That is a great suggestion. I thank the Cathaoirleach.

Well said.

I really welcome the opportunity to have this debate this morning. It is a topic that unites all of us in many ways. Anyone who has a dog will know that it kind of changes you afterwards in terms of how you see the world. I thank the Deputy Leader, in particular, because I know she gave the commitment that we would have a further hearing with regard to this Bill. I acknowledge that in the House today. I am guessing we will run out of time today but I am sure we will get another opportunity to move the Bill forward …

Relatives' organisations across Ireland, Members of this Chamber and the Dáil, the Irish Government, all the political parties in the North, the British Labour Party, representatives across the EU and the US, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and other human rights organisations are united in their opposition to the British Government's Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill of shame. Yet, that Bill is now law, passed by the most self-serving, disreputable group of charlatans e…

The Minister is very welcome. I will begin by welcoming a number of guests who are here in the Chamber specifically to hear what the Minister has to say. They are all from the Fórsa trade union. We have Jim Mitchell, assistant general secretary, Niall Shanahan, external communications director, and a host of workers from the Garda civilian staff. I will tell the Minister where they have come from. They have travelled from Galway, Tipperary, Dublin, Donegal, Mayo, Kerry and Wexford to be here today. That, in itself,…

Will the Workplace Relations Commission be included in that?

Community gardaí have been shut down in Limerick.

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting former comrades from the SIPTU trade union alongside people from Age Action Ireland, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and Active Retirement Ireland. They are all part of the Pension Promise campaign. These very effective campaigners brought us the Stop 67 campaign before the most recent election. That campaign had a tremendous impact on the election. Outside the gates of Leinster House today, they are basically calling the Gover…

Well said.

Do not be falling out, lads.

It is always good to see the Minister of State. This Bill, which seeks to update the legislation to control the export of dual-use items that can be used for civil or military purposes, is extremely important to make sure that certain products will not end up in the wrong hands, to be used to cause injury or death in regional conflicts or to violate human rights in third countries. Because the 2008 EU Common Position does not have a direct legal effect in member states, and because the export of military items is a…

Yes, absolutely we will. It has been our party policy for years. It is not good to facilitate US bombing or attacks on other countries. Neutrality is where we should be at and that has always been our position. I cannot go on without mentioning the human rights violations, violence and death by the apartheid state of Israel on the people of Palestine. It was so disappointing that Sinn Féin's Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill was voted down by the Government a few months ago. That Bill sought to prevent Ir…

I thank the Minister.

I welcome the Taoiseach. I believe that his recent remarks stating he believes we are on the path to unification and that there will be a united Ireland in his lifetime reflect the views of most of the people on this island. His attendance and speech at the Ireland's Future event in the 3Arena last year was a significant moment in the debate on constitutional change. There is, of course, a diversity of opinion on how a new Ireland is to be brought about, but there is broadly common purpose and common cause on this …

Apologies, I was never strong on religion. I stand corrected. The final issue I raise relates to health and community workers. Approximately 5,000 of them will go on strike on 17 October. These are the front-line workers the Taoiseach was happy to applaud during Covid, that is, the people who make an incredible difference to the lives of those with disabilities, who help them get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, go to the toilet or even get them a drink of water. These are the members of SIPTU, Fórsa and the…

Well said.

When I came back this time last year the first item I raised on the Order of Business was housing because of the horrendous state of the housing crisis. As we all know, it has got much worse since then. I will stick to the facts. The July homeless figure that I quoted last year was 10,568, including 3,137 children. In July this year it had gone up to 12,847 homeless people, including 3,829 children. That is a total increase of 2,300 additional homeless people, and 700 more children. It is an absolutely disgraceful …

I thank Senator Lombard, though, for his concern. University Hospital Limerick today has a new record with 124 patients on trolleys this morning, in September. What are we going to be facing in the winter months? We have a Minister who is in denial, who came into this Chamber and rejected the figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO. He actually said on radio in the summer that things are getting better. Things are getting worse. We are facing into a winter crisis. He has no idea how we are goi…

Well said.

First, I express condolences to our colleagues in Fianna Fáil on the very sad death of Damien O’Reilly. I also wish a warm welcome to the Superintendent here today. I am lucky enough to be one of the representatives in this Chamber in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In that regard, I have written two reports on the tragedy that continues to unfold in Nagorno-Karabakh. Most recently, at the June session, I highlighted the fact there was an ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor, which is the on…