I thank the Deputy for raising the case. I have a note I could read out but I do not want to insult the parents by reading it. It is clearly a very serious situation the family faces. I am aware of Mo Shaol, which provides services in Louth. I will take on board the case the Deputy has raised if he gives me the details and I will link with him directly.

I thank my colleague in Wicklow, Deputy Whitmore, for raising the important issue of nicotine pouches and bringing it to my attention. That sounds like an alarming and concerning situation for parents, teachers and principals. I undertake to speak with the Minister for Health on the matter and pass on the Deputy's serious concerns, which I share. I will follow up with Deputy Collins on Skibbereen. I am pleased we have seen more of these courses made available and would be concerned to see their withdrawal. I am not…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. I attended a special European Council meeting in Brussels on 17 and 18 April. On 17 April, we heard from the President of the European Parliament and from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, the latter by video link. Over a working dinner, we discussed a range of international issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East and the EU's relations with Türkiye. On 18 April, we had a comprehensive discussion on Europe's competitiveness and the need to reinvigorate …

I thank colleagues for the range of questions. First, when it comes to Palestine, I very clearly outlined at the European Council this country's intention to recognise the state of Palestine. I believe we should do it this month, and that is what I am working towards with colleagues in Government, the three parties in Government and also with European counterparts, including the Prime Minister of Spain and other colleagues I have spoken with and will speak to in the hours ahead. Regarding the issue of trade and the…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 14, inclusive, together. I spoke by phone with Prime Minister Sánchez, most recently on Monday, 6 May, when we again discussed the situation in the Middle East, especially in Gaza, concerns about Rafah, and plans to recognise the state of Palestine. In particular, we shared a deep concern about the potential impacts of an Israeli military operation in Rafah, recalling that the international community has made it very clear that an Israeli military operation would inevitably lea…

I thank colleagues for their contributions. I join Deputy Haughey and others in very much welcoming the overwhelming vote at the UN General Assembly on ensuring that Palestine can and should be a member of the United Nations. I also take this opportunity to commend our own diplomats at the United Nations led by our ambassador, Fergal Mythen, on the incredible work they do in speaking up for Ireland but also in speaking up for human rights and speaking up for the rule of international law. They did us proud this wee…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together. I met the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on 11 April. Ireland’s membership of the European Union is of great importance to our national prosperity, well-being, and indeed, to our sense of identity and I undertook an early visit to Brussels as a signal of my commitment to continuing our excellent and co-operative relations with all of its institutions. My meeting with President von der Leyen took place on the same day I met…

I join with Deputy Ó Murchú in extending my sympathies to the family of Pat from Dundalk and I associate myself with the Deputy's remarks. I also welcome the Deputy's commitment to the Narrow Water Bridge, which President von der Leyen and I did not discuss directly. Having said that, I know the importance of the bridge to this country, to the Deputy's region and the constituency he represents. I also take seriously the points about timelines and delivery of that project. I am very happy to ask the relevant line Mi…

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what I agree is a really important issue regarding housing. From going across the country and engaging with young people and their parents, I know that home ownership can still feel out of the reach of many people. We are working day and night to change that. We are working every single day to make progress. I am very happy to report progress, because we are now building homes at levels not seen since 2008. Every single week in this country, 500 individuals or couples are buying …

It seems we will have to wait for day 140 to find out how the leader of Sinn Féin intends to deliver on her commitment given in The Irish Times that she would provide people in this capital city and county with homes for €300,000.

The Sinn Féin motion to be debated tonight does not do it. As for promising people leasehold, people do not want leasehold. People want to be able to go out and buy their own homes. That is what the people the Deputy, too, must be meeting across the country tell me as well. The people in the box rooms-----

I will tell the Deputy what we are delivering now. The Deputy has a leader and she did well there, so allow me to respond. We have already delivered 4,000 affordable homes. We have 21 local authorities so far-----

-----and we are on track for more than 6,000 this year. I have shown the Deputies and, more important, the people at home, who do not want to see Sinn Féin playing politics with a crisis, how we are continuing to make progress. The Deputy asked how we are going to fix it. I will tell her how we will do it. We are going to deliver record supply this year. Already this year we have seen more than 12,000 homes commenced. Most people in this country welcome that, but it seems to upset the Deputy, and she has probably o…

I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this matter. I was very pleased that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, yesterday brought to Government the three reviews into RTÉ that the Deputy referenced. These are the reviews prepared by the independent expert advisory committees, the review of governance and culture, and the review of contractor fees, HR and other matters in RTÉ. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, also brought the Mazars final report on the RTÉ barter account. I do genuinely believe these reports pave…

I thank Deputy Bacik. We will obviously have to work with parties in this House on any legislative proposals we bring forward. My commitment is that the Cabinet makes the policy decision on future funding by the summer recess. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has been very clear that when we look through the 15 recommendations that pertain to the Government there will be a clear need for legislative change. Wherever, and somewhat regardless of where, we land on a funding model, there will need to be in additi…

I am not sure where to start there. On housing supply in Kerry, the Deputy was with the Minister for housing at the opening of a new housing estate in Castleisland very recently. That is one of many examples of real progress being made in respect of housing. I thank the Deputy for turning up to report that progress for his constituents in Kerry; it is important he does that. On the importance of the hospitality sector and the question of immigrants, I have been to Kerry many times. It is a beautiful county. I have …

I will indeed visit County Kerry. I regularly visit the county and I look forward to doing so again.

Thank you so much. However, we have to acknowledge that policy changes have taken place in this country in relation to Ukraine. We have seen the numbers of Ukrainians coming here decrease dramatically. We can see this and the figures-----

The Deputy mentioned cats, dogs and jeeps. Can we just rise to a higher level here, if the Deputy does not mind? We are dealing with a very serious situation. What people in this country want to know is that we are getting to grips with it and that we are using the various policy levers at our disposal to try to make progress. What I say to them is that when we look at the Ukrainian situation, it can be seen in the Deputy's county, for example, that two hotels that were being used to house Ukrainians are back avail…

We continue to look at a range of measures. The Deputy mentioned the Minister for Justice. I ask the Deputy to look at the actual decisions the Minister has taken around faster processing times. It is not a question of rounding people up; it is a matter providing them with clarity when they come to a country. They either have a right to be here or they do not. If they have a right to be here, we welcome and integrate them.