Pearse Doherty

Answer the question.

He is rightly ashamed.

Hear, hear.

That was a quick U-turn. How long did that take, 35 minutes?

Hear, hear.

1. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance to outline Ireland’s role in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds across the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28803/25]

Last night, the Government shamefully voted against legislation brought forward by me and Deputy Mary Lou McDonald that would end the practice of the sale of Israeli war bonds being facilitated by the Irish Central Bank. I would like the Minister to take the opportunity to outline to the Irish people the role Ireland has in facilitating the sale of these bonds. For example, what would it mean if t…

That is not true. The Minister said there is no discretion for the Central Bank when the information in the prospectus is accurate and it must approve it. That is not the case. What the Minister failed to admit is the Governor of the Central Bank said that there are three ways it can not approve it - one, the information is insufficient in the prospectus; two, the existence of EU sanctions prohibi…

The Minister's response is pathetic. The facts are - and he knows it - the Central Bank has facilitated the sale of Israeli war bonds. That is a fact. Nobody in this House disputes that. The fact is the Governor said that to stop that, he needs national restrictive measures. The fact is the Minister's Government will not do it. Maybe he had another call with an Israeli minister to assure him that …

I did.

I said that earlier.

I said that earlier.

To defend the fact we are funding genocide.

Pathetic.

I would love to know the Minister's motivation for allowing or for supporting the funding of genocide. That was the issue.

2. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the steps he is taking to address the situation where insurance companies for multiple consecutive years are recording profit margins two or three times the industry average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28804/25]

Maybe the Minister's response to this question will not be as pathetic because his words will ring hollow to the children who are being ripped apart in Gaza. The bombs and bullets are funded because Israeli bonds are being facilitated through the Irish Central Bank and he is the Minister of Finance who can actually stop that. It is disgraceful. I am asking the Minister to explain the steps he is …

It was the Taoiseach who referred to that.

As a point of order, the Minister is making accusations against somebody who cannot defend themselves. It was the Taoiseach who made that accusation and I will not accept the Minister calling me a thug or my behaviour thuggish while he protects and defends the situation where Israeli war bonds are here. I will not stand and allow the Minister to suggest that I am thuggish in that manner because we…

The question I continue to raise relates to when the Government is going to deal with the issue of the costs that people are paying for motor insurance and home insurance and that sports groups, organisations, community groups and small businesses the length and breadth of this State are paying for public liability insurance. The profits being made by the industry are eye-watering. When representa…

The problem here - and this is not the first time I have highlighted it - is that I, on behalf of Sinn Féin and the Alliance for Insurance Reform, said we needed commitments from the insurance industry that if reforms were introduced, then premiums needed to be reduced. The Minister's former party leader, Leo Varadkar, gave headlines to the newspapers six or seven years ago to the effect that he w…

4. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance in the context of rising costs and higher prices hitting households, to outline the surplus that the State will run in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28805/25]

Will the Minister outline the surplus the State will run in 2025? That is in the context of the Government ruling out a cost-of-living package in the budget. We have heard this from the Minister and the Taoiseach. It is a reflection of a Government that is out of touch and that does not understand the real pressures ordinary people are under. This is despite surpluses of billions of euro being re…

Some inflation is absolutely beyond our control. Other high prices are as result of price gouging or Government failures. Our pillar banks had combined profits of €5 billion last year, much of that came from the fact homeowners and savers were short-changed. We have double digit rent increases. New rents outside of Dublin are rising by 9% with 12 counties experiencing double digit rent inflation i…

Yet it was proper for the Minister for Finance to sign off on the first piece of legislation he introduced, which was to give a big increase to junior Ministers and increase the number of super junior Ministers, which is something we are challenging in the courts. Inflation is also caused by the Government. When the Government decided to increase the carbon tax, it put up the price of petrol and d…