Mick Barry
Question:1. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [36690/24]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Departmental Policies
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:2. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [41380/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:3. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [41383/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:4. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [39726/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.
Ireland's well-being framework is a programme for Government initiative to measure progress and policy impact in Ireland in a more holistic way. The framework consists of 11 dimensions which reflect different aspects of well-being. It is supported by a dashboard hosted by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and made up of 35 indicators which bring together economic, social and environmental statistics in an integrated way. Each year, Understanding Life in Ireland, which assesses Ireland's well-being performance across those 35 indicators, is published. Similar to last year, the 2024 assessment, published on 31 July, shows that Ireland’s overall performance is positive, in particular in areas including work and job quality and our social connections and community.
Only one of the 11 dimensions, namely, the environment, climate and biodiversity dimension, shows a negative performance. The analysis also highlights that there is much more work to do, in particular for some groups in our society for whom progress is unequal, including people with long-term illnesses or disability, single-parent households, households with lower incomes and households in rented accommodation.
We are integrating the framework into the budgetary process to assist in expenditure decision-making. As was the case for the previous two budgets, the well-being framework featured this year at the national economic dialogue and as part of the summer economic statement. Analysis of the dashboard was also included in the budget day documentation, specifically in the Department of Finance's Budget 2025 Beyond GDP - Quality of Life Assessment publication. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has recently published a working paper that uses the framework to show how selected expenditure measures presented in budget 2025 are enhancing well-being. Departments across government are working to use the well-being framework for policy development and for decision-making. The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for our citizens, of course, and the well-being framework will support this commitment as it helps us to better understand the economic, social and environmental impact of decisions.
Last week, I showed the Taoiseach the horrible, discoloured water the residents of Mount Farran in Blackpool on the northside of Cork city were having to put up with. When I put the video of our exchange up on my social media, I got messages from people in Gurranabraher, the Glen, Mayfield, Spring Lane, Dublin Hill, Ballyvolane, Shanakiel, Blarney Street, Wellington Road and elsewhere, to say they have had that too. One woman said her water used to be like Tanora but now it was like Beamish. This weekend, the Mount Farran residents had a brief respite. Hopes were raised a wee bit but they were dashed this morning as it was back again as bad as ever. I understand the residents are now writing to the regional operations manager for Uisce Éireann in the south west to request a face-to-face meeting with the company's executives in Cork. This is a fair request and it should be granted. What is the Taoiseach's own opinion on that? Does he think that after three full months of more or less non-stop discoloured water for these residents, local Uisce Éireann management should grant their formal, simple request for a sit-down meeting?
The well-being of many, if not most, of our students is not in a good place. The email that Holly, the student nurse from Athlone, sent to all of us is emblematic of the crisis facing many students. She talks about something on which we put a motion forward during Covid, that is, the failure to pay student nurses on placement. You can add to that those in mental health nursing, early childhood education, medicine, social care and many other areas, where they are being exploited working in our health service and paid nothing. Does the Taoiseach know how much student nurses in Scotland get? They get £10,000 sterling per year. Here, people doing the same thing get zero. It is disgraceful. As Holly points out, it is any wonder that people qualifying in these areas then leave the country because they feel totally undervalued. I was at the IADT, which I am sure the Taoiseach is familiar with, at the student union protest last week. One of the big features of the student protest and the speeches was the accommodation, cost-of-living and financial crises huge numbers of students are facing. The cost and the unavailability of accommodation, but also the mental health stress they are suffering, the lack of supports for students' mental and physical health and the pressure mean it is just too much.
Thank you, Deputy.
When we are suffering chronic shortages in so many areas of healthcare, construction and other areas of the economy, why are we not giving these students the support and valuing them in the way they deserve, in the way, for example, they do with student nurses in Scotland and everywhere else in Europe where they do far better for students?
I note the Taoiseach is quoted as saying the introduction of €90 fines for people on job seeker's payments who refuse to engage - so-called -with employment services is common sense. I put it to him that it is not good sense anyway. It is really Tory sense. This is another attempt by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens, to introduce "I, Daniel Blake"-style social welfare reform. They tried to do it with the Green Paper on disability payments and that was defeated by an active campaign. Now, they are going again, without much fanfare, trying to get this really cruel cut through. This is something that is tried and tested in Britain. What the results from Britain show is that immiserating people who depend on social welfare will not force them into work. It just drives them further into poverty and misery. In England, it has led to suicide, even starvation, among people who have had their benefits cut. That will be on this Government if it happens here.
The main point I make to the Taoiseach is that cutting someone's dole does not just hurt the adult involved; it hurts their kids even more. It is not the kids' fault if their parents are crushed by mental health issues, unable to face going to one of these awful private companies such as Seetec or Turas Nua to get themselves out to work. It is not their fault. We have one in seven children who are growing up in poverty, one in eight parents using food banks, and one in four parents who cannot afford to put food on the table. This cut is going to make things worse. I urge the Taoiseach to withdraw it even at this late stage.
I ask the Taoiseach about the well-being of students in Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. As I am sure he would agree, the staff in this great coláiste are very dedicated. The students have been left in prefabs for more than 20 years, however, having been promised permanent school buildings. That is more than 20 years of waiting. There are students in prefab classrooms every day without any heating, wearing their jackets and coats trying to stay warm while they are getting taught. This is completely and utterly unacceptable. When I raised this with the Taoiseach a few weeks ago, he said he would speak to the Minister for Education about this and that she would engage directly on this. What is the outcome of the Taoiseach speaking to the Minister on this? Is she going to visit Gaelcholáiste Reachrann? When are the permanent school buildings that are badly needed going to be provided?
First, I bring up the really tragic story of Kyran Durnin, the missing child and subject of the murder investigation. We obviously hope this investigation continues, the child is found and we get some element of truth and justice. There is a wider issue regarding child welfare and child protection, but that is for another day.
I also bring up the issue of Michael Reade of LMFM, whom, sadly, we lost. He was a top-class interviewer and broadcaster. He was tough, sometimes a bit too tough, but very fair. He will be sadly missed.
I put on record an issue that has been brought to me regarding CAMHS Dundalk and north Louth. People have not been able to get through on the phone and they are getting a recorded message. How it was put to me was that CAMHS north Louth is experiencing a crisis in administration where its administration staff has been cut and only one person is working three days a week. Calls will only be answered between 10 and 12 on Monday and Friday mornings. Clinicians will try to continue with their appointments and will be answering the door for appointments, but that is all. This is causing a huge issue regarding medicines and all the rest of it. My office has had a number of people come to it. We have been able to deal with those issues one by one but this is an issue that definitely needs to be resolved. We know the issues there are regarding mental health services across the board but this is one that can be dealt with quickly and needs to be.
"Yes" is the answer to Deputy Barry. I absolutely agree that Uisce Éireann should accede to that request for a face-to-face meeting. I have written to the chief executive on behalf of the Deputy's constituents following his representations in the House last week where he showed the Dáil the horrific situation his constituents are experiencing with water quality. I have written directly to the chief executive. I attached to the letter I sent a copy of the transcript of the discussion we had here in the Dáil and asked what action Uisce Éireann intends to take. I certainly support the Deputy in his request for that meeting to take place on behalf of the residents.
In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, as I said earlier on Leaders’ Questions, we tried to take a number of measures to assist student nurses post the Covid period. Fourth-year student nurses get paid in Ireland, and while first to third-year students do not, there are supports available. There has been a significant increase, and rightly so, in the level of that support since Covid, according to the Minister for Health when speaking earlier in the House. The Minister said to me today he is happy to engage further with nurse representative bodies on this issue and I would like to see that happen.
On the issue of mental health funding, I accept there is a real mental health challenge for our young people, which was exacerbated by Covid, although it was there before. I certainly know that during my time as Minister for further and higher education, we significantly increased the mental health funding to universities following engagement with student unions. I will inquire further on that. We have taken a number of measures. The Deputy will argue it is not enough, and I take his point, but the student assistance fund and the SUSI grants have increased well ahead of inflation, college fees are being reduced and the renter’s tax credit has been extended.
In response to Deputy Murphy, I want to be clear that this is not about somebody who has a mental health challenge and cannot go to work or is sick and cannot go to work. This is about people who have not been certified as sick and who will not engage with any form of education or training after a protracted period. I take very seriously the point the Deputy makes about children in a household led by a jobless parent being more at risk of child poverty. That is a truthful statement and is factually correct. That is why we have taken measures in this budget, led by the evidence of the child poverty unit in my Department. We have increased the qualified child income payment, and I think it was the largest increase ever. After the weekly payments in the budget for social protection, the next largest total amount of increase was in regard to those child poverty measures. We have also increased working family payments as a result of this budget. This is a measure that is the opposite of how the Deputy characterises it. There has to be some degree of correlation between the benefit people receive for a sustained period of time and their ability to either enter the workforce, enter training or education or certify they are sick or have a disability. I certainly do not see it as in any way drastic or dramatic. I see it is a common-sense measure, although we may disagree on that.
Deputy O'Callaghan raised the issue of Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. I corresponded with the Minister for Education after the Deputy and I spoke and I will follow up as to where that is at. Given the context of the very significant extra funding that has been provided to the Department under its capital budget, I asked if it could provide timelines and progress in that regard. It is an extraordinarily long period of time and I can only imagine the frustration. I will again follow up with the Minister for Education directly on the concerns of students and the staff working in Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, which the Deputy outlined. I am happy to come back to the Deputy directly on that.
I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising the issue of Kyran Durnin. There is not a person in this country, including myself, who can think about this case without getting extraordinarily upset. This is a devastating situation. Not only have we a criminal investigation and a Garda investigation - we will let that run its course and we all hope for progress - but we also have an eight-year-old child who was utterly failed by child protection services for a sustained period of time when he effectively disappeared. The Deputy is right to say there is a serious child protection issue of absolute concern and, parallel to any Garda investigation, that needs to be looked at. It horrifies all of us, as public representatives and as parents, and it is deeply concerning. I cannot put it stronger than that.
I join with the Deputy in expressing sympathy to the family of Michael Reade, his wife, Sandra, his son and his extended family, and all the listeners at LMFM. Michael was definitely a tough and robust interviewer, and I was on the receiving end of that a number of times, but he was always fair. He was a strong and powerful voice for the people of Louth and Meath in making sure the issues, good and bad, were brought to their attention and keeping politicians in the region on their toes. The loss of him at such a young age is tragic. He is a huge loss to journalism and to LMFM, and he is in all our thoughts and prayers, as are his family, his colleagues in LMFM and his many listeners. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
With regard to CAMHS in Dundalk and north Louth and the challenges concerning administration, I will ask the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health to see if that issue can be resolved and to revert to the Deputy directly.
Cabinet Committees
Mick Barry
Question:5. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [36691/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:6. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will meet next. [36726/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:7. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [41381/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:8. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [39725/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:9. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [43249/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:10. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [43251/24]
These questions get more interesting the closer you get to the end of this Dáil. I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established by the Government on 10 April and most recently met on 1 July. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. The membership of the committee comprises the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Defence; the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Minister for Finance; the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform; the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and Transport; and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Other Ministers or Ministers of State are invited to participate as required.
The committee oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, investment and job creation, including Harnessing Digital, our national digital strategy. Despite many external challenges, we continue to see very strong economic performance in Ireland, with more people at work than ever before, low levels of unemployment and a return to real wage growth. Inflation, thankfully, continues to fall while households and businesses have been supported through the cost-of-living crisis. That support is ongoing, because while I know inflation has fallen, we have not yet seen the corresponding fall in the cost of living experienced by people in the real world. Our economic model continues to be founded on a well-established and successful pro-enterprise policy framework which tries to provide a stable and sustainable regulatory and tax environment, sound management of our public finances and significant investment in the infrastructure and skills required to ensure our future competitiveness.
Transport-related issues can arise in a number of different Cabinet committees, given their relevance to multiple policy areas. This includes the Cabinet committee on the economy and investment, the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change and the Cabinet committee on housing. As with all policy areas, issues relating to the economy and transport are regularly discussed at full Cabinet meetings, where formal decisions are made, and, of course, in bilateral conversations between me and relevant Ministers.
There is €25 billion of a State surplus but not enough therapists for special schools in Cork, brown water coming out of the taps in Cork and bus services in a state of real crisis in Cork. We have buses that never arrive, buses that arrive late and buses that are jam-packed and just sail past the queues at the bus stops. This week, Bus Éireann has cut approximately 800 bus runs from five city services. Commuters and drivers are not happy and many of them will give their verdict at the ballot box. Make no mistake; the issue of the buses will be a major issue in Cork at the general election. The Minister for Transport visited Cork yesterday and promised that the cuts would be reversed within 15 weeks or, in other words, after the general election, another post-dated cheque from the Government. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, will not be sticking around for the next Dáil, where he might be held to account for that promise, but I intend to be here to see that promise is kept.
A survey reported yesterday that close to 1,000 teaching positions in primary and special schools are vacant. The impact on students is huge. Tens of thousands of kids are being taught for extended periods of time by unqualified teachers. The situation is particularly bad for schools in disadvantaged areas of Dublin, including in Dublin South-West. The housing crisis is so out of control that teachers simply cannot afford to live in our capital and are emigrating to places like Dubai to work for a number of years to save for a deposit. The Taoiseach’s party has had 11 years to fix this, and I think we will be at 5,000 days of Fine Gael being continuously in power in a couple of weeks' time. Instead, however, the crisis has got worse and worse under its watch. Will the Taoiseach tell people where he stands on this issue ahead of the election? Does he support higher wages for all teachers? Does he support pay equality and permanent positions as standard for young teachers? Does he support a Dublin cost-of-living allowance? Will he abolish masters fees for secondary students? They are a real obstacle and a barrier to training new teachers and the small cut in fees that has been agreed is nowhere near enough.
St. Augustine’s in Blackrock is a school for children with additional needs. It caters for children with those needs from as far north of the city as Santry, the many places in between, Wicklow, the Dún Laoghaire area, which is my area, and other areas of south Dublin. The school is still without two buses to take those children to St. Augustine's, those being the one that comes from Santry and the one that comes from Wicklow, the Taoiseach's constituency, because it cannot get bus drivers. I do not know if this is directly connected but is the Taoiseach aware that bus drivers who are certified and who reach the age of 70 are not allowed to drive children to school? That is crazy.
The HSE will allow them to bring people to school. There are bus drivers I know in my area who take children to crèches and other after-school activities but cannot take them to school. It is insane, it is discriminatory and it is madness when we cannot get bus drivers. Can the Taoiseach do something for St. Augustine's to ensure it has school transport for those children to get them to school? Second, will he do away with the bizarre situation whereby people who want to drive buses to take children to school are told they cannot do that once they reach the age of 70. It makes no sense.
I join with the comments of other speakers about Michael Reade. I very much enjoyed any of the times I appeared on his show. He was a very fair broadcaster and will be sadly missed.
I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the DART+ Coastal North project. On 21 May 2024, at Cabinet, the Taoiseach gave approval to this project, which could result in the loss of DART direct services for commuters using Howth, Sutton and Bayside. At a time when we need to encourage more people to use public transport, this would have the opposite effect. When I asked the Taoiseach about this in June, he promised to engage with Irish Rail on it. What was the outcome of this engagement? Did he ask Irish Rail to maintain the direct services for commuters using Bayside, Sutton and Howth?
We all know that there are significant issues around road safety. I will use the example of the N53, which is the Dundalk to Castleblayney road, because there have been a number of car smashes on it. I am talking about Sheelagh. There is basically a double turn-off. There is one for Ballybinaby and one for Crossmaglen. When I ask questions about this, I am generally told that the national road speed limits will be reviewed in the next 24 months and that particular attention will be given to this issue. These speed limits need to be looked at. There is a similar issue regarding speed limits on the route from Knockbridge to Stone Trough. We need a system within local authorities for a rolling audit of this. I know Councillor Kevin Meenan in Dundalk is trying to get an audit of estates that do not have the traffic calming features found in other estates. We do not necessarily have a proper system for getting ramps. You are almost waiting for a disaster to happen. We need an overall review of this. Could the Taoiseach engage with the Minister for Transport because we need this audit and a better system?
Regarding Deputy Barry's point about bus services, the commitments given by Minister for Transport yesterday were given in good faith after his engagement with Bus Éireann on these matters. I will continue to keep a close eye on this. I hope to be back in this House too. If we are, I am sure both of us will continue to monitor this issue and no doubt, Deputy Barry will continue to hold the Government to account on that matter. I know it is an important issue for people in Cork. I have heard this directly from people in Cork.
In response to Deputy Paul Murphy's point about vacant teaching posts, I would point out that more teachers than ever before are working in the public education system. Of course, the population has grown. That is also true. Pupil-teacher ratios in our primary schools are at the lowest level we have ever seen but there are a number of issues and the cost and availability of housing are certainly contributory factors. The Deputy asked about the Dublin allowance. I have an open mind on it but I live in County Wicklow. If someone has a Dublin allowance, what does do that do for a school in Kildare, Meath or Wicklow trying to attract a teacher? How that begins and ends is an interesting question. The report of the Dublin city centre task force, which we launched yesterday, comes at it in a different way. It suggests developing a significant amount of housing in Dublin city centre and making it available to key workers, including teachers and nurses. That may be a different way of achieving roughly the same result. I favour higher wages for teachers, which is what we are delivering through our public service pay agreement. There has been a reduction in the professional master of education fees. I would like to see that go further in the time ahead.
In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, St. Augustine's is a school I know well. A number of my constituents attend that school. I will see what the story is in terms of those two bus routes. It is not often that the Deputy and I can agree on issues for political reasons but I do believe the ban on over-70s is nuts. I have made this view very clear to the Department of Transport and the Department of Education. My reason for saying it is nuts is similar to that of the Deputy. If the view is that somebody over 70 cannot drive a bus, which is not my view, why then can that person drive schoolchildren to a football match at the weekend? It does not make any sense in terms of consistency. It is inherently ageist. I would much rather see a situation where people are medically assessed. I know people would be willing to do that. I also know a number of people who would be willing to drive buses and they tell me this as I go around the country. That is a source of frustration. I know the Minister for Education shares this view. We have both asked that this matter be reviewed by Bus Éireann. I am not passing the buck but it is a decision that must made formally by Bus Éireann. We have asked the RSA to look at that. For what it is worth, I do not believe it stands up to any level of scrutiny. I will continue to pursue the specific case of St. Augustine's.
I have heard from Deputy Cian O'Callaghan's constituents very clearly about the DART+ Coastal North project. I know this issue could arise in other parts of the country, including my constituency, as people seek to expand the DART network, which is a good thing. I know it is a particular issue in Howth, Sutton and Bayside, where people are concerned about the lack of a direct service. I did correspond with the Department of Transport following our last engagement on this and highlighted the concerns raised by the Deputy. I will do so again and seek an update. I do not have a further update on the floor of the Dáil today but I am aware that it is an issue of significant concern to many thousands of the Deputy's constituents.
In response to Deputy Ó Murchú's point about the N53, I will ask the Minister for Transport to see if anything can be done on that in the intervening period and to engage with the local authority.
Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
Brendan Smith
Question:11. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with the prime minister of the United Kingdom. [36705/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:12. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. [36721/24]
Bernard Durkan
Question:13. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach to report on any recent discussions he has had with the British prime minister. [37659/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:14. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on his most recent meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. [41384/24]
Mick Barry
Question:15. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. [41447/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 15, inclusive, together.
I welcomed the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to Farmleigh House on 7 September. His visit to Dublin followed our meeting in Chequers on 17 July, when we resolved to have a reset of the Irish-British relationship. At Farmleigh, we agreed to take forward strategic co-operation across four pillars, which we set out in the joint statement we issued after our meeting. Those pillars are security, justice and global issues; climate, energy, technology and innovation; growth, trade and investment; and culture, education and people-to-people connections. We also agreed to initiate a series of annual leader-level summits with the first to take place in the spring of 2025.
At our meeting in Dublin, Prime Minister Starmer and I discussed our shared commitment as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and our ambition for greater opportunity, economic prosperity and reconciliation across these islands to include and benefit Northern Ireland. I raised the case of Pat Finucane and I welcome that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has since announced a public inquiry into that case. I pay tribute to Geraldine, John and the rest of the Finucane family, who have campaigned for this for very many years. Our discussions also focused on urgent global issues, including the situation in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.
I very much welcome the fact that we now have an interlocutor in Downing Street who very much uses the language of co-guarantor. I am very grateful to him for his fulsome engagement at a very early stage of his premiership. The Anglo-Irish reset is so important but there are some real and meaty issues on which progress needs to be made, particularly the issue of legacy. I welcome the fact that the British Government has committed to repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act. This is good progress. However, I would like to see an intensity to the conversation about what can ultimately replace that. That has to be victim-centred, it has to involve parties in the North and the two governments, and it has to get to a place where we can genuinely try to provide truth, justice and accountability for all families.
I welcome the fact that there has been much more active engagement at heads of government and ministerial level between the Irish and British Governments. This needs to continue. The Taoiseach will recall that when the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly met in his constituency of Wicklow, members of the British and Irish delegations, including me, spoke about the need to intensify engagements at bilateral level, at political and public service level and in our parliamentary relations across these islands between the different jurisdictions. I am glad there is progress in that respect and that progress needs to continue.
The Taoiseach referred to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act. On many occasions in this House, both with his predecessor Deputy Varadkar and the Tánaiste, I have raised the need to have that legislation replaced. It is a deplorable piece of legislation that gives murderers the right to declare amnesty for themselves and to absolve of the most heinous of crimes. That is not acceptable, regardless of whether people from British state forces or paramilitary organisations carried out those horrific and heinous acts.
There is no way that legislation should be enacted. My understanding is that the UK Labour Party promised in its manifesto to repeal and replace the Act. I have heard some commentary from people in Northern Ireland who are quite concerned that the Secretary of State has not indicated a complete repeal of the Act. He has talked about repealing parts of it. As the Taoiseach knows well, the Government needs to be very vigilant and diligent on this issue.
I have raised the lack of co-operation with the British Government on the investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on many occasions in the House. That was the day on which there was the most serious loss of life on this island during the Troubles. We also need full co-operation with regard to the investigation into the Belturbet bombing on 28 December 1972, when two young teenagers were killed. We all know that act was perpetrated by the UVF, but nobody has been brought to justice. Those inquiries must be given more momentum.
At what point does the Taoiseach think Israel's crimes against the Palestinians reach the threshold of horror and unacceptability that mean it deserves the same sort of sanctions as apartheid South Africa? I ask that because the crimes it has committed are way in excess of even that horrific regime. Long before the genocide of last year, many South African representatives, going right back to Mandela and Desmond Tutu, said that this is an obnoxious apartheid regime that is horrific in its treatment of Palestinians. We now have a genocide. When the Taoiseach discusses this with Keir Starmer, whose views in continuing to justify Israel's crimes are shocking beyond belief, I genuinely ask at what point he will say that Israel has reached the threshold that apartheid South Africa reached when it had to be cast out of the international community and totally isolated because its regime was based on systematic crime against the majority of the population. Has Israel not reached that threshold? How can Ireland facilitate the sale of Israeli war bonds, which are being touted as financing its campaign in Gaza, which in the view of many, if not most, people is genocidal, to finance the mass murder of Palestinians? Will the Government do something about it?
Relatedly, did the Taoiseach raise with Keir Starmer the need to stop arms exports to Israel? Britain is a major arms supplier to Israel. Five days before the Taoiseach's meeting, the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, announced the suspension of only 30 export licences out of 350 to Israel. He was at pains to emphasise that this was not an arms embargo and that the point was "in no way to punish Israel". He claimed that Israel must have the so-called right to defend itself. The vast majority of people in this country would certainly agree that Israel has gone many light years past any point of defending itself. It is massacring tens of thousands of innocent people across Gaza. It is now invading Lebanon, shooting children in the head, stripping people naked, lining them up, throwing them into mass graves, using chemical weapons against UN peacekeepers and burning people alive. It is carrying out a holocaust. Did the Taoiseach ask Keir Starmer to stop all arms exports to the genocidal Israeli state? Did he back out of raising it as he did with President Biden?
Deputy Barry used an appropriate turn of phrase when he spoke about the postdated cheques being written by the Government. One of those postdated cheques relates to the occupied territories Bill, which has been before the Houses of the Oireachtas for six years now. A statement just out from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs states that a review of the occupied territories Bill will be commenced, giving people the hope that this may actually be implemented, but not until after the election. Does the Taoiseach really expect people to believe that?
The Taoiseach met Keir Starmer, whose government is arming Israel. He met Joe Biden. The Biden Administration is arming Israel big-time. These men have funded and armed a genocide; just look at the horrific events in Jabalia. After shaking the bloodstained hands of those men, has the Taoiseach had to wipe blood away from his own hand? He told Ryan Tubridy that he cries when he thinks about the Palestinian children. That is some bit of compartmentalisation. He cries for the children and he then shakes the hands of the men who pay for and provide the bombs that kill the kids. There have been too many lies from the Bidens and Starmers of this world and too many empty words from the likes of the Taoiseach. There can be no business as usual. This is a genocide. It is time for action, not empty words.
Like many others, I am very concerned by the proposals to continue with the ICRIR, to appeal court judgments and to block an inquiry into the killing of Sean Brown against the recommendations of the coroner. The UK Labour Party needs to end the failed approach of the Tories and deliver on its promise to repeal and replace. This Government and any future government must continue with the European case until this legislation is binned. We will meet with the Secretary of State as part of the Good Friday Agreement committee, along with Deputy Tully, on Thursday. We will raise these matters with him. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister know that there has to be a repeal of this Act? A repeal and replacement of it was promised. This absolutely has to be done. Too much is at stake for him to renege on such a promise.
I agree that at any engagement with world leaders of states involved in supplying weapons to Israel, we have to bring up the brutal genocide and unacceptability of any of that. I agree with what many Deputies have said about ensuring that we have repeal of the legacy Act and that we find a fit-for-purpose solution to provide truth and justice to the families of those killed in Dublin and Monaghan; of Hugh Watters and Jack Rooney, who were killed in the Dundalk bombing; of Seamus Ludlow; of Sean Brown; and of many others. That is something that needs to happen. I have spoken to the Taoiseach previously about the need to make sure that regardless of who is in government in the near future, we talk about making preparations for the possibility of constitutional change and a united Ireland. That is something we have to do the preparatory work for. I have also spoken to the Taoiseach - this was brought up again at a recent awards event I attended at Dundalk Chamber of Commerce - about cross-Border taxation issues, especially regarding remote workers. The British Government at this point in time may be easier to engage with. We also have Conor Murphy as Minister for the Economy and Caoimhe Archibald as Minister of Finance in the North. The Taoiseach spoke previously about the possibility of a hub to deal with these sorts of cross-Border issues. Has he given any more thought to that? Is it any further on? We need to see that and then do the preparatory work on real and meaningful change that will deliver a better Ireland for all of us.
While I remember it, I will start with the Deputy's point about the hub, which is a good idea. I am very eager to engage, and to have our counterparts here engage, with Ministers Murphy and Archibald on it. If that has not happened, I will ask that it does. It is a sensible suggestion that the Deputy has made. He also referenced the case of Sean Brown. I will say, on the record of the House, that my thoughts are with the family of Sean Brown, particularly his widow, Bridie, following the announcement that the British Government will not establish a public inquiry into the killing. The Brown family has campaigned tirelessly for the past 27 years for truth, transparency and accountability. Officials from our Government met with the Brown family on 26 September to discuss how best the Government can support them going forward in their campaign. It is very clear to me that the British Government cannot leave matters as they currently stand in relation to this case.
I thank Deputy Smith for the work he and his colleagues do on the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. It takes on renewed importance at this time of a reset of Anglo-Irish relations. It is to be hoped there can be an intensity of that engagement the Deputy wishes for. I will do all I can to assist with that.
In response to Deputies Smith and Conway-Walsh, I welcome the fact that we now have now have a British Government that is committed to repealing and replacing the legacy Act. That is really important. However, we also have to be very honest. So far, it has not happened yet. We have that commitment. That is welcome. We want to engage on it, but it has not yet happened. I would like to see progress and action soon, especially regarding the kind of important engagement that needs to take place, because that is what did not happen in this past. We have to learn from the mistakes made by previous British Governments in railroading through legislation that nobody wanted in terms of any political party in Northern Ireland. This Government certainly did not want it, and I do not think anyone in this House did too. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the British Government to explore whether and how we can develop an agreed approach. On Deputy Conway-Walsh's point, I would like to get to a point where, through a process of meaningful joint work between our Governments, we would no longer need to take that inter-state case. I accept that we are not at that point yet. No one wants to find ourselves in an inter-state case with Britain. That is not where we want to be, but we need to see progress. There is an important sequencing in that regard. I hope Sinn Féin is meeting with the Secretary of State, who I believe to be a good person, and engaging in good faith. I hope it is a productive meeting.
Deputy Smith raised the Belturbet bombing. I agree with the Deputy on its importance. This is one of the many reasons we need to make progress on legacy.
Deputies Boyd Barrett, Murphy, Barry and Ó Murchú raised the issue of Israel and the actions of this Government. First, to be clear, when I meet everybody, publicly and privately, including the President of the United States of America, I raise the issue of weapons. I believe every country needs to use every lever at its disposal to bring about a ceasefire and stop the violence. In some cases such as Ireland, that does not involve weapons, but in the case of the United States it does. People are trying - for whatever reason - to suggest things that simply are not true. Deputy Barry did not want me to meet the President of the United States, a point he made as I set off from the House to meet him. That is the Deputy's prerogative. I believe it is extremely important that we do. I believe it is extraordinarily important that we continue to engage with the British Prime Minister for a whole variety of reasons, not least the peace process and the UK being our nearest neighbours. There is a sincerity from people in wanting to see a ceasefire, but the actions of the world to bring it about have been utterly ineffective. I made a point not a million miles from Deputy Boyd Barrett's point at the European Council this week, when I asked what is the tipping point at which the European Union decides to take action on the association agreement. The reality - I am being very honest in this House - is that it is a minority view among member states that the association agreement on trade should be reviewed. I find that deeply unsettling, quite frankly. Spain and Slovenia share our view, and a number of other countries may share the view, but certainly not a majority of countries. That is why we have looked at the Occupied Territories Bill in the light of the ICJ advisory opinion to see if there is a new context now. The international court matters, what it says matters and in the view of this Government, it places an obligation on member states to act. It is not the same thing as saying that the Occupied Territories Bill as it is works, but we are willing now to engage in light of the new Attorney General advice I sought. As soon as today, the Tánaiste will be speaking to the sponsor of that Bill. Our words are not empty when it comes to support for Palestine. If one asks the Palestinian President, the Palestinian Authority, UNRWA or the United Nations, one will learn that this is a Government that is acting in terms of trying to support the people of Palestine.
War bonds.
As there are only 30 seconds left, the next question will be taken tomorrow.