As the Deputy is aware, the NCSE allocates special needs assistants to schools. Record numbers of SNAs have been allocated again this year. The range of resources for special education continues to significantly increase year on year. I will refer the Deputy’s case, as well as the issue that he has raised, to the NCSE for a response.

The funding was doubled from €10 million to €20 million. The Deputy should acknowledge that.

It might be useful if the Deputy could send me on the details about how, from his perspective, County Kerry seems to be disadvantaged in relation to other counties. I would like to see the figures.

First, a whole range and raft of measures have been introduced to reduce insurance costs. I will not go through all the details here. In fact, an update and progress report will soon be published by the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming. Motor insurance has come down by 10% but the bulk of other insurance costs have not yet come down. This is notwithstanding the changes that have been made in the legal system around awards and other measures that have been introduced. Legislation is under consideration. Some legisl…

First, public procurement is a matter for all of these agencies. It is not for the Oireachtas to decide every individual contract. There is a broader issue, if people wish to reform the procurement process itself. I think we are entering into a new situation if individual Deputies are to decide who will win individual contracts from State agencies. That is the road on which I am not clear that we should be going down, quite frankly. It is not open to the State. For example, local authorities have to go by EU procur…

I did not say that-----

The Deputy will spin it whatever way he wants to spin it anyway.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together. The international section of the Department supports my work at international level, beyond the European Union, to promote Ireland's foreign and economic policy objectives and to maintain and develop strong bilateral and multilateral relations. Working closely with other Departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the section provides me with advice and briefing on bilateral and multilateral relations and on international issues generally, …

I thank the Deputies for raising the issues. In respect of Deputy Boyd Barrett's question in terms of the Amnesty report, Amnesty International is a respected NGO. I value the role it has played and the role other civil society organisations have played in relation to the Palestinian question. The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently examining the Amnesty report in respect of the plight of the Palestinian people. I have consistently opposed the policy of successive Israeli Governments in relation to Palestine…

We have raised this at European Union level and at United Nations level. Indeed, the Secretary General of the United Nations has commended Ireland - he said it to me personally-----

-----in terms of its consistency in raising the Palestinian question as a member of the UN Security Council.

That remains the case. Other colleagues across Europe have different perspectives on Palestine - the Deputy knows that well. Some are for historic reasons and others have different perspectives.

I do not accept the "double standards" jibe. By the way, I do not accept the juxtaposition of the two either. I want to make that point because I had this terrible feeling that-----

-----there are many formulaic responses to Ukraine and then the Deputy very hurriedly wants to move on to other issues. Anyway, I will say no more than that. Deputy Paul Murphy spoke about the corporate sustainability due diligence EU directive. We support greater corporate accountability. The European Union has done far more than most across the world in terms of corporate sustainability policies and directives, as well as accountability and holding people to task. Through the various layers of both legal and judi…

-----notwithstanding the fact that of all international bodies, the European Union has by far been the most progressive in terms of holding companies to account on environmental issues and on a range of other issues as well. It is a draft directive. It will go through change as it goes through the various Councils and so on. In response to Deputy O'Reilly in relation to Ukraine, I have been raising this issue since the invasion of Crimea. I am on the record in this House, and was sometimes a lone-enough voice becau…

I just want to make the important point that once the violation of a country's integrity happens, it is creeping then and now we have an all-out war.

There could have been, in my view, greater opposition to the invasion of Crimea at the time all round. I merely want to say that. In relation to section 110 entities, I made my position clear on that. With regard to authorised investment funds, the Central Bank has advised that total Russian assets held on 31 December 2021 is estimated at €11.4 billion or 0.3% of the total Irish fund assets of €3.8 trillion, and this is evenly split between equities and bonds. In terms of the special purpose entities, there were 3,…

We will do everything we can.

First, on Deputy Ó Murchú's point, the implications of this are potentially enormous for the country and for the Continent in terms of migratory flows and people needing support. We have already provided an initial €10 million relief contribution.

It will mean the energising of many community-based responses, as well as official responses to Ukrainians coming into Ireland to help them. On Deputy Barry's point, we would be totally opposed to and would condemn any racist practices in terms of facilitating people who are freeing a war zone such as Ukraine.