The words used there were "likely to be a paralegal." I am really concerned about that. There are many people around the country who are seeking asylum at this moment and going through the immigration process with unscrupulous immigration consultants who do not have a legal background at all. They end up paying out thousands to these people. It is important that legal counselling is coming from accredited individuals, licensed individuals, to stop that happening. I do not know how the Minister is going to do that. …

Before we finish, I do not know whether we got a chance or not to congratulate Senator Cathal Byrne on his recent marriage. I do not know whether we did or not but I want to extend our congratulations from this side of the House.

This week, the world has been shaken by the escalating conflict in the Gulf involving Iran, a conflict that will drive prices sharply upwards. Once again, Ireland stands exposed. Why is this? It is because we are nowhere near prepared for this reality. This is not simply an external crisis but a mirror held up to our own failings at home. For years, warnings have been sounded about Ireland's vulnerability to global energy shocks but successive governments have chosen a path that leaves us more exposed and not less.…

We gather here today to debate a Bill that the Government claims will deliver stronger migration controls, faster processing and a more robust system. Let me be absolutely clear; I believe in strong controls on migration and in defending the integrity of our borders and our asylum system. That is a matter of sovereignty, fairness and national capacity. However, I oppose this Bill. While that might sound like a contradiction, it is not, because sovereignty without control over law-making is not sovereignty at all. T…

No.

I raise a matter of growing concern relating to consumer protection and Ireland's obligation under EU law. In recent weeks, the European Commission has issued Ireland with a formal notice for failing to transpose the updated consumer credit directive, which is the legislation designed to protect individuals from unfair lending practices, hidden charges and the risks posed by new digital moneylending and credit products. Most Members know that I am far from being uncritical of EU directives and how the Government of…

I thank the MEPs for coming in here this afternoon. Time is short so I will jump right in. Regarding the EU-India trade and mobility negotiations, Ireland's Indian population rose from 59,600 to 70,000 in a single year and is on track to become the largest foreign national group in the State. As this is happening while governments claim migration is being tightened, I ask our MEPs, particularly Mr. Kelly and Mr. Kelleher because they sit on the industry, research and energy and the economic and monetary affairs com…

It is called the EU-India trade deal.

It is called the EU-India trade deal.

I rise to seek clarity from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding the Government’s response to the European Parliament’s recent designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. This decision reflects serious concerns about the IRGC’s role in repression in Iran and its activities beyond the country's borders. Given the gravity of that assessment, it is important for this House to understand Ireland’s considered position. First, what assessment has the Department undert…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that the Foreign Affairs Council is working through the sanctions that will be introduced and that it takes times. However, while I speak and representatives of the US and the Islamic regime are in Geneva, people are being shot for protesting on the streets of Abdanan in Iran. The IRGC is a terrorist organisation and the Iranian Government is a terrorist government. It must be replaced immediately. The IRGC has tentacles that stretch into Gaza with Hamas, into Lebanon wit…

Hear, hear.

I welcome to the Gallery Dr. Eoin Lenihan, author of Vandalising Ireland , a book on how the Government, NGOs, academia and media are engineering a new globalist Ireland. I wish to raise the escalating pressures facing the Irish haulage and transport sector. Pressures are now reaching a point where many operators describe themselves as no longer viable. Over recent months, hauliers have warned that rising fuel taxes, increased road and bridge tolls and new levies introduced since January are placing unsustainable b…

Hear, hear.

The ambassador is very welcome. I thank him and the people from Lithuania for what they have contributed to our economy and society over the past 15 to 20 years. Today, I rise to address the revelations emerging from the recently released Epstein emails that should concern every democracy, including our own. It would be dangerously naïve to assume that the political fallout happening across the water has no bearing on Ireland. We now know that Peter Mandelson, a senior political figure in Britain, maintained contac…

There is no innocent person caught up in a 13-year-old being trafficked into Ireland.

Sorry.

I rise today with a deep sense of outrage. I am not concerned or irritated, but outraged at the steady interference of the European Union in democratic elections, including our own. In the recent report on communications between big tech and the European Commission subpoenaed by the US Congress, the facts are clearly documented. Ahead of the 2023 election in Slovakia, TikTok, under EU pressure, censored statements such as "There are only two genders" and “We need to stop the sexualization of young people". These ar…

A national issue was highlighted last week in Laois County Council. Councillor Aisling Moran undertook Trojan work examining three decades of social housing costs, comparing homes delivered directly by the council with those delivered through approved housing bodies. What she uncovered was startling. If the approved housing body model operates as presented, our nation has drifted into financial madness. We now have a Government that refuses to trust its own local councils to build homes. Instead, we are left with a…

I had better welcome the guests from Cavan here this evening. They are all very welcome. This Department is doing marvellous work. It is a brand new Department, at only five years old. We have to remember that. I recall when the Minister, Deputy Harris came in here, when he first started the Department back in July 2020. I said to him that with a stroke of a pen he could create thousands of jobs. I encouraged him to go out and set up apprenticeships within the public service and that is exactly what he has done. I …