It has until Monday to sort it out. What is the Government going to do to help these children get here and give them back that sliver of hope?

Everything is in order.

Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a scourge on our society that continues to grow. I commend the focus the Minister's predecessor brought to this issue in her term of office as Minister for Justice and the establishment of Cuan as an agency, but we have so much work to do in the Minister's portfolio in the justice sector to continue to equip the courts and front-line services to recognise and support women who want and need to exit the incredibly difficult circumstances they are in. It goes beyond the j…

I thank the Minister of State for being here today, although I must call out that it is a shame that more members of her Government do not choose to be here to discuss this very important topic because I, as a member of the Social Democrats, am very proud to bring forward this motion which really speaks to some of the challenges faced by the poorest in our society in simply making ends meet. I will make four points: the inaction we see from the Government on price gouging; the scale of this issue; the lived experie…

I thank the Government for the briefing on the European Council. I particularly welcome the update on the work done on Ukraine and encourage more of that. I agree with the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne's comments that we need to make sure it does not fade from view in the media and in our discussions. I want to focus my comments on concerns I have around three specific topics: European defence, Gaza and the omnibus. First, with regard to defence, I want to highlight in particular the words of the European Council…

Yes.

I set out a range of questions, which I am happy to go through again, but I also have a fresh one to put to the Minister of State. What is the Government's position on the European Parliament's case against the Commission, which alleges that the Commission overstepped and bypassed the Parliament with regard to the SAFE regulation?

Does the Government support the Parliament or the Commission?

I am sorry; I am not-----

I am just not sure whether this is a back and forth but, to respond to the Minister of State, what I said was that the EU-Israel association agreement is essentially a privilege. It is a trade advantage to Israel. My point is that, when we talk about sanctions against Israel for committing genocide, which the Minister of State's Government has recognised is happening, people associate that with the EU-Israel association agreement but all that would involve is the revocation of a privilege. The Social Democrats and …

A question I asked earlier was about the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, the omnibus and simplification. We have heard so much today from Government representatives about simplification and competitiveness. My issue is that too much importance is being placed on competitiveness and too little on the human rights concerns we have about supply chains. It is comparable to the Minister of State's earlier answer to my question about sanctions. He talks about sanctions as if the only thing we need to co…

I also welcome our distinguished guests. I wish to express the sympathies and condolences of the Social Democrats to the families in Donegal and of Brother Kevin. The official death toll in Gaza has now exceeded 57,000 people but we all know that the reality is much worse because tens of thousands of people are missing, presumed dead under rubble. As the Israeli Government ramps up its depraved slaughter of innocent civilians, western countries continue to sit idly by. Shamefully, the only action taken by many coun…

Trust in nursing homes has been lost. With everything that has come to light in recent months, the one overwhelming response, which really concerns me deeply, is that people are now afraid of nursing homes, or perhaps more afraid, because revelations like these have been coming out for decades. Old age should come with a security and a certainty that a person's needs are met, they are safe and they treated with dignity. It is the duty of policymakers to not only address the issues raised by the recent abuses which …

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the incredibly problematic situation in the Middle East. Over the past 18 months, violence has erupted across the Middle East. However, today I wish to speak about the Middle East before October 2023 - the violence at the hands of Israeli colonists in occupied Palestine; the systematic functioning of Israeli apartheid; and how Palestinians are constantly facing state-sanctioned violence. We also need to consider the impact of the carte blanche which has been given to Israel in …

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I am proud to stand beside Deputy Gannon, who speaks with such a strong voice for Dublin city centre. He always has done, in particular on issues related to how we make Dublin a place for all people and really protect our culture and heritage. I want to briefly cover three key points. The first is that the GPO is such a vital part of our heritage and a historical site of the greatest importance to the Irish nation. Second, when I am on the doorsteps and people tal…

I agree with Deputy Gannon that this should be the last year this is ever debated in the Chamber - in fact, last year should have been the last time. From what the Minister said at the outset of his contribution today, even though he now supports the repeal of the Acts, that will not be ready by this time next year, so this will persist. Although we will support the motion this year, we will be coming forward with suggestions as to how we can deal with this in a more concrete way. What has happened is that 50 years…

Speaking of which, Taoiseach, are you ashamed of the EU? I know I am. Its descent into moral turpitude has been both swift and shocking. Its silence on Gaza is deafening. No matter what depravity is committed by Israel, the EU refuses to act. No matter how high the death toll, no matter how many children are brutalised, no matter the mass murder, maiming, starvation and decimation, nothing has prompted any action. Israel's genocide has continued unimpeded and uninterrupted by the EU. It has not even managed to agre…

It is still Israel's biggest trading partner.

It is in breach.

It is only the revocation of a privilege.