It has been an honour and privilege to serve in this House for so many years. I thank my constituents for their loyalty and support over so many years and for placing their trust in me. I also thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for all your encouragement and help, and the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas for their unfailing courtesy and for ensuring the smooth running of this House. There has been some discussion already this morning about our economic model. As the Tánaiste knows, we are a small, open economy. Pr…

The Taoiseach launched the Dublin city centre task force report in the GPO on Monday. The task force was charged with providing recommendations to improve the city centre's public realm, safety and experience. It is clear to Dubliners that there is a problem. People just do not feel safe in parts of the city centre, particularly the north inner city and particularly at night time. I welcome the so-called big move announced for more visible policing and security. Increased Garda visibility is essential. The task for…

I think all of those who believe in liberal democratic values breathed a sigh of relief when Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform came to power last year. Prime Minister Tusk is a former President of the European Council and was a friend of Ireland during the Brexit talks, as the Taoiseach said. He has since set about restoring constructive relations with the EU. He is reversing restrictions on media freedoms and restoring the independence of the judiciary. As a result, the EU has dropped legal proceedings aga…

The Taoiseach did not meet with the President of Poland, but he met with the Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. Did the Taoiseach discuss rule-of-law issues with the Prime Minister and the need to uphold European values in these very uncertain times?

The Tánaiste recently said, in New York, that "we want to make cities safe again because there is a real sense that people just do not feel safe". That is certainly the view of my constituents who, for example, have to get night-time buses in the Talbot Street area or in the north inner city. For as long as I have been in this House people have demanded more gardaí on the beat. Garda visibility on our streets and in our communities is now a real issue. Recruitment and retention is obviously a problem. What is being…

The elections to the European Parliament have now concluded. Far-right and nationalist parties gained ground in those elections. Migration, the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, climate change and security and defence were all issues in the election campaign. In Germany, Alternative für Deutschland, Alternative for Germany, made big gains, as did Rassemblement National, National Rally, in France and Fratelli d'Italia, Brothers for Italy, in Italy. Despite these gains, it seems the outgoing centrist coalition ha…

The more things change, the more things remain the same. Following the most recent European Council meeting, Ursula von der Leyen is set to become European Commission President once again, provided, of course, that she is endorsed by the European Parliament. In addition, the centrist coalition in the Parliament has held, by and large, despite the shift to the right in France. I see that the centrist coalition is about to receive two new members, following the decision of Deputy Michael McNamara and Ciaran Mullooly …

The US Supreme Court found this week that Presidents are immune from prosecution in respect of official acts. One wonders what direction the US is going in at this time. President Biden is firmly committed to liberal democratic values. It was important that the Taoiseach spoke to him following his nomination and appointment, given the close relations between our two countries. As the Taoiseach indicated, he has briefed President Biden on developments in Northern Ireland. With a general election taking place in the …

I have a recollection that pre and post European Council meeting statements were introduced in this House following the defeat of an EU referendum.

It was done to bring about a greater awareness of European issues and to make the Taoiseach more accountable to the Dáil as regards his approach to European Council meetings. While they are helpful, the Dáil is a long way from mandating what the Taoiseach should do at European Council meetings, as is the case in some other EU member states. Be that as it may, I welcome the opportunity to raise a few issues concerning the European Council meeting later this week. I warmly welcome the decision of the Cabinet to appoi…

As expected, there was a shift to the right across Europe in the recent European Parliament elections, with migration and the response to climate change emerging as key issues during the campaign. However, it seems the centrist coalition has held, by and large. The coalition is made up of the European People's Party, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and Renew Europe, and it remains to be seen if the Greens or the European conservatives and reformists will also join any new coalition in the Parli…

Yes. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 37,100 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October. On that day, 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attacks. Meanwhile the Israeli offensive on Gaza continues unabated. The Israeli operation in the past few days to free four of the hostages resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children. Ireland was one of the first countries in the EU to call for a human…

No, I will proceed now.

Perfect. Today, 28 May 2024, is an historic day. Ireland, along with Spain and Norway, formally recognises the State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders. This brings to eight the number of European states that have done this. It has taken many years and much diplomacy and negotiation to bring us to this point. In 1980, Ireland was the first EU state to back the principle of Palestinian statehood. In 2014, as we have heard, the Dáil and Seanad passed motions calling on the Government to officially recognise the S…

This was the Taoiseach's first European Council meeting. As we have heard, there were several items on the agenda, including the Middle East and Ukraine. On Israel's war on Gaza, the European Council finally agreed, for the first time, to call for an immediate ceasefire, thus discarding the previous and wholly inadequate call for a humanitarian pause. It was also able to agree on the need for unhindered access for humanitarian aid at scale for Palestine. It seems that the brutal reality of the situation on the grou…

It seems the Taoiseach has had a number of meetings with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. I also welcome the outcome of the vote taken at the UN General Assembly last week regarding membership for Palestine. As the Taoiseach knows, Ireland co-sponsored the resolution which received 143 votes, representing approximately 80% of the votes. Ireland was the first EU state to endorse the idea of Palestinian statehood back in 1980. In 2014, the Dáil passed a motion on this issue. I encourage the Taoiseach and th…

In his discussions with President Ursula von der Leyen, did the Taoiseach discuss the nature restoration law? In his view, is she still committed to the European Green Deal to tackle climate change? With the European Parliament elections coming up, there is a view that the European People's Party is becoming less committed to climate change and to taking the appropriate measures. Did the Taoiseach get any sense of a pulling-back from the green deal by Ursula von der Leyen? The second question, having regard to a pr…

Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union states: The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail. Any reading of this article clearly highlights the fact the EU is currently under pressure. The…

The then Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, was right to attend the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington this year despite the urging of some in this House for him not to do so. Ireland has deep historical, social, cultural and economic links with the USA which combine to make it a very special relationship. St. Patrick's Day allows us to have unrivalled access to the US Administration. The then Taoiseach had a number of high-level engagements in the US as we have heard, including meetings with Pre…

I was interested to hear the details of the Taoiseach's phone conversation with President Zelenskyy and with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, as he has outlined. As we know, the Russian offensive is continuing and Ukraine is under pressure. The EU is providing financial, humanitarian, emergency, budgetary and military support to Ukraine. Ireland is also giving bilateral support through stabilisation and humanitarian mechanisms. I welcome the recent agreement by the EU to provide an extra €5 billion for Ukraine under …