Healthcare workers put themselves on the front line for all of us during the two years, and more, of the pandemic. They are now overrun again. There are record numbers on hospital trolleys and further surges in Covid. On 19 January the Tánaiste proposed that €1,000 would be given to each healthcare worker. This week, I had several representations from healthcare workers to say that it still has not been paid and that the Government is essentially proposing an unsustainable model which the representatives of the hea…

I am sharing time with Deputy Barry. The world is disgusted and revolted at what Vladimir Putin is doing, his bloody invasion and the imperialist logic behind it. Rightly, people's hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and they want to show all the solidarity they can. The best hope is that the resistance of the Ukrainian people, alongside the opposition of the Russian people to this bloody war, will bring it to an end and, with any luck, bring down the Putin regime. Nevertheless, I just do not understand why the …

I am sharing time with Deputies Bríd Smith, Paul Murphy and Barry. We are happy to support the Sinn Féin motion on energy price increases and the proposed measures, but we also will move an amendment to the motion that the Government needs to use the powers it has under the Consumer Protection Act to put caps on prices to declare an emergency in respect of the supply of energy and fuel and put caps in place. The reason we are proposing this - and have done from the beginning - is because, essentially, the Governmen…

The pre-condition for well-being of the people of this country is for them to have a secure, affordable roof over their heads. One of the standing scandals in that regard, besides the abysmal failure of the Government to deliver new public and affordable housing, is the inability to deal with the utter scandal of vacant and derelict properties the length and breadth of the country. They are sitting there torturing people who are actually in need of housing as they lie empty but could be used to house people impacte…

The Taoiseach will be meeting with European leaders in Versailles to discuss the impact, including the economic impacts, of the war in Ukraine.  Many people in Europe quietly want to use the war in Ukraine to boost up military spending and make our relationship with NATO a closer one and yet the Taoiseach uses excuses about Europe to say he can do nothing about rising fuel and energy costs because Europe would not allow it.  Europe is happy to co-ordinate on militarisation but not so happy to co-ordinate on protect…

That is exactly what it is doing.

It has been pushing to do this and now it is using the war as an excuse to do it again.

We sell arms to some of these countries.

We have been protesting about Putin long before the Taoiseach.  Our comrades are anti-war protestors in Putin’s prisons at the moment.

Is the Taoiseach joking me?

Are the ones selling arms to Saudi Arabia not warmongers?

Come on. Give me a break.

This is shocking.

It sells arms to dictatorships like Saudi Arabia.

Considering the crippling increases people are seeing in the prices of petrol, diesel and, more generally, fuel and energy, the proposed measures are fairly pathetic. Taxi drivers, about whom I have talked to the Minister many times and who got very little during Covid, are a good example of how we are just going out of the Covid frying pan into the Ukrainian war fire, with its associated impact on ordinary people who have suffered a great deal and will now suffer again because of the rising cost of fuel. The measu…

The world is rightly horrified at the unfolding disaster that is being unleashed on the people of Ukraine with Putin's bloody, inexcusable and murderous invasion of that country. Ireland's voice needs to be absolutely clear in condemning utterly that murderous invasion. We need, as I think it is clear the people of this country want, to extend every form of humanitarian assistance and support to those suffering under the bombs, bullets and shells of the Russian military, and to those who are fleeing their homes to …

This morning I received an email from a former member of the Defence Forces who described how at every single military checkpoint he or any Irish soldier was ever at, their safety and our credibility was protected by our neutrality. He went on to say that, lately, we have been picking our fights, and the more we do so, the more we lose our integrity. He asked me to urge this House to keep the faith with military neutrality for that reason. That is the problem. If we oppose the madness we are seeing unfolding in Ukr…

It is horrible, but so is the war in Yemen.

Before the war in Ukraine, we urged the Taoiseach to use the powers the State has under the consumer Act to control the spiralling prices of heating fuels and energy, which are impoverishing huge numbers of people and increasing fuel poverty. There is an even stronger case for that now with the spiralling prices as a result of the Ukraine war. Some of this is being fuelled by speculation, which should also not be allowed. Does the Taoiseach now think it is time for the Government to use the powers available to cont…

Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were spiralling inflation and cost-of-living increases. When I was briefed by the Department of Finance, it said the war in Ukraine and the impact on energy prices was going to add another 4% on top of that in terms of further inflation. I ask the Taoiseach to confirm that and update the House on it. In that regard, when public servants, of whom the Government is the employer, are limited to 1% increases, that means the people the Government employs are going to be…