We will take it one step at a time. Clearly, there will be further engagement between the Government and the British Government and the political parties in Northern Ireland in respect of that. If we do not have results after 8 February, it will place the overall situation in considerable difficulty. The Good Friday Agreement provides for engagement and consultation through the initiative of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to pursue matters. Again, it is an area we will deal with when clarity comes.

On Deputy Burke's point, the economic situation and the public finances dimension to it are both very serious. The fact that so many people participated in the strike action is an illustration of the frustration on the ground in Northern Ireland at the absence of an Executive and an assembly. People want action on health services, public service pay, education and so forth. This really is a crisis of governance in Northern Ireland. The strike, and the full participation in it, is a manifestation of people's anger a…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 52 together. I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. Ireland has supported effective implementation of strong sanctions in response to Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine. I have repeatedly emphasised that Russia should be held accountable for the appalling damage caused by its illegal invasion of Ukraine. In December 2023, Ireland welcomed the adoption of the EU's 12th sanctions package, which focused on addressing circumvention and strengthening implementatio…

To date, Irish financial institutions have frozen about €1.8 billion of Russian funds and those funds relate to listed individuals and entities. The issue of interest or windfall gains that have accrued as a result of the freezing of the assets is now being considered more immediately in respect of the potential to use even the windfall profits from this for the reconstruction of Ukraine. There is a very serious issue here. Countries have to know that others cannot just come in and level a country, bomb its energy …

I am in agreement with the Deputy on this. The destruction of Ukraine has been at shocking levels, and there has to be a financial penalty on Russia in respect of that and there has to be accountability. As I said earlier, otherwise, what is to stop Russia doing that to some other country in the neighbourhood? That is why many of the neighbours of Russia feel an existential threat to their very existence because of the aggression and because of the expansionist policies of Vladimir Putin. I would certainly support …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 19 together.

I have no problem with that. I have been closely monitoring developments in the case taken under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide by South Africa against Israel in the International Court of Justice. The public hearings that took place on 11 and 12 January involved the two parties to the proceedings, South Africa and Israel, and focused on the question of provisional measures. No other country has joined them yet as they cannot. I anticipate that the court will deliver its order on t…

As usual, the Deputy is distorting the truth. I have observed his performance in all of this, and it is a performance.

It is more about propaganda. It is more about unfairly undermining the Government in the context of its position on Palestine. At one level, what the Deputy is at beggars belief.

At another level, I understand what he is at in terms of the prism through which he sees the world. His idea is that he is the Holy Grail when it comes to supporting the Palestinian people. Internationally, people perceive Ireland and the Irish Government as being very strong supporters of the people of Palestine. The Deputy is wrong again in his approach. On the provisional measures that have been sought, we sought them. We have participated, as one of the few countries legally in the court, but we do things prope…

Deputy Boyd Barrett's failure or deliberate decision not to condemn Hamas is shocking and utterly inconsistent with what he is asking the Government to do in respect of other issues. Women were raped and subsequently murdered on 7 October. Children were killed or abducted. I saw the Deputy in a clip where he tried to protest that he did not quite know what happened that day. He was on a university platform. His position is absolutely reprehensible. He condones murder-----

You do.

Yes, you do.

Yes, you do.

Then why do you not condemn it?

I want to make the point, if I may, through the Chair-----

This is a very serious issue-----

-----because the Deputy is accusing the Government of dancing around. We are not dancing around anything. We have a strong record internationally. When we go before courts, they are not debating chambers. They are not places where you can dance around. Because that is the sum total of the substance that you bring to this issue. You dance around all the time. You accuse others of not participating. You accuse others of being complicit in crime. It seems that your main aim is to try to undermine other parties in this…

-----as opposed to dealing with the substance of the issue, namely, how we can help Palestinians in a practical sense. Deputy Howlin's question is valid. The Israelis may very well ignore the provisional findings of the court. That is a concern and that is why, parallel with dealing with the court case - which we will and which we will do properly as we have done in terms of the advisory opinion with the UN, we will be participating at the court in February. Through international pressure, we have to get this war s…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 74 together. Ireland is a strong supporter of EU enlargement, provided that candidate countries meet the necessary conditions for membership. The enlargement of the European Union has taken on renewed significance and urgency since Russia's further illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has re-emerged as one of the EU's most important means of consolidating security and prosperity across the Continent and countering malign actors. The invasion of Ukraine has also hig…