Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. There were quite a few questions there. I realise that in questions to the Taoiseach, we stray a lot from the actual questions.

On Deputy Haughey's question regarding sanctions, Ireland welcomed the adoption of the European Union's 13th sanctions package against Russia on 23 February to coincide with the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Discussions on a 14th package are ongoing. Ireland will continue to support measures to effectively implement sanctions but also to try to combat circumvention, to which the Deputy alluded, particularly to limit Russia's access to sensitive items and battlefield goods. Ireland welcomed the agreement reached at EU level in February to set aside the revenue generated from Russia's immobilised sovereign assets to support Ukraine, and we have been actively engaging in discussions as to how this revenue can now be transferred and used.

This brings me to Deputy O'Callaghan's question. His point is exactly mine. It is the position of the Government and, I believe, the European Council that the interest earned on - or the windfall element, if you wish - of the immobilised Russian assets should be used by and given to the Government of Ukraine. There has been a lot of work done on this under the Belgian Presidency of the European Council, and I am hopeful of progress on that situation, potentially this summer.

On the issue of the triple lock, which is not really covered in these questions, we should be very clear. Nobody here has seen the legislative proposals yet. It is really important, before we start to demonise each other or put each other in ideological camps, that we have an opportunity to debate and consider the outcomes of the consultative forum on international security policy in June 2023. I know some people did not wish to see that happen, and others-----

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