I thank the Deputy.

The Deputy's time is up.

The time is up. I call on the Minister to respond.

The Deputy's time is up.

I thank the Minister.

I thank the Minister. The time is up.

I thank the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy.

The Minister, please.

The Minister to respond.

We need to move on.

I thank the Minister and the Deputy. We need to move on.

I thank the Deputy. We need to move on to the next question.

Deputy, please.

Like many parts of the country, there were severe power outages in Leitrim following Storm Isha. While most parts of the country had power restored in a day or two, some parts of Leitrim, particularly around Ballinamore, Cloone, Fenagh and much of south Leitrim, did not see power restored for six to seven days because of the complete neglect of maintenance and adherence to proper planning in our forests. We have planting beside power lines and under power lines, with sally trees toppling over and taking down the wi…

As the Minister said, this is a substantial investment for shovel-ready projects. Ballymote was delighted that it was ready to go, as it were. The Minister knows from correspondence between our offices that I have been pushing for this, as I know some of my colleagues have as well. The committee is ambitious and the project, as I said, is shovel-ready. It has done huge work to get to where it is today. This project is a no-brainer, not just for Ballymote but also for the entire south Sligo area. As the Minister is …

I agree. This is a good initiative. It is important, and it is for bigger projects that are shovel-ready. Like Deputy Murnane O'Connor in the context of Tullow Road, I speak strongly in favour of Ballymote. A great thing is that it is supported by many community groups such as Ballymote Community Parks, Ballymote Community Council, Sligo LEADER, Ballymote parks project and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board. As the Minister said, the local authority is, of course, the lead partner. The Ballymote F…

I again raise the matter of the parents of Salem Gharbia, who are in a camp in Gaza with no medication or access to food or clean water. In fact, their lives are in constant danger. This morning, I received a written response to a question I put to the Tánaiste on this issue where he told me that if an Irish citizen, for example, Salem himself, was in Gaza, his dependent parents could accompany him out of Gaza. It might take time but it is possible. It seems to me the issue is not whether his parents could get safe…

It is sometimes difficult to know what the best thing to say is when it comes to any discussion on Gaza. There is lots we can say. We have had a number of debates at this point. As I have said, there is plenty to say but the question sometimes is what is the best thing to say. What will help or make any difference to a very difficult situation? To me, the most valuable contribution we could make as a Parliament is to have an agreed position. This would be really strong. It would send a message on this unspeakable c…

Taoiseach, last November I asked you as Taoiseach, as leader of our country, to lead what I hoped would be an open, honest, factual and respectful debate on immigration. So far this has not happened. In my view, until we treat our citizens as adults and trust them with all the facts - the nice stuff we want them to hear and the hard facts, the tough stuff that is difficult - people will get and have got some of their information elsewhere, and that is not always good. Today I want to raise one issue with you: the d…