No one speaks more than-----

The Deputy speaks a lot as well. I am not-----

-----just about talk. I am about practical action and the hard yards of trying to persuade people.

The political accommodation in South Africa involved people on all sides taking momentous steps in the context of truth commissions and everything else.

Ultimately, if we want Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in harmony, there will have to be a political resolution. That will involve-----

Everybody in this House has condemned the bombardment of Gaza.

Everybody has to be fair. I am trying to say that, ultimately, there is no other way. It is like what happened in Northern Ireland. For 30 years, people were bombing and maiming each other. People are now living together in harmony-----

-----and in peace. That ultimately has to happen in the Middle East. Otherwise, there will not be sustainable peace in the region. We have to work at that. That is hard work.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for his long-term commitment in respect of it. He has consistently raised it in the House on a number of occasions. The Government continues to support the roll-out of a national service for long Covid. In 2022, about €2.2 million was provided for the implementation of the model of care. That trebled to €6.6 million in 2023. Now, €8.8 million has been allocated for 2024. There are six long Covid clinics and six post-acute Covid clinics operating nationally. Th…

I am not sure if the Deputy has shared the data, methodology and so on he possesses with the HSE. It is important that this should happen in order that it can carry out a full assessment. It would be helpful to the HSE, although it is doing its own comprehensive epidemiological survey. Covid has always been a disease that affects older age groups more than younger age groups. That was a feature of the impact of Covid on people. The older cohort was the more challenging one.

The Deputy is saying that those aged between 55 and 64 are twice as likely to still be managing the symptoms after two years. That is relatively younger. I am probably in that category myself, so I had better be careful what I say. My sense is that it is going to take a bit more to understand this. Apart from a national action plan, I would like to see more research commissioned by ourselves, work on clinical trials and stuff like that around Covid. That is an important dimension we should now be embarking on.

I agree that is not sustainable for tents to be on the canal or anywhere in the public realm. It is not good for migrants and asylum seekers or for residents of the general areas involved. It is not acceptable, and there is a plan to deal resolutely with tents wherever they are pitched. I also make the point that there is a wider plan to deal with the increase in people seeking asylum here. There has undoubtedly been a substantial increase in line with the rest of Europe, and in line with worsening conditions as a …

I pay tribute to Erica Tierney for her advocacy and her openness in discussing her personal situation. As the Deputy says, the Minister has committed to legislating on this front. My understanding is that the Department is working on that. I will revert back to the Minister and come back to the Deputy about timelines.

That is my point. We need a firm and fair immigration policy and procedures. I outlined earlier that we are dealing-----

The phrase "open border" has been tossed about the place. We never had an open border in this country because there were always procedures to govern people coming into the country.

This is not acceptable.

The Deputy is not allowing me to answer.

I have told Deputy Whitmore the plan has to both reduce and deal quickly with applications that come in from those seeking asylum. The second dimension has already been published by Government in terms of its accommodation strategy. The third is that we do not believe it acceptable that tents should be in the public realm. This has emerged in more recent times, and we will continue to focus on it.

My other point is that many-----

The Government has done everything it can, and will continue to do so, to get to the truth behind these terrible events. We remember the victims, survivors and all those affected by these barbaric attacks on 17 May 1974. We will attend commemorative ceremonies on Talbot Street and in Monaghan. I recently met Sir Iain Livingstone, the officer in overall command of Operation Kenova and the lead on Operation Denton, and who has been liaising with An Garda Síochána. My understanding is that An Garda Síochána has been c…