I have the floor. I am speaking and asking a question.

Let me ask the question and then the Minister of State can have her say. The Minister of State said the European Union has perhaps moved a couple of baby steps towards the Irish position. She said we all focused on what Ursula von der Leyen said and did a year ago regarding Israel. That is not the case. Deputy Harkin mentioned what was said in the European Council summary today. At what point will Ireland make a stand and go independently? I am not finished my question yet.

By passing the occupied territories Bill or something like that. The Minister of State said the European Union does not have an agreed position, therefore this is the position it is taking. When will it take a different position because of our views?

I support what Deputy Howlin has outlined in his contribution although I am not going to go into the same level of detail as he did on foot of his legal advice. It is a very serious decision that the Department is making here, to introduce this in the way it is being introduced. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties had not even seen this and only heard about it today. The council sent an email this afternoon to Members in respect of the Minister's amendment. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is deeply…

I take on board what the Minister is saying-----

I wanted to ask a quick question of the Minister, if I can. The Damache judgment was in October 2020. We are now in July 2024. The Minister said that these Bills come up at a certain time and have to be dealt with. What actually happened between October 2020 and now, that it could not come up before this? I wonder what the situation is on that. It is obviously not rushed or urgent because it has been sitting for almost three years. What happened now that it had to come up at this time?

On the Minister's response to my query about why now, are we to take it that it is pure coincidence? It was not clear what the Minister said. Is it that this was basically prepared and ready, sitting in the Department for years, and the Minister just decided to put it into the Bill now because this is a miscellaneous provisions Bill and she wanted to throw something into it? Alternatively, has it just been prepared now and happened to come in now? If the latter is the case and it takes four years to consider a judg…

I agree with Deputy Murphy's comments on the NAS. It is vital that we debate it. I also want to raise Committee Stage of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024, which is scheduled for debate tomorrow. A request has been made that additions be made to it so that it encompasses the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, the International Protection Act, the Broadcasting Act 2009 and the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2023. The Bill will have a huge name and w…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. The attempt by the private student accommodation providers, Aparto and Yugo, to force all incoming students starting in September 2024 into 51-week tenancies is a blatant money grab. They have attempted to dress this up as a way of accommodating postgraduate and medical students, but if they truly had the best interests of the students at heart, they would have offered the opportunity of extending leases to the small minority who require summer accommodation …

I again express my condolences and support to the O'Farrell family in their fight for the State to recognise and properly address the significance of the case. It is extremely cruel that the O'Farrell family has been forced to continue this fight to get the answers they need. I cannot imagine the scale of grief they have suffered over the past 13 years. It is unacceptable that they have been forced through this and that, despite the matter being raised many times in this House, we have yet to receive the answers th…

My question is about the main policy achievements of the Minister's Department that relate to County Donegal. What impact is it having on the county as a whole?

I thank the Minister for his response. Some of the aspects he mentioned will be noted as achievements by different Ministers over time. We will see them being rehashed as time goes on. The Minister mentioned additional projects. It is important that the NDP review is taking place at the moment and there should be different projects in it. The Minister mentioned the N56 in his response. The N56 was not closed. It was upgraded in parts, but substantial parts are still in need of upgrading and need to be placed on the…

The Minister is right. There is a need for more to be done because County Donegal has been significantly underdeveloped. That is partly down to the Border and Border issues. The county only has 4 km of Border with the Twenty-six Counties and has been very much left to its own devices for many years. That funding gap needs to be addressed and the Government should make it a priority to ensure it will be. I ask that schemes such as the N56 from Mountcharles to Killybegs and from Glenties to Ardara be added to the rev…

This question concerns the VRT scheme for disabled drivers. As the Minister will know, this has been on hold now since 2012 or 2013 and we have been waiting for a new scheme to come into place that will meet the needs of disabled drivers. What is the updated position in this regard?

At least the Department has changed the wording around a wee bit in this answer. Everybody who has asked a question about what is happening as regards changes to this scheme in recent years has received the same answer. At least a bit of initiative was shown to make it sound a bit different. In reality, however, basically nothing is happening. What is going to be done now is that another group is to be set up towards the end of the summer. The only chance for this Government to resolve this issue will be in the bud…

Would a new scheme in line with international best practice take 12 years to design and put in place? I do not think that is in line with any best practice anywhere along the way. If the report the Minister referred to is prepared and ready for the autumn, will this be in time for the budget and for provision to be made for a new scheme to be in place in January 2025? Is that what the Minister is saying or is it a matter of wait and see what happens?

Once again, the Government has stumbled blindly into yet another defective blocks fiasco of its own making. I know this will probably annoy and set off the Tánaiste, since he is convinced that the whole thing is sorted, but I am here to remind him again this week that it is not. Three weeks ago today, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, announced that SEAI grants would be available in a co-ordinated and specific way for homeowners with defective blocks. Now it turns out that those who qualified for enhanced home energy upgr…

The grant scheme has been reduced for people with defective blocks.

Eamon Ryan is the Minister. The SEAI-----

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I support this legislation and its intention to raise the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 in an attempt to accelerate the decline in adult smoking prevalence. Smoking cigarettes has been proven to cause death, ill health and disability. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland, and almost 6,000 smokers die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. Studies have shown that every week 1,000 people are hospitalise…