We have had this in other parts of the world, including Africa and so on, where democratic governments have been overthrown and people have been powerless. That has happened in the Sahel and so on. There are issues, no question, about where we are. There was no UN mandate for this action. No one is saying there was, and there was not. However, it is impossible to get a UN mandate even for peacekeeping now so paralysed and dysfunctional is the Security Council.

We are in a very serious and dangerous situation.

I think history-----

-----in reflecting on this period will see 7 October as a disastrous catalyst-----

-----for the uncertainty and instability of the world.

First of all, I am very clear. I am a multilateralist. I believe in peace and the pacific resolution of all conflict. I believe this conflict should be de-escalated as quickly as possible and those involved should get back to the negotiating table and resolve this through diplomacy. As I said, that is the only sustainable way forward. The Deputy can put whatever spin she likes on my contribution but I am very clear in respect of those basic principles in terms of the conduct of international affairs. However, what …

-----but was responsible for the deaths of many innocent people across not just the Middle East but globally. It has sponsored terrorists. Sinn Féin has looked the other way for years on that.

The Deputy is accusing me of a lack of clarity. Her organisation has supported the Republican party in the United States for decades in terms of financial contributions to Republican and MAGA candidates across the United States.

We are very clear on upholding the international rule of law. This bombing campaign is not in accordance with a UN mandate. I totally accept the Deputy's bona fides. She has been consistent on Iran, but the international rules-based order has been powerless to do anything about Iran, if we are honest, over a long period. That does raise questions. It is not a new question; it is a decades-old question in terms of intervention. There have been interventions by previous American presidents with consequences that were…

St. Patrick's Day will come and go. It is the more enduring sustainable relationship between the US and Ireland that is important, but park that for a moment. St. Patrick's Day will come and go. There will be many of those, but the relationship is much deeper and much more substantial than that. Let us be honest about that too. The Deputy referenced the UN Security Council. By virtue of the composition post Second World War, it is no longer fit for purpose. I am not criticising every member of the UN, but the reali…

Please. The alternative is a much broader UN Security Council without the veto of these three powers. That is the obvious way. Africa should be represented.

South America should be represented. People who can make a contribution-----

Vast populations of the world are not represented on the Security Council and all we are getting is veto after veto after veto. We cannot get peacekeeping missions approved by the UN Security Council. One of the most sustainable peacekeeping missions that we have been involved in is Lebanon and, at the behest of the US, the Security Council has put a deadline on that for next year. Those are the realities of a UN Security Council that has not been fit for purpose for a long time.

Ireland believes fundamentally in international rule of law. We are a multilateral nation and all our work over the past number of years has been dedicated to those principles in every single form that we attend under the auspices of the United Nations, the European Union or, indeed, other international organisations. International law is not being adhered to and has not been for quite some time by many actors. That is the reality. Prime Minister Carney called that out in Davos and described the reality of the inte…

In terms of the energy situation, from anecdotal accounts, it would appear there is a degree of price-gouging is going on. In our view, both the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and Competition and Consumer Protection Commission should closely monitor what is happening and people who have complaints should immediately complain to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the CRU. The working family payment will start on Thursday and an extra 50,000 families will benefit from the fuel allowa…

In terms of the overall energy situation, the Deputy is correct in saying that there is no necessity for home heating oil to increase, given that many people will have had that oil in stock and, indeed, much of that oil comes via Britain and Norway, not from the Middle East. That has been the source for quite a long time. The Deputy has conflated a lot of issues. General revenue - all revenues, for example from energy or income tax - goes to fund social services in the State. If we were to eliminate all revenue on …

-----because around €553 million of the carbon tax is going towards retrofitting.

Retrofitting helps people to reduce their bills on a sustainable basis into the future. Third, that would be pulling the rug from under farmers who will benefit this year to the tune of €173 million from the carbon tax revenue in the form of agri-environmental schemes in terms of the ACRES programme. I argued for a carbon tax at the beginning of the 2020 Government on the basis that it would provide us with funding to enable change to happen. There is no way you could fund the retrofit programme without a dedicated…

Actually, the Deputy asked me in the first iteration – he can check it – to scrap it. That is what he said, so it is not a temporary limitation. He opposed it anyway.

Then why is he trying to pretend? He has opposed it from the beginning. He is just duplicitous in terms of his approach.