Thomas Byrne

-----and we are one of the most advanced countries and democracies in the world. We have a competitive, consistent and a transparent corporate tax regime, good access and connectivity and an excellent return on investment. The Irish sites of leading global companies play a key role in creating or adding value to the goods and services that underpin the modern global economy anchored in our member…

-----and the sooner that trade agreement is fully ratified, the better because it is of huge benefit for our indigenous sector, which Deputy Tóibín talks so much about. We should really have a united front on this because that reduces the burden, and economic cost and gives huge opportunities for businesses here in Ireland. We are living together in challenging times. There are no winners if tari…

Tá sé sin uafásach.

Tá mé ag éisteacht le cad atá á rá aici.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: - Ireland's policy of military neutrality is characterised by non-membership of military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements, and this policy choice has been practised by successive Governments since the Second World War; - the Government reaffirms its commitment to this p…

That is not what Deputy Hearne thinks.

I did not criticise him for that.

No, I am obviously not.

I am answering questions on the European Council last week.

I will answer these because there is a lot of stuff here. It is kind of a free-for-all. I am happy to answer but in some ways I am limited to answering on what comes before the European Council. I do not have information on some specific items that were not discussed at the European Council and nor am I the Minister of State with responsibility for some areas. I do want to take one point, however,…

I understand the question.

I cannot speak for the Signal conversations. We saw what was said there. I cannot speak either for pressure on people to spend money on defence. I think Deputy Lahart summed it up best. He mentioned the Nordic countries and said they are terrified but prepared. That is why these individual countries, not the EU, want to spend more on their own defence. I have here a booklet that has been sent out …

To respond to some of the Deputies' comments, the Opposition vociferously opposed the trade agreement with Canada. I was asked what we will do about tariffs. What we do about them is we have trade agreements where we reduce the tariffs to nothing or nearly nothing. Every time we do that, there are High Court cases and Opposition motions. We had all those photographs on Twitter, "they all voted for…

I answered.

I thank Deputies for their statements and questions. I will address some of the issues that the Taoiseach did not go into in great detail. He did mention them and spoke about the multi-annual financial framework and new own resources. Some of my contribution will be as Gaeilge. I wish to address the issues of migration, which Deputy Lahart raised, oceans, and multilateralism. In respect of the ne…

Is mór an onóir dom seasamh os bhur gcomhair inniu chun Seachtain na Gaeilge a chomóradh agus chun cloch mhíle thábhachtach i scéal na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh. Agus muid ag machnamh ar stair ár dteanga agus ar a todhchaí, tá sé ríthábhachtach an dul chun cinn iontach atá déanta againn a mheas, go háirithe ar stáitse na hEorpa. Ag meán oíche ar an 31 Nollaig 2021, bhain an Ghaeilge cothromas iomlán a…

Nonsense.

Hear, hear.

I am glad to have this opportunity to take part in this debate as we mark the third anniversary of Russia's unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine - nobody else's. I join the Tánaiste in recognising the unrelenting suffering that has been inflicted on the people of Ukraine in recent years. Those people are ably represented in Ireland by the Ukrainian Ambassador, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, w…

Nation states in Europe have only really been allowed to exist in the last number of decades, primarily through the European Union. Our European colleagues see that as under severe threat now from Russia's aggression. The European response to date has been significant and multifaceted, encompassing political, economic, military and humanitarian support, while imposing costs on Russia for its acti…

I am speaking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, who is at the Cabinet meeting. One of the overarching goals of Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one. The strategy, which was published in June 2022, included a commitment to doubling the number of refuge units throughout th…

As I noted earlier, the Minister is at a Cabinet meeting. That is why he cannot be here and it is only fair to put that on the record. A key overarching goal for the zero tolerance strategy is to ensure every woman and child who needs a refuge space gets one and the Government continues to work towards that. In the most recent budget, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence funding was increas…

I thank the Deputy for the good wishes. I apologise that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, cannot be here this morning. He is attending the Cabinet meeting. The Government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 seeks to improve road safety in Ireland and make our roads safer for all road users. The strategy is based on vision zero, which is an aspiration to have zero deaths or serious injuries by 2050 and it…

I reiterate that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien is at the Cabinet meeting so he cannot be here. He would like to be here. In my previous remarks, I outlined the roles of TII and the local authorities, which are significant in all this. It is important that people work with TII and the local authorities on this. The Department is already doing so. It is important that we provide speed limits that wi…