We are rejecting international law by trading with occupied territories. While we have statements on our commitments to these principles, and those statements are welcome, they must be backed up by reality. I am keen to hear what the Government is going to do to defend multilateralism and international co-operation and to defend the role of the UN in international stability and security.

I thank the Labour Party, including Deputy Wall, for bringing this motion to the floor of the House today to give us a chance to recognise the young carers in our society who contribute so much. I also welcome those who are in the Gallery today. I am particularly interested in the quality public services which are essentially lacking in our society. That requires very much from family and informal carers. I will also speak about means testing but, first, I acknowledge the experience of young carers. I will speak br…

According to a statement from his office this morning, we understand that the Taoiseach intends to push for a united and clear European position on the atrocities in Gaza at the meeting of the European Council due to take place tomorrow and on Friday. Having failed last week in the Oval Office to convey the sentiment and solidarity of the people of Ireland regarding Gaza, I respectfully request that we have time this afternoon to hear from the Taoiseach exactly what is the unified and clear position that he is seek…

I am thankful to have the opportunity to make this statement as we approach International Women's Day. Although I like to focus my comments in these days very much on the celebration of gender equality, it is important to call out a few issues keeping me awake at night. The first one I want to talk about is toxic masculinity, its proliferation online now and the grooming and the exploitation of young men. We are seeing an ideological wedge being driven between young men and young women. We are seeing young women gr…

I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this motion. While there are elements of it that I also do not agree with, it is an important topic to discuss. I will call out those components of it that I have an issue with, particularly the idea of an Irish version of the DOGE. I do not think that is an appropriate way to go forward. Nor do I appreciate the condemnation of NGOs when NGOs in this country provide a crucial service in areas where I believe the State should be stepping in to provide those services. …

Le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge, ní mór dúinn an teanga a cheiliúradh, ach tá sé tábhachtach dúinn mar ionadaithe an phobail tacú leis an teanga sa chuid eile den bhliain chomh maith. I mo Dháilcheantar féin, Baile Átha Cliath-Ráth an Dúin, tá páistí ag fágáil bunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge cosúil le Gaelscoil na Fuinseoige, Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille, Gaelscoil Laighean agus go leor eile toisc nach bhfuil spás dóibh in aon Ghaelcholáiste sa cheantar, cé go bhfuil éileamh ann. Táimid ag déanamh fea…

I thank Deputy Coppinger for using Private Members' time to introduce this very important motion and for providing an opportunity to discuss it. I also welcome that the Government will not oppose the motion, although I share the same scepticism and concerns that have been aired by colleagues to the effect that we really need to see action on this issue. This is a scourge on our society. It is a scourge of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The reality is that all of us know somebody who is either experienc…

The multinational tech company-----

The multinational tech company Meta has announced a new round of layoffs, with 5% of its workforce under threat. This is in the context of the chief executive of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, abolishing equality, diversity and inclusion programmes, stopping fact checking on the Facebook platform and essentially bending the knee to Trump in the same way we saw Elon Musk do when he took over Twitter. There are reports in the press today that Irish employees of Meta are very concerned that they are being arbitrarily fired. T…

Irish neutrality is held dear by the people of Ireland. I am sure that, like mine, the Tánaiste's inbox is reflective of concerns about it. As we know, a proposal has gone to Cabinet to remove the triple lock. This is connected to neutrality. Will the Tánaiste please outline the proposal to remove the triple lock protection for approving overseas deployment of Irish troops? How does he propose to protect the integrity of Irish peacekeeping troops' operations maintained in the absence of UN approval?

It is great to hear the Tánaiste assert that he values neutrality. I appreciate it has not been a hidden reality. There is no hiding the fact the Government has put this on the table for quite a while. It is also a reality that both Government parties have moved their position from recognising the integral part played by the triple lock in Irish neutrality to now being on record as saying this is not the case and, similarly, walking away and retreating from what we have seen in a commitment to the multilateralism t…

The vetoes and examples that have been used are completely exaggerated. Even in the hypothetical conversations we have been having in the last couple of weeks about peacekeepers potentially travelling to Ukraine in the scenario that peace is agreed there, I will always acknowledge that of course we would do so when that is agreed by both Ukraine and Russia. That points to the multilateralism that the UN holds. I will ask the question again. What efforts are being made to fix this from within the UN? I appreciate th…

I welcome our guests, including the ambassador and the Ukrainian community. We also have representatives from the Ukraine civil society forum who have done incredible work in co-ordinating and assisting with our response to this terrible war. In preparation for today's discussion and statements I was trying to cast my mind back to before 24 February 2022 and before the war. When we discuss historic wars we hear about the paradigm shift that happens. It really is hard to remember the time before it but it is nothing…

As a new TD, I am truly stunned not only that the housing Minister is not here but that there is only one representative on the Government benches when in the media and in the Dáil Chamber, all we hear is that the Government wants solutions from the Opposition. When we offer concrete, well thought-out, researched, evidence-based solutions, this is the showing we get. I come from the human rights sector where we talk about housing as one of the fundamental rights without which it is impossible to realise other right…

I congratulate Deputy Smyth on her role, as she said at the beginning of today's discussion, as the first Minister of State with intleacht shaorga in her title. I welcome today's discussion. This is such an important topic in society right now. It will dominate our term of office for the next five years. There is no question that it will be an important part of so many areas of life and it is important we facilitate this type of discussion. I would question the framing of it because even the order the discussion is…

I was deeply concerned and dismayed by reports in the media that the Government is planning to completely axe cost-of-living supports without any indication being offered about this being tied to evidence of a reduction in the cost of living. I am seeking clarity on the matter. Will any cessation of cost-of-living supports and payments in the next budget, as reported, be benchmarked against a reduction in the cost of living?

I thank the Minister for his answer. While he detailed many different economic terms, I am not hearing about the real day-to-day experience of people whose cost-of-living challenges are forcing them to choose between heat and food, to make very difficult decisions and to live with the stress of these kinds of announcements that come from Government with very little regard for their existence. I would love to hear if there are any benchmarks against standard-of-living indicators or a well-being index. Will equality …

The word "progressive" was used, yet the measures such as electricity credits that we saw in the past few years were not targeted. If that is what the Government believes to be a progressive measure, then it needs to look at it again. We welcome better targeted measures. Those electricity credits, while important, should be better targeted to assist those families who most need them. I would also like clarity, before we finish, on the additional range of payments which might be impacted. It seemed clear from the st…

No, we support more progressive measures.

We in the Social Democrats reject this Bill. We want to rebuild public trust in the State, trust which has been chipped away and eroded over the years by scandals of misused public funds, by headlines about waste and lavish spending, by a failure to look after taxpayers’ money and by a proliferation of ministerial appointments. Creidimid, mar Dhaonlathaithe Sóisialta, sa Stáit. Creidimid gur chóir go mbeadh muid ag bailiú cánach agus á húsáid chun sochaí cothrom a chruthú, áit atá seirbhísí poiblí cearta ar fáil, i…