Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Indeed. The European Council met on 24 and 25 March. Unfortunately, it did not deliver the additional sanctions against Russia, supports for the Ukrainian people or the much-needed derogation on VAT we require to allow us reduce the costs of energy for struggling households.

The Labour Party is in strong support of Ukraine joining the EU and we as a union need to speak as one voice to expedite that. We have consistently called for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador. The crimes against humanity uncovered in Bucha are just some of the atrocities the Russian Army has carried out across the territory of Ukraine. Mariupol, Sumy, Chernihiv and hundreds of other cities, towns and villages have borne witness to Russian barbarity. Let us not forget Russian forces never expected to have their crimes in Bucha uncovered. They expected that territory to stay conquered. We must respond to the horrors perpetrated by Russian soldiers. Ireland has expelled four Russian diplomats but that still leaves 27 officials here, at least ten of whom are accredited diplomats under the Vienna Convention. They must go and it is no longer acceptable. There is no legitimate reason for that number of Russian diplomats to be based here.

The Ukrainian people have fought valiantly and defeated the Russian army in the Kyiv region but they face new challenges in the south and east. There will now be a fifth package of EU sanctions with bans on Russian coal, on ships accessing EU ports, blocks on road transport operators, bans on the export of advanced semiconductors and machinery and a ban on Russian companies tendering for contracts across the EU. However, it simply does not go far enough. The Taoiseach said earlier Ireland wants the strongest possible sanctions against Russia. We must continue to increase the economic pressure on the Russian Federation. The Labour Party is calling for an embargo on Russian oil and gas. EU countries have paid €35 billion to Russia in energy payments since the start of the year. That is funding Putin's war effort and it must cease. President Zelenskyy wants us to do this. The remaining Russian banks and financial institutions must be cut off from SWIFT and financial sanctions must be rigourously enforced. That means resourcing teams to track down those trying to circumvent and avoid them. Secondary sanctions must also be implemented to ensure current measures cannot be circumvented and other measures considered to target commercial activity that takes place outside the EU and US. The Labour Party calls once more on the Government to expedite our Magnitsky Bill to crack down on human rights abusers. We must also bring transparency to the IFSC and name those who are the beneficial owners of section 110 special purpose vehicles that are subject to sanctions.

Ireland can and must keep the door open to Ukrainian refugees and do all we can to support those who reach our shores. However, we must massively increase our humanitarian support to those remaining in Ukraine with food, medical supplies and cash. We have contributed to the EU €500 million defence package with non-lethal aid and provided €20 million of humanitarian aid but multiples of that will be required. We must be ready to rebuild Ukraine when peace eventually comes. Now is the time to start looking at how we finance that and requisition those Russian assets that have been frozen around the world and deploy them to build a new Ukraine following the wanton destruction caused by Putin's army. Methods to reduce and cancel Ukrainian debt must also be part of that future.

In conclusion, since last November the Labour Party has advocated a reduction in the VAT rate on electricity and gas supplies, which is currently 13.5%. In January we tabled a motion in the House explicitly calling on the Government to seek a derogation from the EU that would allow us to reduce this VAT rate and restore it back to that pre-crisis level. We again call on the Government to secure that derogation to help tackle the cost of living crisis.

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