I thank the Minister for introducing the Bill. Given the surplus of resources the Government was faced with entering this term, budget 2024 should have heralded real change. It should have looked to the future, tackling inequality that has become entrenched. It could have addressed the chronic underfunding of public services, bringing them up to, at the very least, European standards. We are told the money is available. I understand that a multibillion euro surplus serves as a cushion for a rainy day when we really…

I thank People Before Profit for bringing forward this motion. We are living through the most horrific times. In that regard, I am grateful, insofar as one can be, that this Chamber gets to debate what contribution Ireland can make, however small or large, in stopping the depravity that we are watching being inflicted on the human beings in Gaza right now. Last week, the Social Democrats brought forward a motion, as People Before Profit-Solidarity has done today. In it, we set out a range of measures that we can ta…

Sanctions.

I will try to spend the majority of my time discussing the consultative forum and the findings from it but inevitably we will not be able to step away from other events that are taking place in the world, particularly in the Middle East, and from our role within those events. There was an assertion in the consultative forum's conclusion: "that Ireland’s policy of neutrality is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for Ireland’s global standing as a force for good in international affairs". That was contain…

In terms of the Tánaiste's position, where we differ is that he offers words but in terms of the Middle East conflict, we want him to go forward and offer actions. That is where we have diverged. I have highlighted examples of people from the Tánaiste's own party that I have admiration for, including Mr. Frank Aiken-----

Yes, exactly. That is what I am trying to say.

I am using the example of Frank Aiken to demonstrate a time when Ireland took a maverick position, stepped out from the group and acted unilaterally as a way of achieving something. Now we seem to have lost the courage to go beyond ourselves. It is with that spirit in mind that I am saying to the Tánaiste that now, when the dogs of war are once again assembling and when we are seeing a genocide being inflicted upon the people of Gaza, we should go further and where necessary, act unilaterally. I do not doubt the Tá…

Sorry, I meant to say Barry Andrews. It is hard to tell the difference. There was a range of actions the Government could have taken. I disagree with the fact that we have continued to use words when action is what we are calling for.

This is no laughing matter. We have asked for things like the progression of the Control of Economic Activities (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. It was Fianna Fáil in 2019 that brought that Bill to Second Stage in the Dáil. When introducing it, Deputy Niall Collins asked if not now, when? What I was going to ask before the interruptions was, why we do not have the courage to go beyond ourselves? There are examples of this from the Tánaiste's own party and I was going to list a number of them. Simply standing back …

I thank Deputy Denis Naughten and the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, for giving us the opportunity to speak on this topic as we celebrate Science Week 2023. This occasion provides us with an invaluable opportunity to recognise the importance of STEM in our society and to reflect on the progress we have made in these fields. I have spoken at length over the years about the power of science to shape our world, and how our choices in research in this field echo our aspirations for the future and the injustic…

I expect it to be a running theme in this debate, but I cannot step away from the fact that yesterday, a person occupying the seat that is reserved for the Head of the Irish Government gave his view – I believe his honest view – and one in accordance with the World Health Organization, that Israel as a state is “blinded by rage” and is “waging a war on children”. He further went on to say, “You cannot build peace on the ... graves of children”. If it were possible to place a number on those graves, it would exceed …

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion. I will try to focus my comments solely on referral to the ICC. Israel's illegal actions against the Palestinian people were referred to the ICC prosecutor in 2014. An investigation was opened in 2021 but, it is fair to say, it has stagnated. As the situation has progressed and become an horrific reality beyond comprehension we have an urgent role to play. The Rome Statute is designed to punish breaches of international law. There is an implied obligation on states to call o…

The reports of the last European Council meeting emphasised three points above all else, namely, the condemnation of Hamas in the strongest possible terms, the recognition of Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law and a call on Hamas to immediately release all hostages without no preconditions. These findings taken on their own seem fair. Hamas should be condemned for its brutal attack, it should release all hostages without preconditions and Israel does have a right to defend itself in acco…

On the same issue, we desperately need not only a debate but questions and answers on the teacher vacancy catastrophe that is going on in schools the length and breadth of this country. I am concerned about where the priorities of this Government are. I read that there is a memorandum going to Cabinet discouraging parents from buying smartphones for their children in primary school. We do not have teachers to fill classes in these same primary schools so I want to know where the focus of the Government is. I cannot…

I will also return to the issue of Gaza. My party leader has asked that, as a consequence of the horror being inflicted on the Palestinian people and people in Gaza following the October massacre inflicted on the people of Israel by Hamas, the Taoiseach would use his leverage at EU level to look at Horizon Europe funding and human rights clauses in EU trade agreements. We ask him to use that leverage because there must be consequences for the devastation that is being inflicted upon the people of Gaza, where a chil…

I begin by thanking Deputy Connolly and the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. It is hugely timely and appropriate that we discuss Ireland's position in the world now despite what the Tánaiste said in his comments earlier today. Last week, I began my contribution to the statements on the conflict that has been raging in the Middle East, with an expression that feels warranted to reiterate here today. We are living through horrible times. In the 109 years that have passed between today and the begin…

The Taoiseach has just left. Had he not, the question I would have posed to him pertains to his response on Leaders' Questions yesterday, when he was asked about EU Council statements and whether there would be a demand for a common approach calling for an outright ceasefire. He responded that we needed to be cognisant of and sensitive to the historical perspectives of other EU countries, particularly the attitudes of countries based on their experiences of the 1930s and 1940s. Did I lose my mind or is that not exa…

I will certainly endeavour to mention every sports club in Dublin Central and the incredible work they do. As we talk about the sports capital grant, we should begin by acknowledging that the Minister of State is a very accessible one in terms of making himself available to local sports teams, so I thank him for that. In respect of facilities, a lot of our grassroots clubs, and in particular football clubs, a sport close to my own heart, play on pitches in public parks, as they have done for decades. Many of these …

We are living through horrible times. To turn on the TV, open a newspaper or scroll through social media is to allow yourself to witness the very worst of humanity's capacity for people's cruelty to one another. Last night, as news broke of the latest atrocity, hundreds of people, many of them women and children seeking refuge from air strikes, were killed in a blast at a hospital in the centre of Gaza. We are watching these horrors in real time but we understand quickly that these war crimes will echo for generati…

I move amendment No. 5: To insert the following after "calls for their immediate and unconditional release;": "— condemns the tactics of the Israeli government – cutting off water, food, electricity and food supplies – which constitute collective punishment of an innocent and helpless civilian population; and condemns the relentless bombing of residential buildings in Gaza, which constitutes war crimes;".