-----but this is-----

What I would like from the Rural Independent Group Members and from others as well is an acknowledgement that climate change is a fact, that it is coming towards us like a train and we must react to it and that the public and the people the group's Deputies represent in counties Kerry, Tipperary, Cork and Offaly know that as well and are working towards it. The other issue is Putin. This man has turned on and off gas taps etc. The war on Ukraine has affected the markets and for people in some parties to not even me…

-----says more about them than it does about us. Colleagues have raised genuine issues about energy security and there is no doubt about that. We have work to do on that and we have been doing a huge amount of work. On the crisis, Deputy Whitmore asked for clear messaging on the issue of what the Government is doing versus the caps Sinn Féin proposes. Its proposed cap essentially mean that while prices will be capped, though at what level I am not sure because the party has not said, it would mean we would have to …

-----and in the face of, effectively, a mad tyrant in Russia causing a war, there should be unity around the place. We should take good ideas from the Opposition, which we are doing, and Opposition Deputies should also give some acknowledgment of the work under way, which is extraordinary work by all governments in the face of this crisis, and work with us to get the best results for the people, which is what this Government is determined to do. Nothing can be ruled out. We do not like the Sinn Féin price cap. I do…

Under new measures the moratorium has been extended from 1 December until 28 February and, for vulnerable customers, from 1 October to the end of March. There was a Sinn Féin representative on television the other night saying there was no moratorium in place. The moratorium is in place for the toughest times of the year. There are lots of measures in place to help customers. I have been asking the energy companies to do more and they are doing things to help customers. We strongly encourage customers to engage wit…

I have no doubt in the budget next week there will be a major package for businesses. That is going to happen. We know what businesses are going through. One of our top priorities in the past few years has been to protect jobs and that is going to continue in this energy crisis.

Do not talk about blood.

That is easily answered. First, there are no sanctions as of yet generally on Russian gas and yet Deputy Brady seems to have called for them to be against Israel. For the EU, as the Deputy rightly said, to deal with this issue, to try and get gas into the European Union, and to try and get the prices down that his party complains about is a little more complex than shouting in the Dáil.

A deal has been done with Israel and Egypt on co-operation which may lead to more natural gas coming into the European Union. To be very clear, as the Deputy outlined, the practice has always been that these agreements do not apply to the occupied territories. The European Commission has included a unilateral statement in an annexe to this agreement that clearly and publicly underlines the inapplicability of the memorandum of understanding to territories occupied by Israel since 1967, but, no, we are not proposing …

The European Commission has clearly set out that this does not apply to the occupied territories, full stop.

With regard to the European political community, Ireland does not want a second-tier system so that will not be happening.

The details are scant as yet. It is an idea that President Macron put forward. It was up for discussion at the European Council and the conclusions are there from the Council as to what it would be. These are not quite as detailed as the French proposal that was put before the leaders, which I think was published. It is generally an idea to offer a platform for political co-ordination in countries across the Continent. We have been very clear and the European Council has been very clear that it does not replace the…

It is very important. They have heard strong messages from Ireland and it is information that the House is receiving. I have told them that Ireland, the Irish language and Irish culture and identity have thrived in the EU, and that they will be able to do so as well. What the French have proposed is a difficult agreement for them to accept but it is necessary to reach unanimity which, unfortunately, in this case, needs to be on the table. I should mention Bosnia as it is very important. There was discussion at the …

Ireland has been to the fore in seeking justice and peace in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Palestine. We were the first country to put forward the two-state solution.

I can give a direct answer, which was that it was not discussed at the European Council.

I do not want to give him that answer because it would not be fair, but it was not discussed at the European Council. I am happy to refer to the Minister for Foreign Affairs because it comes up at the Foreign Affairs Council on a regular basis, where Ireland is extremely vocal on all of the issues the Deputy raises about Israel and Palestine, and, indeed, at the UN Security Council. As a matter of fact, it was not discussed at the European Council. It is regularly discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council and the Mi…

We will work to have peace and reconciliation between Israel and Palestine. We have always been seen as an honest broker there and we will continue to do that work, but it is done by the Minister, generally speaking, at the UN Security Council and at the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU.

The Deputy has hit on an important point about corn. Russia is going around the world, blaming the EU for food prices, but there are no sanctions on food from Russia. There are no sanctions on corn and Russia is still free to export it because we do not want to interfere with the food supply. At the same time, Russia is trying to stop the food supply coming out of Ukraine, which is very important. I can give a detailed answer on that if the Deputy wants because many Members raised it. Russia is responsible for the …

That issue was not raised at the European Council. The Minister for Defence is the person who might wish to comment on it, but it is common practice for ships to stop at ports along the way. The Canadian ships are not on their way to war.

In that particular case.