Please answer the question.

We are witnessing the annihilation of Gaza. Already, tens of thousands of lives have been claimed. Those who have not been killed are essentially living in a hell on earth. Some 85% of the population have been displaced, the healthcare system has disintegrated and men, women and children are being starved and dehydrated. Some are warning of a famine in Gaza but there is no famine. There are trucks filled with food and essential supplies within metres, stuck in Egypt. The reality is that the Israeli Government is us…

Instead, like most of the western world, it sat on the sidelines. Is the Government ever going to match its words with actions? Will it please reconsider its position on the South Africa case?

There has been significant buy-in from farmers for the ACRES scheme. It is great to see such engagement with environmental schemes. It was announced last week, however, that payments due in November will only begin to be rolled out next week. Some farmers will not receive payments under the ACRES co-operation scheme until late February. That will put them under significant financial pressure through the Christmas period. Will the Minister consider administering advance payments? How many farmers are affected by the…

I thank the Minister. As he is aware, farmers operate like any other business and structure their finances around payment dates. Farmers have spent significant amounts of money to introduce environmental measures on the basis of the assumption that they would receive payments in November to cover those costs. Given the delays, they are unable to pay their bills and interest can then accrue. We cannot have a situation where people are left worse off when they sign up for a scheme to try to make a positive environmen…

When the ACRES programme was expanded from 30,000 to 46,000 earlier this year, farmers obviously signed up on the assumption that if the Government was allowing 16,000 extra applications, there would be capacity in the system to deal with the increase. Clearly, that is not the case. The Department controls the scoring of the scheme and how many people can apply, but between the number of applicants and the complications of processing the new scheme, somehow, obviously, the Department was overwhelmed. The payments w…

Since this is my final contribution on Leaders' Questions in 2023, I extend a huge thank you to the staff in Leinster House and wish them all a happy Christmas. Much has been made of the date for the upcoming referendums on care and the family. For some reason, the Government has decided to have them on International Women's Day. Is that because it thinks women are excited about the prospect of a referendum on care and that they will be celebrating if a sexist and legally powerless constitutional provision is repla…

The Government does not need help from me for it to be characterised as sometimes being paternalistic in its attitude towards women. There is evidence of that in multiple pieces of legislation such as the mother and baby homes legislation, which told people they are somehow unaffected because they spent less than six months in an institution, and legislation that tells women they have to wait three days to access healthcare, something we do not see in any other kind of healthcare provision, so it is not some kind o…

-----that there would be a review.

The Constitution's current definition of a family is a relic of the past. Many who do not know about it would be so shocked to hear it is included. It does not reflect the reality of society today, nor does it recognise or protect a huge proportion of families. The Constitution is the fundamental legal document of our State and it is a living document. As the principles of the Constitution guide our society, our society must also guide our Constitution. Marriage does not make a family; it is the relationships, acti…

It is difficult to feel enthusiastic about this referendum. There is no denying that the wording in the Constitution in respect of women in the home is outdated and sexist but, other than being generally insulting, it has no impact on the lives of women or careers. The paternalistic celebration of women's work in the home has never resulted in women having a legal right to State support in order to carry out that work. Unfortunately, as the replacement wording makes the provision gender-neutral but still restricts …

I have run out of words to describe the horror being inflicted in Gaza by Israel. I have run out of words to describe how cruel it is. Israel's stated aim is the elimination of Hamas, but its relentless and indiscriminate attacks do not discern between innocent people and Hamas fighters. More than 18,000 people have now been slaughtered, 75% of them women and children. I want to read into the record a recent report from journalist Bel Trew on the scenes inside the European hospital in Khan Younis: A badly burned to…

Week after week, when I ask the Taoiseach these questions, he explains to me over and over again what multilateral sanctions are and why they are the only effective form of sanction. For a month now, I have been calling for those sanctions. EU sanctions are multilateral. There is no need for the Taoiseach to come in every single week to try to explain to me over and over again what they are. That is what I am calling for. Not only is it somewhat patronising, but it is also a waste of time. Most of all, the Taoiseac…

What about the Israeli Government?

The Government says that it is cutting support to Ukrainian refugees to bring it in line with other EU countries but, of course, it is very difficult to make comparisons of temporary protection supports across the EU. That is, because, for instance, some countries have free public services and the cost of living is varied across different countries. Some provide both federal and local level supports. In addition to that, the Department of Justice stated that 30% of Ukrainian refugees have come here after having spe…

This motion is a disgrace. It involves point after point of dog-whistles. I do not believe that the Rural Independent Group does not know exactly what it is doing here. They all know well that they are pandering to the far right, stoking up divisions and spreading fear and complete misinformation. In doing so, they are putting a target on the backs of migrants and asylum seekers for the sake of a few votes. They should be ashamed of themselves. The idea that a group would submit a motion on asylum seekers, while fa…

The Government's Green Paper on disability reform is shameful and will further marginalise disabled people. Although couched in language of care, in reality it will demonise people and blame them for Government failure. Under the proposed plans, people with disabilities will be subjected to a medical assessment and categorised into three tiers based on their ability to work. The plan attempts to rationalise this by highlighting that Ireland has the lowest rate of employment for disabled people in the EU, but at no …

There will be a protest outside the Dáil tomorrow. People are calling for this plan to be scrapped. Will the Taoiseach listen to them?

How much longer is the international community going to sit back and watch an impending genocide in Gaza? How many innocent civilians have to die? How many children have to be butchered? How many hospitals have to be destroyed, residential buildings flattened, schools decimated and farms devastated? How much slaughter and indiscriminate destruction can western leaders stomach? More than 15,000 people have now been massacred in Gaza, including at least 6,000 children. Will 5,000 more Palestinian lives satisfy Israel…

Has the Taoiseach done that? The next EU Council meeting is next Thursday. Will he be recommending sanctions on Israel at that meeting?