John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ireland's share of the fund amounts to a modest €1 billion, compared with the likes of Spain, which has received more than €30 billion. These are badly needed funds which could help in a green transition, boosting regions and boosting our digital transition. The Government needs to get its act together in respect of the recovery fund. It is not acceptable that we are entitled to funds but they are not being accessed.

I will finish by turning to the issues of the ongoing protests in Iran and the continuing persecution of the Palestinian people. The Taoiseach needs to bring to the EU Council a sense of the concern in Ireland not only at the death of Mahsa Amini, but also at the brutal suppression of legitimate protest that followed, which to date has resulted in the deaths of more than 530 people, including many children. In Palestine, at least 208 Palestinians, including 30 children, have been killed so far this year. The ongoing illegal forced evictions and demolitions and the expansion of illegal colonial settlements continue apace. Palestinians are in despair as the possibility of a two-state solution is simply disappearing before their eyes and those of the world. All of this is happening while the EU has preferential trade agreements with Israel, a state that is a serial violator of international law and many UN resolutions. Our history, legacy and record of neutrality demands that we be at the forefront of protest against the suppression of human rights, no matter where in the world it takes place. When will the Government stop relying on words and issuing statements that have no meaning? When will it start taking definitive action to raise these issues and impose sanctions on serial violators of international law and human rights?

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