The free hot school meals programme is money extremely well spent in terms of education and tackling hunger in young people for families. Why do we not roll it out to all schools, primary and secondary, in September 2024?

The question is in the context of the previous discussion we had about enforced deprivation among children. Other statistics are available. The Barnardos figures are striking. They are so striking that the former Taoiseach simply did not believe them at the time and he thought they were probably exaggerated. They stated that in November 2023 one in four parents did not have enough food to feed their children at some point in the previous year, which was an increase from one in five parents in 2022, again giving the…

Will the Minister comment on the situation of post-primary schools? The same arguments apply in respect of secondary students, including the points about pupil well-being in school, engagement with food, prevention of hunger, alertness in education and so on. We have the capacity to address the inequalities that exist and are reflected in our schools. We should do so at post-primary as well as primary level.

He has been in Tesco.

I am not sure he can. That is the problem.

Why is the Government increasing tax on workers? This afternoon, under the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024, employees' PRSI will be increased from 4% to 4.7%. It is the most regressive form of income tax we have, which will mean that a worker on the minimum wage will end up paying almost an extra €200 in PRSI and a worker on the average wage will pay almost €350 extra in PRSI. Why are workers being hit in this way when the Government has just introduced a tax break for employers' PRSI? It is act…

For the benefit of other people who may be on the list of speakers I will take approximately ten minutes. I welcome the introduction of pay-related jobseeker's benefit in the Bill. It is long overdue that workers are not plunged way below the poverty line as soon as they lose their jobs. However, I do have a real problem with how the Government is proposing to pay for it. This Bill which we are being asked to vote on today is going to hit all full-time workers with a PRSI increase every year for the next five years…

It would not take any more time to write the legislation differently. It would take the same time. The measure is designed to exclude as many workers as possible. Many will not qualify for the payment at all or will not get the full rate. A maximum payment of €450 a week is the least a Government with a €65 billion surplus thought it could get away with. ICTU has said it is glad that the principle of pay-related unemployment benefit, the norm across Europe for generations, is being adopted. It is, however, very unh…

You say it yourself.

You say yourself it is at the core of our neutrality.

A bit of honesty.

We had a Bill.

We proposed a Bill. You voted it down.

We had a wording.

The Tánaiste should be honest with people.

He should have the courage of his convictions to argue for what he favours. Instead, we had a very dishonest presentation of what he is trying to do. We have had a dishonest presentation for the last two years. People out there, anyone who is watching this debate and who listened to that speech, would have the impression that the Government is committed to defending neutrality. The Tánaiste said that "modification of the triple lock does not impact in any way on our policy of military neutrality". In fact, he went …

People would have the impression that it is the Opposition that is intolerant of democracy.

None of that is true, though, is it?

No, it is not true and I will tell him why it is not. Who is intolerant of democracy?

Thank you. The Tánaiste talks about my behaviour at the consultative forum. What was the consultative forum? The consultative forum was not a democratic institution. The Tánaiste proposed a democratic institution. He proposed a citizens' assembly so that citizens could come together, discuss it and come up with an outcome but then he ditched-----