Whatever about it being disadvantageous for the Taoiseach to give a final figure of costs to the Dáil, let me tell the Taoiseach that it is wholly disadvantageous and unacceptable that the Government has set out on this project with a totally open-ended contract, playing advantage at every turn to the developer, such that we have spent €1.1 billion of taxpayers’ money. We have €500 million of developer claims outstanding and we have a Government, Taoiseach and Minister for Health with no notion of what the final bi…

Do not analyse my question. Give an answer.

You did.

Please do not point at me.

Does the Government have any notion of cost?

When will it be?

The programme for Government contains a promise to create a food ombudsman to protect farmers and consumers from unscrupulous behaviour on the part of powerful retailers and processors. Farmers had sought a regulator with real teeth to tackle the cartel-like behaviour of factories and others, particularly in the meat sector. The Government's draft Bill for an office for fairness and transparency was roundly criticised for lacking the necessary enforcement powers. The Minister promised that the new office would be i…

It can still be on the west coast, though.

What remedy is there to be?

One of the criticisms of the current national risk assessment is that it does not adequately provide for poverty-related risks and includes an inadequate analysis regarding social exclusion. Of particular relevance today is the criticism that forced displacement does not feature as a risk. It is mentioned only fleetingly in the analysis. Social Justice Ireland has observed that forced displacement, whether due to conflict or climate change, presents a serious risk for all countries. Poverty, too, is dealt with only…

That is not my fault.

I know. The way the questions are ordered is bizarre.

I have two questions. Will the Taoiseach give an explanation as to why the long Covid clinic at the Mater hospital in Dublin is to close? What is the basis for that decision, which seems deeply unwise? Second, I refer to community disability services, which have been caught in a debacle around the transfer of functions from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The reality is that unless matters are resolved speedily, we will have a real crisis in the d…

Here we go again. With less than three weeks to go before the Taoiseach hands the keys of his office back to the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, the Fine Gael Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has opened the door to the return of big pay for top bankers. This move will pave the way for bumper pay increases for the top brass at bailed-out banks. We are talking about senior banking executives who already earn €500,000. It seems former Fine Gael Ministers who slipped out of government and into the roles of banking lobb…

Nobody should be surprised because this is straight out of the Fine Gael playbook - delivering for those in high places while ordinary people struggle to make ends meet. This would be a bad call at any time, but there is something twisted about allowing big pay hikes for wealthy bankers while workers and families endure an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis. It is a real kick in the teeth for ordinary people. There was a segment on RTÉ radio this morning, which was absolutely heart-breaking. It contained interview…

I am sure that the Taoiseach’s new-found concern for the ordinary bank workers is very welcome. The banks are of course profitable and they should pay their staff correctly.

The review states: "In practice, the €500,000 pay cap applies to the few within the banks that hold the most senior management positions, such as the CEO and other senior executives". The Taoiseach is proposing to remove that cap so do not create an alibi or hide behind ordinary bank clerks----

-----in a bid to defend the indefensible. I have put it to the Taoiseach on this specific matter that the removal of this pay cap, as though €500,000 is not enough for a senior banker, Fine Gael, true to form, wants to bust through that and go back to the bad old days when bankers could earn obscene amounts of money in their salary and obscene bonuses. The culture has not changed one iota within the Irish banking system. I have asked the Taoiseach on that issue how he stands behind that. How does he defend that? Th…

Can the Taoiseach answer my question?

I have asked the Taoiseach about the €500,000.