Deputy Burke is so right. We have to constantly push back against that idea of it being a one-way street because that is not what the economic relationship is, as the Deputy rightly says. There are over 200,000 Americans who got out of bed this morning, probably many of whom voted for President Trump, and went to work in Irish-owned companies in every state across the United States of America. It is a significant two-way flow. One of things we are doing to try to make that even more real now is by providing a break…

On these visa applications, Secretary Lutnick was telling me he did not have direct responsibility for it but I made the point to him that what I am sure they do not wish to do is to have some sort of chilling effect on people who may wish to go and carry out critical roles in the US economy, or on the innovators and entrepreneurs who wish to establish businesses. I thought there was a need to have a good engagement on that. That engagement will continue and our embassy in Washington will continue that as well. Bei…

Deputy Lahart is doing a lot of heavy lifting this evening. I thank him for taking this question and I also thank Deputy 'Chap' Cleere for tabling the question. It is a really important issue and one that Ireland has genuinely tried to shine a spotlight on and has tried to work on in international coalitions for quite a period of time. We have been consistently condemning the deportation and the forcible transfer of children, which amounts in our view to a war crime or a crime against humanity. At the Foreign Affai…

It is. When I attended the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland I attended a number of meetings on this with the then Prime Minister Trudeau. It is horrific. When I visited Ukraine, I visited Kyiv and I met with the International Red Cross and UNICEF and visited a centre that was working with children and families where there had been forced displacement. It is an absolute horror. I note that the First Lady of the United States has taken an active interest in this. That is a welcome development. I was encouraged tha…

I thank Deputy Heneghan. I am really pleased that all of the Irish citizens detained following their participation on the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have now returned home. I thank them, and the Deputy as part of that flotilla, for what they did to highlight the horrific humanitarian catastrophe, the genocide and the famine in Gaza. It takes guts. It was an act of courage by a well-meaning, peaceful global citizens who posed no threat whatsoever to Israel. That is the very clear positi…

I have been very clear and reiterated again that I believe - we can call it whatever word we wish - the detention of our citizens was illegal. These were peaceful citizens who posed no threat or risk to Israel - quite the opposite, in fact. They were going there on a humanitarian mission. I reiterate my view on that, and I have discussed that view with others, including my Spanish counterpart, and have articulated it to many, including Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs. I will always give …

I am aware of those discussions and we will always keep all that under active consideration. I believe, as I know the Deputy does, in multilateralism, and the world has never needed that more. At a time when it is under attack from many quarters, it is important that Ireland take every opportunity to demonstrate our support for multilateralism, the work of the UN and the UN General Assembly while also putting our money where our mouth is in practically providing additional funding to the work of the UN and its agen…

I thank Deputy Ward for this question, all his work as an Oireachtas Chairperson in this area and the genuine passion and interest I know he has in it. As colleagues will know, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from next July until December 2026. Preparations are well under way, led by my Department in close co-ordination with the Department of the Taoiseach and with the active participation of all Departments across the Government. This is and must be truly a…

I am really glad the Deputy raises this because I raise it all the time. There has to be and there will be a focus on schools. It is really important that this Presidency involve all the people of Ireland, most particularly the next generation of committed Europeans in this country. That opportunity, as the Deputy says, to expose young people to the first Presidency they will have lived through from their own country is really important. I have already had conversations with the Minister for Education and Youth abo…

I think a lot of the work around the multi-annual financial framework will fall to our Presidency. That is why we have taken a decision as an Irish Government to get our own priorities into the Commission in advance of that Presidency. Of course, when you take up the Presidency, you assume a role as an honest broker. I expect that to be a very busy period. I am glad the Deputy brought up enlargement. I met yesterday with the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova after the conclusive pro-European outcome to its parliamen…

Coincidentally, I have my North-South Ministerial Council pen with me as a reminder that we only had the meeting in Farmleigh a couple of days ago - on Friday, I think. Since the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions last year, there have been 31 meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council in plenary, institutional and sectoral formats. There has been a huge body of work in the roughly 18 months that the institutions have been back up and running. The most recent plenary meeting took place on Fr…

I fully agree with Deputy Moynihan. There are officially 12 areas of co-operation that cover a broad swathe of issues under the framework, including education, transport, healthcare and environment. However, I heard the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern make the point before, and he is entirely correct on this, that it is important that the meetings are dynamic. It is important that people move beyond their speaking points to actually having discussions about the issues that affect the people on the island of Ireland. …

That is right. I welcome, as the Deputy did, the all-island apprenticeship formally launched by myself, the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Lawless and Minister Archibald in Farmleigh on Friday. I thank and commend the Minister, Deputy Lawless for his work on this too. As the Deputy also rightly said, all of this takes place in a context and the context is much better when the relationship between the two Governments in Ireland and the UK is good. That reset has assisted. It is also the case when the relationship b…

I will start by acknowledging the deeply upsetting incident that took place in a Tusla facility in Donaghmede yesterday. This is a shocking event. My thoughts and those of people right across the House and country are with all of those impacted by it, in particular the bereaved family and those injured. The loss of life is unconscionable. The focus must now be on the welfare and safety of the young people and staff at the facility. Tusla is working to put additional supports in place to do that. I also want to ackn…

I am answering the question, Deputy.

The only other place that happened in the world was when Liz Truss was British Prime Minister. Sinn Féin's solution was to take hard earned taxpayers' money from young couples like those the Deputy met in Galway and give it to the energy companies, throw it away. That was never a good idea. I welcome the fact that the Deputy now acknowledges that it was not and is no longer pursuing that ridiculous, economically illiterate policy.

That was the choice on offer to the people in the last election.

Sinn Féin's plan was to give money from taxpayers to the big energy companies and our plan was to consider permanent and sustainable ways of reducing costs. Again, I hope the Deputy tells people that we have taken measures in the budget to help them with the cost of energy. I am sure she tells them that we took a measure around reducing tax on energy in the budget. We decided to reduce the VAT rate from 13.5% to 9% not just for one or two years or to the end of the year, but for five years. I hope the Deputy welcom…

The second thing we did-----

-----was to increase the fuel allowance to help people most at risk including, by the way, working people. I do not like the way the Deputy suggests helping people through social welfare is not helping working people. Many, many, many working families benefit from the fuel allowance situation.