-----we have real issues. We have an aging and expanding population for which we need resources. We need to advance social care and do better in many respects. This is the call we had to make.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important and pertinent issue, especially for the people of Galway. I, along with many people, see the N6 Galway city ring road project as essential in terms of the growth and development of Galway city and also for the relief of unacceptable congestion there. The current congestion is contributing negatively to climate change targets. With the current volume of vehicles on the existing network, we all know and we can all see that Galway city is suffering from extreme conges…

I want to be very clear. As the Deputy knows, Galway City Council and Galway County Council issued a joint statement with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, this week in which they indicated they remain committed to the delivery of the N6 Galway city ring road. The Government's position is as per the national development plan and this project is included in the allocation of resources over ten years of that plan. The then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, allocated these resour…

Obviously, budgetary matters in the first instance will be considered by the Minister for Finance. Across Europe, interest rates have been rising. The ECB has hiked its key policy interest rates by 2.5% since last July. Individual lenders will respond as to whether they will pass on these increases. To date, retail banks have increased fixed rates for new or switching customers but have not increased their variable rates. Some non-bank lenders have raised variable interest rates. We will keep the issue under review…

Yes, I will. I have asked my private secretary to try to facilitate and schedule such a meeting. In the first instance, consular officials have been in touch with the Fitzpatrick family and are in touch regularly. It is a desperately sad situation. Our consular officials have been in contact with the family on an ongoing basis over the years and the Garda has been in contact with the Spanish police.

From what the Deputy has said, it appears Dublin City Council has now taken the decision to do this, which is welcome, but no application has been made for funding yet.

It is good news. We have not been shy before in the allocation of resources to heritage matters but the application has to go in and I will talk to the Minister.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We have all been shocked by recent dog attacks, particularly the one that left one young boy with life-changing injuries. The Deputy spoke about a horrific story where a young woman had to flee four pitbulls. We need to strengthen our laws. A working group has been convened and formed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Rural and Community Development. That group has been meeting and it will look at the issue with regard to both the enf…

On the issue of getting the legislation through, it was not rammed through; we wanted to get it on the Statute Book as quickly as we possibly could so that we could develop the scheme and get working on it. As the Deputy is aware, progress is being made in parallel with the work on the commencement of the regulations. I will talk to the Minister about it but my understanding is that the regulations will be ready very shortly.

It is a very important site with potential for industrial activity or the attraction of a foreign direct investment project of some considerable scale. I recall that originally Amgen was to invest there and it pulled out for internal company reasons at the time. It subsequently invested in Dublin. At the time, I remember the speed with which both the county council and governments could act when the prospect of an imminent investment loomed on the horizon. I take the Deputy's point. He would like to get some work d…

I will revert to the Minister on that. The Deputy has made a fair point. There has been legislation in the past in respect of cohabiting couples to try to make issues of that kind, in particular inheritance and other such matters, much easier. I would encourage further discussion with the Deputy on the specifics he raises and on which he has highlighted concerns. He has made a very fair point. I will talk to the Minister in respect of that.

Last autumn, the Government made an unprecedented allocation of resources and outlined an unprecedented cost-of-living package to help householders with their electricity bills, energy bills more generally, and also a whole range of payments within the budget. I think that has given some help to people to deal with the unprecedented energy price crisis we are currently experiencing. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the €50. I believe there is an onus on the agency, in this context the ESB, to pay back what…

The homeless situation is much more complex than the Deputy has articulated. There are quite a number of factors that give rise to the increase in homelessness. The Government will consider the eviction ban in due course, because it has impacts across the board. We will examine its extension or otherwise. We will look at the impact of it and evaluate its impact to date. The ban has been an important measure through the winter period in particular. With regard to specific cases, the Minister has given authority to l…

No scheme can ever right the wrong done to a baby who was separated from his or her mother.

However, with regard to actions taken, this Government has done more than any previous Government in its comprehensive response. I refer both to the redress scheme and to the issue that has always been most pressing during the past decade, that is, access to information. The Birth Information and Tracing Bill has probably been the most radical legislation to come before us in the past year. It came through the House. It was a real priority identified by all concerned with this issue. The redress scheme is significa…

I thank the Deputy for raising a very pertinent issue. I am glad he acknowledges the benefits and importance of the initiative taken by the Government in reducing the cost of petrol, diesel and heating fuel. The Government has said there will not be a cliff edge, but we will examine the full range of supports that were contained in the cost-of-living package. The Deputy is correct in saying that the expiry date is coming at the end of February. The Government will have a decision made in advance of that. It is bein…

The Deputy says "abused" but on the documentation issue, basically people come and seek asylum, and under the Geneva Convention and various international conventions we are obliged to consider the application for asylum. Additional resources have been made available to the Department of Justice, in particular, to expedite and accelerate the application process and to get results and outcomes more quickly. We are also looking at stronger controls in respect of abuse issues and are constantly on the lookout. Our offi…

In any event, on the broader issue, controls have been stepped up over the last year and a half. We took action in terms of the convention in respect of refugees travelling across Europe because that was being abused in some instances and we dealt with that. It is an ongoing challenge.

Cuirim céad míle fáilte chuig an gcomhshuí speisialta seo de Dháil Éireann agus Sheanad Éireann roimh an Uachtarán Metsola. Is pribhléid agus onóir mhór dúinn go bhfuil sí anseo linn ag ceiliúradh 50 bliain de bhallraíocht na hÉireann san Aontas Eorpach ón uair a chaith pobal na tíre seo vóta sa reifreann ar 10 Bealtaine 1972. Táimid fíorbhuíoch den Uachtarán as ucht a ceannaireachta san Eoraip, as a cuid oibre ar fad agus as an tacaíocht leanúnach a thugann sí don tír seo. It was my great honour to address the Eur…

I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 15 December, in Brussels. The agenda covered Ukraine, energy and economic issues, security and defence and external relations issues. In his contribution to the debate, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, will provide further detail on discussions on European Union enlargement and outline the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the EU, which commenced on 1 January. I will address all other issues. Before turning to the European Council, I would like to …