-----in relation to our health service-----

-----and we will not be found wanting again. Deputy Doherty can shout all he wants, and he shouts a lot.

He certainly shouts when he is endeavouring to refuse other people an opportunity to speak. Shouting and roaring about issues does not solve or resolve them.

I acknowledge, through the Chair, that we have huge challenges facing health because when a budget goes up to €7 billion-plus in three years, we need to take stock.

We need to analyse and prepare for the future-----

-----which is what we have done-----

-----which is what we have done with the investment funds the Minister for Finance has provided.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. I have articulated, like her, our deepest sympathies to the family of Kim Damti and also our horror at what happened last Saturday in respect of Hamas's attack on Israel. It can be very challenging at times in situations like this in juxtaposing one atrocity - I know Deputy Cairns is not doing this. However, we should not lose sight of the enormity of that atrocity, and we should never fail to call it out. I know the Deputy is not doing that. I just want to say that becau…

Position on which?

I said earlier that I do not accept the Deputy's assessment of the EU response. One of the biggest donors to Palestine is the European Union. Let us not present the EU as a body that is somehow out to undermine Palestinians. There can be strands of opinion within the European Union. Some member states do not share our position or have a different perspective, but fundamentally, the biggest financial donor to the West Bank and Gaza is the European Union.

About €700 million. We allocated €16 million this year. I spoke to the Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, two days ago. I spoke to the Palestinian Authority's secretary general this morning. We have been clear that our humanitarian or development aid continues and, as I said earlier, before I was cut off, the Geneva Convention and international law must be adhered to and applied. The vast majority of member states are-----

-----very clear about continuing development aid and humanitarian aid, but also ensuring that any interventions or attacks have to be in accordance with international law.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is worth pointing out that since 2020, the Government has invested €5.17 billion in all road infrastructure, including new roads and the protection and maintenance of existing infrastructure.

The priority is the delivery of a network that is safe and robust. In respect of the protection and renewal programme for existing roads, TII has safety as its priority, as do the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. Inflation has eaten into the budget. The Government sanctioned and approved the construction of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road project. I ask the Deputy to look at the dramatic inflationary increase in the cost of that road from the original time it was mooted to …

-----balanced development and maintenance of nature, which then helps us all to survive.

The hedges are not really a factor in road deaths and safety on our roads. There is a significant issue here and there has to be an holistic approach, covering all aspects, including structural adjustments to roads and improvements to road structures. Ministers are looking at that in respect of allocations specifically to road restructuring in order to make certain roads and locations safer. That is important.

So am I, Deputy. I first came into government in 1997. There were 472 road deaths in Ireland that year. We saw a reduction to 137 in 2021. That was massive progress. There was a lot of opposition to the many measures that it took to bring road deaths down to 137. There was a lot of opposition in the House to then Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, and others who earned the wrath of many Deputies who said he could not do this or that. He did it, however, with the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and the late Gay Byrne…

-----in terms of the numbers this year in that 136 people have been killed on our roads. That is a rise. We have to reflect. It took many measures and many different approaches. We now need the same approach to deal with it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue but he should acknowledge that the Government has fundamentally overhauled the defective blocks scheme. The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 provides for 100% grant funding for eligible homeowners. It commenced on 22 June 2023 and regulations were adopted on 29 June this year. That enhanced scheme is now open for applications. It will provide financial support to affected homeowners in counties Donegal, Mayo, Limerick and Cla…

They are.