I am sure the Minister has seen the news about the evidence of climate catastrophe all around us. In Europe, significant numbers of people are going to die in the coming weeks as a consequence of the heatwave we are seeing. Yet, in Ireland we are already off track on our already inadequate targets. The Minister is widely reported to be lobbying within the Government on behalf of big agribusiness to have the lowest possible emissions cuts within the biggest emitting sector. I ask the Minister to tell me how that mak…

Will the Minister outline why he is arguing for the lowest possible emissions cuts for the biggest emitting sector of the economy? Even if agriculture does 30%, the rest of society still has to do 60% to meet the inadequate target of a 51% reduction, on which we are already off track. If, as the Minister is widely reported as arguing for, we choose a reduction of 22%, the rest of society has to do 68%. If, for example, we do that through energy, that is an extra cost per household of €5,000 each. Will the Minister …

The Minister’s industrialised farming system does not work for ordinary farm families. Almost half of farms in this country have an income of less than €10,000. The Minister’s industrialised farming system works for Greencore, Kerry Group, Goodman and the big dairy farmers, but it does not work for others. The figures are there in Teagasc. Instead of incentivising and pushing farmers to engage in industrialised farming that does not work for small farmers, is extremely damaging for the environment and does not work…

Why should we continue to give tens of millions of euro every single year to the greyhound racing industry? For me, the key issue is animal cruelty. However, even from the point of view of value for money, over the last few weeks The Sunday Times Ireland edition has exposed the fact that greyhound industry insiders make up over half of all race attendees and that all of the State funding into the Irish greyhound industry is effectively being lost because it ends up subsidising the low-cost sale of dogs to the UK.

The public is funding not only an industry that is responsible for the deaths of 6,000 greyhounds a year because they are not fast enough, but we are also funding the British greyhound racing industry. An analysis conducted by Preferred Results business consultants, and reported in The Sunday Times Ireland edition, found that 6,300 Irish greyhounds are exported annually to the UK and sold at a loss of almost €5,000 each. Effectively, it is a direct subsidy from the public, through the greyhound racing industry, to …

The public has provided €310 million for the greyhound racing industry since 2001. That is a huge amount of money, without which I do not think the greyhound racing industry would continue in this country. I think that would be a good thing in terms of animal welfare. Of course, I wish to emphasise that nobody should be out of a job as a consequence of that. There needs to be a just transition for those involved in the greyhound racing industry, with everybody guaranteed a job of at least equivalent terms and condi…

Yesterday, when questioned about this at Leaders' Questions , the Taoiseach said if we passed this Bill to reduce rents for ordinary people, there would be no landlords left in Ireland. Across the country, thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people who are struggling to pay €2,000 or €2,500 of rent per month and others who live at home well into their late 20s or 30s because they cannot afford to rent are thinking "Taoiseach, don't threaten us with a good time". The Taoiseach's comment encapsulated in one senten…

All across the House. The vast majority of the landlords are on the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael side and among the Independents who voted with the Government. If those landlords absented themselves tonight, as they should, and said it is too much to do with them, will impact their income and that it is clearly inappropriate for them to vote, there is every chance this Bill would pass. It is worth looking at who these landlords are. Rory Hearne did very good work recently outlining the reality of these corporate landlords…

Often, when US imperialism is criticised in here, the Taoiseach is quite sensitive about it, it might be fair to say. It appears he thinks the US is a force for good and for human rights and democracy around the world. In that context, I wonder if he saw the interview with John Bolton on CNN yesterday. John Bolton is a senior figure of the US political establishment, a former US Under Secretary of State, a former ambassador to the UN and National Security Advisor. He said the following: "As somebody who has helped …

He was a Bush appointee before that.

Tell that to the Yemenis.

It sounds like the discussion about solidarity with Ukraine took up a fair amount of time during the talks with Prime Minister Rutte. In that context, did the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister speak about the crucial issue of debt relief for Ukraine or are they happy for money to continue to flood out of Ukraine to pay for unsustainable and odious debts? Debt repayments this year amount to €6 billion more than the total education budget of Ukraine. Some €2.5 billion of those repayments is owed to the International M…

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the growing crisis in education in Dublin, where many schools are reporting that teachers are leaving to find positions in other parts of the country because they cannot afford to rent or the price of buying homes in Dublin. One Dublin school has reported that six teachers have left to work outside of Dublin, where accommodation costs are not as high. Some 55% of secondary school principals say they have unfilled vacancies, and an incredible 84% of principals who then advertise tho…

Either we have proposals and they are terrible or we do not have proposals. It cannot be both.

Is this not my amendment?

I appreciate we have the same last name and it is a common name. It happens.

I appreciate Deputy Catherine Murphy thinking on her feet and deciding she had no idea what this is so she had better withdraw it.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, lines 19 to 26, to delete all words from and including “(1) The” down to and including line 26 and substitute the following: “(1) Sections 4B to 4F shall apply to all employers carrying on a business in the State in relation to which the payment of tips or gratuities by customers typically applies.”. I am not, I am just joking. At the moment in section 4A, which is proposed to be added to the principal Act, there is this big long process about the things the Minister should take i…

I get another go, do I not?

Thanks very much, a Cheann Comhairle, or you could give it to the other Deputy Murphy if you want. I will have to read carefully around section 4F when the Tánaiste is next speaking, given the points he has raised. He is saying the regulations will apply in circumstances where the payment of tips typically applies in a section of the economy, but that is not the case, or not necessarily, as it is currently written. That is one of the things to be taken into account by the Minister in deciding whether he or she will…