Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Insíonn Cumann Ailse na hÉireann dúinn go mbeidh ailse ar dhuine as achan beirt uair éigin le linn a saoil. Tá aithne againn uilig ar dhuine inár bpobal, nó b’fhéidir inár dteaghlaigh, a raibh ailse orthu nó a bhfuil ailse orthu inniu. Tiocfaidh sé mar bhuile throm agus iad ag léamh inniu go bhfuil innealra radaiteiripe ina luí folamh in ospidéil ar fud an Stát mar nach bhfuil an Rialtas sásta an maoiniú agus an pleanáil ceart a thabhairt do straitéis ailse na tíre seo agus nach raibh an Rialtas ábalta é sin a dhéanamh le cúig bliana ón seacht mbliana atá imithe thart.

The sobering reality is that one in two people will have cancer at some point in their lives. When you get that diagnosis, you deserve the best possible chance of surviving the disease and having a good quality of life afterwards. However, people with cancer in Ireland are not being given that chance because of the political choices of the Government.

The Irish Cancer Society yesterday issued a stark warning in respect of cancer services in the State. It pointed out that the cancer strategy has been underfunded in five of the past seven years, leading the CEO of the Irish Cancer Society to say, "Ireland's cancer outcomes may have stagnated or even disimproved". Deputy Harris did not properly fund the cancer strategy in any of the years he was the Minister of Health and it has been underfunded in most of the years since.

The HSE yesterday confirmed that it sought €20 million in additional money to improve cancer services this year. What did the Government give it? It gave zero. Instead, it deliberately underfunded the health service with disastrous consequences for patient safety.

The cancer strategy needs multiannual funding. The Government's decision to deny adequate funding to the cancer control programme means that progress has been piecemeal and partial, and proper workforce planning has not been possible. The Government's other failures across the health services are also having serious consequences for cancer patients. Emergency department overcrowding is overwhelming hospitals and driving cancellations.

All of us know somebody with cancer. It may be a partner, brother, sister, child, parent or friend. Many of us have put our hands in our pockets to support events to fund cancer services in our communities. The fact that lifesaving, vital and expensive cancer equipment is lying idle in many hospitals across the State is a punch in the gut to those families and their friends.

The Irish Cancer Society yesterday told us that radiation equipment is lying idle in hospitals across this country. A spokesperson for the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy said there have been forced machine closures in public facilities due to staff shortages at a time when demand for radiotherapy service is greater than what a fully operational service could provide. This is happening on the watch of the Tánaiste and that of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, as it happened on the watch of former Minister for Health, Deputy Harris. These are deliberate decisions. The Government made a deliberate choice not to have proper workforce planning. It deliberately made a choice in the budget to underfund the service, as it has done in five of the past seven years. As the CEO of the Irish Cancer Society said to the Joint Committee on Health, and she was absolutely right to say so:

Without proper funding, the national cancer strategy is a plan without action, and a plan without action is not a plan; it is just words. Words are no comfort to someone languishing on a waiting list for a cancer test, getting more worried by the day ...

May I ask the following questions to the Tánaiste? Will the Government reverse its disastrous budget and the decision it consciously made not to provide the €20 million the HSE required to meet the needs of the cancer strategy? Will the Government reverse that decision, as a starting point? What is the Government going to do to ensure that vital radiation equipment is not lying idle in hospitals across the State, which at the committee meeting yesterday we heard is happening? Will it fund the 1,500 additional beds that are so desperately needed to tackle waiting lists and make our hospitals safe?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ar dtús báire, ní aontaím leis an Teachta maidir le cúrsaí a bhaineann le hailse sa tír seo mar is léir le blianta beaga anuas – deich mbliana anuas – go bhfuil dul chun cinn ollmhór le feiscint ní hamháin i seirbhísí ailse agus sláinte ach sa mhéid daoine a bhfuil ag teacht slán ón ailse. Tá dul chun cinn le feiscint againn. Tá sé soiléir agus níl aon fhianaise ann go bhfuil sé ag laghdú ag an nóiméad seo.

The first point I would make, which the Deputy did not reference at all, is that there has been a dramatic improvement in cancer care in this country in recent years. In the four years since this Government was formed, significant investment has gone into the implementation of the cancer strategies. Our mortality rate for all cancers, including cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung, has dropped by 11% in the past ten years. Cancer of the female breast has dropped by 19% and 10%. Survival rates are improving significantly. Some 65% of patients lived for over five years after a cancer diagnosis between 2014 and 2018, compared with 44% between 1994 and 1998. That is the result of successive cancer strategies and the centralisation of cancer services, which many of the Deputies opposite opposed in their day. I know that, as a former Minister for Health. I had to fight political battle after political battle across the country when the centralisation of services occurred. That has been probably the most impactful policy evolution on survival rates in respect of cancer.

In 2021 and 2022 alone, an additional €40 million was invested in national cancer services. That brought in new treatments for cancer patients and has reduced waiting times to access diagnosis and treatment. Funding of €70 million for new radiation oncology facilities in Galway has been provided. We can look at the example of cancer drugs. We put in an additional €30 million for additional drugs at the beginning of this Government because there was a period when new medicines were not sanctioned as quickly as they could have been. The HSE has approved 148 new medicines in the past three years and there has been new medicine funding of approximately €98 million. The total expenditure at the end of last year was approximately €327 million.

That is 61 new drugs or new uses of existing drugs specifically in the area of oncology. New treatments have been funded. For the first time ever, CAR-T cell therapy is available at St. James's Hospital and radiolabeled therapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, PRRT, can be accessed at St. Vincent's University Hospital. These services will expand, which means cancer patients will no longer have to travel abroad to receive these specific treatments. As the Deputy knows, the expansion of the radiation oncology facilities in Galway under the national programme for radiation oncology means that patients can received stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, which targets intensive doses of radiation at tumours while avoiding damage to surrounding tissue, again reducing potential side effects for patients.

In essence, there have been very progressive advancements in treatment and cancer care. There have been dramatic improvements in survival rates following cancer diagnoses and a significant reduction in mortality rates from all forms of cancers. In some forms of cancer, there has been a significant reduction in mortality rates.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I do not know if the Tánaiste heard that Professor M. John Kennedy, who is the chair of the third cancer strategy steering group, told the health committee yesterday that cancer surgeries are being cancelled because hospitals are overwhelmed. That is happening on the Government's watch. The improvements that were made many years ago are not being sustained. The proportion of people contracting and dying from cancer is still significantly higher than other EU states. This stated is a laggard, especially among countries in western Europe.

The Tánaiste talked about the cancer strategy. I have given him some facts. In the past seven years, the cancer strategy has not been funded properly. It has been underfunded for five out of the past seven years. The former Minister and new Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, did not fund it properly in the first two years. These are not my words; they are the words of experts in the field. It is not funded. Last year, the HSE sought €20 million from the Government for the cancer strategy. The Government provided zero funding. One wonders how it is that surgeries are being cancelled and people with cancer who have appointments have to wait months on end because the capacity is not there. Then we have the scandal - it is an absolute scandal, and the Tánaiste completely ignored that point - where we have vital radiotherapy equipment in hospitals across the State that is lying idle because the Government is deliberately underfunding the cancer strategy. Who is being put at risk here? It is patients and our loved ones in our communities.

Will the Tánaiste indicate what the Government is going to do to make sure the equipment is utilised?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. The time is up.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Will the it open the 1,500 beds, and provide the €20 million that the HSE is asking for?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have provided over 1,000 new beds. Since coming to power, the Government has have provided significantly increased allocations to the HSE. An extra €7.7 billion on the 2019 figures has been provided. Just because the HSE or any agency comes in and says it wants X, is it the Deputy's policy that he gives everything that people ask for and he does not ask about value or money or efficiency? Does he does not ask-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Efficiency. The equipment is lying idle.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Hear me out a second, please. I am talking about numbers. We have dramatically increased the numbers of people employed. In fact, the HSE could not recruit the numbers of people that were provided for in successive rounds of funding to the health service over the past two to three years.

The Deputy is in opposition. I look at his party's alternative budgets. Every now and then, his party condemns aspects of our budgets. When we look at its particular formulations, however, they do not reflect the realities at all.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Can the Tánaiste answer the question?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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No, it is an important point because-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Can the Tánaiste answer the question on the machines lying idle?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----equally, the Deputy must accept-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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And the €20 million.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----that every agency in the country will come in looking for additionality, and so on.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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So the answer is "No".

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The idea that the State just responds to every submission it gets is, of course, not a sustainable position.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Could the Tánaiste please answer the question about the machines lying idle?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The bottom line is this: €7.7 billion has gone in. The mortality rate fell by over 10% over the decade.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Tánaiste. Time is up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Our life expectancy is now about 82.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The machines are lying idle in our hospitals.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on, please. We are in a small group of only seven EU member states, and the Deputy calls us a laggard. That is because everything with the Deputy has to be negative.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The machines are lying idle. The Tánaiste has ignored the question.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The death toll in Gaza has now risen to 33,500 people, according to the ministry of health there. That means that, appallingly, about 1,500 more people have died since the Tánaiste and I were last here for Leaders’ Question before Easter. The devastation from the ongoing bombardment and besiegement of Gaza is unthinkable, and children are dying in such numbers. Many children are suffering from malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza. This is not due to natural disasters or drought; their hunger is man-made. As we know, the Israeli Government is shamefully using famine as a weapon of war against a civilian population already on its knees. This is just one of the war crimes in the collective punishment of innocent Gazans that Israel has been carrying out since the awful Hamas attack on 7 October.

The Israeli Government is stopping aid from entering the besieged Gaza Strip, and we have seen the killing of aid workers who are on the ground trying to help a desperate population. We all know that this is a catastrophic situation. Without a ceasefire, there can be no end to the catastrophe and the devastation, let alone progress towards a peaceful two-state solution.

On Tuesday, the Tánaiste indicated to the House that he will bring a formal proposal on recognition of the state of Palestine. That is a welcome move. I welcomed it on Tuesday, and I do so again. It is the most recent in what we acknowledge is a series of positive moves by Cabinet. We need to see recognition of Palestinian statehood. We need to defend humanitarian law in the International Court of Justice and other international courts. We must ensure that organisations like UNRWA can continue their important work in Gaza and we must exhaust every possible means of bringing the bloodshed to an end. We all agree on that.

I call on the Tánaiste to move the position of Cabinet on another related issue. Will the Government commit to passing the occupied territories Bill in order that we can see the imposition of meaningful trade sanctions on the brutal Netanyahu regime? I remind the House that the occupied territories Bill was introduced for a Second Stage debate here by Fianna Fáil TDs. The Israeli Government’s contempt for international law requires countries like ours take stronger actions to compel compliance, actions like passage of trade sanction Bills such as the occupied territories Bill.

We understand that Government opposition to the passage of the Bill is apparently based on legal advice from the Attorney General's office. What is that advice, and why has it not changed since the outset of the brutal war? Article 24 of the EU regulation on imports from non-member states allows for bans on the importation of goods on grounds of public morality, public policy, or the protection of health and life of humans. That same exception applies under Article 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union regarding goods in circulation within the EU. Some 35,000 people are dead and war crimes are being committed in plain view. I cannot see how a ban on the importation of goods does not fall under these grounds. We are seeing civilians, journalists, aid workers and children being killed in their thousands - actions clearly repugnant to public morality and protection of life. Alongside recognition of the state of Palestine, will the Tánaiste commit to facilitating the passage of the occupied territories Bill? All of us across the Opposition will work with the Government to see it passed.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I agree with her wholeheartedly in that it is absolutely imperative and necessary that this war ends, that Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza and that there be an immediate ceasefire. We have appealed to the Israeli Government and to Hamas to facilitate a ceasefire. There have been intensive negotiations now for quite some time. What is happening to the civilian population of Gaza is an outrage, and what is happening to the children of Gaza in particular is absolutely beyond human comprehension.

The important issues of starvation and famine - which is man-made, as the Deputy has said - have exercised us considerably and has influenced our approach to a legal intervention in respect of the case before the International Court of Justice. Although the substantive memorial may not be filed by South Africa for quite some time, our legal team is working around the area of humanitarian deprivation and looking at how the definition of "genocide", in the context of the genocide convention, should be broadened. On our side, there is very serious legal work going on in that respect, and I just wanted to say that to the Deputy.

On recognition, I had a very good and lengthy conversation yesterday with the Spanish foreign minister, Mr. Albares, in respect of this issue, and I will have further discussions today with my Norwegian and Slovenian counterparts and others. We will be in a position, with others, to formally recognise the state of Palestine.

I will come back to the House following the conclusion of the discussions currently under way between like-minded member states of the EU and other countries that may also wish to take the opportunity, collectively, to do this, which I think would be impactful.

On the humanitarian side, our efforts have been effective in respect of support of UNRWA. The European Commission has released funding to UNRWA. We made very strong representations in that regard. Other countries have reversed their pauses and have started to fund UNRWA again. Most people we meet now accept the reality that without UNRWA there cannot be any widespread efforts to deal with the humanitarian situation and also the reconstruction of Gaza. The involvement of UNRWA will be vital to the latter.

On the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, we raised at European Union level the EU-Israel association agreement and the degree to which the human rights clauses of that agreement have been fulfilled. Ireland and Spain together have sought a review from the European Commission in that regard. The legal advice we have received concerning the Bill is in relation to the European Union being the competent authority in respect of trade. Earlier this week, the Minister for Finance made an announcement in respect of divestment-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The time is up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----in terms of the National Treasury Management Agency divestment from certain investments in the occupied Palestinian territory. He has been advised that the agency has decided to divest from certain Ireland Strategic Investment Fund global portfolios relating to companies undertaking-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Tánaiste. The time is up. We are way over time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----certain activities in the occupied Palestinian territory. We continue to do what we can in relation to this aspect.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I accept that there is often a need for countries to act in concert. Indeed, I am glad the Government is working in concert with South Africa. I very much welcome the fact that the former Taoiseach joined with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain in requesting the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to review EU trade in light of this horrendous war. At a gathering of leaders of socialist parties at the weekend, I raised the need for multilateral action across the EU.

The situation in Gaza continues to worsen. I think we are all very conscious of this. While we very much welcomed the announcement this week of some divestments by the NTMA, nonetheless there is much more we can do, even if Ireland has to move without all the other European states. In 2022, Ireland was Israel's fourth largest export customer. UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese has said that countries like Ireland need to match words with deeds when it comes to sanctions against Israel. What message does it send to Netanyahu when it seems that he still has to face any real economic consequences for the horrendous actions of his regime in Gaza? The case for the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 and for more meaningful trade sanctions is becoming unanswerable. We need to move on this fact and bring other EU member states with us.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I again ask the Tánaiste to act on this.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Again, the EU is the competent authority in respect of trade. It conducts trade agreements with countries all over the world, including Israel. No boycott of Israel that I am aware of has been proposed by anybody across the European Union or by any government anywhere. Regarding the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, the European Union has various legislation in terms of labelling and so forth. The area of trade competency presents a challenge in the context of the Bill.

I have written to Francesca Albanese. I take issue with what was said. Some of our diplomats met her recently and she seemed unaware of certain measures we had already taken in respect of Gaza. We regretted the fact that she sought no meeting with us. The Deputy will agree that is normal for UN rapporteurs to with officials of Departments. It would have been the norm that she would have met with us last October. We would have been very enthusiastic about Ireland's position on Palestine, but, on this occasion, for one reason or another, no meeting was sought with me or officials in my Department during that most recent visit.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Tánaiste.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We will continue to engage with the UN. As the Deputy will be aware, we had Philippe Lazzarini here last week and so, people who are appreciative of the stance Ireland has taken.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Tánaiste.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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A statement made by Joe Biden to the effect that Israel has an ironclad guarantee of US support is making headline news today. We should all acknowledge that this is no surprise whatsoever. Israel has always had an ironclad guarantee of US support. The US has always had Israel's back, particularly during the genocide in Gaza. The only thing the US has ever done is urge Israel to be careful, to use caution and to be precise. Now, it has doubled down on what has been a legacy of complete support for Israel since the Second World War. Something of the order of $318 billion - a huge amount of money - in military aid has been given to Israel since the end of the Second World War by the US alone. A third of all military aid to Israel comes from Germany, a country which, we should note, is clamping down seriously on its own population in terms of opposition to the war in Gaza. Deputy Boyd Barrett is due to attend an international conference on Gaza in Berlin tomorrow. The conference has been banned by the German Government. These are the people the Tánaiste wants us to align and to become partners with an attempt to ditch our neutrality when he speaks about bringing a Bill to this House to get rid of the triple lock. In the meantime, however, the Government is doing absolutely nothing.

I back the sentiment from Deputy Bacik on this matter. She did not go as far as I will, but she did state that we need to do more. We need to be seen to do more in terms of sanctions on Israel. At this point, I and those involved in the movement on the streets believe - we keep repeating it, our belief is getting bigger and stronger and the voice of the Irish people is getting louder - that we need to expel the Israeli ambassador from this country. I ask the Tánaiste not to tell me we need to keep diplomatic channels open. Diplomatic channels have done nothing to save the lives of thousands of innocent Gazan women and children. They are like fish in a pond when it comes to the onslaught of the Israelis, who are shooting and brutally killing them day and night.

Netanyahu can comfortably say that nothing on earth is going to stop him. He said that two days ago. Nothing on earth will stop him, not even the EU or the US. If we do not act, we will, by absence of deed, be complicit in supporting Netanyahu. It is very good that the Government is going to recognise the state of Palestine, but look at the state of it. It is in absolute bits. Gaza has been flattened, and the West Bank has no meaningful territory left because of the violence perpetrated by and the encroachment of settlers there. We will recognise the state of Palestine, but we must also recognise that it is time to take action as a matter of urgency. The one thing we need to do is to end the use of Shannon Airport. The US military has been using Shannon Airport more frequently. We do not check its planes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. The time is up.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We do not know whether the hardware being used to kill women and children in Gaza is being brought through the airport. It is a disgraceful compromise in the context of our position of neutrality to allow that not just to happen but to happen more frequently.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. Please, the time is up.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Government needs to make a statement on ending the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Before calling on the Tánaiste to respond, I ask Members to join me in extending a céad mile fáilte to the Governor of Delaware, John Carney, who has just joined us in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Governor Carney is proud of his Irish heritage, having great-grandparents on both sides of his family. I also welcome Consul General Helena Nolan, who accompanies the Governor today. They are both very welcome and it is good to have them here.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have several points to make to the Deputy. In terms of diplomacy, the Deputy scoffed at and scorned it. More than 70 Irish citizens and their dependants have been evacuated from Gaza. The importance of diplomatic relationships or channels cannot be overstated in the context of getting those 70 citizens and their dependants out. Our ambassador in Israel, Sonya McGuinness, has done exceptional work there, as have our representative to the Palestinian Authority and our ambassador in Cairo.

The Deputy's colleagues have pleaded with me to try to facilitate the evacuation of more people from Gaza. I put it to her that, realistically, if her view had taken root much earlier and if we had expelled the ambassador on day one, those 70 people would not have got out.

The Deputy can reflect on that whatever she wishes, but in my view that is the reality of the situation. I have received calls to expel the Russian ambassador and I have received calls to expel the Iranian ambassador. We need a debate in the House and an understanding of what diplomacy is about. It is not about endorsing any government or regime. Diplomacy is about maintaining channels of communication and especially in times of terrible conflict and war. We need to keep the channels open.

All of us in this House agree the humanitarian situation is shocking. I do not think there should be any disagreement in the House about the need to have an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Irish people are repulsed and outraged at the scenes they see on television of children being killed from bombardments, bombings, starvation through a man-made famine and so forth. One of the most effective things we have done is our support of UNRWA, which is under great threat. The Israeli Government has sought to undermine UNRWA not just because of its humanitarian role but more fundamentally because it is connected to the right to return of Palestinian refugees. We have resisted that very strongly. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, has acknowledged that. We have asked people not to pause the funding. Everyone we have talked to privately in the US or anywhere acknowledges that without UNRWA we would not be able to assist effectively and comprehensively the people of Gaza, either now or in the context of a reconstruction of Gaza which will have to happen after this terrible war ends.

No one is using Shannon Airport for any weaponry to go into Gaza or Israel. There are very clear provisions on Irish sovereign airspace and the use of Irish airports, including the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 in respect of military aircraft and also in terms of civilian aircraft. There are clear, stringent and robust conditions attached to any overflights.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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On the last point, Shannonwatch has reported a huge increase since October in the number of US military flights stopping over in Shannon. That means something. I do not know where the Tánaiste gets that level of confidence that there is no military use of the aircraft that are stopping in Shannon because we do not inspect them. We do not get on board and inspect the cargo, see who the passengers are or find out what their intentions are. If you cannot do that at the very least, God help us and God help Gaza because you are literally not doing anything.

The Tánaiste has said we will recognise the Palestinian state but will not take serious sanctions against Israel as we did against South Africa when it was an apartheid state and its tyranny was recognised throughout the world. We took serious sanctions against South Africa and that helped to bring that regime down. If you want to end the apartheid nature of the Israeli state and brutal genocidal nature of the Israeli state then you have to take action. Words are no use. I completely agree with the rapporteur whom the Tánaiste wrote to on that issue.

However, the Government needs to address the question of US military coming through Shannon. There will be a protest there on Sunday and there will be more protests as this Middle East conflict escalates. As Shannon is used increasingly by the US military, our neutrality is being increasingly compromised.

The Tánaiste has not addressed the question I asked him about the Bill to ditch the triple lock, and I need that addressed, please. He also needs to address properly the question of Shannon. Those planes are not being inspected.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will deal with the triple lock. First, in 2023 and 2024 to date, no applications have been received or exemptions granted to permit the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft flying to a point in Israel. Second, no airport in Ireland or Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East or any other war. People should stop trying to muddy the waters in that respect, which is what is going on.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It would be grand if the planes were inspected. We might believe the Tánaiste.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is an absurdity for the Deputy to suggest that any amendment to the triple lock is about ditching neutrality or aligning with any other member state. It is not.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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That is what everyone is saying except the Tánaiste.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy rarely condemns Russia or Iran in here.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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This is ridiculous; we are talking about a genocide happening in Gaza.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Smith-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I try to be balanced and look at things in a balanced way. It is extraordinary and interesting that the malign influence of Iran in the Middle East barely gets referenced in this House. Iran has meddled, has manipulated and has been a huge issue in respect of the escalation of violence in that environment.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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And the Tánaiste keeps slipping away from the crucial question I am asking him.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am answering the Deputy's question. I do not believe Russia should have a veto on whether Irish Defence Forces become engaged in international peacekeeping anymore. That is the bottom line as far as I am concerned. We are depending on a rogue state on the Security Council that can veto any peacekeeping proposal from the United Nations. I am unequivocal about it. It is not about ditching neutrality; it is the idea that Russia can veto Irish troops being involved in any peacekeeping initiative. We need to wake up a small bit and accept that is the reality.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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What about the behaviour of the US as a state? What about the ironclad guarantee to Israel? Is that okay?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Smith-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I respectfully say to the Deputy that we should be able to debate these things without making assertions about what we are doing.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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An ironclad guarantee is not an assertion.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are not ditching military neutrality. We support military neutrality in Ireland and we are not going to change it in any shape or form. We have said that consistently and that remains the position. Amending the triple lock does not amount in any shape or form to undermining our policy on military neutrality.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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In many shapes and forms it undermines our policy. Let us be honest about it.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, please.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It does not. It genuinely does not.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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This will be a bit different and not the usual spat at Leaders' Questions. I thank Deputies Naughten and Kerrane. We are here as Roscommon-Galway TDs, joined together and above all we are here united with the people of Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon.

The Tánaiste will be aware of the situation with Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, where the water is getting higher and higher. Some people when they go to bed at night listen out to hear if the pumps are running. These include 92-year-olds and 87-year-olds. Unfortunately, the other night a pump stopped, and within half an hour one of them was left in an island with water coming around them. In recent days, the snake has kept creeping and the village of Curraghboy is now under threat. I commend the council workers who are doing as much as they can. Either this evening or tomorrow, the road from Curraghboy to Athleague will be closed. Today, more houses need to be surrounded with sandbags, trying to prevent water from going in their doors.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has acknowledged - I know the relevant Minister of State is here - that this designated turlough is dying because of excess water in it. Both the other Roscommon Deputies and the Roscommon Senators, Senators Murphy and Dolan, are involved. This is not about me. Along with the councillors, so far we, the politicians, have failed to resolve this problem because of the habitats directive. In fairness the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, was fully committed. I welcome Kieran O'Donnell coming down tomorrow and I wish him the best of luck. However, with the best will in the world, this will not cut it.

I have talked to senior people in the National Parks and Wildlife Service about what can be done under the habitats directive. An emergency order can be signed. This will require the Tánaiste, our new Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to bring an emergency order to Cabinet. I urge the Tánaiste to listen to my wording because I have been told what can be done legally. An emergency order can be issued by Government for a temporary measure to get the water moving which will work until a permanent solution is found. That has the backing of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It has the backing of every politician around the place. I am asking the Tánaiste to do this next Tuesday or sooner if he can. Such cross-party support is generally not seen and I commend them on doing it. That is not seen here in the Dáil. For the people of that area and for the benefit of the designated area, will the Tánaiste bring a memo to Cabinet and resolve this issue for once and for all?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I fully agree that the situation is intolerable for those living in the area. I have met them in the past and I will meet them again. Senator Murphy has been in regular contact with me, and Deputy Fitzmaurice and others have raised the issue consistently. As he knows, Roscommon County Council had plans for the construction of a pipeline and so forth, and a legal action was taken.

The legal action was never concluded.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Yes, I know all this.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Roscommon County Council made a judgment. It was a matter for it, on legal advice, to make a judgment on whether to pursue the pipe, essentially. It took a decision to withdraw. There might need to be some reflection on that. I know Roscommon County Council is now working with the OPW to identity a viable engineering solution to the flood risk. I am told the timeline is this quarter in terms of tendering and appointing consulting engineers. We should try to fast-track that as much as possible. The Minister is going down tomorrow to meet with people.

Emergency works should be allowed to prevent any village from being flooded.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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It will take you to sign it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that can be done but the issue will be whether that will be a temporary emergency which is reversible or something else. The people need something more sustainable and long term to resolve this issue. The water levels are extremely high because of the weather over the past six months, which means the issue has been exacerbated. The OPW has been engaging with the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the EU habitats directive. I was not privy to any discussion the Deputy may have had with people from the commission but Roscommon County Council was in front of the court. It was Friends of the Irish Environment which initiated the legal action.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Friends of no one.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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What about friends of the people?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It was based on the commentary of the court and so on that the council took its decision. We can get advice from officials here, there and everywhere, but when people are in the heat of the kitchen or courtroom and sense it might not be going in their direction, they take actions. We have to be cognisant of what we can legally do. I would argue anywhere that the protection of people's lives and homes should trump any other consideration. That is my view and I would be prepared to go into court and fight that.

I will talk to the Minister for the environment about whether we can give support to Roscommon County Council to ensure it has a robust position to advance. That may happen in the context of a new engineering solution because that could also face legal action.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Thanks for the reply but the facts are we do not have next winter or next autumn. This is now. Roscommon County Council was brought to court on emergency legislation the council has, a totally different thing from the habitats directive under emergency law. Under emergency law, a Government has a right if it sees an emergency, and this is an emergency. When the generators needed to go in when there was a danger of the country running out of power, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, was able to come in to the House and bring emergency legislation through that was not opposed in this place. That gift is there again for the three main leaders. This is not political. This is about good people in a rural area.

I have spoken to several people this morning in the National Parks and Wildlife Service who know the habitats directive better than anyone. I have spoken to legal people. There is an opportunity in the Government's gift whereby, under the habitats directive, if there is an emergency, which there is, a Government can bring in an emergency order to basically undo that situation until a permanent solution is found. Have a look at the emergency powers about generators. They are for three years. Then, we hope, there will be a long-term solution.

I am asking and begging the Tánaiste and Government, because this is about people. Fair play to Deputies Naughten and Kerrane for standing beside me because it is generally not done in here. I ask the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to please do it next Tuesday. I will tell the Tánaiste what will happen. I will give it straight to him. The people cannot wait. They have been quiet for too long. They will take matters into their own hands with civil disobedience. They have worked tirelessly over a few years but this has become critical at this stage.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Whatever we can do to prevent flooding and protect that village, we will do. I do not know whether the Deputy has produced legislation or whether the legal advice he is getting-----

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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You do it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is an important point. Sometimes Deputies present us with Bills and say "Here is the answer". It has to be about the people the Deputy represents. We cannot just say there is a panacea of emergency legislation. That can be judicially reviewed and we could end up with one. There is an engineering solution on the table, I understand. I would have thought we should get that engineering solution accelerated as quickly as we can and get it implemented. Let people challenge us after that all they like but we need to get the engineering solution into play.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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We do not have time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That will be faster. We still have to provide the engineering solution, no matter what laws we pass in here. We will engage with Deputy Fitzmaurice and the other Deputies on this issue and with the Senators who have raised this with us. I am up for whatever is the most effective, efficient and timely way of dealing with this for the people whose livelihoods are involved.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Talk to the Attorney General and the National Parks and Wildlife Service-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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-----because that emergency legislation, you can bring it in.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I was involved in that. That was around procurement.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank you for your answers but ask you to please talk to them and get it in on Tuesday.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That concludes Leaders' Questions. We are way over time.