It has now been 19 months of genocide and slaughter in Gaza. It has been more than two months of blockades, blocking food and humanitarian aid to the beleaguered people of Gaza. We now have the outrage upon outrage of Netanyahu making it clear he intends to assume full control and displace so many people. We need an emergency debate in this Chamber this week. We need the Minister and questions. We need to send a clear statement there will be sanctions and a price to pay.

I move amendment No. 1: In paragraph (1), to insert the following after "quorum of each Committee": “, save that the footnote ‘ 3 National Security encompasses cyber-defence, sub-sea critical infrastructure and related hybrid threats’ on page 5 be deleted.”.

I will focus my comment on fisheries, the seafood sector and the wider marine space. Looking at the east coast of Ireland, we made serious mistakes as a country in developing offshore renewable energy in a way that took away the livelihoods of fishermen. That is how not to do it. However, there has been positive progress in recent years. I commend the work of the offshore renewable energy seafood task force. This has been looking to bring together both industries to work out a way forward that does not threaten the…

Not agreed.

I listened to the Taoiseach's comments about neutrality over the weekend. As he knows, the triple lock arose from two referendums the Irish people voted on where it was used as an assurance around neutrality. I ask him clearly, if he is going to reverse that, to commit to a referendum. If he is going to get rid of the triple lock, will he put it to a referendum of the Irish people and give them assurances around that? Will he and the Tánaiste facilitate statements taking questions from the Opposition? He called us …

It is okay. That is a compliment.

Did the Deputy get lucky?

Our spokesperson, Deputy Ó Broin, has laid out the national picture and the challenges we face. I am going to take this opportunity to speak about the experience on the ground in Donegal and offer some constructive criticism of Uisce Éireann but also address some challenges for the Government. I will start with our major town, Letterkenny. We want to develop Letterkenny into a city. We want to join Letterkenny with Derry and Strabane - we already talk about the north-west city region - and to attract all the invest…

Sinn Féin has warned for some time that the policies of successive Governments have left Ireland uniquely vulnerable to a change in the economic climate and to tariffs. This is due to their failure to invest in infrastructure, their excessive reliance on tax incentives, and their failure to build up our indigenous industry. These moves by Donald Trump and his Administration to introduce tariffs have caused a great deal of concern among the thousands of people working in US multinational companies, particularly in t…

My understanding is that Deputy McDonald wants to move an amendment under the Standing Order.

As the Whip, I can respond. The Deputy raised the issue under the Standing Order, which she has a right to do

An amendment under the Standing Order can be taken at any stage. It is at the discretion of the Ceann Comhairle as to when she decides to take it.

I want to make it clear than on 5 February, a Cheann Comhairle, you took independent legal advice and adjudicated on the right of the Regional Independent Group to form a group in opposition.

No, this is my moment. I have 30 seconds, which is all that has been given. That is all the Ceann Comhairle has allowed me and I intend to make my point. At that point the Government could have moved, along with the rest of us, to form Oireachtas committees immediately under the d'Hondt system. We were told repeatedly that the Government was going to change Standing Orders and that is why the process was delayed. I can tell the House that Standing Order 113(2), which governs the formation of committees, was not cha…

Can we prioritise the formation of the foreign affairs and trade committee to get on with-----

There are massive issues and huge concern around these tariffs. Can we at least prioritise the foreign affairs and trade committee?

Can we agree-----

I am raising the very serious issue of the waters around Rockall, which comprise a traditional fishing ground for Irish fishers. There was no concern prior to Brexit, with reciprocal fishing arrangements between both jurisdictions. However, for four years the British authorities have put a blockade around what is an uninhabited rock. Under international law, it is not permissible to put any kind of limit on this. Will the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine provide an update on the Government's engagement…

I thank the Minister of State. I know he is new to his brief and I wish him well. I really do wish him well because if he does well, obviously our fishing communities will do well. There has been a major diplomatic failure in respect of this matter. The British authorities have engaged in a brazen intervention. Rockall is an uninhabited rock. Unfortunately, after Brexit we passed the Maritime Jurisdiction Act, which incorporates a 2013 agreement that would have given the British control of the waters around Rockall…

I appreciate the offer to meet. As the Minister of State knows, it is not even just the Donegal fisherman based in Greencastle and Killybegs who would be seriously impacted. I understand that 25% of the value of the fishery for Greencastle has been lost, but it also has an impact down in Castletownbere and the west of Ireland too, so this is an all-of-Ireland issue. I will engage with the various fishing organisations and talk to the Minister of State. We really need to challenge our diplomatic team. We have to do …