The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, informs me that that is available in CHO 9 but perhaps not in all parts of the country. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to come back to the Deputy on the matter directly.

I will ask the Minister of State to come back to the Deputy. I do not want to give an answer that is not correct.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. The Government approved a high-level action plan for the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in July 2022. The report sets out the initial implementation and oversight structures, comprising a high-level steering board, an independently chaired implementation oversight group and an implementation management office. The high-level steering board is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and the membership comprises the Chief of Staff…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. The work and report of the independent review group on dignity and equality in the Defence Forces have raised very profound issues relating to culture and unacceptable behaviour. The value of the report has been demonstrated by the widespread support for its recommendations and the universal reaction of shock and dismay at its contents and conclusions. It is now vital that we quickly build on the work of the review. A statutory inquiry is the logical, necessary next step. T…

-----but a conspiracy theory was spun by people on the Left that if people voted for the Lisbon Treaty that there would be an EU army and that we might be conscripted into it and long before-----

-----the social media world there were conspiracy theories that people took seriously. As part of the response to that absurd and provably untrue conspiracy theory perpetrated by some people at that time, neither of those things happened-----

I do not believe it is appropriate to allow Russia, China, Britain, France or America to decide whether or not we send troops on missions abroad. That should be a decision for the Government and for the Dáil.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 17, inclusive, together. The priorities set out in the Department's Strategy Statement 2021-2023, reflect the role of the Department to assist me as Taoiseach and the Government to ensure a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland’s interests abroad, to implement the Government’s programme, and to build a better future for Ireland and all its citizens. In accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Management Act 1997 the Department of the Taoise…

I thank the Deputies for raising those various issues. On waiting lists, the number of people awaiting hospital treatment and who have been waiting to see a specialist for more than three months or who have been waiting for an operation they need for more than three months is 50,000 lower than was the case this time last year. We are seeing progress in respect of some waiting lists, but that does not for a second take away from the fact that this is not the case across the board and that many children are awaiting …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 29, inclusive, together. A Policing Service for our Future is the Government’s plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Implementation of the plan is being overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach and has now entered the final consolidation phase, with many substantive reforms already attained. This phase is expected to conclude in quarter 4 of this year as the enhanced governance and accountability…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy McDonald raised the very sad case of Shane O'Farrell who was killed in a road traffic collision, many years ago now. I again send my condolences to his mother and family. A scoping report has been carried out. It is very detailed and very comprehensive. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has met with the family about it. We would very much like to see it published as soon as possible. When it is published, I would ask people to read it and to reserve judgment on any furthe…

Will the Deputy remind me?

I am sorry. I thought I had covered the deployment of gardaí in my response to Deputy Dillon. The deployment of gardaí is a delegated function to the Garda Commissioner. It is not a decision that is made with the Minister for Justice or the Taoiseach. I am happy to transmit any thoughts the Deputy has on that, if she has not done so already.

I thank the Deputy. At the outset I acknowledge that electricity prices have gone up a lot in the past year or so. What generally happens is wholesale prices go up first on the international markets. After that companies put up their retail prices for businesses and customers. After the prices on the wholesale markets come down, the reductions at retail level, to customers, businesses and homeowners come after that. What we see is the prices on the wholesale markets going up first, retail prices not going up immedi…

I think I set that out in my answer-----

-----but allow me to set it out again. As regards individual cases, it is difficult and I do not wish to speak to individual cases in the Chamber because I do not know all the facts. I know from my constituency service that on many occasions I have been able to help people to get exceptional needs payments for funeral expenses and that is available. Maybe it is not happening in all cases but it is available and-----

-----is paid out to a lot of people, and rightly so. How is the Government acting? We brought in energy credits, with €600 already taken off the bills of every household in the country. There is the business scheme. We decided today that we are extending it to July and introducing a special scheme for businesses that use kerosene, particularly in rural Ireland. We have reduced the VAT rate to 9%, the lowest VAT rate we have ever had for electricity and gas, and that is helping people with their bills. We have taken…

As regards the retail price of electricity and gas, as the Deputy knows and has described, it is done through hedging. Companies buy electricity and gas ahead of time. They do not buy it today and sell it on to customers today; they buy it in advance.

That is why retail prices will fall but there will be a time lag in when they fall.

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this very important question. I join with her in condemning the violent protests, the intimidation and the racism we have seen occur by some people at some protests in the past few weeks and months, and also the blocking of a public road. Restricting people's freedom is never acceptable. I also condemn the alleged assault of a man in his 70s in County Clare the other day. I extend my best wishes to him and I hope he makes a speedy recovery. I know the Garda will want to interview h…