Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We could say it is shocking - maybe it is not shocking - some of the positions we find ourselves. It makes sense that 14 countries are engaging against. The proposal is to have these SDGs dealt with under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach as opposed to in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

We all know the issues that exist. Despite all the wealth that there is in Ireland, there is a huge issue for those who are outside and impacted by poverty. We do not have the interventions that are necessary. We are dealing with intergenerational poverty. We are talking about embedded poverty. The issues with housing have obviously made that a million times worse. When talking about moving to zero hunger and addressing malnutrition, nobody would be shocked that some people in western societies are not eating well and others are eating too much.

We are failing environmentally but we are also failing infrastructurally. Someone at that table may have commented recently on having sufficient building materials while at the same time being able to deal with environmental issues. I will follow up with that shortly. How can we get movement from here? How can we deliver on the SDGs particularly in relation to poverty? We know the infrastructure issues that exist with Irish Water, the electricity grid and wind power and how that impacts on everything else. We have the issue with the quarries and concrete and all the rest of it. How can we do that while at the same time move ourselves into something that is far more sustainable? We know the issues that exist across the board. There is almost a question in that.