I will answer the Deputy's questions. Energy affordability is critical and I am glad Deputy Bacik raised the point. I have already answered Deputy Mary Lou McDonald. If we look at the measures that have been taken in the budget, they are targeted measures. They are very targeted across all areas, not just energy. If we look at social welfare rate increases, the renter's tax credit and the mortgage interest relief payments as well, all of those are targeted at people and are significant. It is unquestionably a very …

-----64,500 households that will be retrofitted this year. Next year, we are providing €558 million through the carbon tax receipts to put that directly into homes and small businesses to reduce their energy costs. The IEA has said it, not me, that those cost savings are between €900 and €1,200 on average per annum. Permanent changes for households, that is what we need. We need to expand renewables as well. The Deputy is correct in saying that. I have said that, too. Last year, over 40% of our electricity was gene…

We will obviously ensure the measures we have brought forward are implemented. On retrofitting alone, we have retrofitted nearly 230,000 homes across the country. That is scaling up every single year. As I said, we will do about 64,500 this year. They are permanent changes for households to ensure they can bring down their energy costs. There is the issue of the energy markets and the cost on the wholesale markets and the fact that our retail prices struck at the wholesale gas price even though we are accelerating …

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this very serious and important matter. I read the transcripts of the court case and it is absolutely horrific. I want to commend the bravery of that young lady. I have a 17-year-old daughter. I cannot imagine what she and her family are going through. There should be no tolerance of violence against women, and there is no tolerance of it. That is why the Government's strategy of zero tolerance is so critical. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, has been advancing some very speci…

On the counselling notes, the Minister will bring forward amending legislation towards the end of this year or very early next year. That will be brought forward. I outlined in my first answer to the Deputy the other measures we are taking by way of legislation. As she raised, it is critically important that there be safe places for victims to go. The Government and I agree with her that more needs to be done there. However, the plan is for 52 new family refuge units, 45 new safe homes and 50 new units to be under …

We are committed as a Government to protecting whistleblowers. Work is ongoing at EU and national level to further strengthen those reports. The Deputy has a Private Members' motion tomorrow morning, I think, on this matter. We will get an opportunity to debate it in the round. We accept the motion tabled by Independent Deputies is well intentioned and seeks to increase protections for whistleblowers but, from an initial review, it appears to ignore many of the provisions that already exist in legislation to protec…

The Deputy asked whether we are satisfied with the legal advice we received which the Taoiseach read in this House. Of course we are. The Deputy has an opportunity tomorrow morning to raise specific points around his motion. As I said to him in my initial answer, this whole area is something that remains under review both at EU and national level. We want to make sure the process is fair and transparent and that protection is given to whistleblowers, which, in the main, it is. That is important. The Department of F…

To deal with the important matter that the Deputy raised, I know Sinn Féin has legislation in that regard. I outlined earlier on some of the measures that the Government was taking on this important and critical issue. I will certainly discuss Sinn Féin's Private Members' Bill with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and will revert directly to the Deputy in relation to how the Government proposes to approach that. In fairness, everyone in this House is trying to work on this important issue in a unified way. It is c…

He is travelling back as we speak.

I will let him know the Deputy was asking for him.

I agree with the Deputy. I mentioned in my opening remarks earlier on during Leaders' Questions that all us share responsibility in this House but also outside the House, and that includes corporate bodies and our education system. Our teachers and our other educators are doing a lot of work in this regard from a very young age, particularly in relation to boys' and young men's attitudes towards sex, pornography and the normalisation of pornography. Certainly, the ability of companies such as Shein to sell these ty…

With the young population that we have, it is important we support childcare services. I was in this House when a previous Government, in 2009 to 2010, brought in the early childhood care and education programme, ECCE. We see the advancement of that in terms of childcare right the way across the country since then. While it is fair to make constructive criticisms, it is also fair, by way of balance, to see where we have come from and where we are now. If you look at budget 2026, €1.48 billion was allocated for earl…

Hold on-----

I think I have answered the question so if the Deputy wants to keep interrupting-----

I was in the middle of answering it.

I am very pleased Deputy Boyd Barrett-----

I know that too. I have a lot of friends who are taxi drivers who work in the industry and I am a big supporter of our taxi drivers and the sector-----

In fairness, Richard is just back, and it is good-----

-----to see him back. I have written to the NTA on this very specific issue - I mention friends, constituents of mine and, indeed, people across the country - in my role as Minister for Transport so I want to get to the bottom of this. I have asked the NTA to look at it. I attend the taxi forum. I attended just four or five months ago and I will be attending again this week. I do not have an answer back from the NTA yet. I wrote to it on 19 November. I was at COP30 last week but I will be chasing it up this week. I…

This is a joke.