I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. We can all agree that the scenes we are witnessing on television and on our social media feeds are simply shocking. To be frank, I find it very hard to watch the news these days. Tomorrow is the ninth birthday of Emily Hand, a beautiful young child we believe is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. As the Deputy will know, our Tánaiste is in the Middle East right now, putting in the hard yards and the hard work of international diplomacy. He is trying to make progress in securing the pa…

The Government is supporting the people of Palestine. We are providing funding. This week, the Government announced additional funding for the International Criminal Court and the Tánaiste has announced €13 million in humanitarian assistance funding for the Palestinian people, comprising €10 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and €3 million for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We are providing direct practical support for the people o…

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick very much and I join with him and take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers who work with homeless charities and the services they provide. We thank them for their work. They provide a very valuable service and support. When it comes to public funding and the State's response to homelessness, it is important that we ensure there is proper co-ordination of the response of different bodies which are operating throughout the country. While responsibility for the provision of accomm…

I thank the Deputy.

I should give the line Minister the opportunity to visit first.

I am sure the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will come.

I think the Deputy and myself should have a chat off-line with regard to the organisation he has referred to, Save our Homeless Dundalk. The information I have is that there is not any record of an application for funding. Certainly, the Department is not aware of any application for funding so perhaps we can engage off-line. I will be happy to discuss it with the Deputy and to provide any assistance that I can. On the broader issue, I know it is not related to the organisation the Deputy has mentioned, but we can …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government's position on this has been consistent and clear. The prosecutor of the ICC, Mr. Karim Khan, has reaffirmed that the investigation that is currently under way covers the current and ongoing conflict, including all events on and from 7 October this year. He is on record as saying that, so that is the position. In relation to Ukraine, there is a distinction because the situation was fundamentally different. Ireland did refer Russia to the ICC prosecutor becaus…

-----without a states party referral.

The position is clear. In the case of Palestine and Israel, the investigation is already under way.

I gave the facts.

Deputy Doherty may not like them but they are the facts.

They are the facts.

The Deputy did not even raise the matter on Leaders' Questions. He had the option of raising it during Leaders' Questions but he chose not to.

You chose not to raise it on Leaders' Questions.

I thank Deputy Smith. I have some information here but I would like to double-check it. I will ask the Minister for Health to revert to the Deputy directly with a comprehensive response on the issues he has raised.

I thank Deputy for her question. The Government will respond to the report in question. As the Deputy said, we will have local elections next year. This Government believes in local democracy and in empowering our local councils and giving them as much power as possible. As the Deputy knows, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy O'Donnell, is currently bringing legislation through the House in respect of the Mayor of Limerick. I will ask him to respond to the Depu…

I thank the Deputy. As he has acknowledged, the special leave with pay was extended in the case of many front-line workers in the healthcare area. As with any special scheme, there will always be terms and eligibility criteria. The Departments of Health and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform have been engaging on this issue in the context of long Covid. I will ask the Minister for Health to revert to Deputy Naughten with a more detailed answer.

Although I cannot comment on the individual planning appeal, I can address the issue of resources at An Bord Pleanála. The Government has significantly expanded those resources. We expect that will result in faster decisions, which we all want to see. At the end of 2022, 34 additional posts were sanctioned. In April this year, the board sought agreement for a total of 59 new posts, all of which were agreed by the Department. The board submitted sanction approval requests for these posts and that approval has been g…

I do not have a detailed briefing on dermatology services at SUH, but I appreciate the issues the Deputy has raised on behalf of Dr. McKenna and the patients who are waiting. I have information on the budget increase and the staffing increases at the hospital but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to revert to the Deputy specifically regarding the dermatology services there.