Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Mercosur trade agreement will be a disaster for Irish farmers, consumers and our environment. Last week, Sinn Féin tabled a Dáil motion calling on the Government to oppose the deal and TDs from across the political divide, including many of the Taoiseach's backbench Deputies, spoke strongly against the deal. However, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, refuses to state whether the Government will oppose the deal or seek to form a blocking minority to the deal. He stated that no other EU state is considering this approach. That is not true. We know that France, Poland and Austria are weighing up such a move. This is an opportunity to defend Irish farmers, protect Irish agriculture and stop this ruinous deal in its tracks. Will the Taoiseach now commit the Government to voting against the Mercosur deal at the European Council meeting in December and will he seek to form a blocking minority with like-minded EU member states?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We committed in the programme for Government to work with like-minded states, particularly France, Poland and Italy, in respect of the Mercosur deal. Additional safeguards which resulted from that endeavour are now, hopefully, being translated into a legal instrument. Of course, we still have concerns with the Mercosur deal. There are many issues on the agricultural portfolio that I am dealing with. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, is dealing with the Commission on the nitrates directive, Mercosur, the financial framework for farmers-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I asked about Mercosur.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The draft multi-annual financial framework only gives farmers about 80% of what we got on the last occasion. That is a big issue we have to negotiate down the line with the Commission as well. On the blocking majority, all countries are engaging with the Commission, including those countries the Deputy mentioned, in respect of Mercosur. It is not as clear as Deputy McDonald suggested.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is that a yes or no?

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Today marks 64 years since the international withdrawal of the drug, thalidomide, from the market, yet survivors with the Irish Thalidomide Association are forced to continue their campaign for justice. As the Taoiseach knows, I have been raising the need for justice for thalidomide survivors for years. I am always assured in replies that a resolution process is under way. However, survivors continue to contend with undue bureaucratic delays and at this stage they deserve justice, compensation and a support package designed around the lifelong disabilities and evolving needs they have as a result of thalidomide. Dragging out this process has been so problematic for them. People are dying. The mothers are dying and the adult survivors themselves are dying without seeing justice. It is long past time that this 64-year saga came to an end. Can the Taoiseach update the House on the process and when thalidomide survivors are going to see justice?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The lifelong package is there. We have a liaison person from the HSE and there is an office working with survivors and victims of the thalidomide drug. It is substantial. No one wants to get this concluded more quickly than I do, and indeed the Tánaiste and others do. We met recently with the group. We had a very good meeting. We will be meeting again in early December. We had set up a mediation process and a judge was appointed. I do not want to say too much in public, but I will put it this way. I am annoyed, quite frankly, about the pace of this. I will say no more, but there are issues that have delayed this and that I have concerns about.

1 o’clock

I articulated that to the group. We agreed we want to progress this as quickly as possible and I think we can.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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As a self-proclaimed Irish Republican, does the Taoiseach have any shame at all that his Government continues to change our laws around immigration simply to mimic those of Great Britain and the influence Nigel Farage is having on its politics? Today it was announced that there will be family reunification only for the wealthiest of migrants. The Government has set the standard that those on welfare are somehow less worthy of citizenship. It is making people who are earning paltry sums in wages pay for substandard accommodation not as a cost-saving measure to the State but as a form of lesson to those people in such accommodation. How far is the Taoiseach willing to take this? If Britain leaves the European Court of Human Rights, as it is advocating for, will the Government follow? It seems to be following toe in step at the moment.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am somewhat surprised by the Deputy's comments. Most people who are working will make a contribution to their accommodation and food.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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If it is suitable.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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For those who are working that is the general view across society. It was always provided for in legislation in respect of those working in direct provision who have residency and could be earning good wages. Surely it is not too much to say that they should make a contribution to their upkeep. That is all. The Deputy is way out of order to suggest that it is something extraordinary to ask for or put in place. There is a tightening up in terms of the procedures being announced by the Minister, and the Government has approved this, which is necessary and relatively modest. The Deputy has used language in an attempt to create a sort of image of the Government. He has thrown in Nigel Farage, which is unnecessary and inappropriate. It is not anything to do with UK legislation. The UK has more legislation coming, which we have to take on board, by the way, and watch how it impacts on us.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Ireland is an outlier in allowing cruel fox hunting. It is 20 years since it was banned in the UK, which first introduced this colonial pursuit here. I want to ask the Taoiseach a question but I do not want him to answer it now. Unusually, I would prefer if he gave it consideration. There has not been a Bill to outlaw fox hunting in the State. I will move one on behalf of Solidarity on 17 December. I ask the Taoiseach and other party leaders in the Dáil to consider allowing a free vote on this issue. Some 77% of people want fox hunting banned, including 74% of those in rural areas, in the most recent polls. However, the three large parties support and maintain it with a whip. This does not reflect the democratic wishes of the majority in Ireland. Imposing a whip did not work well in the presidential election. I ask the Taoiseach to consider allowing a free vote on this.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Have you any regard for the lambs that the foxes kill?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Please, Deputy Healy-Rae-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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What is that?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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No, Taoiseach.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Give it a rest

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Has she any regard for the lambs that the foxes-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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This is not appropriate. We are sticking to the time. The Taoiseach to respond, please.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have not seen the Bill. Normally what happens is that a Bill is published and people look at it and make up their minds whether they want to support it. The colonial appellation is a new one on me.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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That is what it was.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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A lot of people have practised this throughout rural Ireland historically. They have been involved in hunting. There is always balance in debates of this kind. We await publication of the Bill.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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I rise today to speak for children with disabilities and their families. Children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are meant to be the backbone of early intervention in this country, but that backbone is well and truly broken. The teams are chronically understaffed and the consequences are devastating. In Mayo, no CDNT is fully staffed. Mayo north has four full-time vacancies, Mayo south has three and a half vacancies and Mayo west has almost four vacancies. Unbelievably, the HSE tried to remove one of these vacant post as opposed to filling it. Across the broader region of the north and north west, there are 50 vacancies and not a single CDNT that is fully staffed. This means families waiting years for therapies for children with disabilities. It means missed milestones and parents begging for updates. Of course, it means children are moving from one waiting list to another like paperwork. When will the Taoiseach intervene and sort out this crisis not just in Mayo but right across the country?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The first thing the Government did when coming into office was to commit to establishing a national in-school therapy service. Within a very short time we will establish it, with €16 million allocated to that in the budget. CDNTs are now supporting almost 45,000 children, an increase of 5% since December last year. Waiting lists have come down by 21%. Workforce capacity within CDNTs has grown significantly; it has increased by 26%. The vacancy rate in CDNTs nationally has fallen from 29% in 2023 to 18% today. Resources have increased for CDNTs. Many of the issues are related to recruitment, not funding. It is about getting people in. With that in mind, we have created additional places in colleges.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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What about vacancies-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Lawless, you know that cannot happen.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Two beautiful villages in County Clare are Broadford and Cooraclare. They are fabulous villages but have one major problem. When one flushes a toilet in those village the sewage percolates through some gravel but will ultimately end up in drains. It will end up in Doon Lough in Broadford and in a river in Cooraclare. On 7 December 2023, almost two years ago, there was a wonderful announcement from Government that each village was to get €5 million for pilot sewerage schemes. They had waited 40 years for this. In fact, Broadford acquired land in 2004, the year I became a councillor. We have waited a lifetime for this. Since December 2023, not a blade of grass has been cut or a shovel put in the ground, yet the two projects are being dubbed shovel ready. When I hear people saying we will undershoot our climate actions, it is not congruent that the two villages are still without a sewerage scheme. Can the Taoiseach give us any good news in terms of how these projects can be progressed?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for so eloquently articulating the situation in the two beautiful towns of Broadford and Cooraclare. The Minister recently brought a memorandum to Government to deal with the issue. The scheme was announced some time back when local authorities were given supports. To be fair, the Deputy is correct when he said there has been a problem in the delivery of those schemes. The Minister recently introduced supports for that. I will ask him to speak to the Deputy. What he is endeavouring to do with the county councils is positive in terms of making sure we get action on these specific projects identified two years ago.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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How we treat Irish investors does not make sense from a tax perspective. In the past, the primary way Irish people built wealth in Ireland was to buy additional properties, but for the vast majority this is currently out of reach. All the statistics tell us that Ireland has never been richer and, indeed, personal savings are at an all-time high. However, the scourge of personal savings is obviously inflation. People need to put their money to work. In other countries, exchange-traded funds, ETFs, are a logical and sensible way for ordinary people to invest in their families' future. In Ireland, however, the ordinary investor is hamstrung by the need for deemed disposal, which requires investors to pay a 38% exit tax on unrealised gains every eight years, even if they have not sold them. This tax on unrealised gains undermines compounding and penalises prudence. We need to change this. I will follow my question to the Taoiseach with one to the new Minister for Finance. Can we change this so that investing can be democratised and the ordinary people of Ireland have another safe mechanism to grow wealth?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is a good idea to follow up with the newly appointed Minister for Finance on this issue. I agree with Deputy Neville. We have to look more generally at disincentives to investment and returns. This also affects quite a number of other areas. We need balance. When we try to do something like this, there is an inevitable cry that we are only looking after wealthy people and so on. We are trying to release money and capital into the economy. Britain has a far more effective framework on entrepreneurial reinvestment. We are not bad, but we could be better, in particular in respect of successful entrepreneurs who develop very good start-ups or companies that have grown to scale. When companies are sold, many go elsewhere instead of some of that money being used to build new start-ups and create an entrepreneurial dynamic.

We are working on that. The research and development tax incentive is a significant enterprise incentive.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I again raise the 424 bus service, which is still leaving passengers at the side of the road day in and day out. The bus serves Connemara, from Lettermullen and Carna into Galway city, but once it gets to Bearna, it is full, leaving commuters on the side of the road without a bus service. This is a ludicrous situation, with approximately 2,000 people living in the Bearna area and especially when Galway city's traffic is constantly at a standstill and we desperately need better public transport options. A bus route to Bearna should be included in the new network for Galway city and the 424 service needs increased capacity immediately to meet demand. I have raised this with the National Transport Authority, NTA, numerous times. Will the Taoiseach contact the authority to put a bit of pep in its step?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am glad the Deputy has raised this matter with the National Transport Authority, which has statutory responsibility for it. The sectoral transport plan under the national development plan will be published today, although that is for bigger projects. There is substantial money for public transport if the need and demand is there. I do not understand why Bus Éireann and the NTA do not provide additional capacity on the route. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot look over every bus route in the country but there is no shortage of resources being allocated.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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A letter was sent from Revenue's VAT interpretation and litigation branch of its taxes policy and legislation division to the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, stating that broiler-house chickens must be registered for VAT this year. Revenue is now saying they do not have to be registered but the Department of Finance is saying they do. A total of 83% of broiler-house chickens are on farms that are subject to zero VAT. If their owners register for VAT as another identity, that cannot be done under the one tax number. The Minister for Finance has created something mad. Now farmers are being forced to form limited companies. Revenue is saying they do not have to register for VAT but the Minister is saying they must do so. The letter was also sent to two members of the Department. Will the Taoiseach give an answer on this? Do broiler-house chickens have to be registered for VAT?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I am sure there will be further engagement on the matter.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Deputy expects me to bring clarity to that presentation?

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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Yes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Revenue is the guiding light, obviously, in this matter. I will discuss it with the new Minister for Finance but I would have thought Revenue implements the impact of the legislation faithfully and dutifully.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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I will send the Taoiseach the details.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy can do so, I would appreciate it. There were some challenges some time back in terms of that entire issue. If I am thinking of the same issue the Deputy referenced, there was a reason change had to happen. Revenue will identify what is required.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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There will be further engagement.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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Yesterday, residents of Mogeely, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Rathcormac presented to the Oireachtas petitions committee on the infuriating lack of progress on flood relief for their villages. When I raised their situation with the Taoiseach in late October, he responded in an almost disdainful tone, as if I was asking a naive question. He said: "The Midleton flood relief scheme is a complicated scheme. The Deputy must be aware [of this]." I was not talking about the Midleton flood relief scheme. I am fully aware of the scale and complexity of that project. It is far too late in the making but at least it is moving towards a planning process and we have some idea of the timeframe for it. Incredibly, however, there is no indication from the Government as to when works will begin to protect Mogeely, Killeagh, Castlemartyr and Rathcormac. Ladysbridge and Whitegate also flooded in October 2023, yet they are not even mentioned by the Government as being considered for flood relief. Why are there no timeframes for the protection of these villages, more than two years on from Storm Babet?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy knows the answer to that. I am as anxious as he is to get a flood relief plan enacted and implemented as quickly as possible. The Deputy does not have a monopoly on concern. I went down to visit and meet with people who were victims of the floods on that occasion.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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It might be good to revisit.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The sooner we can get this done the better.

The Deputy has a habit of making commentary that is not accurate and I take issue with that. He did this on a previous occasion in respect of another issue, when what he said was inaccurate and wrong. He is doing it again today in saying I was disdainful. He is saying to the people of Castlemartyr and Killeagh that I am disdainful. That is what he is trying to imply. It is an unnecessarily sly way of doing business. I will be as upfront with him as he is with me in respect of a genuine issue, which the flooding is, no question. However, let us not play sly games with this.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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When will there be action?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach, without interruption. This is not a back-and-forth exchange.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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This is a serious issue for people. The Deputy should not underestimate my commitment or that of the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to dealing with it. The Deputy knows it involves a lot of stakeholders and a lot of consultation with people. The sooner we get it done the better and the Government is committed to getting it done.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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My question is for the Minister for Health and concerns the free HRT scheme and the situation for women with cancer who cannot take oestrogen. While the free HRT scheme is certainly welcome, there is a vacuum for women surviving cancer. I asked about this previously on Questions on Policy or Legislation and the reply by the former Minister, Paschal Donohoe, was quite promising. I have also asked the Department of Health about it via parliamentary questions. Veoza is very expensive, with many women unable to afford it. During the cost-of-living crisis, it really is unsustainable and completely unfair on women who have won the fight of their lives in fighting cancer. Will the Minister give real consideration to including this drug under the free HRT scheme for cancer survivors who cannot take oestrogen?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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All I can say is we are in the process of looking at that. I do not want to say something that is wrong. I need to double-check, and I will correct what I say if necessary, but we are very much in the process of examining the safety, application and reimbursement process for the drug. That is the direction of it. I do not have my note to hand and if I am wrong on this, I will correct the record. However, that is certainly the intent.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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With the busy Christmas season almost upon us, will the Taoiseach ask the NTA to confirm the arrangements for late-night DART, bus and Luas services? More generally, the new 24-hour services are extremely welcome, such as the E1 and E2 along the N11. However, I have received several complaints about insufficient, overcrowded and delayed services, phantom buses and full buses passing by at peak times and on the late-night services. Will the Taoiseach ask the NTA to review frequency and capacity to ensure the public can depend on these services?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. He is correct that the NTA has statutory responsibility in this matter. The authority is currently finalising plans for late-night services over the Christmas period and will publish full details of those arrangements late next week. The Deputy has been a strong advocate for this service and for clarity around it. I will alert the authority again of his concerns. In line with the approach adopted in previous years, broadly speaking, additional late-night services will be provided in the lead-up to Christmas on Luas, DART and commuter rail, as well as extra Nitelink and commuter bus services. This is in addition to the expanding 24-hour network and usual Nitelink services. The Christmas public transport schedules are typically published in the first week of December. The Transport for Ireland website includes information for each of the operators. The Government is committed to providing all citizens with reliable, realistic and sustainable mobility options. As the Deputy said, public transport is key to that.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I pick up from where Deputy Dolan left off regarding the wind energy development planned for east Galway. I have mentioned here previously that we are being bombarded with plans for developments right around the constituency, including in Killimordaly, Shancloon, Cooloo, Barnaderg and lots more places. What really concerns me, apart from the negative impact they will have if they get the go-ahead, is the enormous stress this is bringing currently to the people living in those communities. From a cost perspective, it is costing some of the community groups €30,000 to prepare a comprehensive submission, which is required to hold off these developments. They have to concentrate on all aspects, including environmental, archaeology, hydrology, heritage and the impact on the community. It is really about the planning guidelines and when we can expect them to be impactful.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I outlined earlier to Deputy Dolan, the Minister for housing is looking at guidelines and will bring forward a national planning statement that will create guidelines and frameworks for both onshore wind and solar energy. The entire objective is to balance energy security and sustainability with ensuring development does not impinge on residential amenity or people's quality of life.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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I want to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of Cork city library. In his last speech in the Dáil, the former Minister, Paschal Donohoe, asked the Government to keep in mind one public service, that is, libraries. I echo and support that call. In Cork, we have fantastic services and staff but we both know the building is not fit for purpose. Four years ago, the Taoiseach announced that €50 million would be spent transforming Grand Parade with a new public library, central plaza and boardwalk. Four years on, our promised new library is nowhere to be seen. There has been no public consultation and there is a real lack of transparency now around that project. Cork was promised a new-build public library on Grand Parade and I want to know whether it will be delivered. Will a new library be built and delivered in our city for the people? Will the Taoiseach personally ensure that the project he announced will be built and delivered for the people of Cork?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I did not just announce it; the Government allocated funding for it. The Deputy was on the council until recently and probably knows more about it than he lets on. It is a council responsibility to present the plan to the Government. Up until quite recently, a plan had not arrived at the Government in respect of this. Apparently, there were issues with sites, property and all the rest of it. Laterally and very lately, the council has put forward ideas, although I am not sure whether this was formally done, as to where it could be located. The Government allocated the funding under the URDF, just as it did for the docklands. A lot of it has been spent on the docklands. There have been issues around the location of the new library, but the Government's commitment is still there. Obviously, it has to be executed by the council on the ground. My understanding from recent meetings with the council is that it is pursuing options in this respect, which may not gain agreement from everybody.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I respectfully ask the Taoiseach whether he or the Government can do anything about the excessive cost of diesel, fuel and petrol at the pumps, and the price of kerosene for people in their homes. We see now that the price per litre of diesel has gone over €1.80 and it is much around the same for petrol. The price of diesel has actually gone higher than petrol at many pumps. The make-up of the tax in the price is €1.15 and it is €1.05 for diesel. Carbon tax accounts for 16.35 cent of the price of petrol and 18.74 cent for the price of diesel. I also learned, and people have got to know this week, that 1,000 litres of home heating oil in the South of Ireland cost €1,000 whereas in the North of Ireland, it costs just €700. Can the Taoiseach do something about it? People cannot sustain it.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Healy-Rae has asked his question.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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It is driving up inflation, the cost of living and everything else.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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That question is now asked, Deputy.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Please answer. Can the Taoiseach do anything about it?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the budget, as the Deputy knows, we have reduced the VAT-----

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Prices have gone up since.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Please, Deputy.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----for the next five years to 9% on electricity and so on, for which we have provided a lot of resources. If we did not do that, it would have resulted in significantly higher bills. We have also substantially improved the situation. We have increased the free fuel allowance and expanded the number of people who will be able to get it. For example, those on working family payments will be able to get it as well. We have also significantly expanded the budget for retrofitting to enable people to have houses in the end that will bring bills down substantially. I accept that prices have gone high, however. They have come down since the escalated increases as a result of the war on Ukraine and so forth.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Dublin West is being policed on a shoestring. Despite being one of the busiest districts in the country, we are struggling with dangerously low Garda numbers. Blanchardstown, Finglas, Cabra and the K district have just one garda per 529 people and recorded 8,200 crimes last year, while Ronanstown and Lucan, which are in the Q district, have one garda for every 394 people and recorded 4,200 incidents. In one year, DMR south central gained 60 gardaí, yet our division, DMR west, lost 15. DMR west also includes Citywest where the recent violent disorder took place. In the most recent allocation, it got seven gardaí and we got five gardaí. Meanwhile, Dún Laoghaire received 20 gardaí, Dundrum 12 gardaí and Blackrock eight gardaí. In total, the entire K district has received just 16 new gardaí this year compared to 45 last year. Yes, I know it is a Garda Commissioner decision but if the policy framework is leaving particular communities behind, that policy becomes a political issue too.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The time is up. An Taoiseach to respond.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no policy framework leaving anyone behind, let us be frank about it. It is an operational issue for the Garda Commissioner. The policy framework is to dramatically increase recruitment into An Garda Síochána and training in Templemore, and that is happening. We had the biggest intake into Templemore recently with 220 recruits. Some 200 have also graduated. What is happening is that, progressively, bigger numbers are being allocated to particular areas to deal with those areas rather than allocating smaller numbers all over the place. That policy has had an impact in the city of Dublin. There is far greater visibility and a greater sense of safety in the city centre. That is being done now in other centres across the country. I will alert the Commissioner to the Deputy's concerns but I have no doubt that as the numbers increase, the numbers will increase in DMR west as well. The strategy is working but it is time and patience. That is the issue really.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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As we are out of time - we are sitting until after midnight - and way behind-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Midnight?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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-----I am proposing to give 30 seconds each to Deputies O'Gorman and McGettigan to ask a question.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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A number of constituents have raised concerns with me about the CCTV camera system in Shannon Town Park. Despite a number of antisocial behaviour incidents, the cameras are not operational. Under Part 5 of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act, which was signed into law in 2023, a code of practice for CCTV was to be drawn up. Almost two years later, however, the code has not been drawn up and Part 5 of the Act has not commenced. Will the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan, speed up the commencement of Part 5 of the Act? When did he last liaise with the Garda Commissioner on this and when does he plan to do so again? Can we be assured that the Part 5 will be commenced urgently when the code of practice is drawn up?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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There is general agreement that the outcome of COP30 was disappointing, in particular the failure to mention the transition away from fossil fuels. Last July, I met the climate minister of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a small pacific island nation whose very existence is at risk from climate change. It is looking to generate------

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Ask the question, Deputy.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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-----support for an international fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. We will hold the Presidency of the EU next year when COP31 takes place.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The question, Deputy.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Will the Taoiseach ask his officials to look seriously at this fossil fuel treaty and engage with Vanuatu to see if the EU can offer the proposed support at COP31?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I call the Taoiseach to respond to both questions.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First, I will say to Deputy McGettigan that I will talk to the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, about Part 5 of the Act in respect of the code of practice for CCTV cameras.

With regard to Deputy O'Gorman's question, that emerged at the last COP in a very rushed way. We have to apply our resources to where we are going to get yield. I cannot see any prospect of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty happening in the immediate future. It was disappointing that consensus was not arrived at. The number of leaders who attended was a concern. There was a reduction in the number of world leaders who attended the COP. I said in my speech that I feel there is a weakening of resolve. We will reflect and review this but I think we should-----

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Maybe the Taoiseach can show them his resolve.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, but in areas where we can get results. Our climate finance is one area where we have done quite well.