I thank the Minister for his reply. On 24 February, we saw Russia illegally breach international law with its brutal invasion of Ukraine. In 2014 we saw Russia annex the Crimea, which again was a grave breach of international law. There is a grave hypocrisy here, however, because the international reaction to the illegal invasion by Russia has seen sanctions being immediately imposed on the aggressor, and rightfully so too. The hypocrisy, however, is that we see a brutal occupation and a continued illegal and colon…

The Minister said recently that one of the greatest injustices in the world today is the occupation of Palestinian lands and the continued expansion of settlements. I completely agree with the Minister. Unfortunately, those words mean nothing when we are prepared to support an agreement such as this. We are rewarding the brutal oppressor of Palestinian people, the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and the continued expansion of settlements. We made a declaration, the first European country to do so,…

The role of the EU in addressing Boris Johnson's Government's shameful and opportunistic exploitation of the issues surrounding the protocol remains critical. The British Government, along with its allies in the DUP, is using the protocol to undermine the Good Friday Agreement. The British Government cannot and must not be allowed to play free and easy with an international agreement which has brought about peace on this island. I welcome the criticism by the Council of Europe of the Tory government's plans to intr…

I fully support this motion because I come from a county that has seen first-hand the negative impact of cuts on local services. The Minister knows this because in 2013, he supported the closure of our local accident and emergency department in St. Colmcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown. At that time, while in opposition, the Minister fully supported the downgrading and closure of that emergency department. He said that the reconfiguration would save lives in Wicklow and improve the quality of emergency care for the…

People in Wicklow did die, because you swallowed that.

You cannot see the truth, Minister.

It was true, though.

Will the Tánaiste answer anything?

The Minister might listen to them.

The figure reported is 40%, which I think is scandalous.

It is rarely, if ever, a cause for celebration for any Minister when Deputies from every corner of the land, including those in the Minister of State's party, talk in this House about particular topics or issues on which they are being hammered in their constituencies. It is safe to say that passports are among those issues. Although the Minister may choose to differ if he was here, the reality is that the issue of delays in the processing and issuing of passports has found itself in the midst of the national conve…

I said "the Minister"; I did not say "the Minister of State". This is a blatantly obvious attempt to deflect from the bigger problems with the forms and the online process. Even the Minister's Government colleague, the Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader, Deputy Varadkar, is prepared to concede that by pointing out it is obvious that if 40% of forms are being filled out incorrectly, the problem is with the forms and not the applicants. The reality is the whole process needs to be dragged right into the 21st century. Onli…

Not if your passport is five years out.

Ask your own councillors.

It is unfortunate, but unavoidable, that as we debate the issues of the Irish protocol and the proposed flawed legacy legislation being floated by the British, that the common thread that binds the two issues in respect of the approach and actions of the British Government is an attitude of disdain, most certainly for the people of this entire island. There is also an attitude of disdain for the EU and, indeed, the US Government, which very much identifies itself as a stakeholder and protector of the peace process …

My question is for the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This week we have seen the Israeli apartheid regime refuse entry to an EU delegation to the occupied Palestinian territories. This delegation included two Irish MEPs. This follows on from the erroneous designation of six Palestinian civil society and human rights NGOs as terror entities, not to mention the ongoing refusal to allow entry to the UN Special Rapporteur or the UN human rights committee members to the occupied territories. On top of that, we have also …

It is important that we acknowledge here today that at a time when the world is being assailed with campaigns of misinformation, where technology has been appropriated as a tool of hybrid warfare, the role of journalism has never been more important. It is this role, which often provides the sole counterpoint to the increasing instances of fabricated self-serving narratives of powerful leaders and states corrupted with ambition, which provides an intrinsic defence of justice itself. With the weaponisation of narrat…

The Commission on the Defence Forces recommends an increase in the establishment figure of our Defence Forces by 2,000, which, given the fact that we are more than 1,100 members below those established figures, would mean in real terms an increase of more than 3,000 members. How will the Minister ensure that these targets are met? Can he lay out a timeline for achieving that?

I thank the Minister. Along with the difficulties regarding recruitment, there is a dysfunctional cycle of turnover in the Defence Forces. That is having an effect on the operational effectiveness of the Defence Forces. The latest figures, of which I know the Minister is well aware, indicate that we are below strength to the tune of 1,134 members in the Defence Forces across the three areas of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Then we have all the cultural issues that need to be resolved. A process needs to be…

I welcome the fact there has been some movement on this. Along with the representative bodies, I have been calling for and demanding this because it is a key aspect of addressing the haemorrhaging of members from the Defence Forces and ensuring it will be an attractive career for members of the community to want to join. I contend that the Minister has deliberately excluded those representative bodies up to this point, which has led to the current circumstances we face. I welcome the fact there has been some moveme…