I too wish to support the motion and I welcome the people in the Gallery here. When they were doing good they were ostracised and vilified when they were actually working in the public interest. I regret that very much. We have been told, very eloquently, how some of these people lost their homes, lost their families and suffered an awful lot of mental hardship. I also want to welcome my group in the Gallery. They are from Gneeveguilla and Rathmore. We hope they enjoy the Dáil here today. I will not go into individ…

Have you any regard for the lambs that the foxes kill?

Has she any regard for the lambs that the foxes-----

I respectfully ask the Taoiseach whether he or the Government can do anything about the excessive cost of diesel, fuel and petrol at the pumps, and the price of kerosene for people in their homes. We see now that the price per litre of diesel has gone over €1.80 and it is much around the same for petrol. The price of diesel has actually gone higher than petrol at many pumps. The make-up of the tax in the price is €1.15 and it is €1.05 for diesel. Carbon tax accounts for 16.35 cent of the price of petrol and 18.74 c…

It is driving up inflation, the cost of living and everything else.

Please answer. Can the Taoiseach do anything about it?

Prices have gone up since.

Will the Deputies sit down?

I am only starting. I am glad to get the opportunity to talk here and support the Government's announcement of this money for the greyhound industry and the horse racing industry. We know what they mean to our county of Kerry. People with greyhounds are out in the morning, late in the evening, walking and exercising the dogs and exercising themselves, and they are a vital part of our community. We hear the Opposition, which was playing to the gallery last Wednesday night about all they would do for the farmers. The…

-----and where they spend fortunes to do themselves up and add glamour to our events. We appreciate that very much. We have local ladies from Kilgarvan who actually won the best dressed lady in Listowel, including Joanne Murphy. We appreciate all of this because it means so much to rural Ireland. As for the people talking against it, I am sorry that they do not understand it. They should come down and see what is going on there, and walk the roads with the people who are walking the dogs because they are doing trem…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk in this very important debate. Ireland, for its size, has done more for asylum seekers and refugees than any other country in Europe. That is a fact. We have to realise it. We are a small country that spent €1.2 billion last year on refugees. It is fine and we are glad to have done that, but how long can this continue? We have a lot of our own people who have competing demands for houses, health, social welfare and all the different things. We do not have the leprechaun's pu…

I have raised it a couple of times in the past couple of weeks. How do we think as a Government we can keep paying €1.2 billion for asylum seekers or refugees or whatever they are in this country? We are under savage pressure for services in every regard. I am asking that question. How long can the country stand up to this? There are taxpayers out in the morning and late at night working and trying to survive and they are taxed to the hilt. That is the question I am asking. I hope someone will address it for me. It…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on health insurance and few other things because we have a lot of issues. Everyone who can possibly afford it should have health insurance. I welcome any moves by the Department of Health and the Government to put money into private health insurance to help bring down the premiums or the policies, if that is what will follow. I worry whether the insurance companies will take advantage and increase the premiums again because that seems to be what happens following interventio…

I am glad to get the chance to talk on this very important motion. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing it forward. I welcome the ladies in the Gallery who are here to campaign for justice. Like all of the other women out there who are being abused, they are depending on Dáil Éireann to see after them and to uphold their right to live and carry on where they have always been, in their own local areas. It was said that there is an urgent need for robust enforcement of protection orders. We should develop a strategy to ens…

When did the Deputy build houses?

Is it one question?

How much longer does the Minister of State think Ireland can pay over €1 billion per year to accommodate Ukrainian refugees? The other question, which I have asked several times, is: if we can give €600 to assist Ukrainians to pay their rent, can we give it to Irish people as well?

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important matter this evening. I, like everyone else, commiserate with the people of Ukraine who have gone through so much. What is going on is terrible as is the length of time it has been going on. We have to recognise that Ireland has played a major part in welcoming, as was said previously, up to 120,000 people from Ukraine. Of course, I welcome people who are working here, are in employment here and can stand on their own two feet here. However, when we rea…

You should not be taking sides and that is it. Standing with Ukraine is antagonising the Russians.

You said it there. I wrote down what you said.