Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Every day, the Government looks at what more we can do and is happy to always constructively look at that with the Opposition. I, too, do not want to revisit that debate other than to say the Minister for Finance outlined the Government's position based on legal realities and on the legislation not achieving what we believed Sinn Féin thought the legislation would achieve. However, there is a hell of a lot we actually agree on as regards Gaza. I know that it sometimes does not suit people politically to agree, but this issue it is so important that we have to lean into what we actually agree on and what we can get done.

The Deputy asked a direct question on the occupied Palestinian territories Bill. I cannot give him a date in June but I can tell him it will go to the foreign affairs committee as early in June as possible. In fairness to my officials, they only got the formal Government decision on Tuesday. They now have to draft the Bill. As the Deputy can imagine, they are working away on the general scheme. I have spoken to the Chair of the committee. It will be for him and the committee to decide what they wish to do in terms of how they wish to schedule it. There is a lot of cross-party unity of purpose in terms of a Bill. As I said to Frances Black, I hope one of the outcomes of this Bill is that it genuinely inspires other parliaments and governments to table similar legislation.

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