I thank the Minister for the response. It is critical that everyone keeps talking to each other. The year is closing very quickly and there are genuine concerns. A number of reports have alluded to the serious delays and a backlog of up to 7,000 trucks parked up along the M20 in Britain. Unfortunately, many Irish hauliers may be caught up in that situation due to no fault of their own but to unpreparedness at the British end. We know the serious challenges the British are facing in putting IT systems in place. They…

Will the Minster outline the Government's response to the escalating tensions between Turkey and a number of EU members states in the eastern Mediterranean which have come to pass since the discovery of a major gas field which is currently being explored by Turkey?

I thank the Minister. As he is aware there have been a number of incidents between Greek and Turkish naval vessels and aircraft in the coastal area surrounding the island of Cyprus. The cause of this tension lies in the discovery of a major gas field in the region, estimated to be 3.5 trillion cu. m. That is enough to keep the whole of the United States supplied for up to a decade. Of course the EU's interest in the area lies with the potential of the gas find to ease European energy dependency on Russia. As the Mi…

From Syria to Libya, Armenia, Azerbaijan and now Greece and Cyprus, Turkey is a major protagonist in that region, it has to be said. The one thing that Erdogan has over the EU is the fact that Turkey has 5 million refugees. The EU fears Erdogan and the Turks instead of facing them down. It really is an admission of the failure of the EU to put in place a humane refugee policy. Until this is done Turkey will get away with what it wants in the region. The EU needs to stand up and take on the Turks and the geopolitics…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I will share time with three of my colleagues-----

The course that has emerged in the last month around Brexit has been dominated by the intent of the British Government literally to tear up the international treaty that is the withdrawal agreement. That this is a legally binding treaty, endorsed by the EU Parliament and the House of Commons matters nothing to the high Tories of the Johnson Government. The agreement, drawn up between the EU and the British Government, represented a compromise on both sides. No matter how he chooses to describe it now, make no mista…

Yesterday, the pandemic unemployment payment was cut for thousands of people who lost their jobs as a result of Covid. This morning, we hear that the Low Pay Commission will be recommending an increase of 10 cent per hour to the minimum wage. The workers in question were deemed to be essential when Covid first hit and they continue to work under very difficult circumstances to keep the State running. Next week, Deputies are going to get another pay hike, of 2%, which is nearly €2,000. This is a real kick in the gut…

May I just finish on this point? There is a perception that some politicians are standing on the backs of these low-paid employees to stick their snouts in the trough. What is the Taoiseach going to do? Will he stop the pay hike for all politicians next week?

I am talking about the pay hike next week.

The Taoiseach should. He should stop playing politics and answer the question.

The Taoiseach is trying to play politics with the hypocrisy of politicians getting a pay hike when others are getting pay cuts.

That is where it is at.

The Taoiseach would rather attack low-paid workers.

The Taoiseach would rather attack low-paid workers. He is trying to play politics.

That is disgraceful. I would not expect that from-----

The Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Varadkar, yesterday described what was emerging about the British Government's approach as "sabre-rattling". Today, however, we heard that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, has confirmed the intention of the British Government to introduce domestic legislation that would clearly breach international law and he stated that fact himself. That has major potential to impact on the Irish protocol. Attempts by the EU's neg…

I welcome some of the moves that the Government has made to get answers in response to what has unfolded over the past day or so. The Government is using diplomatic channels and going through the ambassador in London. That said, I was alarmed not to hear in the Minister's contribution that the Taoiseach has lifted the phone to talk to No. 10 Downing Street. I find it alarming that we are, essentially, sitting back and allowing this island to be used as some sort of political pawn in the game that Boris Johnson and …

The Irish Defence Forces has a proud tradition of service, be that with the forces of the United Nations, often in some of the most dangerous places across the world, patrolling our coasts or, indeed, our skies. It would be remiss of me to neglect to mention the incredible record of our Naval Service in the Mediterranean where it was responsible for saving thousands of lives. What we have before us today represents a series of minor but necessary amendments to the Defence Act 1954 to which Sinn Féin intends to give…

I wish to raise a serious concern. A response to a parliamentary question I received at the end of July states that only 17 former members of the Defence Forces have re-enlisted. That clearly shows there are serious issues here and the Minister must ask himself why people are failing to re-enlist in the Defence Forces. The whole issue of pay and recruitment is a serious one. That we have a situation where two of our naval ships in this State are tied up at any point is a gross indictment on the Minister and, indeed…

The European Council summit represents a major achievement for the European Union. For a time, it seemed no agreement would be reached. The negotiations exposed challenges faced by the EU, ones that threatened the very fabric of the Union. Sinn Féin has consistently held a policy of critical engagement with the European project, deeply mindful of the benefits that Ireland accrued from its membership but critical of the bureaucratic approach that has too often brushed aside the interests and concerns of smaller stat…