Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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If Deputies cannot make their point in one minute, they should not apply for Questions on Policy or Legislation.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, Mary Dunleavy Greene and Maurice Patton O'Connell endured 50 days on hunger strike to demand action from the Government for the survivors of industrial and reformatory schools. They ended their protest after securing from the Taoiseach specific commitments, including a Government apology and a number of measures to improve the lives and well-being of survivors. However, they have been in contact to raise serious concerns that the appointed mediator will not meet them again until January. They fear that without clear timelines, the commitment outlined in the Taoiseach's letter to them will stall and fall into delay.

The risk now is that the protesters feel compelled to resume their hunger strike, potentially in the run-up to Christmas. We all know these folk have endured enough suffering. I ask the Taoiseach to give firm assurances that the commitments he made will be progressed without delay and to intervene to make sure the mediator meets with the survivors before Christmas.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I spoke to my officials yesterday again on this. I want to thank the survivors for the engagement I have had with them. There is absolutely no need to even contemplate going back on hunger strike. I will fulfil the commitments that I have made along with the then Minister for education. I wrote to the survivors, and I will fulfil those commitments as soon as we possibly can. We are putting together the detail and fleshing out the commitments I made in correspondence with them on these. I want to give the Deputy that commitment.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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In view of yesterday’s historic visit to Dáil and Seanad Éireann by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we must continue show solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they endure the ongoing brutality from Putin’s Russian regime. In recent weeks, we have seen a drone attack on , the deliberate murder of and their dog as they were holding a white flag and the targeting of a in Kherson. These horrific crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators punished.

I welcome the Government’s support for the Council of Europe-backed . Can the Taoiseach update the House on progress made by the special tribunal since its establishment in May and on what long-term support Ireland will provide to the special tribunal?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has been a strong supporter of the establishment of the tribunal and will provide financial supports, as we have generally in the area of international jurisprudence and, indeed, the various international courts, such as the International Criminal Court, ICC, the International Court of Justice, ICJ, or any of them have been very strong supporters of those. I share with the Deputy the condemnation of these appalling attacks. In my discussions with President Zelenskyy yesterday, I was very clear on the enormous toll on young people in this war. Thousands and thousands of Ukrainians and, indeed, thousands and thousands of Russians have been dying on the battlefield. There is no need for it. It is an appalling denial of humanity and the importance of life itself. I am shocked at how any leader and how President Putin can preside over such an appalling loss of life at a scale that is unimaginable to any human being.

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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I want to speak to the Taoiseach today about the four people who were on hunger strike for 50 days until 10 November. He met with them, and an agreement was reached. He signed the letter outlining the promises that the Government has made to these survivors who were wronged in childhood and are continually wronged in adulthood. Three and a half weeks have passed. There is a new Minister for Education and Youth, and the survivors have written to the Minister asking for a meeting and for the supports to start, but nothing has progressed. The Minister told them that she is not available to meet them until January. I have been notified, as has the Department of Education and Youth, that these people will resume their hunger strike. They are still recovering from the previous strike, and they are still not able to eat properly. Will the Taoiseach and Minister for Education and Youth commit today to meeting with the survivors immediately - not before Christmas but immediately - and ensure that these promises in the letter he signed will be delivered with haste and without further delay?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I ask Members of the House maybe to consult with me and we will engage with the survivors. I understand the Deputy is asking in good faith, but there is no need to go back or even contemplate it. Work is being done on this to flesh out what I committed to. The guarantee stands. The commitments stand. For anyone to have to go back on something like that would be very damaging to their health, so I would be very concerned about that. People's lives and quality of life into the future are at stake here because not taking food and so on can impact someone long after the protest is over. I will come back to the Deputies in respect of this.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Will the Taoiseach withdraw the very cruel cut that has been imposed on Defence Forces reservists? Up until September, they were not paid a large amount; it was €92 per day for the vast majority of working operations in which they were involved. However, from September of this year, this was withdrawn. It makes no sense. It comes in a context whereby there is a target of increasing the number of reservists to about 4,000, given there are less than 2,000 currently. Like I said, it is only €92. This is not a huge amount but it has rightly been seen by the reservists as a very mean cut whereby they are not getting paid for what they were previously getting paid for. They are currently getting paid for a much more narrow range of activities. I tabled a written parliamentary question to the Minister for Defence who replied that a business case is being prepared. However, is this not a simple decision that the cut should be reversed?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am not aware of that particular cut, but I will talk to the new Minister for Defence in respect of that. I did set up the office of the Reserve Defence Force. We really have beefed up the capacity behind it, all with a view to increasing the number of reservists because it is a very important dimension to our Defence Forces. My view is that we should be doing everything to incentivise the recruitment of reservists, not disincentivising it.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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Last week, Independent Ireland tabled a Private Members' motion relating to the protection of whistleblowers. Part of our motion was to remove the protection for civil servants who are knowingly acting outside of their remit whereby they would not get protected by the State if they are knowingly acting outside the remit of their work. I asked at the time for an open vote from Government on the motion and it did not allow it. Why are we protecting people who are knowingly breaking the law within the Civil Service? This motion would have actually enacted that and protected people who are doing right, and people who are doing wrong within the service would be held personally accountable. I asked for an open vote and the Government did not allow it. Can the Taoiseach please tell me why?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have a party Whip system, and we do not have open votes on every single Private Members' Bill that comes before the House-----

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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What about this question?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----but in terms of protection of whistleblowers, there is very comprehensive legislation to protect whistleblowers. That is there and there are good systems in place and avenues by which disclosures can be made, dealt with and responded to in a systemic way. I am not clear in terms of the Deputy's comment on civil servants knowingly breaching the law. The law is there to be enforced. If the Deputy knows people have broken the law, he should report it to the Garda, which can follow it up. We need to be careful, however. The vast majority of public servants work in the best interests of this country-----

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

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----and for the people of this country. Every now and again, we need to affirm people in their work-----

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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It is the minority I am talking about.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, I know, but we tend to give everyone a bad name.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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No, it is the minority. I praise the ones who are doing the good work. It is the minority who are doing bad work.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My constituent Mr. Maurice Brady, who is highly regarded for his knowledge of the agrifood sector and who was recently elected regional vice president of the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, has brought to my attention the detailed report from a recent fact-finding mission to Brazil by the IFA and Irish Farmers Journal, which has to be a further cause for real concern for the European Union in relation to the Mercosur trade deal. The Government must ensure that the best interests of the Irish agrifood sector are fully protected in these trade negotiations.

As the Taoiseach knows, this State has for many decades invested very heavily, along with the farming community, in building up a world-class agrifood industry. Our industry operates to very high standards from primary production with high welfare and biosecurity standards, exceptional traceability and sustainable processing systems. Europe must not be subject to imports of products, particularly beef and poultry from systems that have much lower standards of production and monitoring. The proposed safeguarding regulation must be strengthened or there is the potential to do untold damage to not just the agrifood sector but to our overall national economy and employment.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I want to acknowledge his absolute consistent support and adherence to a high-quality food production system in this country and agriculture. At the moment, the European Union currently imports around 200,000 tonnes of beef from Mercosur countries annually. What is being proposed now is that the Mercosur countries will be granted a beef quota of 99,000 tonnes subdivided into 55,000 fresh and 45,000 frozen, with an in-quota tariff of 7.5% to be phased in over six equal stages. The Government has been actively engaged with like-minded European Union countries to voice Ireland's concerns in relation to the EU-Mercusor agreement. The Deputy is correct that the EU has very stringent standards, which are known as sanitary and phytosanitary standards, SPS, to protect human, animal and plant life.

These standards are among the highest in the world and are non-negotiable. I cannot give a longer answer but the European Union, in the context of the latest agreement, has committed to increasing the number of audits and checks in third countries and to strengthening the SPS controls undergone. The reports identified by the Deputy have raised concerns.

David Maxwell (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I want to ask about VAT registration for poultry farmers. As we know, since 1 September broiler chicken services in Ireland are no longer eligible for the flat-rate addition scheme and must charge VAT for services such as rearing and fattening. Farmers who supply broiler chicken services now need to register for VAT if their taxable supplies are over the threshold. This is a serious issue. While straightforward broiler farms will be able to register for VAT with relative ease, it is an issue for many farmers who have dairy or beef operations, or both, who diversified into broiler production for an extra income stream or to give a son or daughter an income until that farmer can retire. A farmer who is supplying broiler chickens must now register this part of the farm for VAT purposes, even though the farm is operating as a dairy, beef and broiler operation. Farmers are looking at forming a company for the chicken part of the farm, with agriculture advisers, bookkeeping, VAT returns, registration for PAYE and corporation tax, and new loan agreements for the parts of the land that are in broiler production. I ask that this be looked at again.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My understanding, if it is the same issue, is that it arose prior to the budget and the then Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, advised that, as we say in Irish, níl aon dul as. There was no way to deal with it other than to bring in new measures because of European Union monitoring and what it had assessed in terms of the existing scheme. I accept it is challenging for the broiler farmers but I am not clear there is an alternative pathway. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Finance. Sometimes in the implementation of new measures there can be space to see if anything can be done. I will talk to the Minister for Finance in respect of the issue.

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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This week Brazilian beef on sale in the EU and the North of Ireland has been recalled due to the presence of banned cancer-linked hormones. The Mercosur trade deal will not only impact the health of farmers and their livelihoods; it will also impact the health of the general public. It is about what the Government is willing to let the public consume. The thoughts that children in Ireland could be eating beef containing these banned cancer-linked hormones should be setting off alarm bells. It is the Taoiseach not worried? I can tell him that as a mother I am worried. I am worried about the risk it poses to my family. This should be black and white. Our health and the health of our families should not be put at risk for the benefit of a trade deal. What levels of testing have been carried out on Mercosur beef coming into Ireland? Will the Taoiseach stand by and let the Commission push this deal on us even if it affects our public health?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I said earlier, I am very concerned about these reports. The European Union currently imports approximately 200,000 tons of beef from Mercosur countries annually. There was an assessment done some years ago on the proposed EU-Mercosur agreement that it would result in an additional 50,000 tonnes once it was fully phased in, but approximately 99,000 tonnes would benefit from an in-quota tariff of 7.5%. The fact is that Mercosur beef is coming into the country and it has been, and it is very worrying that carcinogenic hormones have been detected.

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I know but all the tests-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The EU has very stringent SPS standards and they have to be implemented and enforced.

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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They are not-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Our standards are among the highest in the world. It is interesting that in other trade deals some of the countries did not manage to export too much into Europe because of the SPS standards, which are often described as non-tariff barriers.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Today I welcome our new infrastructure plan, which will shape the future of Ireland. Our many goals include fast-tracking planning for critical projects and reforming judicial reviews to stop endless delays. I want to highlight one project that has not been subject to a judicial review but seems to have come off the rails and has been delayed now for four years. The DART+ South West project seems to have been put out until 2030. Today we heard that the M50 is officially full and this would have taken the pressure off. This project will be a game changer for the areas of north Kildare and west Dublin. Considering the growth of population and the proposed growth of these areas, we need to ensure this rail project gets back on track. Areas such as west Dublin and north Kildare have not been found wanting in housing development but we need the critical infrastructure to go with this. I ask the Taoiseach to raise this issue with the Minister for Transport and ensure the timetable for 2030 is brought back to 2026, as it was before.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I am very conscious of this issue. He has been advocating, as has Deputy Shane Moynihan who has been hotfoot onto me in respect of the timelines for this. DART+ South West is part of the broader DART programme. I will speak to the Minister. Permission was granted in November of last year. All of the benefits are there in terms of increasing capacity. We will work with the Minister to see whether there is flexibility in terms of how projects are delivered. There is huge investment in public transport as a result of the national development plan and the sectoral plan published by the Minister. The issue is whether we can get it all delivered as quickly as we possibly can. I understand and accept Deputy Neville's concerns in respect of this.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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In October 2022 I received, as a member of Galway City Council, a presentation from the NTA Galway park and ride office. Even though it is called the Galway park and ride office, it is based in Dublin. As a general point, there was limited comment in last week's sectoral transport plan regarding park and ride. On that occasion the office advised us it was pursuing three sites for the development of park and ride facilities in Galway. It told us it was in discussions with landowners on agreements and that submissions for planning applications would be targeted for mid-2023. Very disappointingly, none of this has happened. There is some land in the ownership of Galway City Council that will be pursued for a park and ride facility but there is no update on the ownership of the sites on the N6 and the N83. Earlier this year I received an email from the NTA advising me that discussions were ongoing. This was three years later. I am very doubtful about the NTA's seriousness about addressing Galway's transport issues. The bodies operate in silos. Public transport and transport bodies seem to act differently and I am concerned.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Connolly. That is too long a time. We should know what is happening with particular sites. I would have thought that if the NTA or Galway City Council has possession, it should engage with the other council and make the site available. I do not know the full details but there are always ways of getting things done. Park and ride facilities do matter and they can be of significant value to a city in freeing up inner-city congestion. I will ask the Minister to engage with the National Transport Authority in respect of this and get clarity for Deputy Connolly and the people of Galway.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Last week figures provided to me confirmed that more than €400,000 of taxpayers' money was wasted on the failed IPAS accommodation site at River Lodge in Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow. This is a shocking example of mismanagement from start to finish. From day one I and the local community warned the then Minister that the site was completely unsuitable but the Government pressed ahead anyway, recklessly and over the heads of those affected and impacted. Tented accommodation was installed on a site that could never have worked. By December 2024, less than ten months later, the whole thing collapsed when bad weather made the tents unusable and residents had to be moved out. Now the site sits empty, and one year later the Government is still paying for private security on this particular site. More money is being thrown away. River Lodge has to be handed back to the community for community use to serve the people and not be a further drain on taxpayers. Will the Government commit to ending the waste of taxpayers' money at this site and return the site for community use?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Obviously the identification of centres has been very problematic and challenging for communities and for the Government. I am not sure the appellation of "waste" can be applied to it in this context. The context is much different in terms of ordinarily procuring or acquiring buildings. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the site and seek an update in respect of it.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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When St. Brigid's Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir was closed, the people of Carrick-on-Suir were shocked. They were also promised that a primary care centre would become a hub for chronic disease management. A centre of excellence was promised. Instead, we are now seeing the removal of vital services like the diabetic clinic and the cardiology care from the primary care centre, all because of reports of a lack of space. At the time, the Taoiseach met the former Deputy, Jackie Cahill, and Councillor Kieran Bourke, and promised the hospital would be reopened as a community hospital. That did not happen. The people of Carrick-on-Suir have lost their beloved hospital and have been left with more and more broken promises. It appears the HSE can do what it wants, there is no accountability and its word means nothing. I ask the Taoiseach for immediate clarity on what steps will be taken to restore these vital services locally. Will an additional modular space be provided if there is not space, although I believe there is? Can we have a full audit into the use of St. Brigid's Hospital and the primary care centre to make sure it is not being used by officials rather than services?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will engage with the HSE to bring the clarity the Deputy requires in respect of St. Brigid's Hospital and the centre there. Facilities should be used in terms of primary care. Again, I will have to engage with the HSE in respect of this to bring further clarity to it and get an updated position.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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In January 2024, the Taoiseach's Government committed to a public information campaign on the benefits of immigration. Why has this not happened? Has that plan now been abandoned? I heard the Taoiseach's comments earlier. The reality is that some migrants are more welcome than others, judging by the changes to the family reunification system last week. Migrants are the backbone of many sectors in our economy and yet we are seeing mixed messages that are a gross failure of leadership by the Taoiseach's Government. To my mind, these mixed messages are fuelling racism and we are seeing far too many attacks on migrant workers across our communities. Is the Taoiseach going to commit to a positive public information campaign on the benefits of immigration to this country?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I said earlier, a national policy and strategy in respect of migration is being developed. I object to the conflation of racism and attacks on people because of their ethnic background and the Government's position. That is wrong.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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There is a link.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is wrong to do it. These attacks occurred long before anything was announced this week or this month. It is not good enough that the Deputy would make those assertions. There is nothing wrong with a proper legal system of entering into the country.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Yes, but you promised-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Sorry, it is not about mixed messages. It has always been the case that asylum is treated through the asylum system. People have never been allowed to work immediately when they are seeking asylum. It is not as if there is an open door; there is not and there never has been. Even though we were criticised by the far right for having an open door, there never was an open-door system in terms of asylum.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Taoiseach. I call Deputy Hearne.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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There have been work permits and freedom of movement within the European Union, which are all very positive.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach's time is up.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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I raise the issue of bus services and Bus Connects in Dublin North-West. For the public in Finglas and Glasnevin, it feels like BusConnects is more like bus disconnects. It has disconnected them from their schools, access to the city centre and work. I had a public meeting last week that was packed out. People are furious. Their lives have been turned upside down. They are completely reliant on public buses. Our bus stops have been removed from Beneavin Road. People are left waiting for buses that never come. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is not listening to communities. The residents are so furious that they are going to have a protest in Finglas on Monday. They will be protesting outside the Dáil the week after. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Transport to get the NTA to listen to the communities and make the changes they need? These are elderly people, disabled people and students whose lives have been turned upside down.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Again, there has been extensive consultation with the NTA on BusConnects across the country in Dublin, in Cork and everywhere. We have been strongly making the case to the NTA to engage with and listen to the public and society more generally. This new scheme has been in operation for four weeks. I understand there is a meeting tomorrow with the NTA and the local public representatives, is there not?

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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There is a meeting tomorrow.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Okay. We can deal with it then. The Deputy should engage with the NTA tomorrow.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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We have engaged with the NTA.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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This is the wrong forum.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am not disagreeing with the Deputy; I just think that tomorrow is a good opportunity to bring the views of the people to the NTA.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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We hope they will listen.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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Currently, approximately 600 dentists are providing care dental care for medical card patients. The number was over 1,200 when dentists were operating more privately. I have found out that Cork university dental hospital cannot take in medical card patients. It can do so if they are referred in by accident and emergency or by another dental practice, but it cannot take them in directly because the hospital does not have a GMS panel number. The hospital would be quite prepared to take on medical card patients if it had that number. In view of the substantial drop in the number of dentists operating privately who are prepared to take on medical card patients and the huge influx of people from the Kerry area, for instance, coming in and looking for dentists in the Cork area, I ask that this issue be looked at.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He is correct when he says that this is a very serious issue. Access to the GMS in dental capacities is very restrictive. I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of this. My understanding is that Cork university dental hospital used to take public patients in the past. That was always the tradition. I will certainly pursue that specific issue with the Minister to see if we can unblock that. It would facilitate additional capacity in a situation where there are huge pressures.

Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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St. Brendan's Community School in Birr is facing ongoing uncertainty around long-promised works, including an ASD wing and a major school extension. This project was first approved in 2018. Since then, the school has moved through various stages but the works have not begun. Most recently, the school was told the project could not proceed until the national development plan implementation programme was published. For a school that has already waited seven years, this is yet another frustrating delay. Parents, children and the people of Birr and the surrounding areas have waited long enough. They deserve more than repeated hold-ups and changing times. Can the Taoiseach explain why an already approved project is now subject to further delay? How does he believe the new infrastructure reform plan will help to expedite this project? I ask him for his support in getting this project started.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Certainly, Deputy. I will have to discuss this with the Ministers for education and public expenditure to see what the issue is and whether it is ready to go. It is an ASD wing. We have put a lot of capital into special education in the past year or two to get more special classes built and so on. I will check with the Minister what is holding it up. The Deputy will have my support in trying to progress this project.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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Dublin West is one of the fastest growing areas in Dublin. It has a population of over 130,000 people and one of the busiest garda stations in the K district. A few weeks ago, another group of gardaí were attested in Templemore training centre. Despite the expectation that a significant number of these gardaí would be sent to Dublin West, only five were assigned. To make matters worse, my understanding is four experienced members were assigned or promoted, which means we have a net gain of only one garda in the entire area. While I understand it is not the Minister's role to assign gardaí, does the Taoiseach not agree that this will impact on community safety? Garda recruitment to areas like Dublin West is at a virtual standstill. The Taoiseach and the Minister have a role in ensuring communities feel safe. Sinn Féin has produced a garda recruitment and retention policy document. Will the Taoiseach ensure the Minister will address the huge shortage of gardaí in Dublin West? It is affecting our community.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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More generally, Dublin has benefited significantly in the past year or two in terms of an increase in garda numbers. There may be specific geographic areas-----

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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Dublin West.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is focused on Dublin West. There is no question that the city centre has benefited hugely. That has had an impact. The good news is that numbers are increasing. The last intake into Templemore - 220 - was the highest ever. I was with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, in Templemore recently when approximately 190 gardaí came out and passed through. In various parts of the country, including the Deputy's area, they are coming in now. The way the commission is doing it, with significant numbers for significant areas at a time, is probably more impactful, rather than dribs and drabs of numbers across the whole place. Over time, we will get there. I appreciate the Deputy's impatience and his advocacy for his community. I will articulate that to the Minister also.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Today a poll was released by Ireland Thinks on the issue of foxhunting. It reaffirms overwhelming opposition to foxhunting across all demographics, regions, ages and gender. Some 72% are opposed. If "don't knows" are removed, 81% of people are opposed to foxhunting. Only 2% of people have ever taken part in it. Given these huge figures, is it not a problem for democracy if three big parties in the Dáil whip their TDs to maintain foxhunting and do not allow the popular will to even be expressed in this Chamber? Is that not an actual problem? I ask the Taoiseach to give a lead by allowing his TDs to have a free vote on this issue. I am making the same call to all political parties. It is the only way we can reflect the popular will to ban this cruel practice.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First of all, I do not accept the premise upon which the Deputy is basing her question. We do not govern via opinion polls, nor could we do so. We should not-----

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Is the Taoiseach saying it is wrong?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy, please allow the answer.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am making a fundamental point here. Is the Deputy is seriously suggesting that the Government should react to every opinion poll on every specific issue in the country? Sure we would have chaos.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Consistent polls have shown-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy, please. This is the wrong forum for that interaction.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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On the issue itself, I think the Deputy has brought legislation forward. We will examine that. All the parties will examine that legislation, as I have said. I think we have submitted a timed amendment on it. That is the approach that the political parties are taking.