Timmy Dooley

-----by some of our competitors. Can the Deputies imagine how the delivery of a head, as Sinn Féin has been demanding of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, would be presented by those countries that seek to compete with us in international markets? They would say there was a problem with Irish beef and with the standards.

They would say there was a problem with the agency.

They would undermine us. That would open up an entirely new front.

I suspect that, within a number of weeks, we would have another motion from Sinn Féin, this one saying the Minister did wrong and hanged the wrong man and telling him to look at the negative consequences. It is sometimes easy to call for a head and to rush to judgment.

However, when you have the privilege, responsibility and burden of government, you always have to think things through.

You have to make sure the decisions that you take on behalf of the Irish people-----

-----are in the best interests of the people we seek to serve. I cannot accept that Sinn Féin holds dear farmers and those communities any more than I do or the other people on this side of the House do.

I thank the Deputy for the question. I know that, like others, he has had a considerable ongoing engagement with all aspects of fisheries, and his input is welcome and being considered. I am very aware of the challenges facing inshore fishermen and fisherwomen and have met with representatives of the sector, including the National Inshore Fishermen's Association, NIFA, on a number of occasions in…

I assure the Deputy that it will happen as quickly as possible. Later today I will be meeting with Michael Berkery, the independent chair, to continue the discussions we have had about establishing this as quickly as possible. There is concern among the representatives of inshore fishermen and fisherwomen that the task force is a response to the large quota cut for the pelagic sector. That is true…

I am very conscious of the impact the small inshore fishermen and fisherwomen have on their communities. Sometimes it is just a living for their own families, but it is also part of the cultural life of some of these little villages and hamlets along our coast that many people take the opportunity to visit as part of their getaways from the larger cities, a tourism component. At the heart of it, h…

As the Deputy knows, the Hague preferences are negotiated annually. Over the years, many member states have objected strenuously to their application because the additional quota for Ireland comes from their allocations. These objections have intensified in recent times, arising from reductions in quota due to quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and scientific advice ba…

I understand that the Deputy comes from an area where fishing is important. To be clear, the quota reduction, based on the scientific advice, applied across the board regardless of the member states involved. It did not seek to penalise Ireland in favour of any other state. It sought to try to protect, insofar as possible, the future of certain species. The Deputy is right in the sense that Irelan…

The task force will be part of the Food Vision strategy. Later today I will be meeting with the independent chair, Michael Berkery. We have a draft of the terms of reference, which I hope to have agreed shortly. I hope that the first meeting can take place within the next two weeks. We have a clear agenda about the necessity to address the crisis in light of the fishing opportunity that has been l…

Give it up.

Can you imagine if another leader came over to tell us what to do?

That is why Deputy Tóibín left Sinn Féin.

The Deputy should be careful.

I thank Deputies for their contributions to the debate. The Government welcomes the considerations and contributions on this Stage. I look forward to what I think, based on what I heard, will be the Deputies' support in progressing the Bill through the House. The Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2026 will make crucial and long-sought changes to our regulatory regime for natural gas and liquified petrol…

-----and that is something that will come on board through Gas Networks Ireland. I am pleased we are making significant progress in that area. I am sorry I did not get to answer my good friend, Deputy Heneghan, but he and I will have a conversation again about the whole offshore piece in another forum I am sure.

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy pursuant to Standing Orders 103 and 188.

I begin by reiterating that the Government rejects entirely the arguments and assertions put forward in the Sinn Féin motion. As stated by the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, the motion does not at all acknowledge the serious and diligent work undertaken by the Government and by numerous Government Ministers at European level with like-minded EU member states to oppose the EU-Mercosur agreemen…

When at some point Sinn Féin gets an opportunity to be in government - it has experience north of the Border - it will know how diplomacy works. When people have the privilege and obligation to work on behalf of the people, they do so behind the scenes and they work generously. We set our frame forward when we entered government with a programme for Government that set out clearly that we were aga…

Yes, because others worked together to block us. The Deputies opposite know the facts of this.

They know full well that this decision does not diminish Ireland's commitment to trade with the European Union or to the international engagement. Rather, it reflects a careful, evidence-based judgment that trade policy must be fair, sustainable and balanced. The Government will continue to engage constructively as the process moves forward, including ahead of the European Parliament vote. We will…

-----or the reopening of market access for beef to the Chinese markets. This Government has shown time after time a commitment to rural communities. Time after time, it has delivered for rural communities. We can all get up here and shout and roar, but the reality is that I, as someone who was born and bred in a rural community and brought up on a small farm,-----