Now we know, the Government's report into Aughinish Alumina will be a classic fudge. On the one hand it will say, it cannot rule out the possibility that Irish alumina is ending up in the Russian military supply chain. On the other hand, it will fall short of making any concrete conclusions. This is despite that exports of alumina to Russia have more than doubled since the war broke out. The Tánaiste does not need a report to figure out that alumina from Auginish is ending up in Russian patents. Irish alumina exports to Russia rose from under 400,000 tonnes in 2020 to over 800,000 tonnes in 2024. The latest figures published today showed that these exports are continuing to soar. We know from the investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the organised crime and corruption reporting project that alumina from Ireland is ending up in Russian owned smelters in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is Russia's only smelter producing high purity aluminium. This high purity aluminium is essential for the production of fighter jets and missiles. Krasnoyarsk is a major supplier to the Russian arms industry. Exports of alumina to Russia has skyrocketed since the invasion of Ukraine. We know it is being sent to a smelter that supplies the Russian war machine. The Government should not be waiting for a report to lay out what has been staring it in the face for years. Alumina from Ireland is being used to make Russian weapons. The Government's inaction is putting jobs at risk. These are highly skilled jobs with union representation and apprenticeship programmes. They are of fundamental importance to the local economy and community. They should never have been left exposed in this way. The Tánaiste's Government had the power to step in years ago to ban the sale of alumina to Russia and help the plant to find alternative markets. This would have been much easier to do in 2022 when exports to Russia were much lower. We saw this happen in Australia as soon as Ukraine was invaded. Alternative markets were found. Exports stayed stable and are now forecast to grow. They acted decisively to protect their industry and jobs. In contrast, this Government's inaction and indecision has led to this crisis and existential threat to jobs. Hiding behind the unpublished report is not good enough. There is huge concern in the region about jobs. Will the report be published? When will there be engagement with workers at the plant? Given that the Government has ruled out nationalisation, what measures are being considered to protect jobs? Is the Government seeking EU help in sourcing alterative markets for alumina that is currently being exported to Russia?

Sentiment score: -0.02

The Tánaiste must surely know that these exports are feeding Putin's war machine. Does he not think it is unusual that Ireland is one of the very few European countries where our exports to Russia have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine? That has been driven by the exports of alumina that have more than doubled. Where does the Tánaiste honestly think that alumina is going? It is going into the smelter that is feeding the companies in Russia that are supplying the Russian military. The Tánaiste knows that. He has slept walked into this crisis. He has had ample time to deal with it with more than four years. Has he done anything proactive at all over the past four years or in recent months or weeks to work with the company to find alternative markets for alumina to protect the jobs at the plant? Has he done anything proactive or is he just waiting while the facts are staring him in the face?

Sentiment score: 0.09