What is the point in asking questions if-----

Does the Taoiseach agree with a ban on evictions?

As Deputy Whitmore said, there is some merit in the proposals in the Bill before us. The €1.7 billion investment will do some good but that needs to be put in the context of the level of suffering and need in the country. The failure to target this will mean that people in this country will continue to have to choose between heating and eating. That is something that cannot and will not go unchallenged by the Social Democrats. Today, Focus Ireland said more people will become homeless if the Government does not act…

My question pertains to the junior certificate, in particular as to when the results of that examination will be furnished.

I fully accept the complexity of junior certificate results, particularly following Covid, which destabilised the leaving certificate, the appeals and everything else that came with that. Today I contacted a number of schools in my area and asked if there were any issues I could raise. What came back continually was the junior certificate results. This has implications, for example, for students deciding whether to go into the leaving certificate applied, LCA, programme while waiting on their results. It has partic…

I appreciate the response. In particular, the idea of a review is welcome. We could learn a lot from such a review. As has been suggested by a number of schools and people who take part in it, does it call into question the validity of the junior certificate moving forward? Is this still an examination we are committed to? This year's cohort of junior certificate students awaiting a result have had a completely upturned secondary school experience as a whole. They entered during Covid and all the way through that w…

I agree with all the sentiments expressed in the Minister's statement but I would go further. I accept the fact that he met with the Iranian foreign minister in New York but we also have an ambassador here from the Islamic Republic of Iran. He needs to be summoned and the Minister needs to tell him that the actions we see in Iran at the minute with the murder of Ms Mahsa Amini, the suppression of the protestors, the violent conditions of subjugation and violence against women by the morality police, are not in keep…

I reiterate that I accept fully that the Minister met with his foreign affairs counterparts in New York, but in a previous discussion with Deputy Brady the Minister highlighted that we have ambassadors here to keep diplomatic channels open. It now warrants the Minister summoning Ambassador Eslami to his office and admonishing him in person. That is certainly something the Irish people would expect.

I will begin by disagreeing with Deputy Griffin. I do not believe we have any traditions of militarisation in this country, certainly in an overseas capacity and I do not believe that we want any. I think the Irish people's compassion, commitment and support for Ukraine and the people of Ukraine following the illegal and horrendous invasion by the Russian state is very clear. That is felt in every town, village and city in this country where we have extended our welcome. I also fully support the commitment to non-l…

There is.

The greatest defence our peacekeepers have when they are overseas is that we have a reputation for humanitarian intervention. Our peacekeepers put themselves in harm's way to avoid conflict. We have an extraordinary tradition on that. Many of our peacekeepers have lost their lives in the name of peace. I fully agree that when our peacekeepers are overseas, they should be equipped with the best possible equipment. The Minister is speaking at an arms industry event later. Can he guarantee that those arms will simply …

That is no problem.

We were told they were grouped.

It is all on the same issue. Such is the importance of the issue, we have both given it priority.

The Minister indicated in his response that the reports were not completely accurate and that three apprentices had left as opposed to five. What is clear though is that this year alone 270 members of the Defence Forces have left, and there is a problem with retention. Much of that comes down to pay and conditions. I believe the Minister and the State are committed to changing that. We have spoken about the issue at length. Deputy Brady mentioned that the private sector was impressed by the high standards of the Na…

That gets to the crux of the matter. The ambition of having 6,000 new recruits in a number of years is welcome, as is the vision the Minister painted of Haulbowline. The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces is comprehensive and has done a great deal of good work but we are at the point now where our Defence Forces are down to bare bones. At 35 years of age, I have any number of friends who used to be in the Defence Forces because they have left and gone elsewhere. We need to create conditions in which peo…

I will not be that long. I welcome the Minister's contribution and, especially, the transfer of the NSO and the choirs from RTÉ to the NCH. At its best and when done correctly, the NSO is an invaluable reflection of Ireland’s musical and cultural heritage, and there is probably no home more suitable than the NCH, which, when done correctly as it often is, is a champion of the arts. The addition of the orchestra and choirs will reaffirm the concert hall as a world-class venue and institution, and I am delighted that…

Is it not? The Deputy's are never short. The aim must transcend the Bill and go into the intention of opening our National Concert Hall to communities who have not felt it as a home or place where they can perform their works. I am excited to see how it develops. I commend the Minister on bringing forward the Bill and on the work she has done in her Ministry, and I look forward to hearing how it progresses.

Two weeks ago the Dublin arts festival, Scene + Heard, announced that it will not be returning in 2023 due to a lack of funding. Will the Minister continue to provide some funds in order that this much-needed festival can continue to operate?

I will pay testimony to what exactly this arts festival was about. It mentored countless young aspiring performers, writers and directors for six years and provided them with training, encouragement and a space to demonstrate their work. Three thousand artists benefitted from the Scene + Heard festival over the years and the programme launched many successful careers in the arts but that is set to end. I appreciate that the decision should be removed from politics, but politics should not separate itself from how w…