Thank you.

I knew that. I was only joking.

We should all declare our solidarity with Iranian people protesting against rampant inflation, corruption and the violent repression they are facing at the hands of the Iranian regime. The regime should stop killing protesters and should lift the censorship that it has imposed on Iranian people fighting for legitimate change and reform in their country. However, we should be equally clear in saying that Donald Trump and the American military have no right to threaten Iran or any other regime, as they did with Venez…

He is threatening.

Yes.

Saudi Arabia too, of course.

Egypt, Israel-----

No, no. I said Iran was a malign influence.

The shah was more than tolerated-----

The Taoiseach will not call out Trump-----

And he broke them by kidnapping Maduro.

As I said on national radio last Friday, I honestly do not understand why the police have not gone into X and started arresting the people who run it in its European headquarters. Any fair reading of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act or, for that matter, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act will show that the peddling of these sexualised images of children is a criminal offence. The people who are facilitating this child pornographic abusive imagery should be under arrest. Why is …

If somebody said they were making bombs next door I think the police would be in, would they not?

I said why are the police not-----

The Mercosur deal is a sell-out of farmers in this country. It is a sell-out on the fight for climate action and the fight against deforestation. It is a sell-out on the protection of workers’ rights. It is a recipe for the race to the bottom and completely exposes the agenda of the big powers that dominate the European Union, which are only interested in promoting the interests of the big car manufacturers and the big multinationals at the expense of ordinary working people, small farmers and the environment. That…

I welcome the British ambassador and wish everybody, including our guests, a happy Christmas. I wish to use this opportunity to pass a message to the British Government through the ambassador, namely that something urgently needs to be done about the Palestine Action hunger strikers whose lives are in danger because they protested against the genocide in Gaza and are being treated in an absolutely brutal fashion.

I corroborate the call to act on behalf of the Oireachtas TV workers. This issue has been raised with the Government on several occasions. It is shameful that the workers are laid off during the summer and at Christmas, particularly when they are responsible for broadcasting the proceedings in these Chambers. Christmas should be a happy time. For many, it will be a happy and joyful time. As has been said, however, it is a time of very serious challenges, hardship or sadness for many. I include in that the 16,766 pe…

We are not.

One third of those who are homeless were evicted from the private rental sector. Quite simply, they would not be in emergency accommodation and the children to whom I refer would not be suffering this hardship if the Government had not lifted the no-fault eviction ban. We have an emergency. We have the highest level of child homelessness ever. If that is not an emergency, I honestly do not know what is. The Government should reinstate the ban. I am glad there is an acknowledgement regarding three-bedroom units. We …

I was wondering about that.