Duncan Smith

I welcome Her Excellency, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid to the Public Gallery for this debate. My colleagues and I missed the start of the debate because we were meeting the ambassador, so we are just catching up with what the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have said. We know that a bomb is dropped on Gaza every four minutes, on average. Since this debate began, approximately 15 bombs have fallen. Another 3…

The Labour Party will not be supporting the Government motion to cut the accommodation recognition payment from €800 to €600, nor will we be supporting the Sinn Féin amendment, which I call on its members to withdraw. Sinn Féin should support the parties of the left in opposing the motion and the €200 cut to the payment. Since the outbreak of the Russian war of conquest against Ukraine, we have b…

There is an unbelievable lack of legislation from the Government, which is a huge problem. Will the Taoiseach state when we will see the occupied territories Bill and the timeline to enact it? Is it the Government's intention to have it enacted before the summer recess?

On the same issue, we believe a cross-party motion from the Government and the Opposition in this area would be most suitable. The schedules as presented in the last couple of weeks have been modest on the Government side. We think it would be a good offer if this came through the Government's time.

The Green Party is only out of Government a wet week and we are already seeing-----

-----an increase in public transport fares. The new Leap card zonal fare is harshly and dramatically impacting commuters travelling through zones 2, 3 and 4 especially. This impacts the Tánaiste's own constituency. I got a response from the NTA that said it is going to begin a scoping exercise of the impact of the new fare structure. I have schoolchildren in my constituency going from Donabate to …

153. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide an update on the planned negotiations for a radar detection system; the expected cost of the system; a timeline for the delivery of the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23068/25]

It is a national embarrassment that we are without detection systems in our skies and waters and must rely on the Royal Air Force, RAF. We have outsourced that element of our sovereignty for a long time. The Tánaiste brought a note to Cabinet on a radar detection system that he wants to bring on board. Will he provide to the House more details on the timelines and costs involved?

I thank the Tánaiste. We are so far behind in our capability. Is it envisioned that what is going to be provided and online for the State will be of the highest technical standard compared with other states? Will we be bringing in equipment to a specification that is perhaps ten or 20 years behind other states? We must improve our national security. Only when we are minding our own shop can we pr…

The provision of modern fit-for-purpose capabilities is important. There would be more trust from this side of the House if we were not having the parallel debate on the triple lock and what is coming down the tracks there. There are places we can land on in terms of the extraction of Irish citizens and ensuring that capability can be raised but the multilateral backup of the UN for peacekeeping m…

Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe, but as we know and are witnessing there is no peace in Gaza and the occupied territories at this moment. This is a huge responsibility and weakness in the foreign policy of the European Union and how it operates in its neighbourhood. It is now more than 50 days since any food or medicine has been allowed into Gaza. Europe, with a few exceptions - Ir…

I for one do not doubt the Minister of State's personal bona fides in terms of his approach to this role, the success of which everyone in the Gallery and beyond wants to see. If the Minister of State is successful, it will improve the lives of families and children that need special education. However, one of the first acts that the Minister of State could do today is to encourage the Minister to…

It is not insulting to us as such, but to the families, the parents, the SNAs and the activists in the Gallery, outside and throughout the country. It is insulting to the 126 children who are without a school place now, one of whom, Frankie Edgeworth in my constituency, has been refused 83 different forms of education from preschool to primary school. He is six years of age and severely autistic w…

The proposal for a so-called housing tsar will be one of the most egregious of this Government. The details in the programme for Government stated it would be under the Minister for housing but it is emerging that the pay would come from the Department of Finance. We are still unclear as to the remit or powers this new, well-remunerated role will have. As the Government dragged its heels on settin…

I am sharing time with my colleague, Deputy Marie Sherlock. I was taken with the comments of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, in his contribution earlier. The Minister has been Minister across the finance briefs for many years, through a number of crises. His general approach to things is one of calm. He is not one for hyperbole. He spoke about global economic activity increasingly fragm…

There is no excuse as to why we cannot roll out the committees this week, and I fully support that.

I turn to CHI. The HIQA report published today is a matter of historical significance. We will now enter a two-week recess for Easter, and we think we should have a full debate this week on the HIQA report into CHI, the subsequent resignations and all the associated issues.

Last night Donald Trump took aim at every traditional ally of the United States with a blunt and destructive economic weapon. The tariffs his administration has imposed worldwide risk plunging us all into a global recession. In his Rose Garden address, Donald Trump exhibited zero economic rationale for pursuing such an approach but perhaps proved why he is one of very few people in the history of …

It might be somewhat optimistic to think last night was a moment and now we can move on to negotiations. My fear is we will have more moments like this from the President of the United States. EU unity is easier on trade because it is the raison d’être of the EU. It is essentially a trade agreement between European states from which peace and prosperity will flow. Therefore, unity is strong and we…

I was aghast to read in the Mail on Sunday that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers are absolutely livid at the breakdown of time for other speakers.

In the interests of fair parliamentary order, and it being clear that backbenchers in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with whom I have deep sympathy, who are sent out to bat, (a), did not have a clue what they were arguing for; (b), had no idea ultimately what they were voting for; and (c), were ultimately clueless as to the impact, having been utterly misled by their own Whips, I ask that we convene t…

That makes no sense.

Here.

124. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline all engagements he has had with the Trump Administration in regard to its announcement of pharmaceutical tariffs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15825/25]

On the eve of what we are expecting tomorrow, I would like an update on our engagement with the US Administration on the proposed tariffs that are coming into play tomorrow.