Peadar Tóibín

Will the Minister answer these questions?

Why will the Minister not answer any of those questions? That is a disgrace.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s IDF have been involved in some of the worst atrocities have been committed anywhere in the world in the past 50 years. A total of 75,811 people have been killed in a few short years in the conflict in Gaza - 73,770 Palestinians and 2,039 Israelis. The word disproportionate does not cut it. This has been the slaughter of the people. It has been the intentional killing of tens o…

15. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [42219/26]

30. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [42220/26]

I want to raise the Disability (Amendment) Bill. While the Government presents this legislation as reform, the details suggest a significant shift in how children will be able to access assessments and services. The Bill gives authority to an assessment officer to formally determine whether a child has a qualifying disability before a full clinical assessment to the medical needs can begin. This r…

We are living in a rip-off republic. The Minister of State started the debate with the pretence that the Government is fighting the costs that people are experiencing at the moment. The truth is that right now, the Government is one of the main causes of expensive prices in Ireland right across the system. Let us consider the ESB, for example. Electricity prices in this country have risen by 57% …

122. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence whether public consultation has been undertaken in relation to any proposed changes to the triple lock; and whether the Government will commit to a referendum should any fundamental alteration to Ireland’s neutrality arise from such changes. [44028/26]

Do I not come in for the first 30 seconds?

The triple lock was created through the democratic decision of the Irish people. The triple lock was introduced in 2001 after the defeat of the first referendum on the Nice treaty. When that referendum was defeated, the Government noted that the main concern in the referendum was the issue of Irish neutrality and its erosion. The triple lock was an essential part of the passing of the second refer…

What we are seeing here is choreography. It is not a conspiracy. Ursula von der Leyen did not hide the fact when she ran for the European Commission Presidency that she wanted an EU defence union. She said it very clearly. She has stated clearly that her objective in the EU parliamentary term is defence and security issues. We have had an EU Defence Commissioner since 2024 whose objective is the d…

They are rearming, in case the Minister of State has not seen it.

The Minister is contradicting Deputy Byrne.

It is a cost too in the context of electricity.

It is a cost.

The Tánaiste is ignoring the cost.

The Tánaiste is ignoring the cost.

Just so the Tánaiste knows, Aontú does support the roll-out of sustainable energy across the country in partnership with local communities. There is a major demographic change happening in Ireland at the moment. We had the GAA in front of the infrastructure committee yesterday to discuss it. Unfortunately, the lopsided development of the country is continuing apace. Two thirds of the population o…

It is really important to have a debate on the issue of AI and the impact it is going to have on society, training and education but we have not really had one in this country for a long time. We are at the edge of a significant economic transformation in Ireland. We are probably one of the most exposed countries in the whole of the European Union in terms of the AI revolution. It is not something…

The Government introduced the Re-Turn scheme. Since 2024, that scheme has made €103 million on unredeemed deposits. That is €103 million of citizens' money resting in the scheme's account, most of it permanently. The operator of the Re-Turn scheme also made money through the sale of aluminium cans that we collected for it. It also gets money from the producers of the drinks, but still refuses to p…

That is incredible.

Will the Government look to reform or end this shambolic scheme?

17. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39179/26]

Iarnród Éireann cannot organise a cup of tea to be sold on its commuter trains from Galway or Sligo but it can incinerate €50 million on a failed IT system. This is another disgusting waste of money in our country. You might as well have loaded that €50 million onto a bonfire and set it alight. Does the Taoiseach understand the time it took for those workers to earn the income to pay the tax that …

It was a rhetorical question.