The Minister of State is welcome to the House. Public procurement is one of the most powerful instruments of public policy in Ireland. Nowhere is it more evident than in the field of defence. The choices we make about where we source our equipment, technology and support systems shape not only our economic landscape but also our national security and our ability to act with confidence in an increasingly uncertain world. It will be no surprise to the Minister of State that I will focus mainly on defence today. For a…

Yesterday, we read in the Irish Examiner that defence spending is still at 0.2% of our GDP, the lowest in the entire European Union. The tiny island of Malta spends 3% on defence. We also note that the Garda has been awarded an additional €165 million for the Presidency of the EU. There is no word whatsoever as to what will be provided to the Defence Forces for the Presidency of the EU. In light of the constituency she lives in, the Deputy Leader will have some understanding of where I am coming from. She is probab…

I remember the second French peacekeeper who has now died as a result of his injuries in south Lebanon. That brings me to the issue of the wars raging in the world at the moment. The more I read, the more I ask where the regulators are, those who examine what might be regarded as corrupt dealings. We constantly see circumstantial evidence that 15 or 20 minutes before the President of the United States makes a statement, there are massive transactions on the stock exchange. People are making money out of war. The Uk…

It is no surprise that today I want to talk about the Defence Forces. In particular, I want to talk about the adjudication of 27 September 2010. We ask representative bodies to go to adjudication to resolve issues that exist within an organisation. The Defence Forces is suffering recruitment and retention issues. That adjudication of 2010 awarded the Army Ranger Wing and those who cook, the chefs, in the Defence Forces an increase in pay backdated to 1 June 2006. Surely it is time for the Department of Public Expen…

I, too, want to be associated with the comments on Senator Flynn. It might be of interest to her to know that, shortly after I shut down my X account, somebody appeared on X as "G. Craughwell" and continues to tweet on that platform despite the fact that I have already complained that my name is being used. These companies have an obligation to ordinary citizens, never mind Members of the Oireachtas or anywhere else. I have complained and am still complaining. I complained when I was impersonated on Facebook, and w…

Yesterday, I spoke about the protests and blockades that occurred over the last couple of weeks. Both the Iranians and the United States are locking down the Strait of Hormuz. We may as well prepare today. Fuel prices will spiral in the coming weeks and months. We cannot allow a situation to develop again whereby local gardaí are pitted against their fellow citizens and local members of the Defence Forces are called out. That was erroneous in the first instance. What we really need to do now is to prepare. We have …

Over the weekend, we had what is being called a protest. Last night, I watched the Garda Commissioner speak to the public and his members about the disgusting retaliation that is being rained down on members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces who did nothing other than their job. At the end of the day, we all support the right to protest. The blockade of vital national resources, however, is not a protest. It is an act of thuggery. It is an act that sets out to damage the citizens of this country who have …

Well done Cathaoirleach, and you back there in 1896.

I believe I had the first slot booked.

Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. I thank Senator Conway and offer best wishes to our Greek colleagues, who I thank for being here. I want to use my time to address an issue that affects families across Ireland and quietly punishes them at the very moment they are dealing with loss, namely, inheritance tax. As a person who is in the departure lounge himself, my family may be looking at it in the very near future. I hope not, but they may be. The inheritance tax is meant to ensure fairness but in practice it doe…

I formally second the amendment.

I will not delay on this. This is the first time I have spoken on the Bill. I become deeply concerned when I see any Bill passing through the House with a guillotine associated with it. The point made by my colleague, Senator McDowell, is valid. When the Bill is finally passed, it will be seen as two things. First, it will be the Minister's Bill. Second, it will not have been passed by the will of the Members of the Oireachtas, many of whom will never have had an opportunity to engage in any way on the Bill. This i…

I second the amendment.

I second the motion. This is my first time addressing the Minister of State.

He is welcome to the House. He might ask why the system of determining the number of Dáil Deputies must be amended. Ireland’s democratic institutions have always evolved when the needs of the State demanded them to do so. Today, we face one of those moments. The constitutional formula that determines the number of Dáil Deputies, that is, one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people, was designed for an Ireland that no longer exists. Yet, it continues to shape the size of our national Parliament in ways that are increas…

He should be proud to be in the Upper House.

There was a hearing in the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, yesterday. I will choose my words carefully. The hearing was reported. During the hearing, allegations were made against a Member of this House. The Member was not named. The person making the allegation was asked if the matter had been reported to An Garda Síochána and that person said that the matter had been reported to it. The person was then asked if An Garda Síochána had followed up with charges. There are no charges. The allegation was a wild al…

It is not often that I compliment the Government. In light of the current crisis in the Middle East, however, I have to hand it to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence for organising to get an aircraft to Oman to bring people home. I appreciate that people will have to travel for many hours to get to that aircraft and that it will be difficult for those who are unwell to have to take a six- or eight-hour bus journey to Oman in order to get home. There are some green shoots with respect to flights. Some flig…

I need people to know that those involved are professional soldiers and that they will be looked after. If they need to be pulled out, they will be.

Tomorrow night in Belfast, there will be an event recognising those who work in the blue light sector for excellence and those who are in the voluntary sector as well. One of the great things about that event was one of the top people awarded was a man from County Wexford with search and rescue dogs. The level of training that goes into his dogs is incredible. They have worked internationally in very serious situations. It is something of which we should be very proud. There is a hope that the same event will move …