It is important to put this into context. We are facing an unprecedented situation, a refugee crisis the likes of which Europe has not seen since the Second World War and the likes of which we have never seen in Ireland. In the past year we have taken in about 100,000 people, mostly from Ukraine but also from other parts of the world. We have provided them with shelter, heat, light, education, healthcare and, in many cases, employment. There is no shortage of care or compassion when it comes to this Government and …

That is the legal position.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4 together. The newly established Cabinet committee on children and education will oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being. The first meeting of this Cabinet committee will take place shortly. This new Cabinet committee will have a greater focus on improving the lives of all children in Ireland and on giving them the best start possible. I speak regularly with …

I thank the Deputies for raising these various matters. Deputy Ó Murchú mentioned the issue of ASD classes in County Louth. I agree we have a need for more investment across the country to allow space for more ASD classes come September, when they are particularly going to be needed. They are needed now but they will be needed even more come September. That will require additional capital investment. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, are engaging with the Minister, Deputy Donoho…

------how they can best be deployed. The issue of the CAMHS report was raised. The findings of the independent review are concerning and raise significant risks and deficits. Similar to the Mental Health Commission, I thank the young people and their families who spoke to those conducting the independent review and shared their experiences. That was not easy. It is incumbent on all of us to listen and ensure that action is taken. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been clear on this point. I will meet her an…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, together. I spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, by telephone on 11 January 2023. This was my first opportunity to speak with the President since my reappointment as Taoiseach. She offered me her congratulations and we said we looked forward to operating closely on the important agenda of work ahead at European level, not least our collective response to the war in Ukraine and the current economic situation. We took the opport…

I absolutely call for de-escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The best way it can be de-escalated is for Russia to withdraw, either by withdrawing fully from Ukraine or at least by withdrawing to the boundaries as they were this time last year. That is the best way for us to de-escalate this war and-----

-----that is what I am calling for. To go back to the initial question by Deputy Alan Farrell, it is correct to say that there is an improved atmosphere between the European Commission and the UK Government. It is a much better atmosphere, a much better backdrop and a much better mood music than I have seen or heard at any period since Brexit was passed. There is increased trust. I think there is increased flexibility on both sides and there is also increased confidentiality, which is also very important. We have a…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 15, inclusive, together. As provided for in the programme for Government, we are continuing our shared island initiative to deliver benefits for the whole island and work with all communities for a shared future, as underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. This involves unprecedented co-operative all-island investment, through our €1 billion shared island fund, hearing from all communities on how we can practically better share this island into the future and providing a stron…

I thank the Deputies. To respond to Deputy Durkan, I absolutely agree there are things we can do to move things forward absent an Assembly and Executive, and the shared island fund is part of that. It is one of the few positive things that is happening North-South at the moment. It is making a difference in Northern Ireland and has been a very successful initiative by the Government, particularly led by the Tánaiste and former Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin. Another thing we are working on is PEACE PLUS, an EU-UK…

As the Deputy knows, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will make a statement before the House this afternoon and he will take questions on it. That will be an opportunity for the Deputy to put some of those questions directly to him, should she so wish. Once that process is over, once he has made his statement and once he has answered questions, it will be a matter for people to decide whether they believe Paschal Donohoe. I heard his explanations over the weekend. I spoke to him about it, and I believe him. I have fou…

I thank the Deputy. Exposing her hypocrisy is not a distraction; it is simply telling the truth, something she consistently runs a mile from. She has some brass neck, quite frankly, in that regard given her party had to file its 2020 declarations on three occasions-----

-----because of a €7,000 payment to a UK polling company it had forgotten about until The Irish Times questioned the party about it.

The Deputy always wants to shout me down when she does not want to hear the truth, but this country is still a democracy-----

-----and the Deputy is not in charge of it.

As long as we are a democracy, people will be allowed to speak freely in our Parliament and I will continue to do so. The Deputy has some brass neck in this regard when we consider the Jonathan Dowdall donation, which was a personal donation to the Deputy, not to her party, and the fact her party had to file its own declarations on three occasions in 2020, something the Minister has not had to do. What is a distraction is this snide reference to Mr. Stone receiving public contracts from the Government. The Deputy k…

A service was provided, which they believed had been done on a voluntary basis, and once they found out about it, they made efforts to put things right.

I thank the Deputy. The Mental Health Commission's interim report into CAMHS is of great concern to me and to Government. The Minister for Health gave us a briefing on it at Cabinet this morning. Any of us working in politics who have a constituency service, anybody who has worked as a GP and many parents will understand that we have had problems in our CAMHS service for quite some time. Many children get very good care from CAMHS but it also falls short for a lot of children. It is a matter of resources, although …

I thank the Deputy and completely agree that urgent action is needed. I will be following up on this personally later on in the week, alongside the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, ensuring that the whole of the Government is behind her, the Department of Health and the HSE in taking the actions that are needed. As I mentioned earlier, a new clinical lead will be appointed in youth mental health to ensure we have the clinical leadership and governance which is required. In addition, a new assistant national direct…

I do not want to make that commitment here until I have had that meeting but as soon as I can answer that question, I will. I point out that there has been a great deal of investment in CAMHS in recent years. There has been a marked increase in staffing in the community, for example. Fewer than 400 full-time staff worked in CAMHS in 2011 and it is now over 659. Much investment has been made in recent years but clearly, we will need more investment in staff, in management and in clinical governance.