Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise an issue affecting small businesses, particularly in the centres of Limerick, Cork, Ennis and Tralee, where we have seen a series of business closures. In Limerick, it was the closure of Debenhams that caused a real downfall for local businesses. We lost four British shops within one month at the tail end of last year. In Cork, a number of high-profile restaurants have closed recently. The pressure on the hospitality sector from the cost of doing business is particularly significant right now. We have seen similar issues in Ennis, Tralee and Killarney.

I genuinely believe the Government should be doing more about this. We need a debate on it in the House. The temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS, was a failure. Only 11.5% of the funding was used, with €1 billion returned to the Exchequer. That funding should have been reprofiled back to the sector. I again call for that to be done. The increased cost of business scheme is too little, too late. An allocation of €257 million is not enough, particularly when we consider that 140,000 businesses could apply. Many business owners have complained that there has been no further clarity on the application process or the date by which they will receive grant aid. Definitive clarity on this scheme is urgently needed. We all know from our own contacts that small businesses are under pressure like never before. We need a much greater response from the Government. I want to see that happen. I call for a debate on the issue as soon as we return from the break next week.

I again raise the issue of what is happening in Palestine. I want to put in context the current horror of the deliberate mass starvation of the Palestinian people by referring to statements made by representatives of the Israeli Government. The Israeli heritage minister said: "Anyone waving a Palestinian [or Hamas] flag shouldn't continue living on the face of the earth." Another Knesset member said: "The children in Gaza brought it upon themselves." May Golan, the Israeli minister for social equality - social equality, if you can believe it - said: "I am personally proud of the ruins of Gaza, and that every baby, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did." These are actual statements, including from two current Israeli ministers. The horror we are looking at in Gaza is unparalleled since the Second World War.

We are not all on the same page on this matter. I acknowledge the good work the Government has done, particularly in respect of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, and in calling for a ceasefire. However, there is an onus on all of us to do more. There are steps we can and should take. We should pass the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. It was included in Fianna Fáil's manifesto before the previous election. The political will is not there to do it just when that will needs to be there like never before. We should pass Deputy Brady's Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023. That would really target Israel's activities and allow us to take a lead that the rest of Europe can follow. If we wait for the EU to take action, we know no action will follow. The EU has disgraced itself in its response to the ongoing genocide. Finally, we must recognise the state of Palestine. Ireland needs to lead more on this. It must do so now in the face of the most horrific genocide any of us has ever seen in our lifetime.