Have we raised it directly with the governments in question?

That would be appropriate.

Like many others in the House, I welcome the fact that a peace plan has taken some form. I am very concerned about the fragility of it. Dozens of people have been killed even since the ceasefire. As the Tánaiste noted, extra-judicial killings are to be condemned as well, so undoubtedly the peace is very fragile. As with any peace, a ceasefire is only part of it. A political solution needs to be a part of it too and part of that needs to be ensuring the application of international law. Therefore, it should remain t…

What is planned is perhaps not crystal clear to those of us on this side of the House at this point. I think many people would have been concerned by the Taoiseach's comments last week that seemed to suggest that it was simply not practical to ban services. A number of questions arise in relation to that. The Tánaiste has said in the past that there is no difference between the Government and the Opposition in relation to policy on this. Much of what the Taoiseach seemed to flag were differences of policy in relati…

That does not necessarily make it any clearer as to what exactly will be in this Bill. Ireland is not a major country in the grand scheme of these things. It is about using what levers are at our disposal. There have been a number of levers and recognition was important. This is important. Had we not had this debate over the past number of years about this, it would not have ended up being discussed in so many other jurisdictions, including in the options paper at European Commission level, so it is important. It i…

We had a beneficial engagement with the Ukrainian ambassador, H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, last week. She provided an update on the considerable challenges facing the Ukrainian people in their fight with the Russian Federation. The war of aggression has been going on for a number of years. There are a number of upsetting elements to it, in particular the abducted children. Will the Tánaiste give an update on the Irish Government's actions in relation to Ukraine?

Exploration of such matters is important and a lot of what Ireland is in a position to do is at a European level. As a lot of actions are being blocked by particular member states, such as Hungary and perhaps others in other circumstances, it is important that we continue to examine what actions Ireland can take by itself. The Tánaiste has had communication and some work has been done on dual-use technologies that potentially - inadvertently - end up in the hands of Russia to be used as weaponry. It has been a whil…

We have discussed Ireland and the EU. If anything can be assessed from the past few years, it is that the United States still carries a huge amount of influence. Who deserves credit for various ceasefires can be debated. A peace deal in Gaza is welcome, but it is clear that where the US wishes to exert influence and pressure, it achieves results in many instances. What is the Tánaiste's assessment of the American position at this point? It seems that Russia and Vladimir Putin have been allowed to pay limited lip se…

My Topical Issue concerns the shortage of SNAs and access to respite in respect of special schools in Cork. I have two specific schools in mind and the Minister of State will be familiar with the issues regarding them. I initially tabled this in the context of the news that had just broken to parents of children in St. Gabriel's Special School, Bishopstown, which caused enormous alarm. I spoke to a number of those parents. It was articulated that due to a lack of SNAs, it was proposed that children deemed high risk…

I have the written part of the Minister of State's statement and some of that is useful as well. I am glad he is here today because I appreciate that he is up to date on the issues. It is important that the Department takes this seriously. The NCSE and the Department are taking it seriously but, clearly, we need solutions. While the potential reduced hours did not proceed in St. Gabriel's Special School, there is still an issue. To the best of my knowledge, no additional staff have been allocated since the issue ar…

We were all relieved at the ceasefire and the reaching of a tentative peace deal last week. The scenes of people held hostage returning to their families in Israel and Palestine in the past number of days were deeply touching. However, we still have profound human suffering, a humanitarian crisis and a fragile situation. Ultimately, peace can only be sustained through a peaceful political solution. One of the contributors to the violence of the past number of years was that Israel continually acted in clear contrav…

-----the Taoiseach's comments suggest he has had sight of the Attorney General's report.

I will finish on this. It seems plain to me-----

-----the Taoiseach is sitting on the Attorney General's report on the occupied territories Bill until after polling day on 24 October.

That is policy, not legal.

That is not a legal difference.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I will divide my time between some comments and questions. I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating this debate. It is vitally important that we address this issue today on behalf of our colleagues, the Irish citizens and the citizens of the world. For the past number of years, people have monitored and looked at the situation in Gaza in revulsion, fear and disgust. There is a genocide ongoing before our eyes. It is a war on civilians and children li…

Has the Tánaiste or the Department contacted the families of those who are confirmed to have been detained, or even those who are expected to be detained? Does he have confirmation on when staff on the ground will have access to those who are detained illegally by the Israelis, and when they might have access to lawyers?

Contact with the families is vitally important. It must be of the highest priority. I urge the Tánaiste to be the first to pick up the phone if there is any escalation or downturn in the situation. The families and people generally are concerned about when these Irish citizens can return home. Does he have any sense of a timescale about how long the process is likely to take and when these citizens are likely to be returned home safely?

On the wider legal international picture, does the Tánaiste agree that what happened in terms of detaining people in international waters is a breach of international law?