I remind the Senator and the Minister of State that there are six amendments in this group being discussed together, namely, amendments Nos. 9 to 11, inclusive, and 21 to 23, inclusive. Does the Senator wish to respond?

Before the Minister of State responds, I welcome the former Tánaiste to Parliament, along with her guests.

Amendment No. 13 is ruled out of order as being not relevant to the subject matter of the Bill.

Amendment No. 14 is ruled out of order as being in conflict with the principles of the Bill.

Amendment No. 25 is ruled out of order as a potential charge on the people and not relevant to the subject matter of the Bill.

Amendments Nos. 27 to 29, inclusive, ruled out of order as potential charges on the people and not relevant to the subject matter of the Bill.

When is it proposed to take the next Stage?

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning at 10.30.

I thank all the MEPs for being here today. We have seen from the debate back and forth that although people have very different views and positions, it is extremely helpful to have all five MEPs here to be able to outline their position and views and the work they are doing to represent Ireland South. Mr. Kelleher said this is a changing world. It is absolutely changing, and the EU's position and role are so critical in that. One particular issue is the rise of the far right and how Europe, as a Continent, manages …

There are different perspectives on how people answer.

The Senator spoke about interrupting someone and now he is interrupting me.

We have spoken on a range of issues but there is nothing more important at EU level at the moment than security and defence.

When we talk about decision-making, one of the faults of the European Union is the speed of decision-making. I just came back this morning from the World Forum in Berlin where I spoke on defence and security and what allied countries can do to support Ukraine and position ourselves to support of other countries that are vulnerable. Taiwan will be an obvious country in 2027. Taiwan controls 90% of semiconductors. If it is invaded by China, it will have a massive impact throughout the world. However, a deterrent to t…

Could we prioritise the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, of road funding for national, regional and local roads in order to have it as soon as possible? There was an indication that it would be announced a number of weeks ago. This is a critical announcement in terms of infrastructure right across the country, particularly in my county, Tipperary. As the Leader will be aware, the N24 goes right through Tipperary, between Waterford and Limerick. It has been something that I have been very vocal …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. I thank her for being here. To follow on from Senator Costello, the Government is not opposing this motion. Fine Gael is not opposing it and there is good reason for that other than it being the right thing to do. The presentation of it and the balanced approach that Senator Conway has put towards this Private Members' motion outlines very well why this should be taken seriously by Government. When we speak of how it affects one in three people right across the …

Next Tuesday, at 2.30 p.m.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to come in to speak on his portfolio and particularly on family carers. There was a very good briefing last Wednesday from Family Carers Ireland as part of the cross-party interest group. There is a lot of concern and distress among family carers across the country and there are a number of issues they have had to deal with in recent months and years. One is the automatic reporting of carer payments to Revenue. Approximately 34,000 letters have been sent to …

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the opportunity to raise the issue of defence and security procurement, in particular the importance of ensuring meaningful local participation as Ireland increases its investment in this area. It is clear that public understanding of Ireland's defence and security environment is evolving. There is growing awareness of our vulnerabilities, our responsibilities within the European Union and the reality that decades of underinvestment in defence capability must now be a…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, for his comments. Like me, he has visited Ukraine many times and has a keen interest in the country. I welcome the line from the Minister, Deputy McEntee, that a well-designed local participation framework is both pragmatic and beneficial to Ireland and Irish companies. This is common practice in other EU states. Spain requires significant industrial participation in defence contracts. Finland mandates industrial co-operation for large procurements. Denmark links indust…