The Deputy has advocated strongly. I do not want to raise expectations too high. The consolidation of barracks created benefits in terms of the operational readiness and deployability of Defence Forces personnel. The military would argue that consolidation has improved that readiness. However, the Deputy's point about the link between recruitment and military tradition through the presence of a barracks is well made and should not be dismissed. It is something I have picked up myself. One only has to meet a deploym…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 16 and 34 together. As I stated earlier in response to questions from Deputy Howlin and others, we are living in a new era in Europe and in the world in which Ireland also faces significant new security and defence challenges, and we too must consider how best to respond. Given the changing nature of international conflict and geopolitics, it is appropriate and necessary at this time to amend existing legislation with regard to overseas deployments. This will ensure that our leg…

No peacekeeping mission has been approved by the UN Security Council since 2014.

No, you made the point there was no obstacle. None has been approved since 2014.

Deputy Kenny spoke about the militarisation of Europe and that he does not want to be involved in any imperial war. We are not going to be involved in any imperial war. We need a dose of reality in this House. We are not a military power and we are nowhere near being a military power. This is about peacekeeping and the methodology by which we can participate in peacekeeping. At the moment, Russia can veto participation by Ireland in a peacekeeping mission. There is a moral and ethical question here. Are we serious …

Yes, we did.

Would you listen for a second? The triple lock does not apply here. The politics of the Security Council is the point I am trying to enlighten Members on. The politics wanted to close it down. The permanent members wanted to close it down. This can happen at any time. My point is the Security Council, in my view, is dysfunctional in terms of these issues. There is no point in waiting until something terrible happens. Ireland incurred the wrath-----

I did not interrupt you Deputy and I am making some clear points. Ireland incurred the wrath of Ethiopia by strongly standing by a humanitarian measure. Our international presence is humanitarian. It is peacekeeping. Please stop trying to portray what we are about here as some sort of erosion of our military neutrality, or a sort of engagement in militarisation and imperial powers. That is so absurd it needs to be called out. We need sane rational debate about where we are in the world today. I will not tolerate at…

Again, the situation in Syria was not about peacekeeping so we were not involved in Syrian peacekeeping. It was during our membership of the UN Security Council when we gained very significant insight in respect of the behaviour of permanent members of the UN Security Council. The bottom line is that the permanent members should not have a hold on Irish sovereignty. They should not dictate whether we participate in a peacekeeping mission. A peacekeeping mission has not been approved since 2014.

There has been none approved since 2014.

At dtús báire, ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Níl aon amhras orm ach go bhfuil an straitéis Housing for All i bhfad níos fearr ná aon rud atá foilsithe aige féin nó ag a pháirtí, Sinn Féin. Níl aon amhras dá mba rud é go raibh siad sa Rialtas, go mbeadh an scéal i bhfad níos measa agus go mbeadh praghasanna i bhfad níos airde, go háirid do dhaoine atá ag ceannach tithe don chéad uair. I disagree fundamentally with the Deputy's narrative and approach. Building houses is key. Fianna Fáil took up the housing portfolio at…

Through the decades and generations of this country's history, Fianna Fáil built houses. In terms of what is happening right now, the commencement notices provide extraordinary figures for the first four months of this year. Some 18,000 new houses were commenced in April 2024. That is approximately 600% higher than last year and the highest in any month since the series began in 2014. In the first four months of 2024, more than 30,000 houses were commenced. That is hugely above last year's figures. In the past 12 m…

We are trying to create sustainability through the future Ireland fund, which Sinn Féin Deputies voted against yesterday. In the infrastructure fund that is part of that, we want to build in capital reserves so we can keep building houses at a sustainable rate into the future. Deputy Doherty told Davy stockbrokers he would support the future Ireland fund, then voted against it in the Dáil yesterday. It is classic. He is Dr. Jekyll to Davy stockbrokers but Mr. Hyde when he comes into the Dáil. I know which personali…

What should the Irish people believe when it comes to Sinn Féin housing policy? Deputy Doherty talks about house prices increasing. I do not like house prices increasing at the rate they are doing.

The rate has come down, but not enough.

The key to it is supply. Sinn Féín said it would remove the help-to-buy scheme. He voted against the first home scheme and the capital refurbishment grants----

-----in terms of vacancy and dereliction. The net outcome of Sinn Féin policies would be a substantial and significant increase in house prices for first-time buyers. There are 450 per week now buying houses for the first time.

Sinn Féin policies would take away the supports we have put in place for first-time buyers that enable them to buy houses at unprecedented rates----

------in the past number of years. The number of first-time buyers is increasing because of the Government's policies over the past four years-----

-----across the help-to-buy scheme, first home scheme and the various affordable schemes. On the social housing front, Deputy Doherty has to acknowledge there have been significant increases-----