Does the Deputy accept we are spending more money on health every year?

This time next year there will be more people working in our health service. We cannot have a situation where money is being spent and there is no accountability as to where it is going within our health service or anywhere else as well.

The Deputy talks about our budgets. We would not have the money to invest if we followed the tack the Deputy wants us to take.

While I do not stand here every Thursday, I listen every Thursday and every single week, the Deputy comes in here and wants a new budget. Sinn Féin has put forward a new plan for €3 billion additional funding but does not take into account the fact that if we were to spend every penny-----

-----that the Deputy wants to spend-----

Not only would we not have a surplus-----

-----and we would not actually have the money to spend. Sinn Féin does not want any taxes or to take in any money. It just wants to spend it. Sinn Féin does not take into account that the money it is proposing the Government spends would increase costs even more for people by about 5% or €3 billion.

I have answered the Deputy's question very clearly.

What we have is an infrastructure plan of €102 billion. The Deputy can talk about one project. I think we all agree we need to make sure whether it is a large or small project, that value for money is achieved.

What Deputy Doherty will never accept is that €102 billion is being spent in our schools hospitals, our road networks and our infrastructure-----

-----all of which people will benefit from.

We would not have a red cent of that if we followed the economic plans Sinn Féin has proposed.

Again, we all appreciate that we can all see the challenges people are facing at the moment. This has not happened overnight. We have had a series of events that have impacted inflation and our overall prices, from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine and the most recent crisis in the Middle East where it is being said that if what happened in the seventies was coupled twice with the war in Ukraine, in terms of the impact on and access to fuel and prices, this is worse. We are dealing with what has been a cumulative impa…

-----the delivery of more homes, investment in healthcare and education that we are making permanent invests and permanent savings for people going forward.

In the past few weeks alone, the Government has introduced a support package of €750 million plus. If we were to add another budget, essentially, on top of that before we reach October, what will we trade off here? We fully appreciate we need to support people in the here and now. To say that nothing is happening and no one is benefiting is inaccurate when the reduction in overall costs for fuel prices impacts every single person who gets in their car or uses public transport. What we need to do when we are looking…

In relation to what is happening in Gaza and specifically the West Bank, I am as appalled as the Deputy is. I think everyone in this House is equally appalled. We have what is supposed to be a ceasefire. Having visited the region and having been to Rafah only at the beginning of the year, it is clear to me that the terms of the ceasefire are not being adhered to in many instances. It is clear that what is happening in the West Bank is only escalating further. The level of settler violence is increasing. The level o…

The Deputy outlined the timeline but recently, particularly as this conflict has escalated and as more and more people have been brought into the conflict, we have acted in a way that many other countries have not. We have led in recognising Palestine. We led in advocating for more support, financial aid and assistance. We have led when it comes to the suspension of the association agreement, which I believe would have a greater impact and effect in supporting people in the West Bank and Gaza more generally. That i…

-----to make sure that we have an impact. As I said, I have received the advice. We are at the stage where I have received the advice. I have to finalise and assess that. I will then move forward after that. I have only received that advice in recent weeks. I will be able to make progress and move on it. Everything that we do has to make sure we are able to make an impact and a positive impact for people on the ground. That is always going to be my priority when it comes to this.

The Government has consistently been a strong voice for the rights of Palestinian people. Whether Deputy Coppinger would like to accept that or not, or whether she agrees with me or not, that has always been the case. With every opportunity, be it within the EU or the international community, we have advocated for the rights of the Palestinian people and for a two-state solution. We have not just advocated. On top of the areas I have mentioned, where others have pulled back, we have provided humanitarian aid. We ha…

I am very clear that we are committed to the Bill. I am very clear on that and I cannot stress that enough. In terms of the flotilla, this is the second flotilla. With the first flotilla, our representatives on the ground responded immediately to those who were in Israel. They were some of the first citizens who were brought home. With regard to this current flotilla, I condemned outright the actions taken by Israel in international waters. This was a clear violation of international law. I made it very clear that …