Micheál Martin

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 24, inclusive, together. The programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government. The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. Its role is to oversee implementation of programme for …

I thank all the Deputies who have raised a variety of questions. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised an important issue in terms of Russia's aggression against Europe. I attended an event in the United Nations, chaired by Prime Minister Carney and President Zelensky and their respective spouses, in respect of the 20,000 abducted children. Ireland will continue to provide support. I would like to be in a p…

Deputy Coppinger has a tendency to distort. There is nothing wrong with saying that young music followers who were abducted for no reason at all-----

I just want to make the point. Everything gets qualified and has a caveat. I make no apology for saying it is a good day that those hostages were released.

I did. I spoke about an end to the slaughter.

I have been saying this consistently. Check all of my remarks on social media. I am very strong on the genocide against civilians in Gaza and the slaughter of innocent children. Yes, there have been a lot of detainees without any trials or without any evidence. Others who were detained had history. Deputy Coppinger will never condemn Hamas for some reason. I have never heard her condemn Hamas in t…

Deputy Murphy has never condemned Hamas.

That is shocking and it deserves debate. You are attacking me for not having precision in terms of posts I put up.

I find it extraordinary that we do not have unanimity in the House in terms of condemnation of Hamas's appalling attack on-----

By the way, I have never moved on from Gaza and I do not intend to move on from Gaza. I visited Gaza in 2009 after that war. We have always been consistent as a country. The party I lead was the first party in Europe and in government to recognise the right of Palestinians to a homeland. It matters to our party. Let us not try to out-virtue each other here.

We will say what we feel.

We will say it in the context of our informed perspective and our evidence-based approach to these issues. To respond to Deputy Murphy on the occupied territories Bill, it is in committee. I have always repeatedly said in terms of services that we need to assess that. The Attorney General is coming back to us on a number of fronts - one is implementability, by the way. The feedback I am getting i…

I apologise.

Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta. De réir na moltaí a bhí aici féin agus na polasaithe ag Sinn Féin maidir leis an gcáinaisnéis seo, bheadh costais maireachtála ag dul in airde dá mba rud é go gcuireadh i bhfeidhm iad.

If you look at Sinn Féin's alternative budget the bottom line is this, and this is not my calculation but the Central Bank's formula. It is spending €13.4 billion - more, in fact, if you add in its once-off measures - in its alternative budget. That budget would add 2.5% to the cost of living and to inflation.

It is absolutely true, and they have been going on for the past month about the cost of living.

Its budget, if you look at the Central Bank's formula for determining this, would have put up inflation and the cost of living by 2.5%.

What I would say is that workers in this country want better water services, more houses, better public transport-----

-----more roads and better road connectivity. They want better education services, better health services-----

-----and Sinn Féin has gone full circle. I never thought I would hear the day when a Sinn Féin leader would be quoting the Fine Gael mantra about how "It is for those who get up early in the morning". That was at one time a slogan the Deputy would have decried and condemned in her day.

The point is that we decided we would invest in the future of working people in this country-----

-----that we would protect the jobs we have and then invest to make sure we have the jobs of tomorrow, through investment in research and development, through investment in energy, water, public transport, roads and so forth. We are doing that. That is what will underpin workers in their jobs. This is the first of five budgets, and we will be working on our taxation commitments in future budgets i…

-----of those who are working, as we did in previous budgets. However, we also said-----

-----we would prioritise child poverty, and this is a very progressive budget. If you look at the ESRI's SWITCH model, it is saying the two lowest income deciles get the most from this budget and a significant amount-----

-----relative to others. That is what this budget is doing. I was determined to do it and I said in the House we would do it. It is the beginning of a process to get consistent poverty down-----