It is quite obvious that the glaring issue from an Irish perspective in the coming meeting of the European Council is that of Brexit. The illegal, irresponsible and intemperate approach taken by the Johnson Government from the very outset has placed obstacle after obstacle in the way of an agreement. It has set out to dupe its own workers to support its machinations under a chorus of nationalistic jingoism. The domestic success of the Tories in morphing the issue of the level playing field into one of sovereignty h…

I am not going to engage in some of the Minister's shenanigans here this evening. Maybe if her party was to start to run candidates in the North and maybe if she talked to her friends in her sister party, the British Tory Party, that is where the Minister will find some of the answers to the questions she has posed here this evening.

There are now more than 4,000 people aged 65 in receipt of a jobseeker's payment. Many of those people were obliged by contract to retire at the age of 65. They are forced onto a jobseeker's payment for one year before their State pension is assessed at the age of 66. If the Minister's planned hike proceeds in January, retirees will be forced onto a jobseeker's payment for two years. This is a ridiculous and totally unacceptable situation for people who have worked hard and paid taxes for their entire lives. Retire…

As many families across the country and thousands of young children are preparing to watch "The Late Late Toy Show" tomorrow, the big question on their minds is whether Covid restrictions will be lifted sufficiently to allow Santa Claus visit at Christmas. A representative from the North Pole has been in touch with me also to ask whether clearance will be given for Santa Claus to enter our airspace. This is an important question. It is not the one that I tabled, but it is playing on the minds of hundreds of thousan…

I thank the Minister for the reassurance he has given to thousands of children. Realistically, they knew in their hearts that nothing would stop Santa Claus, but that reassurance is very much appreciated. Returning to business and human rights, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to review the existing plan, which is very important. The review will also look at the mandatory due diligence. I believe it has gone beyond the point of having a look at that. It is the accepted norm in many progressive …

The Minister says Ireland will co-operate fully with it, but concern has been expressed about Ireland's position even in terms of the UN treaty on business and human rights. The Government has failed to offer public support as an individual nation. Ireland has an opportunity to lead on this front and we cannot afford to wait on the EU to make up its mind on the position relating to the treaty. Ireland can and must act of its own accord. I encourage the Minister to speak to the EU on the treaty and pledge full suppo…

Has the Irish Government sought compensation from Israel for its ongoing, systematic destruction of Palestinian homes and other infrastructure such as schools? I know other European countries have asked for compensation from Israel? Has the Government considered this? Has it carried out an assessment of how much Palestinian infrastructure that was provided by Irish taxpayers' money has been destroyed by the Israeli strategy of demolition?

I thank the Minister for his reply. I appreciate what he said. I also appreciate some of his recent statements on the illegal demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank. He indicated that he has raised these matters with Israel and also through the EU, but his intervention is having absolutely zero impact. Belgium made a decision to seek compensation and it has been refused. If nothing else, it is important to draw attention to this aspect. It is another strategy to pursue. A recent statement by the Israeli f…

The Minister mentions the new US Government and US President, who will take office in January. Nevertheless we are seeing a ratcheting up of illegal settlements and just this week we have seen tenders approved for 1,200 illegal settlements in north Bethlehem. This week, ten families have been ejected from their homes to allow for military manoeuvres in the West Bank. It is a systematic attempt to destroy any prospects of a two-state solution. We can consider planning, particularly in area C of the occupied territor…

This is not the first time we have looked at the case of this young woman or women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia in general. There is a growing body of opinion that the loss of international prestige is too high a price for Saudi Arabia to pay and many want this crackdown to end. There needs to be more focus. This particular case is horrific, as has been outlined. Ms al-Halthloul has been beaten, tortured and sexually assaulted and her crime, if any, was speaking out for women's rights and applying for a j…

The oppressive system of male guardianship within Saudi Arabia is well-documented and restricts women from enjoying the most basic of civil rights, which are taken for granted in this State and in most European countries. Women must gain permission from a male guardian for many of the most mundane and everyday decisions and actions. While Ireland has worked alongside other EU member states to ensure human rights issues in Saudi Arabia are raised with the authorities there, it does not appear to be having the desire…

Many of the points I had intended to make have been well-made by other speakers. I want to outline my approach and that of my party to the Brexit omnibus Bill. From the get-go, we endeavoured to work with the Government, put on the green jersey and get the Bill across the line because it was the right thing to do and it was necessary. There needed to be a consensus to show across the water and throughout Europe that Ireland is united on this issue. The Government, however, has overstepped the mark in bringing forwa…

I reiterate the appeal to the Minister. He presents himself as a Minister willing to compromise and to take on board some of what the Opposition is saying. The amendment he brought forward to reduce the sum to €75 from the initial proposal of €175 was presented as a compromise, when it is not a compromise because it does the same thing: it damages a sector that is completely on its knees. When I say “on its knees”, I picture the stores in rural parts of Connemara and the western seaboard that are open purely for th…

Certainly the word for it is "bizarre", and it was bordering on childish as well. We approached this from a united perspective and the Minister of State has single-handedly managed to turn it into a divisive exercise, when it does not need to be one. A number of Deputies from a number of parties have their names attached to amendment No. 9. My colleague, Deputy Munster, tabled an amendment in her own right and had intended on pressing it to a vote, irrespective of whether there was a deal done, which clearly there …

The debate has been broadly good. It has been united, and that has certainly been my party's approach from the get-go. I concur with the comments from Deputy Howlin on some of the unfortunate scenes and developments during this debate. Let us not allow that to cloud the overall objective which was achieved. There is an opportunity to come back to what we have discussed. Our approach to Brexit has been good from the get-go, as I said. There has been a united approach in trying to achieve the Irish protocol which tha…

My question to the Minister relates to the awarding of medals for what can only be described as true heroism during the siege of Jadotville. In the Seanad last week the Minister made a statement on the matter and he announced the establishment of an independent review body, which I welcome. I take this opportunity to ask the Minister to elaborate on that and to state what timeframe we are looking at.

The Minister is aware that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the siege at Jadotville. The commanding officer at that time, Commandant Pat Quinlan, recommended that 33 men from A Company, 35th Battalion, be recommended for the distinguished service medals, and that five of those men also be recommended for military medals for gallantry. I welcome that a review body has been established. Hopefully, it will validate the original recommendation from the commanding officer at the time. We are aware there was much …

March is a reasonable timeframe for the panel to come back with the recommendations, which hopefully will overturn some of the political resistance that has existed. We need to be truthful that political resistance has existed over the past six decades. I welcome this move. It is progress and is a step in the right direction. There has been much focus in this issue in the House, and rightly so. Quite recently, the Minister ruled out any progress on the issue, in that it would not be looked at again. I welcome that …

I wish to follow up on a question my colleague raised earlier in Priority Questions relating to search and rescue. The technical specifications for the new contract have yet to be finalised, but, according to some sources familiar with the internal discussions, serious consideration is being given to allowing the winning bidder to base its fixed-wing aircraft in the UK as a cost-saving measure. Currently, the Air Corps provides the top cover in many search and rescue missions. My specific question is whether that w…

It has been reported that some six private contract companies are expected to bid for the contract, and two of them are UK-based entities. It has also been reported that one of them is also contracted to do clandestine work for the UK's Ministry of Defence. Earlier, the Minister referred to a specific concern about intelligence and the retention of same. These are my concerns but, more important, they are the concerns of Irish officers in terms of the intelligence implications. The Minister brushed it away and esse…