It cannot be lost on us what we have done here today, in terms of adapting Leaders' Questions to deal with this issue. I commend the Government Chief Whip on allowing this today. I cannot remember a precedent for this, given all the crises we have had before. It was right to do it but it shows that this House can act, adapt and be flexible. I have to bring the Tánaiste back to the occupied territories Bill. In my time in this House, I have often had promises that Bills are going to be brought about in a particular term. We wait and wait, we get to the last week of the term and maybe Second Stage begins. Then we go into a recess. Then we come back and it takes two or three weeks for Second Stage to be resumed. I have to ask the Tánaiste about the occupied territories Bill. I was on the committee. We dealt expeditiously with pre-legislative scrutiny and we got a report to the Tánaiste well before the summer recess. Will the occupied territories Bill be brought to this House before the end of October?
Sentiment score: 0.13
In light of that, would the Tánaiste be confident it will be before the end of November?
Sentiment score: 0.49
Okay. We will have it before the end of November.
Sentiment score: 0.11
At least that is something. Is there any update on the potential suite of measures the Taoiseach announced at the UN General Assembly, to include sanctions on the travel of Israeli Ministers? Has anything new been put in place? If not, when will they be put in place and what exactly is the full extent of such new sanctioning measures?
Sentiment score: 0.00
I do not want to go over the answer with regard to vessels, observational vessels and individuals, in terms of going as far and being turned back, but we have the flotilla continuing. This could happen again and again. Is the Tánaiste open to engaging with like-minded EU states to come up with contingency plans for the protection, observation - whatever you want to call it - or engagement for humanitarian aid flotillas, or something that might continue into the future? Is he open to coming up with something a bit more permanent?
Sentiment score: 0.17
I was in the defence committee this morning discussing the maritime security strategy. Within that came our capabilities, and we know the issues in relation to naval vessels. We do have legacy expertise in the Mediterranean neighbourhood through Operation Pontus and working with EU partner states on that. We can act and we do have expertise in our Defence Forces and Naval Service to do that. On the piracy and the kidnapping and detention of Irish citizens, the Tánaiste says he is open to practical solutions or ideas. Would he request that his officials investigate the possibility of referring this latest action to the ICJ, for example, for investigation at the least?
Sentiment score: 0.05
Would it be fair to say that the Tánaiste and Government have an appetite?
Sentiment score: 0.32
In the spirit of the worker's voice on this, we have seen the action in Italy with workers' solidarity, which has been called for for a couple of weeks. The Labour Party has the Occupying Power (Securities and Handling of Settlement Goods) Bill 2025. Would the Tánaiste support, at least in principle, the idea that workers in this country who refuse to handle, store or provide carriage of settlement goods - I have kept it at goods for this particular Bill - would be protected under the Unfair Dismissals Act from handling goods from occupied territories?
Sentiment score: 0.31
Finally, on the transport of weapons through Irish airspace, we know, as Deputy Murphy said in his contribution earlier, that these end up going into the Department of Transport investigations black hole. Will the Tánaiste please commit to this House, and this is small, that he will ask the Department of Transport to expedite these investigations, to publish results, and to change and improve how it conducts these investigations, because they are a matter of the utmost seriousness with regard to the integrity of our skies and our airspace, and they cannot just go into that Department and never seem to come out?
Sentiment score: 0.20