I commend the great Oscar wins at the weekend for Jessie Buckley and Richie Baneham and, of course, the win for the Irish rugby team. Yesterday, we watched the White House ceremony while the Taoiseach sat silent, utterly sidelined while US President Trump ranted and raved-----

-----about Europe, NATO, wind farms, Keir Starmer, immigration and much more. It is deeply disappointing that the Taoiseach did not push back harder against Trump's delusional ramblings, in particular to condemn Trump's illegal war on Iran.

To be fair, however, one thing we can be glad about is that the Taoiseach did push back against some of Trump's comments on immigration. I was pleased to hear the Taoiseach defend Europe and European migration policy and, indeed, say that Ireland benefits from our migrant communities and the skills they bring here. It was entirely appropriate for the Taoiseach to bring that message on St. Patrick's Day from a nation of immigrants because for generations the Irish national story was about our people finding refuge a…

I would not have gone.

That is right.

No shamrock ceremony for somebody------

The Labour Party has articulated a very clear migration policy of our own. It is, of course, fair, effective and rules based, but it also has room for humanity and compassion. It is interesting to hear the Minister's emphasis on a rules-based system because at the same meeting yesterday in the White House, the Taoiseach also raised with President Trump the need for a special deal, a legal pathway with the US for Irish immigrants. Certainly, it is very welcome to see the Taoiseach making reference to people from Ire…

Will the Minister commit to having a full scrutiny of the legislation in the Seanad?

Will he launch a positive campaign on the benefits of inward migration?

There are 320,000 households in arrears on their electricity bills. Hundreds of thousands are facing soaring home heating costs and price hikes at filling stations as the US and Israel's illegal war on Iran enters its third week, with no end in sight. The Minister stated earlier that the Government is considering cost-of-living measures and a package of supports for struggling households. There have been many kites flown and many mixed messages from Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, suggested…

When will it happen?

Cuirim fáilte rompu go léir. I welcome the students from St. Michael's in Finglas and also students from the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, CDETB, Parnell Square. Ironically, it is lovely to welcome them from Parnell Square on a day when Deputy Marie Sherlock has done so much to secure the future of the Rotunda Hospital in Parnell Square.

Many people in Ireland are now at breaking point from the cost-of-living crisis. This crisis has not just persisted; it has been turbocharged by global instability for sure but also by the Government's policies. Households are struggling on every front, with the price of housing, groceries and energy. Those already in poverty are being pushed even further to the margins and everyone is feeling the squeeze. The costs of everyday essentials have skyrocketed. In five years, butter and milk are 45% more expensive. This…

The Taoiseach outlined measures taken. The Labour Party welcomes any measures that will ease pressure for struggling households, but even the Taoiseach acknowledged that families and households are still struggling, and that not enough has been done to help people, who are now desperately fearful as they see the likely prospect of inflation spiralling again and as they see already, as I have said, home heating oil vastly increased in price. Here is what else the Taoiseach could be doing, because the Labour Party ha…

This afternoon, the Dáil will debate post office closures. Across the country, we see the hollowing-out of our post office network. Government representatives may lament each closure today but the Government has the power to halt and reverse the closure of in-person services. Take Rathmines, a community in my constituency with a similar population to Drogheda. Having already lost the citizens information centre, now our beloved, iconic 1930s Rathmines post office faces closure, relocation and sale on the private ma…

We are witnessing a terrifying outbreak of war in Iran and across the Middle East over recent days, with strikes on schools and infrastructure, citizens locked down, flights cancelled and global chaos. At the outset, I will say what the Taoiseach and his Government colleagues have so far failed to say, namely that the attacks carried out by the United States and Israel represent a flagrant breach of international law. Their bombardment of Iran is illegal and should be condemned by the Taoiseach. Of course, the Iran…

We can all agree there are no good guys here. The Iranian regime is brutal and we have utterly condemned it. However, the Israeli and US attacks on Iran are also illegal. We should be able to say that very clearly. The socialist Prime Minister of Spain has been very clear in condemning the attacks and refusing to allow Spanish bases to be used by the US. Why can we not have that clarity here? Instead, as I said, the Taoiseach engages in a sort of double-speak, criticizing the UN, yet failing to recognise that in fa…

-----that we all must draw. The Irish people are not fools.

I think that is what we are seeing here.

What is the alternative?