-----and access to information about their early lives.

That was done in the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.

Almost 7,000 requests have been received and 2,000 cases have been completed. We are pulling out all the stops to ensure we get that information to people affected as soon as possible. There is the national central repository of records, a national centre of research and remembrance and research scholarships. We are trying to get public access-----

-----to State files. I could go on if I was not being interrupted.

Once again, yesterday's announcement was not a mini-budget. It did not involve any increases in weekly payments, income tax cuts or increases, as would happen in any budget, in spending for Departments. What was announced is a targeted package to help families struggling with the cost of living, pensioners and people on social welfare payments and small businesses in particular. It is clear that it was not a mini-budget. This is evident from the way in which it is targeted and from the fact that it does not relate …

We also need to take into account the issue-----

I agree with the Deputy on the matter of certainty. The Government is considering this matter. We will make a decision and announce it before the St. Patrick's Day recess. The Deputy has my assurance in that regard. Déanfaidh an Rialtas cinneadh roimh bhriseadh Lá Fhéile Phádraig.

I do not accept the Deputy's characterisation of what this Government and previous Governments have done. This Government and the one before it decided to deal with this issue, which has been a scar on our society for many decades and generations. Sadly, institutions such as these existed in other jurisdictions. I refer, for example, to the jurisdiction north of the Border and to those in other parts of Europe and the world. We are one of the few countries, to my knowledge, that has actually faced up to this past a…

I appreciate that the Deputy feels very strongly and passionately about this. I appreciate that this is an issue of genuine interest and concern to her but I do not think it is right for her to put words in my mouth. I did not quote the commission of investigation at all. I did not even mention the interdepartmental group and yet the Deputy has tried to put words in my mouth. She then moved on from that to try to criticise my character, attack me personally and misrepresent-----

-----the Government.

When it comes to politics, it is in all of our interests that we do not engage in that sort of personalised criticism of each other where we question people's character and motivations. I do not think that serves anyone's interests, quite frankly, and I do not think it is the way politics should operate. The reason we took the decision we did during the previous Government and this Government was because we listened to people like Catherine Corless and because we engaged with survivors. It was because Katherine Zap…

I am neither a victim nor a demon. We should not demonise each other here.

At the outset, I want to say once again that the Government appreciates that the cost of living is very high, that inflation remains high and that prices are still rising. We understand that the high cost of living is hurting people and families and making it very hard for a lot of businesses to operate in the State. This is driven largely by factors outside our control. Of course we would like to see energy prices being much lower but we are a price taker when it comes to electricity, gas, petrol and diesel, which…

A number of different factors are at play when it comes to the price of fuel but it is just not correct to say that international factors have nothing to do with it and that it is all about tax. That is demonstrably not the case. One need only go north of the Border to look at the price of petrol and diesel there, or go to the UK or to most parts of western Europe-----

-----but perhaps not to all parts of Europe. One will see what the price is in the Netherlands, Denmark or Germany. This is absolutely driven by international factors and we are price-takers in that regard. Tax is an element of it and we have taxes for a reason. They pay for education, healthcare, pensions, housing and all of those things we need. That is why we have taxes. When one looks at the price of a barrel of oil, for example, one needs to bear in mind currency movements. Oil tends to be priced in dollars. S…

-----and one needs to look at that too. I stand over the carbon tax. This tax is ring-fenced and is being given back to people for retrofitting and green schemes for farmers.

It is done for that particular purpose.

I appreciate it is short notice and that it is not best practice. There was an incorporeal Cabinet meeting this morning to sign off on the motion. There was an attempt, I understand, at the Business Committee to agree an all-party motion. That was not possible because some members wanted to include language that was not in our view fully supportive of Ukraine. This matter was discussed at Cabinet, and there not being the possibility of agreeing an all-party motion because of the views of certain members, which they…

We do not stop other parties putting down motions and Private Members' Bills and the Government is free to put in a motion if it so wishes.

I appreciate this is not ideal, but the assessment and briefing the Ceann Comhairle got is correct.