I move: (1) THAT for the purposes of the tax charged by virtue of section 95 of the Finance Act 1999 (No. 2 of 1999), that Act be amended, with effect as on and from 29 August 2026, by the substitution of the following for Schedule 2 to that Act (as amended by section 2(3) of the Finance Act 2026 (No. 24 of 2026)): "SCHEDULE 2 RATES OF MINERAL OIL TAX ",". (2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Co…

It is nine weeks.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta McDonald. I thank her for the question. First, I join with her in welcoming Cara Darmody back to Dáil Éireann. It is good to see her again. While she continues her campaign in relation to improvements around assessments of need and disability services in general, it is also worth noting that she has already changed Ireland for the better with the creation of the fund that has made a real difference in terms of more children getting assessments. My colleague, the Minister of State, D…

I do not know who said that-----

-----but I am just relaying in good faith the information.

The 27 May 2026 is when the information came in versus 2024, but I accept the seriousness of this matter. Again, this is also just the truth: there are mixed views on the science in relation to this. A number of European countries have said "No". Some have said "Yes". We would not have a situation where the HSE drugs group was deciding to set up a rare diseases expert panel to look at this, to bring together the national experts and the patient advocates, to hear their voices and views, if they did not want to give…

It is always good to see the Deputy on a Thursday. I take the fact that she is here as a sign of her seriousness on this issue. I mean that genuinely. I thank her for that. I also take the seriousness of the issue. There is no disagreeing. We can use different words to describe this situation but there is no disagreement that it is a very worrying and stressful time for these families. That is a statement of fact. It is also a statement of fact that the process - and the Deputy knows it very well - is clear in law …

I will make sure the process is carried in the expeditious timeline that has been set out in terms of that-----

It has said it will do that within four weeks.

I wish to make one point because I am conscious that we are on the clock. The Deputy made another point around delays and bureaucracy. I have to make the point back that sometimes those delays are not on the side of the State. We need to have full root and branch review of how medicines are assessed in this country. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is entirely committed to that. Even in the House today, debating when the application came in or when the full business came in, there has to be a be…

-----specific issue, the rare diseases group, which is made up of not politicians-----

-----and not of bureaucrats but of doctors who treat these patients.

As am I. The group and the patient representatives will meet through this structure to assess this drug.

I thank the Deputy very much. The most important thing - and we should never lose sight of this in any discussion in relation to Ukraine or Russia - is Ireland's absolute clear position in relation to this. Ireland absolutely, fully and resolutely supports Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. We had President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here on the first day of our Presidency of the Council of the European Union to highlight that level of support and solidarity. We deplore the actions of Russia. This is a country that has en…

I am now bamboozled by the Deputy's position. I am trying to be constructive and engage but he wants to use political rhetoric. That is fine. On one hand, he is saying to go ahead and impose national sanctions on a company that he is accusing of funding the Russian war machine and fuelling in terms of Ukraine. On the other hand, he saying to sit down and have a chat with them. Let us take this step by step. The first step is to establish the facts and provide those facts to the European Commission. The second step …

Yes.

Yes.

Let me say "Yes" and "Yes" to two very clear questions. Let me acknowledge the Deputy's own advocacy, leadership and involvement in this issue for a long number of years and that of other Deputies from the area, including the Ministers, Deputies Byrne and McEntee, Deputy Butterly and many people across the political divide trying to desperately get a hearing for people who were being ignored, obstructed and, as Deputy Nash said, were having doors slammed in their faces. This is the second time this week in this Hou…

No.

I thank Deputy Nash and agree with everything he says. I thank Dignity4Patients as well for the very structured and really constructive and helpful way it went about its engagement as well. The Deputy is right that Shine being sent to a prison cell, where he belongs, is justice in one part but it is nowhere near enough. We saw this again the other day in relation to Waterford. There is a case of who knew what, when and how could this abuse have been stopped. It went from 1964 to 1990, which is an extraordinarily lo…