7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland will next meet. [63466/25]

Sentiment score: 0.00

For 15 months, an Irish citizen from County Antrim has been held without trial in an English prison and has had his rights denied. Jordan Devlin is being locked inside for 23 and a half hours per day. He is being strip searched twice daily. His mail has been withheld, his visits are blocked and his calls are denied. His sister said, "They put him on public protection so he can't speak to anyone". She also said: They often don’t have vegetarian food so he can't eat. They're x-raying him and strip-searching him twice a day. He's freezing too. He is a Palestine solidarity activist. He is charged with regard to a protest action at Elbit Systems. Elbit is the largest supplier of weapons to the Israeli genocide. He denies all the charges. His trial begins today but his judge was swapped out yesterday with no stated justification. The question is whether the Irish Government has made any representations on his behalf and whether the Taoiseach has sought to ensure that his basic rights as a prisoner and a defendant are defended as opposed to being ridden roughshod over like many other Palestine protesters.

Sentiment score: -0.22

But in Britain, if you just hold a sign saying "Free Palestine Action", you can be arrested.

Sentiment score: 0.08

That is crazy.

Sentiment score: -0.34

And they got bashed, did they not?

Sentiment score: 0.00

They got battered by gardaí, did they not?

Sentiment score: 0.00

Did the Taoiseach support the gardaí battering them?

Sentiment score: 0.40

They were protesting trade with Israel.

Sentiment score: -0.42

21. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the programme plan for his Department’s new disability unit for 2025-2027. [63467/25]

Sentiment score: 0.00

The budget was a savage attack on disabled people. It took over €1,000 out of the pockets of disabled people and betrayed the promise in the programme for Government to introduce a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. The last time I asked about this, the Taoiseach claimed the cost of disability would be looked at in the next budget. The cost-of-living crisis is now. The cost-of-disability crisis is now. Some 70,000 people who are disabled or have a long-term illness are living in poverty. That is one in three. I have been inundated with emails from disabled people asking for winter cost-of-living and cost-of-disability payment. Many will be forced to choose between heating and eating this Christmas. They also want a permanent cost-of-disability payment without further delay. The Taoiseach has billions of euro in surplus. Do not be a Scrooge this Christmas. Please act on it.

Sentiment score: -0.19