To be honest, I would like to have a more detailed conversation with the Deputy on this matter because I am not quite sure what he is getting at. The response I have before me deals with import substitution more generally, which is predominantly not allowed under WTO rules and so on. I will go through the written response and then we can try to get at what the Deputy is really looking for. Success on export markets is crucial to the long-term growth of Irish businesses and the economy. As the Deputy is aware, assis…

We are addressing it, although perhaps not in the formal sense for which the Deputy is asking. Grain, for example, is one of the very few agricultural products of which we import substantial values in terms of feed grain and so on. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has examined specifically supporting Irish farmers to grow more grain in response to that exposure resulting from the impact of the war in Ukraine and grain prices going up. It exposed Ireland's reliance on imports from markets that are …

Certainly, on the renewable energy sector, we are, first and foremost, trying to decarbonise our own grid but we recognise the potential for renewable energy generation in Ireland goes way beyond our domestic needs. I see energy in a similar way to dairy product. We produce a lot of dairy product, 85% of which is exported. By 2050, we will be in the same space from an energy perspective. From a clean energy perspective, we will be exporting large volumes of clean renewable energy that will be facilitated through a …

The trading online voucher scheme, available through local enterprise offices, is designed to encourage microenterprises with little or no online presence to trade more online, boost sales and reach new markets. The scheme allows expenditure for IT consultation, development or upgrade of e-commerce websites, implementing online payments or booking systems, purchase of Internet-related software, and developing an app. It can also contribute to developing and implementing a digital marketing strategy. The scheme prov…

As I said, I have some sympathy for this argument. We will look at it. I would like to understand why this has not happened to date. We do not have to be confined by a European regulation. We can go beyond that if we want. We need to make sure, in a practical sense, that it is implementable for the companies that are trying to go online and put in place services or products on a digital platform. I do not see any reason, if we are grant-aiding those efforts, we should not insist on these services being fully access…

I think there is a lot of agreement on this issue. We need to do more to help people with a disability into the workforce. There are some super projects around the country that are quite groundbreaking in this space and that we need to replicate in other parts of the country. I think the question here, however, is about people with a disability as consumers being able to access services and products through online platforms. If we are putting money, as we are, into mentoring, grant-aiding and helping to fund busine…

That is not true.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I want to give Deputies some reassurance. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department, have done an heroic job over the past 12 months. It has not been easy. They have been put under enormous pressure. Nobody anticipated what has unfolded over the past 12 months. We have managed to accommodate the vast majority of refugees who have come from Ukraine in homes, hotels, hostels and good quality accommodati…

I am happy to take this question, if that is okay. I reassure the Deputy that we are following what is happening at the moment very closely. We are speaking to many tech companies at a senior level to understand what is likely to unfold in the coming months. It is important to say that the tech sector is extremely strong in Ireland right now. Many of the global decisions that have been taken are reversing part of the growth of last year, when many tech companies were employing very large numbers of people over a ve…

-----broader implications of these decisions for many Irish service companies as well.

Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo ar an ócáid stairiúil seo. On behalf of the Fine Gael party, as you know, a proud member of the European People's Party, I am privileged to join with the Ceann Comhairle and the Taoiseach to welcome you to the Oireachtas today - there is a Cork thing going on today. Your leadership as President of the European Commission over the last three years and your friendship towards this island has time and time again proven indispensable to Ireland as we navigate the unprecedented challen…

Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo ar an ócáid stairiúil seo. On behalf of the Fine Gael party, as you know, a proud member of the European People's Party, I am privileged to join with the Ceann Comhairle and the Taoiseach to welcome you to the Oireachtas today - there is a Cork thing going on today. Your leadership as President of the European Commission over the last three years and your friendship towards this island has time and time again proven indispensable to Ireland as we navigate the unprecedented challen…

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by the Government. Capability equipment requirements are kept under ongoing review in light of present and expected operational needs. The White Paper on Defence 2015 provides for the replacement of the two CASA C-235 maritime patrol aircraft with larger more capable aircraft that would enhance mar…

These aeroplanes are due next year. We have been through a long and torturous process to make sure they are right.

This are a lot more than the aircraft, if Deputy Clarke knows what I mean. Much of the expense is in kitting out the aircraft with the kind of equipment to which the Deputy referred, for example, a very advanced camera system that has the capacity not only to search the sea surface but also under the surface of the sea to a considerable depth. I have been asked repeatedly if it really costs nearly €230 million to provide two new CASAs, but it is not just the hull of the aeroplanes but the equipment, in particular, …

There is, and there needs to be, a lot of interaction between the Air Corps and the Naval Service because they work together daily on maritime surveillance. When a CASA aircraft is in the air, those on board speak to the Naval Service and there is co-ordination in Haulbowline on fisheries protection observation. I do not know if Deputy Clarke has had a chance to visit the fisheries surveillance centre in the naval base in Haulbowline, but it is pretty impressive. The Air Corps and the Naval Service work in tandem o…

I thank Deputy Gino Kenny for raising this question as it gives me an opportunity to put on the record of the House where we are in this regard. This is a very serious issue from my perspective that we are trying to deal with comprehensively. As the Deputy will be aware, I am committed to ensuring every member of the Defence Forces is able to carry out his or her duties in a workplace underpinned by dignity and equality. The judge-led independent review group, which I established last January following Government a…

I thank Senator Currie for bringing this important matter to the attention of the Seanad but also for her ongoing work in regard to campaigning for change in this area and on the approach the British Government has decided to take in recent months. The Government has been clear from the outset that the UK legacy Bill, as it stands, is not fit for purpose and it represents a unilateral move away from the Stormont House agreement. We also have serious doubts about whether the Bill is compliant with the European Conve…

I understand that sentiment and I understand people wanting to know the status of the report and the direction of travel in terms of thought and recommendations. The independent review group itself asked that the interim report would not be published, because its work is not complete. Publishing, therefore, or making publicly available work that has not concluded or been finalised is something it was concerned about. We do not have much longer to wait, and in a few weeks we will have the full report. I hope to be a…

It is a requirement for any process dealing with the past to be credible and to be effective. Victims must be at the centre. The current UK proposal lacks that credibility and runs the risk of being more perpetrator-focused than victim-focused. The Government is using all avenues to try to effect change to the UK Bill. My Department raised the legacy Bill at the United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this month, which I think is an indication of how concerned we are in terms of the direction of travel. We have…