Yes.

There is, it comes from the Government-----

The Deputy asked a question and I am answering it.

In answer to Deputy Clendennen's question, there is a cynical campaign of misinformation. It is coming from the Government. It is suggesting that we are going to get rid of the triple lock but there is no need to worry because we are going to stay within the framework of the UN Charter. That is not honest, unless the Tánaiste does not understand the UN Charter. There are two circumstances under the charter whereby a country can legally, under international law, send troops abroad: the first is self-defence, which i…

That is not accidental because he is talking about the vague, broad principles in Article 2 of the UN Charter in contrast to giving a commitment to stay within the articles of the UN Charter, which are exactly the same as the triple lock.

Why would we not? Because of vetos-----

They are not-----

We are getting somewhere here. The Tánaiste accepted that the point of getting rid of the triple lock is to be able to send troops outside of the framework of the UN Charter - not just outside the principles but outside the articles of the UN Charter, which govern international law in respect of where troops can be sent abroad. That is the reason to get rid of the triple lock. The Tánaiste may say that we are only ever going to send troops on missions that are called peacekeeping missions. Does he know what Putin c…

Thousands of people came out onto the streets in August to demand justice for Harvey. They did so because they saw a young boy who was failed so horribly by the State. They did so because they saw the broken promises from Simon Harris, who made the promise in 2017 about no child having to wait longer than four months. They did so because they appalled at the failure of Simon Harris to meet the family after giving a commitment to do so. They also did so because Harvey symbolised the failure of this State in respect …

A UN commission has now found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which was obvious to anyone with eyes to see over the course of the last almost two years. At the moment, the so-called ground offensive into Gaza city is continuing. It means the murder of men, women and children. This Government has thankfully recognised the genocide in words, but it has failed to act like there is a genocide. It continues to hear no evil and see no evil when it comes to the thousands of tonnes of munitions illegally going …

The legal observers.

Since the Government lifted the eviction ban in April 2023, more than 20,000 households have got eviction notices because their landlord wants to sell. At the time, the Government promised renters that they would be protected with the tenant in situ scheme. If they were on HAP or RAS and their landlord was willing to sell to the council, the council would buy their home. That has turned out to be a lie. Just over 2,500 households benefited from the scheme before the Government gutted it less than two years after it…

It is a good scheme.

My council has run out of money, the city council has run out of money, Carlow and Kilkenny county councils have run out of money and Fingal County Council has run out of money.

The Dublin councils have run out of money.

The Government has strangled the scheme.

The discussion about the State failing children will dominate the coming Dáil term but there is no greater failure than the State losing track of and failing children who it is meant to be taking care of. Just a couple of hours ago, we heard that the body of Daniel Aruebose has been found. We know he went missing four years ago, when he was just three years old. He would have been seven now. Incredibly, when reading the story, it appears the State became aware he was missing because of checks carried out on social …

Does the Taoiseach know that Tusla lost track of this boy?

What we have had tonight from the Government is a display of gaslighting par excellence . It is incredible and really cynical, because the audience is not the children who are affected. It is not the parents in the Gallery because the Minister of State knows they know that a school place does not necessarily equal a school place. The audience is the public who are concerned and think it is horrifying that there are children with additional needs who do not have appropriate school places. The message to them is not …

I join in the thanks to the many workers who make this place tick. I raise the case of the 35-year-old Irish father of three who was held by the US authorities for 100 days. He overstayed his ESTA visa by three days because of a medical condition. He was then taken by ICE and held for two months before being transferred into the regular prison system. The story is horrendous and horrifying. He was freezing on many occasions and only had a thin blanket. He was hungry and the food was of a very poor quality. The matt…