There is no return for investment.

If I may interrupt the Tánaiste, would it be possible to get a copy of his speech?

I am sorry, but the Government spot was taken.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank him for the opportunity to speak on this very important topic, a topic about which I have been raising concerns for a while now. The establishment of a consultative forum on international security is, in my opinion, extremely duplicitous. I have been questioning the purpose of this forum since its announcement and have been calling on the Government to be open and transparent about its reasons for establishing such a forum. The Tánaiste’s opening statement …

The Minister has an issue with Russia but not with the United States of America.

Why is that happening only now?

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for the opportunity to speak on the motion. I also thank Deputy McNamara and his office for bringing this forward today. The current situation in hospitals across the country is absolutely dire, as the Minister of State will be aware. The fact that 2022 was the worst year on record for overcrowding in Irish hospitals is sadly not surprising. I have been contacted by many constituents in recent times regarding overcrowding and long waiting lists and some of the situations and wait…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this important topic. I welcome the Palestinian ambassador, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, to the House to listen to this debate. I support this proposed legislation being brought forward by Sinn Féin, which would compel the ISIF to divest itself of its holdings in companies listed in the UN database of companies with business ties to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The database of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHC…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter. I also thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter and for letting me know she was not available to take it last week when it was selected and that we could defer it to this evening. This deferral was because the Minister of State was not available to take this matter last week and, unfortunately, no one else would be authoritative on the issue. This creates its own issues at this stage as well. It is a potential problem. The …

I thank the Minister of State for what she added to the reply. The written reply leaves a lot to be desired and was obviously something that was written by departmental officials or the HSE. It bears very little relationship to reality. It states the objective of the strategic working group is to develop a new vision for disability services in line with national policy based on a social and human rights model of service provision for people. That sounds great but it is not happening. That is the sad part of it. The…

When I raised this matter with the Tánaiste previously, he wondered why it was even being brought up. I am again raising the issues of defective blocks in Donegal and, indeed, in more and more areas across the country. Despite the Tánaiste's best hopes, this issue has not been resolved. It is pressing for the families affected and getting more and more so. There is constant worry as to where families are going to go and the difficulties they will have in getting children to school when they are living away from hom…

I thank the Minister for the update on the scheme. I welcome the fact that he is meeting with the working group for the owners of defective homes. That is vitally important. It is a sad reflection that the group has had to do the work to show that the banks are responsible and have commitments they must honour with regard to these mortgages when the Government should have undertaken that process. I am glad that the Government is coming to the table, but I hope the Minister will take this on board, continue with it …

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to this motion on planning and rural housing. There is no doubt that this is an extremely important issue, particularly for those of us living in rural Ireland, and there is no doubt that the Government has failed spectacularly in addressing the current housing crisis. Recent Eurostat figures say it all. Ireland is the most expensive country in the EU, along with Denmark, and the cost of housing here is 88% higher than the EU average. That is an absolute disgrace, yet the …

Youth services are a lifeline for many communities in Donegal. In many towns and villages throughout the county, the only facility available to locals is the local parish hall. The Taoiseach can imagine how important this hall is, not least to young people. Youth clubs are often the sole places for socialisation outside of school and provide an important and safe space for young people to develop and come together with their peers. They give young people a sense of belonging and pride in their community. Unfortunat…

Europe Day was created to celebrate Europe's achievements and unity. We have been told that it is a day of "reflection on the co-operation, prosperity and peace that has come about through the European project". However, I believe it would be disingenuous for us to reflect on and talk about the European Union while at the same time overlooking its many significant flaws. Reflecting on our time as a member of the European Union, I cannot help but feel we got the short end of the stick. Maybe I feel this more acutely…

We all remember the shocking images from November 2020 of a bog slide at Meenbog in Donegal. The sight of trees slipping down the hill while they were still standing was truly shocking. Now, two and a half years later, there is no word of the investigation into the cause of the slide, as if we did not know what it was. Meenbog is the site of a significant wind farm development, a development that appears to be progressing, regardless of the investigation. People knew that the site was not suitable even for trees, n…

It is not individual. There is a whole raft of planning applications. It is not about those. It is about the blanket bog.

I thank the Regional Group for putting forward the motion and giving me an opportunity to speak on this important issue. I fully support it, not least its calls for the Department to develop a plan, in consultation with people with disabilities, disabled persons’ organisations and disability service providers, that will provide equitable access to transport for those with disabilities. Article 9 of the UNCRPD, on accessibility, insists that member states "enable persons with disabilities to live independently and p…

It seems the most recent European Council meeting was, once again, completely dominated by discussions of the conflict in Ukraine. This is an important issue but I note there was no mention of the increased violence in Palestine, where many Palestinians, including children, are suffering from Israel’s apartheid, or of Yemen, where the war is getting more and more violent and where it seems that China is building peace there while the EU is sitting on its hands. Instead the Council agreed to deliver "ground-to-groun…

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. There has been a significant rise in human trafficking in Ireland and across the European Union. I welcome the attempt to address this. I particularly welcome the directive's intention of protecting victims but I hope it will not only be an intention. We need to be very careful in how we address trafficking in human beings. It is absolutely essential that any updating of the rules within the proposal is focused on victims. Human …