

It is not everything.

I am certainly not using my words to celebrate Europe Day. I say so because it has completely lost any moral compass, if it ever had one. We are two days off the 75th anniversary of the peace declaration by Schuman and we could not be further from that peace declaration. The Minister of State presented an 11 page speech and I will intermingle that with the words of Simon Harris, our Tánaiste, and say that sometimes it is difficult - the struggle for diplomatic words. However, the Minister of State has no difficulty…

I do not think, in all honesty, the Minister of State could disagree with that given the amount of money that is going into the military industrial complex. A lot more than a shaking of the head is necessary when we are standing as a neutral country and not using one word of condemnation in the same way we have against Russia. It goes to our credibility as an independent country. It goes to our very being if we can criticise one injustice and not another injustice. It goes to the heart of our neutrality.

Gabh mo leithscéal. I ask the Minister for a copy of the speech, if that is possible.

I do not want to hold the Dáil up but I want to be assured we are getting a copy of the speech.

It is coming to the Chamber now, is it not?