The health policy is much broader than just emergency departments, although access is extremely important. We need to create alternative centres for treatment. Particularly for me, the enhanced community care programme is a far more effective way to go. There has been huge progress on the enhanced community care programme in regions across the country whereby senior citizens and people in general can access a whole range of services, from respiratory centres, to cardiac care, diagnostics, rehabilitation for senior …

I have sympathy with Deputy Danny Healy Rae’s point about the vetting but it is in the legislation and we would have to review that legislation to see if it can be streamlined with a view to making the whole vetting process more practical. In relation to Deputy Mythen’s point, I covered housing earlier in a different question, but we simply need to build more houses, more rapidly to deal with the broader issue of housing, which manifests in the manner that he has identified.

Which, sorry?

Yes, what-----

The Deputy raised housing as a crisis. What is the specific-----

Sorry. At the moment, the existing school transport scheme has to cater for-----

The Deputy has raised an anomaly. I will discuss the point raised with the Minister for Education. In terms of Deputy Murnane O'Connor's question in respect of section 39 funding, I will talk to the Minister for Health.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together. The first meeting of the European Political Community on 6 October was a welcome development in wider European political engagement. It was hosted by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Petr Fiala, with the support of the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel. Forty-four states were invited to participate, including all 27 EU member states, the European Free Trade Agreement, EFTA, partner countries - Norway, Iceland, Switzerlan…

Deputy Haughey raised the issue of the European Political Community. It is a significant development when 44 countries come together in an overall forum. Earlier, there had been some concerns that this was a substitute for enlargement, for example, but it is not that. This was very clear from the deliberations at the forum. I attended one of the break-out meetings on energy. These meetings were very good and concrete engagements, in particular with the Prime Minister of Norway regarding renewables, and also looking…

Yes. It has been the official Government position for a long time that Ireland is not a member of such an alliance, and this has been repeated consistently in legislation. Ireland's official policy is to be militarily non-aligned. We are, however, not politically non-aligned. I was surprised when the Deputy, through the Chair, criticised the Minister for Foreign Affairs and stated that we are not neutral towards Ukraine. We are not. We are not politically neutral in respect of Ukraine. Russia has invaded Ukraine. H…

I am shocked that the Deputy is saying we should be neutral on it. I am absolutely shocked that the Deputy is saying we should be neutral in respect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is shocking. I disagree fundamentally with the Deputy. I will not be neutral on something of that kind.

Deputy Murphy referred to CETA. The Supreme Court judgment is clear that this can be dealt with via an amendment of the Arbitration Act. I raised the issue of free trade because it is central-----

It is a central issue.

The point is if one is in favour of free trade, as I unapologetically am, because it means jobs in this country-----

No. I want people working in this country. The Deputies are supposed to be for the workers but everything they are doing is against the workers, as far as I can see. If the Deputies' writ was allowed to run here, it would destroy jobs in this country.

There is no question about it. We should take the clarity offered by the Supreme Court and amend the Arbitration Act, which would cover trade deals. Investor courts are standard in trade agreements, and the European court has ruled on this.

No country can be forced to accept it. There can be natural breaches of trade agreements, which have to be arbitrated. Hence, you need an arbitration court.

This makes it far more effective and efficient. People cannot sue a state or ask it to take policies contrary to its legislation policies or its constitution.

They cannot. Nor can they force states to go against the European Treaty. In terms of Deputy Bacik-----

It is all housing. It is all one issue.