People are very vulnerable. There always has to be a balance and trade-offs in terms of trying to get the vital infrastructure that protects water quality and protects people from being flooded on a continuing basis in place. There are always groups that want to get the optimum in different situations, and we have problems with infrastructure. I can tell Deputy Barry that I was not doing the best-boy-in-the-class routine at Sharm El-Sheik. What you quoted from the well-being framework is what I quoted some weeks ag…

I highlighted it. I have been very modest about Ireland because Ireland has been a laggard for the last ten years of respect of climate change. We are now catching up but we have a long way to go and much to do. What I said at Sharm El-Sheik was that the carbon tax gave us very substantial funds to enable us to combat fuel poverty, provide for environmentally friendly farming and, above all, provide for a comprehensive sustainable retrofitting programme for the next ten years.

These are things the Deputy opposes all the time.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 17, inclusive, together. The high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces sets out initial implementation and oversight structures. It was agreed by the Government on 12 July 2022. Under the action plan, a high-level steering board will oversee the implementation of the report's recommendations. In addition to supporting and guiding the implementation, the board will also act as a clearing house for issues or blockages in the implementation of …

All the questions are about the implementation of the high-level action plan in respect of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which is a broader issue and is going at pace. In respect of the Women of Honour issue, I have met with both groups and we are waiting for the conclusion of the review. It was important to do that review and then to take further action depending on its recommendations. There is a need for fundamental culture change within our Defence Forces in respect of the treatment of women, parity of …

In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I am very disturbed by what he has said. He effectively justified Putin's decision in sanctioning my good self and others. He said it is a worrying sign in terms of Ireland's reputation as a neutral country.

It is not.

By Putin. We are seen by Putin as a protagonist and the Deputy is sort of saying he is right, that the Taoiseach should be worried because Putin sanctioned me. I do not understand where he is coming from, genuinely. He added on that dangerous line about endangering the Irish Defence Forces because Putin is a bully and is trying to intimidate people.

The Deputy should withdraw any implication or suggestion that Putin's sanctioning the Taoiseach of the day in this country is somehow confirmation that Ireland is not neutral.

We are militarily neutral. We are not protagonists in this war. We have welcomed Ukrainian refugees into this country.

We have allocated humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We have worked with our colleagues in the European Union. We are part of the European Union, a political bloc which values liberal democracies and has no truck with and does not believe----

Europe is the biggest donor to Palestine. That is the Deputy's classic line on this. That is why I doubt his commitment totally. It is all whataboutery with Deputy Boyd Barrett. Of course we condemn it, he says, and then he moves on. I always note his emphasis and where he focuses.

It is always predominantly against Europe and the West, and less so, frankly, against Russia. He throws out the one line about Russia and moves quickly on.

That has been the hallmark of all of his contributions in this crisis. I take issue with what he has said in respect of Putin's sanctioning of my good self as somehow confirmation that we are perceived no longer to be neutral. That is an outrageous assertion. We are militarily neutral. We are not members of any alliance.

We are taking sides on behalf of a country that has been invaded on the basis of an imperialist 19th century view that Ukraine has no right to exist. The Deputy is saying we are taking sides. Absolutely, we are supporting Ukraine in its right to its territorial integrity and sovereignty and the rights of the Ukrainian people to a decent life, not to be bombed every single day by a despot.

I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 20 October and Friday, 21 October in Brussels. The agenda covered Ukraine, energy, economic issues and external relations. In his contribution this afternoon, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will address a number of the external relations agenda items, including the forthcoming EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit scheduled to take place in Brussels on 14 December. He will also address the western Balkans, including looking ahead to t…

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is correct. Vicky Phelan did not want eulogy or tribute. She did not want us making speeches about her in this House. It was a mark of the woman that even though her life, her illness and, ultimately, her passing was the catalyst for so much, she wanted action and she did not want it to be about her alone. She made an extraordinary impact on her country and contributed to public life and debate. She was committed to righting the wrongs that had such a devastating impact on her and her fami…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and for the manner in which she raised it. I agree wholeheartedly that it is extremely important that the work of Vicky Phelan is reflected in action in terms of legislation, in terms of the framework and architecture of the screening programme itself, insofar as it is located in Ireland, and in terms of the renewal of an audit of the screening programme. It is important to her family in particular that her advocacy continues to change things after her passing and that her l…

Work in respect of the national cervical screening laboratory at the Coombe is under way. It will take time before it will have sufficiency to offer full national coverage, although I would point out - and we have to be objective as best as we can - that Dr. Scally did not find, in respect of the particular lab, that there was a higher or lower incidence than elsewhere. Be that as it may, it is desirable that we would build up the expertise and education in Ireland and that, similar to BreastCheck, we would recruit…

I thank the Deputy for raising those issues. I dealt with some of these questions earlier but will deal with the specifics again. On the national cervical screening laboratory at the Coombe, the building is complete. It was completed in October. It is expected that it will become operational by the end of the year.