I also congratulate Elaine Gunn on her appointment. We look forward to working constructively with her in the time ahead. She is very experienced and knows the operations of this House very well indeed, as well as the various personalities who make up the House and how they all have to be managed differently and carefully. Deputy Boyd Barrett, the applause was for Elaine.
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You basked in it nonetheless as you walked in. I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 15, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. It meets quarterly in advance of regular European Council meetings and as required. Its role is to oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to the European Union, including preparation for Ireland's Presidency in the second half of this year and international issues. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs last met on 8 December in advance of the meeting of the European Council on 18 December. Matters discussed included the agenda for the December Council meeting and plans for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2026. I attended the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 18 December. On 17 December, I attended the European Union's western Balkans summit which also took place in Brussels. Leaders discussed Ukraine, specifically future financing; the next multi-annual financial framework; European security and defence; enlargement and reforms; migration; geoeconomics; and competitiveness. Other items included the pact for the Mediterranean, the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and the fight against disinformation. As the House will be aware, I also had the opportunity to discuss issues on the agenda of the European Council with its President, António Costa, during his visit to Dublin on 9 December. We looked ahead to Ireland's Presidency of the EU in the second half of this year and I briefed President Costa on our preparations. Accelerating our work to secure the European Union's future competitiveness as well as advancing negotiations on the Union's next seven-year budget will be important priorities for Ireland's Presidency. The date for the next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled.
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There were quite a number of questions. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised the issues of Iran and Venezuela but in particular Greenland. I appreciate he is probably one of the few Members of the House who took the trouble of going to visit Greenland. Ireland’s position is very clear. I have spoken to Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark. Ireland stands in solidarity with Denmark and with the people of Greenland in respect of the sovereignty of Greenland and the absolute centrality and importance of an international rules-based order in terms of adherence to the democratic wishes of the people of Greenland. We have made that clear at European Union level and bilaterally. I publicly issued a statement in that regard last week, I think, when asked about it. It is interesting that the US had a military base in Greenland for a long time with up to 10,000 troops there; there are now just 200 troops. If there are issues in respect of security in the general Arctic area - there may be, though not in that specific location but in other parts – they are issues that fall to negotiation and dialogue. Deputy Ó Cearúil also raised that issue. As I said, I have engaged. I have also met the Prime Minister of Greenland in international forums. I have spoken to him in respect of the issues and concerns and to the Prime Minister of Denmark. Europe is very clear on this. I urge that whatever issues people have be dealt with sensibly and in accordance with the normal dialogue that ensues between sovereign nations and also in accordance with international rules and the rules-based order. Deputy Rice raised the issue of LGBTI rights being under attack, which they are. He instanced Kazakhstan, Türkiye and Budapest. We have raised this with Hungary not just on the specific issue of the Pride parade in Budapest but on other issues that have emerged over the past two years. I have been very clear at Council level in this respect consistently over the years. In terms of our engagement internationally, Ireland affirms LGBTI rights everywhere it goes and in any agreements or development aid we provide. We are very clear on our policy goals in that respect and in defending and supporting the rights of LGBTI people. We will explore the issue of the UN convention. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue that the world is not in a good place, and it is not. The multilateral order is under threat – of that there is no question. There are too many authoritarian regimes which have not been impacted by the international rule either and have carried on regardless. Sinn Féin has had a checkered record in this respect. It attended the inauguration of Maduro. It endorsed his election.
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It is an important point. I have got a few lectures from the Sinn Féin benches this afternoon and maybe a bit of consistency from yourselves in respect of human rights-----
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I have gone back over the record. I have read what Deputy McDonald said in respect of Maduro and defending Venezuela. You have a good record in that part of the world over many years.
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Sinn Féin has a really dodgy track record in supporting very dodgy leaders over the years. You had very dodgy relationships.
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You had many dodgy relationships with governments across that hemisphere where you shared your expertise in given matters with such authorities down through the years. Maybe a small bit of humility on your side now in terms of lecturing other people about geopolitics might not go amiss. You are the most self-righteous bunch I have ever come across at times in your pontificating about human rights and whole lot of other things.
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You guys showed scant regard for human rights when practised by rulers and authoritarian leaders you were friendly with and shared expertise with. Deputy O’Rourke raised Mercosur. Significant improvements were actually made to the Mercosur agreement. Ireland trades – we are a small open economy. We export €20 billion of our foodstuffs all over the world. There is a need for perspective in this debate. We export €20 billion of foodstuffs and drink all over the world and we expect other markets to take them. I believe in free and open trade. That said, there are issues. We have a legitimate right to provide safeguards for our farmers. There are a lot of safeguards, if one compares the agreement that got through because Italy decided to support it for its reasons. The idea that we control Italy is just absurd but that is the proposition I have had to listen to from Deputy McDonald and others, that somehow Ireland failed to persuade Italy. Italy has its own interests in terms of trade and has made its judgment. On market safeguards, it has gone from 10% down to 5%, which is significant, and legal instruments have now been put in place. That is what I did last week. I acknowledged that. It would have been churlish not to acknowledge it. That was a result of countries like France, Italy, Ireland and others which continued to negotiate for additional safeguards and members of the European Parliament like Barry Cowen and others who put down amendments and got them secured. They had to work on two premises – one, that it does not get through and the other that it might get through. If it gets through, the stronger the safeguards there are the better to protect Irish farmers. Italy also worked to see if we could get the CAP included in negotiations. The CAP is far from where we want it to be. There will be important negotiations on the multi-annual financial framework over the next 12 months which will fall and conclude in our Presidency. The previous seven-year financial framework gave farmers about €10 billion. We are down to about €8.2 billion now. We have to get that back up. Some of it has been frontloaded as a result of negotiations last week which will help farmers in 2028 but it is not where we want it to be. We have had a very successful outcome to the extension of the derogation. We have to mind that over the next while also. It is very important to the agricultural industry. My overall objective has been to protect Irish farmers and support them as well as the Irish economy. My view is we should think of what is in the best interest of Ireland and Irish farmers, not what is in the short-term electoral benefit to ourselves. There was a lot of that going on last week. It is still going on in the House. I would argue there is a certain degree of short-term electoral politics going on, Deputy Tóibín. You are all racing to try to outbid each other. There are all sorts of tensions between Sinn Féin and the Independent Ireland Party.
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Everyone is trying to gain ground. I am very focused and clear-eyed in terms of protecting Irish farmers across all the suite of issues we have to deal with over the next 12 months. The most important one will be income to farmers because income matters in terms of the multi-annual financial framework and how much we can ring-fence for the Common Agricultural Policy for the next seven years after 2027. That is vital for Irish farmers. It is something we will continue to work on. Obviously, the European Parliament will make its decision in respect of that. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan raised the issue of the Presidency on two fronts, including the area of key policy. On competitiveness, the expansion of the Single Market, savings and investment union and enlargement, I would like to see progressive steps on enlargement whereby we would at least be in a position to close out the negotiations on Montenegro, for example. That is a real prospect and we have given a commitment to trying to advance this during our Presidency. The Council took a decision in December that it wanted to conclude the multi-annual financial framework by the end of this year. That means the Irish Presidency will have to conclude it. Impossible demands in terms of the availability of funding and so on will have to be resolved. Values, as have been discussed here, will be a key objective. There will be quite a number of informal Ministerial Council meetings in Ireland and other conferences. About 25% of the ministerial meetings will be outside Dublin, and clarity will be provided on the specific meetings that will be held across the country in respect of the Presidency. I note the Deputy's ongoing consistent interest in and advocacy in terms of rare diseases and orphan drugs. I hope the Minister will be able to bring to the Government shortly an agreement after the negotiations with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association in respect of our domestic allocation of funding for medicines this year. I took an interest in that also given the Deputy's advocacy on the issue. It is a very important issue for many groupings and people with rare conditions who need more urgent responses. It is challenging and an area of increasing focus. The cost implications are enormous. Hopefully, the agreement we hope to conclude and bring to the Government shortly will deal with a lot of this in terms of our domestic capacities. That covers most of the areas we will be covering during the Presidency. There will be others. Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to President Trump and Iran. Again, Iran has been a very malign actor. I take the Deputy's point that he has no truck with the Iranian regime because it has persecuted its civilians for a long time. Long before Mr. Trump became the US President, people from different political backgrounds always argued about interventions.
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I am just saying Iran has been a malign influence for as long as I can remember.
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It has created havoc across the Middle East.
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Others.
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Does that mean we ignore Iran, does it?
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The world has tolerated Iran since the ayatollahs took over.
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Look at the damage that Iran has caused across the region, including, more fundamentally, to its own people’s quality of life and so on. There are legitimate issues but they are for another day because it is very difficult to discuss them when people are more interested in heated exchanges than what may be a more reflective discussion on all of this. The world is in great difficulty, principally because the authority of the UN has eroded over the years through the absence of reform and the dominance of major powers on the Security Council. The Security Council needs to have its representation broadened and its authority needs to be restored. That is the more fundamental problem with what is going on in the world today.
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We have been very clear and consistent that international rules must and should apply.
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Deputy Paul Murphy referred to various meetings. I am not aware of the US ambassador's attendance at the meeting in question. I have no truck with those who attended the meeting. Again, we have to have faith in our own democracy and assert our own principles here in this House. We should do this and do so collectively, but, again, it is a challenging area. The increasing fragmentation of Irish politics is a problem and it is opening the door for exploitation and manipulation. This is something everyone in the House should be mindful of. There will be those who will seek to exploit it and we have to resist that. All of us have to resist that type of influence, be it external or internal. On Deputy Hearne's remarks, we will be hosting a summit on housing during our Presidency. It is late in the day that Europe has come to the housing question because housing is a core competency of member states and always has been. The last EU Council meeting, or the one before that, in October, was the first at which the Heads of State ever discussed housing. I welcome that discussion. On the area of state aid, the removal of barriers to member states supporting housing would be a simple and progressive move that could facilitate their doing more. The housing crisis is a Europe-wide phenomenon. I spoke to and met the head of the European Investment Bank, who has prioritised housing for the first time ever in the work of the bank, simply because, after touring all the European capitals, housing was the number one issue that came across from all EU governments. The more the EU can support member states on housing, the better. We need more supply. That is the fundamental issue for us. Deputy Coppinger referred to George Orwell's 1984. It is a great book by an outstanding author. Greenland has not been attacked and nobody has violated it. There have been threats, talk and this, that and the other. We believe in dialogue and sensible engagement. Above all, we believe in Denmark's sovereignty in respect of Greenland and in the people of Greenland having the ultimate decision on Greenland’s own self-determination and destiny. We have spoken with Denmark in that respect and I have also spoken with the leadership in Greenland. We will continue to support Greenland. We do not believe in any shape or form that there should be any violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Deputy Heneghan's comments, I will discuss again with the Minister for foreign affairs the legal opinion that was in before Christmas on the occupied territories Bill. My comments on services are well known. There are issues with services, to be quite frank. I have said that to the Deputy before and we need to realise it. The implementation will be challenging overall but I will talk to the Minister for foreign affairs about where the Bill is at now. On services, there are implications in terms of legislation in the US and so on. The Bill is completely non-implementable on the services side, to be honest. I do not see how it can be implemented. Parking that for the moment, there would also be an impact for Irish multinationals or multinationals based in Ireland. We need to be clear-eyed about that and people need to realise it. I have said that before. On Deputy McGuinness's remarks, the fundamental problem, which he failed to articulate, is what was found in the research in respect of overfishing, not by Irish fishers but by Norwegian and non-EU actors who have agreements with the EU. This overfishing is the fundamental reason Irish fishing is in deep crisis. There has been a 70% reduction in pelagic stock available for fishing because of conservation.
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Deputy McGuinness knows I am telling the truth. The same problem arises with nephrops in that there is a significant------
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That is the fundamental issue. We should consider the income we lose now because of our not being able to fish because of the conservation efforts that arise because of the research. What we have to do now – I have met the fishing industry in this regard – is devise supports for the industry that can sustain it over the coming years while fish stocks are replenished. We also have to work harder and robustly with the EU on what it is doing in respect of neighbouring countries that are raiding the fishing stocks in the North Atlantic and in Europe more generally. That is a big issue. There is no question but that the waters are being overfished, the result being a 70% reduction in the amount available to fish. That is catastrophic. It is not because of negotiations or anything like them. Whatever the research shows has always been accepted. It is having a devastating impact. On Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh’s remarks, I have referred to Sinn Féin's position on Venezuela, which was not great in recent years-----
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The Deputy raised defence and security. The fundamental change to the defence and security posture across Europe relates to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s utilisation of modern technologies, the appalling loss of life on both sides in the war at the front line and the trenches, and the indiscriminate bombing of energy infrastructure. Europe feels very vulnerable to Russian attack and Russian rearmament. That is the more fundamental issue, not the US or anybody else. The fundamental issue facing European security right now is Russia. The Baltics feel it is an existential threat. The defence budgets of all of those countries have gone way up, and there are huge strains on their budgets as a result. Europe is very vulnerable to that, and it feels it. Whether we agree with that here or not, it is the reality on the ground across the European Continent. There is a real debate within Europe about increasing military and defence capabilities. From an Irish perspective, that means that, yes, we have to increase our spending on defence and our military capability. We are focused on undersea critical infrastructure in terms of cybersecurity and developing technologies that can protect that. In other words, the economic security dimension is very important to Ireland. We have to increase our spending in that area to protect our economic security, and do it in solidarity with others. I make no apologies for saying that. If we are honest, that is the real driver of the defence and security concerns within Europe. In response to Deputy Tóibín, I dealt with Mercosur in my earlier remarks.
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I did not change my mind.
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I am sorry. I made it very clear on this issue. I spoke about the safeguards that were negotiated. We did negotiate additional safeguards. There was additionality in terms of the Common Agricultural Policy and the bringing forward of funding. That is an improvement. That has to be acknowledged, no question. I said there would be a meeting that evening between the three leaders, and there was.
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It is not actually existential. That is over the top.
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 30, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination generally meets in advance of Government meetings and is expected to meet on Monday, 19 January. I am a member of the committee, with the Tánaiste and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports. The Secretary General to the Government and the relevant chiefs of staff also sit in on the meetings. The committee reviews the activities of Cabinet committees and the agenda of Government meetings, and discusses political priorities and implementation of the programme for Government. The Government has approved the spring legislation programme, which includes 30 Bills scheduled for publication and 33 for priority drafting, alongside a further pipeline of 79 Bills in preparation across Government Departments. The programme reflects the Government's determination to deliver on commitments that matter most to people - strengthening critical infrastructure, accelerating housing delivery, improving healthcare and modernising transport. It is an ambitious agenda for a short ten-week session in the Oireachtas. The programme prioritises measures to fast-track essential projects and strengthen energy security, including legislation to underpin a State-led strategic gas reserve and establish the National Cyber Security Centre on a statutory basis. New tenancy protections and rent regulation will take effect from March, while legislation will provide statutory supports for the remediation of defects in apartments and duplexes. Public health remains central, with legislation to regulate nicotine-inhaling products. The programme will also see work continuing to address parentage and citizenship issues arising from assisted human reproduction. Measures in the transport legislative programme include road safety measures, updates to railway safety standards, tackling planning constraints at Dublin Airport and empowering the National Transport Authority to deliver public transport infrastructure in regional cities. The spring programme also includes the international protection Bill, which will implement the EU migration and asylum pact in Irish law. This legislation is an important step in ensuring that Ireland is fully prepared to lead on migration and asylum matters during the forthcoming EU Presidency, while maintaining a fair and efficient system for those seeking protection. Since we took office, 21 Bills have been enacted, and there are a further 18 Bills at various stages currently in the Oireachtas.
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. Deputy Dolan raised the issue of young couples being refused planning permission as a result of objections from TII. I do not think TII should be objecting to planning applications on housing. We have discussed this at Government level. There is over-reach by TII in respect of many of these issues. I understand some of the road safety issues if it is onto a motorway or if there is an issue with protecting a motorway but in terms of generically getting involved in planning applications where the exit is the same, that should be left to the local authority and we will be communicating that to TII. I do not think it is acceptable.
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Deputy O’Meara raised school secretaries and caretakers. The issue is now in the Labour Court. We do want it resolved. There are a lot of issues there. Ultimately, we want to sustain a resolution into the future for both secretaries and caretakers. I hope this can be resolved very quickly with a decision by the Labour Court, which we would support. Deputy O’Rourke raised access to judicial review. Again, you need to make up your mind which side you are on. Sometimes he is objecting to delay in infrastructure and so on but some of the costs have been far too excessive. We have to look at the collective interest and what is in the public interest more generally in relation to infrastructure. Judicial review is being over-used. Planning issues should be resolved through the planning process. There is not an obligation on the Government to fund excessive costs in relation to judicial reviews which hold back vital infrastructure that is to the benefit of the entire public.
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Deputy Conway-Walsh raised ambulances. There is a national framework on the organisation and administration of ambulances. There are various criteria and metrics around outcomes and so on. I will refer her question to the National Ambulance Service. On Deputy O’Sullivan’s question, I would not make a general rule at this stage about the utilisation of social media in general. Many of these issues will apply to a number of different social media platforms. What is more important is that we focus on any criminality that has occurred. Existing laws should be enforced by the gardaí, Coimisiún na Meán and the European Commission. I have asked the Attorney General to get back to us in respect of whether there is a need to strengthen the laws in respect of AI and AI apps then. That is the critical issue at this stage. Everything is under review. On Deputy Boyd Barrett’s point, he cannot become the police person. He cannot become the prosecutor. He is a public representative. It is great stuff - going in and arresting people in headquarters in Dublin who may not be responsible for it at all.
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Yes, the police but not the Deputy and not Government.
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You have to have an independent criminal justice system. That is all I am saying. However, again, the Deputy has given us a taste of what we could expect if he came to power: he would be arresting people left, right and centre for different things.
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That said. Nineteen Eighty-Four and all that. You know what I mean.
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They would be disciples of all of that.
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There is an important point to make because comments have been made about the former Minister, Paschal Donohoe and the International Development Association. First, the IDA provides highly concessional finance, grants and zero or low-interest loans to the world's poorest countries and supports 75 of the poorest countries globally, including 39 in Africa. It is the largest single donor for basic social services in these countries. The IDA 21 negotiations concluded in Korea in December 2024 and covered IDA operations for July 2025 to June 2028. The World Bank developed multiple funding scenarios, low, medium, high and very high. Indicative contribution arrangements were provided to each donor, including Ireland. Scenarios are non-binding. Countries may choose higher, lower or no contribution. Ireland could not pledge at the December 2024 meeting due to the general election on 29 November and the convention that outgoing Ministers do not make binding financial commitments for a subsequent government. The Irish delegation noted that a new Government decision and business case would be required. The World Bank kept the pledging window open until mid-February 2025 and the final IDA21 package was approved by the World Bank board thereafter. A formal business case was prepared in line with public expenditure guidelines. That was the Department of Finance business case. The assessment was on alignment with Ireland's multilateral development policy, bank governance approach, financial implications, comparison with prior Irish contributions and commitments by peer European Union and OECD countries. The options examined - this is from the Department of Finance information - included going from no contribution to maintaining the IDA20 level, that is, €105 million. The low option was €141.4 million. The high option was €158.9 million.
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The mid-point recommended by officials in the Department of Finance was €150 million. The Minister for Finance-----
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My understanding is the FOI was in respect of the then Department of Foreign Affairs. My understanding now from preparing this note is this. The finance officials sent this information to me when I requested it. The Minister for Finance agreed to €141.4 million, classified as "the low option". The proposal was then approved by Cabinet and the business case is to be released in full under FOI. IDA negotiations are conducted by officials, not ministers, across all donor countries. Ireland's negotiations were handled by Department of Finance officials. A senior official acts as Ireland's IDA deputy on behalf of the Minister for Finance. Ministers do not participate directly, as per World Bank procedures. The final contribution decision is made by the Minister for Finance on official advice and is approved by Cabinet. Former Deputy Paschal Donohoe became Minister for Finance on 23 January.
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Sorry. It was just to put that on the record.
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I can come back separately to both of the Deputies.
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To Deputy Quaide in respect of the specific issue of long-term Covid.
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The others are more general policy issues.
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