Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Haughey raised the issue of the UN Security Council. It is very much our view, and I expressed this view at the UN General Assembly, that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed. It simply does not reflect the world in 2023. The five permanent members are the victors of the Second World War, which was a long time ago now. It is in dire need of reform and legitimacy.

We should all appreciate that there is much more to the United Nations than the Security Council. There is UN peacekeeping. Does anyone doubt the value of operations like the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which has at least allowed people in south Lebanon to lead a relatively normal life most of the time for the past few decades? I know we are very proud of the role we have played in that operation. Look at the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, for example, in Gaza and the West Bank in caring for Palestinian refugees. That is the UN. Look at the World Health Organization and the work that organisation has done in fighting pandemics. When people are critical of the UN, fair enough, they can be critical of its limitations and of the composition of the Security Council, but they should not turn a blind eye to all the other things the UN does, such as peacekeeping, and the various different UN agencies. It is a valuable institution and I am glad that we prioritise it as part of our diplomacy.

Deputy Ó Murchú asked about my interaction with the European Union. That is ongoing. Over the course of the weekend while I was in Paris, my team and I were in touch with President Charles Michel to agree the joint statement that was released on Sunday, which I think was a balanced one. I attended the European Council meeting by video conference yesterday. That was attended by 27 Heads of State and Government. Also present were President von der Leyen, President Metsola and the High Representative, as well as President Michel. I had a bilateral meeting with President Macron on Sunday, and we discussed this as one of the three main topics. The Tánaiste is very active at the moment in taking a leading role contacting other states including Jordan, Fatah, Iran and others.

Deputy Brendan Smith reminded us of the fact that we have citizens in the region and their safety is very much on my mind. We have peacekeepers in Lebanon and Syria. We have aid workers in Gaza, and we have citizens in Gaza as well. So far, the only Irish person who has been killed in this conflict was killed by Hamas. We should not forget that. However, of course, our citizens are at risk in Gaza, south Lebanon, Israel and Golan. I certainly hope there will be no other Irish citizens killed during the course of this conflict or in this phase of the conflict.

Deputy Smith also raised the issue of undocumented Irish. We have a really good model that other states could follow in terms of regularising undocumented people. We have done a few schemes in this State, including one for people who arrived with student visas and subsequently lost their status. It is a good example for the US to follow. Unfortunately, however, I do not think it is going to be possible for it to do so. The whole debate around migration in the US has become so polarised that it would be very difficult for any President or Congress to be able to get reform through. That is a real shame but hopefully that will change at some point in the future.

I will state once again, Israel was not invented by the United States-----

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