Micheál Martin

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. One of the appalling features of the war on Gaza has been the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent children. The serial killing of children as a result of indiscriminate bombing, attacks and shootings has shocked the world. The scale of injuries suffered by so many children is truly appalling. As a country, we have a strong tradition of providi…

Is oth liom a rá nach bhfuil an Teachta McDonald cruinn leis an eolas atá aici agus leis an méid a dúirt sí ar maidin faoin gceist seo. Táim dearfach go mbeidh an Rialtas ag déanamh gach aon iarracht na leanaí seo a thabhairt isteach chomh tapa agus is féidir linn. Tá-----

----- roinnt déanta againn ach tá níos mó le déanamh againn. In respect of the Deputy's case, she has moved on now because the earlier assertions were wrong.

They were fundamentally wrong. While there is no issue with raising questions and so on, the absolute motivation on the Deputy's side all the time seems to be to seek to sow doubt over the bona fides of-----

-----Government on a fundamental humanitarian question. That is not acceptable. From the very beginning of this war we did everything to get Irish citizens out of Gaza. Our embassies and our diplomats did everything possible to do it. Why does the Deputy think we would try to delay children coming out of Gaza? How dare you make that assertion.

That is not on my agenda and it is not on the Government's agenda. A Government memo is immaterial. We discussed this on Monday evening - the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach with the Minister for justice. There is no delay in this respect.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue. I agree with her about the work of the Ryan brothers, in particular, as a catalyst for the decision by the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to set up the scoping inquiry which led to the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, yesterday bringing to Government proposals for the establishment of a commission of investigation into the handling of hist…

That is the Government's intention, commitment and determination to do. The specific issues the Deputy has raised are being examined in considerable detail with a view to enabling Government to have the powers, ultimately, to deal with those particular mechanisms that have been used. We want to make sure that the financial capacity is retained in the country and made available to provide compensat…

It is intriguing how the Deputy presents the case. In one sentence he says that the Government is going to jack up insurance awards and in another sentence he says that we are dithering. He is apparently urging us to bring clarity but I do not think he is urging us to bring clarity. I think he is urging us to fulfil maybe entirely the implications of the Act so that he can then start attacking the…

I have just said it to the Deputy. It will be laid before the House but there will be no accompanying motion to the House to approve. However, this is something that the Oireachtas in its entirety has to reflect on. There will be implications in that decision for the Personal Injuries Assessment Board because essentially now we have a vacuum here in terms of personal injury awards. There is a legi…

That was the agenda. I know it.

We need, as an Oireachtas, to deal with this more soberly.

Balance and perspective are required in discussing this issue, which is very serious. The Government is very committed to continuing investment in cancer care. It has invested very hugely in cancer care in recent years. It invested up to €645 million between 2021 and 2024 alone. New treatments such as CAR T-cell therapy, radio-labelled therapy and specialised radiotherapy are now available in Irel…

-----because all the experts told us that centres of excellence were the way to go. I would appreciate greater clarity from the Deputy in respect of his assertion that 93% of patients attending private hospitals had a better outcome as against those attending public hospitals-----

----because the view was - and we have done this at St. James's Hospital, the Mater and Cork University Hospital-----

We have put centres of excellence there. That is where people should go.

We have more work to do. That is acknowledged. In his commentary, the Deputy has acknowledged that there have been improvements but he gives no credence to the fact that there has been very significant investment in cancer services. The number of staff in our health service has expanded dramatically.

The Deputy has just created an image of thousands fleeing the country.

He should concentrate on the increases in numbers in the health service. He cannot and should not ignore that because to do so reduces his credibility. He is making good points on one level but he is also using language like "antique" and suggesting that everyone is feeling the hospitals when there are increases in the number of staff year after year. We have invested hugely in increasing the numb…

On Letterkenny, we did work on Altnagelvin, which helps people in the north west both in cardiology and cancer care, which we invested in.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important question because the nitrates derogation is of course a critical element in the economic sustainability of many family farms and the broader rural economy in Ireland. I acknowledge the huge efforts being made by farmers in terms of the water quality issue and compliance. Water quality remains the fundamental issue as does the Habitats Directive. Howeve…

I appreciate that farming and the food industry have been extremely important to the national economy, but of course it is particularly important to regional economies and to communities across the length and breadth of the country in terms of purchasing power and the impact on other sectors, the supply chain and so forth. It is a significant industry in Ireland, and farmers are taking unprecedent…

I gave a comprehensive reply to the Deputy yesterday at Leaders' Questions. The simple matter is that we are in the same position this year as last year. There is an Estimates process under way and then there will be a budget. It is at that stage that clarity will be brought to a range of issues pertaining to supports for students-----

-----highlighting in particular that I would like to see additional supports for students with disabilities and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and through SUSI and thresholds to help a broad range of students.

First, it is critical that the recommendations of Dr. Shannon be implemented and that our focus is on that. There have been many calls for inquiries in many areas. The Government yesterday took a very significant decision on the establishment of a commission that will have an enormous body-----