The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is welcome.

Hear, hear.

Not agreed.

The scenes from Jenin refugee camp in the occupied Palestinian territory, where an Israeli raid has resulted in the deaths of at least ten Palestinians and forced thousands to flee their homes, must be condemned in the strongest terms, as should today's car ramming in Tel Aviv that attacked innocent Israelis. The Israeli Government is carrying out indiscriminate attacks on Palestine as the occupation and apartheid intensifies. The world must say stop and Ireland must lead the way. This House has adopted resolutions…

In 2018, this House supported a motion calling for the establishment of a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Shane O'Farrell and the actions of State agencies before and after his death. Rather than delivering that public inquiry, the Taoiseach's Government at the time initiated a scoping exercise that nobody had sought in 2019 for which a report still has not been published. It appears from extracts which were provided to RTÉ's "Prime Time" that the only outworking of that exercise has …

I move: That Dáil Éireann: is gravely concerned that: — the A5 road remains unsafe, with an increasing number of fatalities in recent years; — people, young and old, continue to lose their lives on this route, leaving devastated families and communities behind; and — more than 50 people have died since 2006, with ten deaths occurring between October 2021 and October 2022 alone; notes that: — the A5 route is important infrastructure linking the North and South, and it is a major route for those living and working in…

I reiterate our thanks to the A5 Enough is Enough campaign group formed by Tyrone GAA. It is not often a Monaghan Deputy will take to his feet to commend Tyrone GAA for much of anything but on this occasion, I will. I am holding up a map of Ireland's rail network. It has been repeated many times that there is a huge gap in the corner. That is important to note in the context of this debate because it sets out the reality for people who live along and within the north west and Border regions, namely, that public tra…

I join the Taoiseach in condemning the ongoing deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus and Russia. It is something the international community must be incredibly vocal in condemning and find routes to resolve. The events at the weekend raise significant concerns. Whatever about the macro level and what it means for the Russian invasion and the outworking of the war, there are clear concerns we will see an intensification in the short term that will only lead to further suffering by ordinary people, especially …

It is not agreed. There is growing recognition that the consultative forum on security and defence is less about public debate and more about an attempt to reshape public opinion. Along with the legitimate concerns about the balance of panellists, the Taoiseach needs to provide an answer on why there is no formal role for the Opposition in this process. The Government will have no less than five opportunities during which people will be indulged with lengthy, uninterrupted speeches from the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste …

That is not true.

I wish to raise a point of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

The Taoiseach is misrepresenting the position. There is a distinction between being invited-----

-----to sit in the audience and listen to government representatives, as opposed to being invited to participate in the debate.

That is the case for both members of the European Union and for members of the Opposition.

I think the Taoiseach should be clear in outlining the position-----

-----that many voices of those who value Irish neutrality are actually being excluded from the debates.

He should not misrepresent it.

It is not agreed.

What measures will be put in place to ensure passports can be issued on an expedited basis in urgent cases? Will the Tánaiste outline more recent developments with the Passport Office?

I will meet representatives of the Passport Office later today. I thank the staff for their ongoing engagement with Oireachtas Members. There is broad agreement that there has been a significant improvement in the turnaround times for non-complicated renewals and even for first-time applications where there is no urgency. The Tánaiste is correct that the passport service comes at emergency cases from a very humanitarian and pragmatic point of view in terms of being able to assist. The cases I am raising are urgent …