I accept the Deputy's overall point. It is not good enough. This is a very serious discipline.

I am wondering if this is the same engineer who spoke to Deputies Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth as well. I take the point. The constituency of Cavan-Monaghan has been very strong in advocating for increased supports in terms of road maintenance. The point has been well made that inflation has eaten into the cost of repairs. We have raised this issue. We are hoping to be able to secure some additional resources to try to help local authorities deal with the issue of the maintenance of rural roads because it is a sig…

I take the Deputy's point and his concerns in regard to the rising cost of house insurance. The Government has implemented a suite of reforms in relation to the insurance industry which is reducing the costs and the scale of awards. It is time the insurance industry responded with keener pricing and reductions in some of the premia. We also need more competition in the market. Even though I am from Cork, I do not know the specifics of the Kerry market which can sometimes be unique in itself. However, I will revert …

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising the issue. I am aware that he has been very focused on raising this issue on a consistent basis and I am glad that progress has been achieved as a result of his advocacy in respect to the VAT rebate question for those in agriculture, and farming in particular. I will again speak to the Minister for Finance to ensure the meetings happen with the Revenue Commissioners and that progress ensues.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will talk to the Minister for Health. I obviously do not have the specific details of the individual organisation but psychotherapy, and even the title It's Good 2 Talk, reflects well. I do not know the specifics as to why the HSE was not in a position to fund the organisation this year. However, I will raise the matter with the Minister.

I am pleased to confirm that the Government will support this motion. There are moments in time when we are confronted with the sharpest of contrasts in human nature - the contrast between decency and depravity, between good and evil, between love and hate. On 17 May 1974, this country faced such a moment. On a Friday evening, bright with the promise of early summer, decent people, including parents, children and pensioners, were going about the ordinary business of work, of care, of living. The familiar and easy r…

I think the latter issue will come up in a later question. I will respond on the question as tabled. As Deputies will recall, South Africa initiated its case against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice by filing an application with the court on 29 December 2023. South Africa also sought a number of provisional measures pending the outcome of the case. A contentious case before the ICJ proceeds by way of an exchange of written pleadings, beginning with the filing of a detailed …

We should endeavour to be fair, straight and honest with people. I have never deviated. I have been consistent from the outset about how the ICJ operates. We have been consistent with how we responded to the Ukrainian situation. Sinn Féin's motion talked about Ireland indicating a willingness to file. I made it clear that first South Africa needs to file its memorial, and that takes time. Everything to do with international courts takes time. I would argue that people in the House gave a wrong and false impression …

Sorry?

There is.

Confirm which?

First, in terms of the declaration of intervention, we would be making it under Article 63. States do not join one side or another in filing an intervention in the case. Rather, they submit a statement that sets out their interpretation of one or more provisions of whatever convention is at issue before the court. This declaration of intervention must then be deemed admissible by the court in order for the intervention to proceed. Waiting until South Africa has filed its memorial will ensure we have a good understa…

I pay tribute to the team and all of the staff working at the passport service. It has issued 450,000 passports to date this year and is on track to have issued half a million passports by the end of this month. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within advertised turnaround times. The passport service is well-staffed and in an excellent position to deliver on the demand forecast for the rest of this year. Ensuring that we have enough staff to respond to demand is a priority for me and…

The first point I would make is there is a balance as well. We have to consistently tell people to remember to get their passports updated, to apply online and in time. We do everything we possibly can to facilitate urgent cases. Most people in the House would acknowledge that, and we will continue to do it. However, we do not want to create a new scenario whereby people think they can get a passport within four days or one day and they do not have to bother applying online. There is a balance to be struck there. T…

We are doing so. The manner in which we have approached this issue is to increase the number of appointments at public counters for the one-day or four-day renewal service at the Mount Street office in Dublin and the four-day renewal service in Cork. As I said, every week there are about 221 one-day and 264 four-day renewal appointments available in Dublin and 280 four-day renewal appointments in Cork. We will examine whether we can improve and expand that service in order to get the balance right and deal with the…

I thank the Deputy for her kind comments. As she is aware, the then Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and Prime Minister Sánchez of Spain wrote to the President of the European Commission on 14 February of this year, requesting an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel association agreement. The letter further requested that the Commission propose appropriate measures for the consideration of the Council, should it find that Israel is in breach of its obligation…

I welcome the Deputy's contribution. She is correct that when the EU signs and supports association agreements, these clauses have to mean something. I refer in particular to Israel's compliance with the essential elements clause of the agreement. The Commission needs to carry out a review. Josep Borrell has initiated a discussion on this, and I understand some work has been done in the context of the external action service in respect of assessing this. Fundamentally, the letter from Prime Minister Sánchez and the…

As the Deputy knows, trade relations between the European Union and Israel are governed by a free trade area as part of the EU-Israel association agreement. That agreement was signed as far back as 1995 and entered into force in 2000. It forms a basis for relations between the European Union and Israel, governing the trade relationship as well as including political aspects. The last association council took place in October 2022, following a delay of ten years. In principle, if the EU and its member states formed …

I thank Deputy Griffin for his question and kind remarks. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine remains a grave threat to all of Europe. Russia is demonstrating a clear desire to continue escalation and has projected momentum on the battlefield in recent weeks, taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of military material, particularly air defence, by launching fresh offensives and bombardments along the front line. At the same time, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian inf…

Ireland welcomed the agreement reached at EU level in February to set aside the revenue generated from Russia's immobilised sovereign assets to support Ukraine. The windfall revenues earned and generated from the assets that are immobilised at the moment will be used to support Ukraine. Our view is that when a country like Russia illegally invades another country and destroys its infrastructure, it cannot be left to the rest of Europe and those who abide by the UN Charter to reconstruct. When we look at various war…