They tend to shout at you or sue you, so stop. Elections, politics and accountability are about making choices and the people of Ireland will have a choice. They will have a choice of a Government that is continuing to grow the size of the health service. What I say to those patients is very clear. We are offering €2 billion in additional health spending. I ask the Deputy, as somebody who wishes to be the Minister for Health, from somebody who was the Minister for Health, whether it is his position that he can just…

I thank Deputy Bacik for raising the most serious and important of issues of our time in our world today. Even if we do not agree on the path to take, I thank her and many in opposition for their constructive engagement with Government. I too am proud that we are in a Parliament and country that was among the first in Europe and the world to call for a humanitarian ceasefire. I am proud that we took the vote that we took at the UN. I am proud of the positions of our Taoiseach and Tánaiste. I am delighted that our T…

Objectively, the Government, the Oireachtas and the country have, to use the Deputy’s words, been firm and clear on this issue. In many ways, Ireland’s position is becoming the position of more countries. There is a growing coalition of countries calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. When other countries chose to abstain at the UN, Ireland did not. It is fair to say that Ireland has had a clear and consistent position, one that has been articulated by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Government and many …

I thank Deputy Tóibín. Let me begin where he did, by remembering Ashling Murphy’s family. I have had the honour of meeting on a few occasions Ray, Kathleen, Amy, Cathal and Ryan. It is fair to say that Ashling Murphy’s murder stopped all of us in our tracks. She was a young woman out for a walk or run by a canal and was brutally murdered. We all think of her family and we are all pleased to see justice served. The family remains in our thoughts. We are very fortunate to have in this country a Minister for Justice w…

I have already outlined very clearly to the House that the Government is already taking action to do exactly what the Deputy is suggesting, namely, increasing Garda numbers. That can be seen in the steps the Minister for Justice has taken. What I said about Covid is a statement of fact. The Garda College closed at least twice, which caused disruption. The Garda college is now back open. Last month alone, we saw the highest number of trainees.

As the Minister has said, it will take time to catch up as a result of Covid, but catching up we are. This year will see between 700 and 800 new recruits go into the Garda College. The Deputy asked what we will do to protect the welfare, well-being and terms and conditions of gardaí. This week, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform will invite public sector unions and others to public sector pay talks. If we can achieve an outcome on that, it will benefit members of An G…

-----and the largest Garda budget ever. These are the practical actions we are taking to build stronger, safer communities in Ireland.

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for raising this issue. I have never known him to be anything other than honest in representing his constituents, his people and his area. I will begin where he did by acknowledging that it has been an extraordinarily difficult time as regards flooding right across our country. He referred to some of the places affected: Midleton and other parts of Cork, Wexford, Louth, Newry - this has been an all-island problem - and, yesterday, Galway. I saw my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy …

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for his contribution. In fairness to Government and everyone else, including Roscommon County Council, there was a view at the end of 2021 that a solution had been identified. Funding was provided and a huge amount of work went into getting to that point, including technical work between the local authority, the OPW, the funding application and the funding provided by Government. Then we hit, let us call it, a roadblock, which was a finding in our courts that sent everybody back to the dr…

Outrageous.

First, my understanding is that there was no dissent at the Business Committee this week about the schedule so issues that Deputy McGrath wishes to raise can be raised again and considered in terms of finding time. The Deputy can speak for his county but I can speak for mine. My county is very much a welcoming place for people seeking humanitarian refuge and I think the Deputy's county is too. Deputies Munster and Bacik and others have sought a debate on RTÉ. The first thing for all of us to say is that we are very…

I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this important issue. I saw the devastation on television last night, with business owners reduced to tears. Some are fledgling businesses. I saw one woman whose business has only been open five years wondering if she would be able to reopen. That is why today the Government took what by any standard is swift action. My colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, got Government approval for the emergency business scheme and also the enhanced busin…

The Government has noted the Labour Party's Seanad motion to be taken tomorrow. It is a constructive motion, and we look forward to engaging on it. There are varying levels of vacancy indicated from different data sources but the overall trend now is downwards and vacancy levels are decreasing. All 31 local authorities now have a full-time dedicated vacant homes officer funded by the Government through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As the Deputy rightly said, today the Government, on the…

I certainly commit to taking action in this space and to meeting with the association that represents international students on the basis of its survey published today. I am already engaging with the Minister for Justice on the issue. It is a horrifying practice that is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. We are also bringing in an international education mark. It is an important protection that will be welcomed by international students to ensure that students' entire journey and well-being in Ireland are kn…

The Tánaiste and the Taoiseach are correct. What is needed is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We have called for that from day one. Other countries are now beginning to adopt that position, thankfully. We need to see all hostages released, including little Emily Hand, whom we are all thinking of and who turns nine on Friday. Emily was taken hostage by Hamas. We need all Irish citizens and all international citizens out of Gaza. The Government is taking practical steps, including that which it took earlier toda…

-----but right now the concern is an immediate ceasefire, getting the hostages released, including Emily, and getting people out.

We need to get a ceasefire first. That is quite practical.

I am going to have to bite my lip because I think that, in many ways, some of those comments are a dog-whistle. I would love to know what the Deputy thinks people are fearing in terms of their safety-----

-----and what people's nationality has to do with their safety. The Deputy and I have a very different outlook on this matter, and I would imagine a majority of people in County Kerry do too.

It is a long-established position of this country that the solution in the Middle East is a peace settlement that recognises two states. That is where the world wishes to get to, or certainly large parts of the world, including Ireland. Right now, the most important thing this Government and country can do, and indeed that the Tánaiste will do, starting this evening, on his visit Egypt, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is continue to advocate for that immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release …