How do you sleep?

Literally, how do you sleep?

How do you sleep?

The invisible man.

Chair-----

Hear, hear.

There is a truism that abounds around this place at this time every year as we approach the budget. It goes something like "Show me your budget and I will show you my priorities". This is especially true of a budget that takes place at the start of a Government's term. We do not know a huge amount about the complexion of the budget that will be introduced on 7 October. However, we know from a very successful media campaign run by a sectoral interest and Fine Gael especially, which bent over backwards to accommodate…

You are on this side of the House now.

Have a word with your brother.

I thank the Minister for his response. I note the publication of that statement and that he has placed on the record of the House that at this stage, this is an understanding. At the time, my recollection is that he welcomed the removal of section 899 retaliatory measures and that is very important for businesses. We have to remember that Ireland has significant foreign direct investment in the United States. This has been described as a form of opt-out for the US. Does the Minister believe this may have worrying i…

I appreciate this is a bit of an moveable feast but there are uncertainties. The G20 nations were the guardians of the OECD deal originally. The OECD adopted it and we adopted it. I welcomed at the time that we adopted the process ourselves. That was not without risks for Ireland. It was a welcome thing to do. Because the framework of this deal is subject to EU legislation, I assume EU legislation will require to be changed to accommodate this agreement if indeed there is an agreement. That will require unanimity. …

I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: After "compare prices and make informed choices" to insert: "calls on the Government to: — commit to passing the Competition and Consumer Protection (Unfair Prices) Bill 2023; and — instead of using over €700 million to cut the rate of Value Added Tax on hospitality in Budget 2026, to use these hundreds of millions to reduce child poverty with a targeted second tier of child benefit, and other measures to provide income supports to households.". I thank the Social Democrat…

Do not be so cynical.

That is exactly what the Government has been doing for the past three years. This is why it is in this difficulty.

Tax cuts to target child poverty.

Absolutely.

And then you delayed my Bill by 12 months.

The failures of care exposed by the media in recent weeks are not just a failure of one private nursing home operator. This is a failure by our State, a failure of public policy, a failure of regulation, and an abject failure to uphold the dignity of those who have no option but to put their care into others' hands. It would be naive of us to think that we have seen is anything other than the tip of the iceberg. Just look at Aoife Hegarty's reports today. The abuse, the poor care, the corners cut and older men and …

I will cut to the chase. North Drogheda objectively needs a train station. It should already be in place. I was on Louth County Council more than 20 years ago when we masterplanned the provision of 5,000 new homes. Half of those homes have been or are in the process of being built. These plans included a site for a train station, but then came the crash. Up to half of those homes, as I said, have been built or they are in process and we still do not have a new station. The profile of the new residents of that area …

I congratulate my colleague Deputy Farrell for bringing this Bill forward. It is significant legislation. It very much aligns with the work that the Deputy has done since she entered this Chamber in 2020. She is very much focused on the question of public procurement and driving economic and social change through the development of responsible public procurement systems. It is quite extraordinary when we consider that €22 billion of taxpayers' money, generated by the hard work of Irish citizens, will be spent on pu…