That is a really good assessment. It is unfathomable and difficult. As complex as any conflict is, sometimes such as in relation to Russia and Ukraine, it is clear who the aggressor is. It is clear who we are supporting and what side we are on. It is far more complex in Sudan with the nature of the belligerents, both the short and long history of conflict there and the nature of the type of violence itself. There are no easy answers here and Ireland certainly does not have the capacity on its own to solve this huma…

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed and very clear response in relation to this. As he articulated, the storms caused unprecedented damage, felling tens of thousands of hectares, wiping out years of growth and inflicting huge economic losses. There is encouragement in the Minister of State's response. An estimated 26,000 ha of forest has been felled or destroyed, impacting the long-term investment income retirement security of many foresters. They have been severely eroded. The Minister of State can unde…

I have no more to add. I brought this up on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Robert O'Donoghue. I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response.

The Tánaiste has a pensions double-header coming up from the Labour Party here. I will be returning to the issue of the An Post pensioners. The Tánaiste will be aware that, in September of this year, An Post management agreed with the Communications Workers' Union, CWU, an increase of pensionable pay by 7%, with 6% backdated to 1 January and 1% to 1 June. The current code of practice for the governance of State bodies requires An Post to obtain ministerial approval before paying the increases mandated by the supera…

The Labour Party was calling for this debate for the last few weeks through the Business Committee, along with others. I am happy we are having it today. I also commend the majority of the Minister's statement on this. It was detailed and contained more additional policy coherence in relation to Sudan than we have seen to this point. In that regard, it is interesting to note that the European Parliament today adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the escalation of the war and the humanitarian catastrophe in Su…

I move amendment No.1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: notes that: — while it is acknowledged that the horse and greyhound racing sectors do not qualify for sports capital funding, they are unique in Irish sport in that they are supported by the State through their own ring-fenced statutory fund; — payments into the Fund have increased from €68 million in 2015, up to the €99.1 million proposed for 2026, and that the total allocated to the Fund since 2001, is likely to exceed €…

How much do we give to that?

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, that was an outrageous thing for that Deputy to say and he should withdraw it.

Wow.

On the motion to opt into the regulation establishing the asylum, migration and integration fund, we should be clear about what we are discussing. This is a motion to give our assent to a package of nearly €12 billion to underpin the implementation of the EU migration pact. Along with others, we in the Labour Party have significant difficulties with that pact. Measures will be funded with this money. One of the objectives mentioned in the regulation is promoting and contributing to the effective integration and soc…

Four weeks ago, the previous Minister for foreign affairs gave an indication that the occupied territories Bill would be brought back to this House before the end of November. The November schedule will be agreed without that being included. Can the Chief Whip now give an assurance that the Bill will be brought before the House before Christmas and the end of December?

We will support the Bill, as we do with related legislation every year, but that endorsement is not an endorsement of the two-tier system that exists in our health service. Why do 46% of the population, or 2.5 million people, feel they must have private health insurance? It is because our public health system is buckling at the seams. As of 31 October 2025, there were 626,000 people on outpatient waiting lists. So far this year, 103,545 people spent time on trolleys awaiting beds. Many of us in this House have had …

I thank Deputies Boyd Barrett and Murphy and their colleagues for bringing this motion to the House today, which we are happy to support in a cross-party manner. With all due respect to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, I am absolutely disgusted, for want of a better word, that the Minister is not here on her first full day, at least even for the start of the debate. Along with Ukraine, this is the only show in town from a foreign affairs point of view. This issue is the only issue that has had pre-legislative s…

Sit down.

Notwithstanding the situation the Government has found itself in again, there is no excuse for us not to have Leaders' Questions and not to have Questions on Policy or Legislation. The accountability deficit the Government is committed to is continuing yet again. We are utterly against this change to the Order of Business.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements today. Some may believe the situation in Ukraine has gone away, calmed down or settled. Nothing could be further from the truth. This war is becoming more fraught by the day. Despite the invasion and aggression by Russia, the Ukrainian people continue to display immense bravery and dedication to their nation. We are now nearly four years into this war, a war that has shattered lives, displaced families and fundamentally changed the landscape in Europe. The stak…

I continue to be deeply concerned about the level of staffing in the Naval Service. I ask for an update on the operational capacity of the current staffing levels of our naval vessels and the timeframe for recruitment to ensure the operation of all existing vessels.

I thank the Tánaiste for the detail in his reply. He mentioned the difficulty in hiring specialists. A total of €250,000 has been spent this year for external contractors to service naval vessels due to the lack of trained personnel. In August, we read a report that the €300 million project to purchase Ireland's biggest ever naval ship is in the doldrums, as senior Defence Forces personnel seek a more combat-orientated vessel. I am unapologetic in wanting to see, as I am sure the Tánaiste is, an increased naval pre…

I appreciate the Tánaiste's candour in terms of the numbers going up, but we may not be able to meet the establishment figure. I hope that we will and we really need to strive for it. The Russian shadow fleet as a huge threat and our undersea cables are very vulnerable. Our neutrality is best served by being able to stand on our own two feet and to engage with our allies on our terms rather than having to rely on the likes of British armed forces or the Royal Air Force in our skies. This is where we need to get to …

While the world is watching on, Sudan is, in the words of UN Secretary General António Guterres, spiralling out of control. The Yale humanitarian research lab has described the genocide and killings as happening at a velocity and ferocity not seen since the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. Since the civil war began, 15 million people have been displaced. More than 150,000 have been killed in the conflict, at an estimate. Mass sexual violence is taking place, traumatising the nation. One UN report indicates sexual a…