With respect to the Minister of State, he is not answering the question.

That is a joke. It is not answering the question I asked.

He is talking about facial recognition. I am talking about families who are waiting for their passports.

No, that is outrageous. It is not what I asked about. A Deputy has raised genuine questions and he is getting an answer to a question he did not ask.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform has found that business insurance costs have increased by an average of 15% since the personal injuries guidelines were adopted in April. This is despite the fact that the guidelines resulted in significant reductions in claim costs. Motor insurance costs have dropped only fractionally but, across the board, insurance costs have not reflected the fact that the awards made by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, PIAB, have fallen by 40% since the new guidelines were introduced. I…

Will the Taoiseach now lift that stay and implement Deputy Doherty's legislation so that we can see these savings being put into the hands and pockets of insurance customers?

That is why we need the legislation to be enacted.

Can the Taoiseach give his view on whether the shared island unit can play a part in addressing domestic and gender-based violence on a cross-Border basis? The establishment of the all-Ireland women's forum is welcome, as is the diversity of its membership. The shared island unit could play a role in addressing what was described by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, as the scourge of domestic and gender-based violence, which is a particular issue for Border counties. There are …

I wrote to the Taoiseach requesting that he meet the family of Gavin McShane. In July, the Taoiseach responded to say that his officials would be in touch, but they have not been. Perhaps he could look into the matter. I welcome the Taoiseach's remarks to the BIA where he indicated that everyone had the right to argue for constitutional change or the constitutional future that he or she would like to see. That is a welcome move away from the use of terms such as "divisive" in respect of those who advocate that we s…

That is happening already. We have to look to the next step.

The Taoiseach will be aware, I hope, that a very important motion was passed in the Assembly yesterday which welcomed Vice-President Šefčovič's support for formal dialogue between the Assembly and the EU. That was very significant. The motion set out where the democratic majority in the North stands when it comes to these matters. The motion, as adopted, acknowledged the support of MLAs for the inclusion of the views of the North's elected representatives and stakeholders' views on matters relating to the protocol …

You are deluded.

This budget is the product of a Government that is out of touch, out of ideas and, increasingly, running out of road. It is bizarre that any government in the current climate would introduce a budget that delivers precisely nothing for renters. The Government did not even pretend to provide renters a break. It is also mind-boggling that, in a week when 483 people at one stage were lying on hospital trolleys, the budget failed to provide for a single new acute hospital bed or community bed beyond what had already be…

Families will be crippled.

I move amendment No. 1: In Schedule 2, inserted by paragraph (1), by the substitution of "€373.39" for "€383.42". This amendment seeks to amend the 50 cent increase on tobacco to 30 cent in line with our alternative budget proposals. Very importantly, this reflects the concerns that the Revenue Commissioners have already relayed to the Department of Finance. Essentially, we could reach a tipping point and excessive increases in excise duty could result in increased consumer purchasing from illicit sources and a dec…

The matters are related.

The only difference that today's budget will bring to most workers and families is that their fuel and heating costs will increase again tonight. This very night petrol and diesel prices will increase again. The Government has been told that families are already struggling with energy and fuel hikes. This year energy companies have increased their prices 30 times. The price of a litre of petrol in a service station I stopped at this morning was €1.65, an absolutely crazy price for people who have no choice but to u…

I appreciate the leniency of the Ceann Comhairle. This is important because the change is happening at midnight tonight.

Families, the people who get up early in the morning, are struggling. They have already told the Government that they are struggling to meet housing and childcare costs. Today nothing was provided for them, except a further increase in the cost of getting to work. How out of touch can we be? It is scandalous that the Government did not have the guts to put the latest hike before the House for a vote this evening. All I will say is that the people affected will take the first opportunity they get to vote on this mat…

Many families are facing a cost of living crisis. They are burdened with the highest mortgage rates in the eurozone and among the highest rents, childcare, insurance and utility costs in the world. On top of this, there have been more than 30 price-hike announcements from Irish energy suppliers this year. The Government's proposed response is to add to the cost of living by increasing the carbon tax yet again in this year's budget, pushing an extra €1.50 on a fill of motor fuel, an extra €13 on the average gas bill…