Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a rapidly-unfolding human rights and humanitarian disaster. Yesterday, the Russians used cluster bombs in a densely-populated civilian neighbourhood of Kharkhiv. This kind of indiscriminate attack is clearly designed to maximise civilian casualties. I know the Taoiseach will agree with me that this is the definition of a war crime. Today, a military convoy extends for 60 km and inches its way closer to Kyiv. It is clear Kyiv will soon be under siege with massive invading armies surrounding the city. The people of Kyiv, who are watching this on satellite images as a convoy approaches must be experiencing unimaginable fear.

Ireland is a neutral country but, as has been said before and as I will say again, this does not mean we are neutral on the invasion of Ukraine, which is a sovereign country and nor does it mean we cannot act. I welcome the Government's lifting of visa restrictions and donation of humanitarian relief which have been announced in recent days. However, we have been slow to act against the Russians in the past.

It has long been reported, including by John Mooney, that the Russian Embassy in Dublin is being used as a base for espionage operations across Europe. This was confirmed when the Government used legislation to block a proposed expansion of the embassy, on security grounds in 2020. Yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, suggested that Russian diplomats or some operatives who are in Ireland and may not be diplomats could be expelled in coming days. Will the Taoiseach confirm to the House whether this means that the Government has identified spies among the Russian Embassy staff who are about to be expelled?

The economic sanctions announced by the EU over the weekend are wide ranging and significant and must be welcomed. However, Colm Keena, in The Irish Times, has reported how one Russian company, subjected to previous sanctions in 2014, was able to bypass them and access Western capital markets using a company registered in Ireland. We know that tens of billions in Russian money has been funnelled through Ireland using financial services operations in the International Financial Services Centre, IFSC, and entities called limited partnerships.

One of the attractions of limited partnerships is that there is no requirement to disclose publicly by whom they are really owned. If the ownership of these entities is shrouded in mystery, how can Ireland ensure sanctions will be properly applied? Will the Taoiseach confirm what the Government intends to do to close any loopholes and ensure there is no place for dirty money to hide in this country?

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have already fled Ukraine and the number of refugees could soon reach the millions. Will the Taoiseach outline the practical steps Ireland will take to ensure refugees can easily get from Poland and other eastern European countries to Ireland and to safety?

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