Ruth Coppinger
Dublin West · People Before Profit-Solidarity · Ireland
“Next Wednesday, the trial continues of the Ulm five, including the Irish citizen, Daniel Tatlow-Devally. A delegation of TDs and Senators, including me, will attend the trial in Stuttgart next week.”
“This man said of one woman that he would attach her to a concrete block. He said of another that he would set fire to her. Should this person be getting a pay off from the Army? No, of course, he should not. He should have been put on trial.”
“I have very little time left, but I want to put on record that the woman in question was abused by an Army officer using military equipment and surveillance technology, which is extremely scary. She made a complaint, which has never been pursued.”
“When is the victims of crime Act 2017 going to apply the Army? The Women of Honour have pushed for change so that if there is abuse within the Army there will, we hope, be mechanisms to deal with that, but what about women who are abused by Army personnel who are not in the Army?”
“This officer was involved in a GoFundMe campaign, where rapists' names were used as a joke by the various men who contributed to it. I do not think rape is funny and the Army should not either. That GoFundMe campaign was left up for a long time. Why is the Army a law unto itself in relation to gender-based violence?”
“The victim's belief is that the military prosecutor has evidence of a very dangerous man but for some reason, the Army does not seem to be concerned because it has not prosecuted him on those charges. Why would the Army not want to prosecute somebody? Are we at war or something? Why is it so secretive?”
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“I blame Éamon de Valera for many things, but I doubt counselling notes were at the top of his agenda when he inserted the Article dealing with fair trials in the Constitution. A lot was said about zero tolerance, but every single misogynistic practice I highlighted in this House in 2018 is still going on in the courts. Clothing, underwear, contraception and alcohol and drug intake can all still be used against a survivor in court. All the victim-blaming is still there. None of that has been dealt with by successive Governments since the "I Believe Her" marches, the Cork rape trial or the Belfast rape trial. That is the problem.”
“There is an irony in the Tánaiste saying we should all work together when the Government is stopping my Bill. The Government could have allowed the Bill to progress. We could debate it and it could amend it on Committee Stage. The problem with the Bill the Minister seems to be talking about is that it will not exclude the potential for counselling notes to be admitted. That is the problem. The actual potential of having one's therapy notes accessed is what creates the trauma and is what is putting people off taking cases. The Government will not exclude that, which is the problem. The right to a fair trial is very important, but so is the right to actually pursue a case for a crime committed against a person. There is no evidential value in counselling notes.”
“I spoke to one of the therapists who signed the letter on the phone yesterday, who told me a 15-year-old has dropped out of CAMHS because the teenager had heard in the media that therapy notes could be accessed in court. A survivor of child abuse is dropping out of therapy because of this. How long must we wait? Why would it take the Government a year to come up with a Bill in the first place? Why would the Government put a stop of a year on my Bill? People have waited. The then Minister, Deputy McEntee, said she would do it in 2023. The Tánaiste said it in the Dáil on 2 July 2024, as did the Taoiseach, Deputy Martin, but here we are again. We have a Bill to be debated in the Dáil but the Government will delay it.”
“I will let that rest with the Tánaiste. I have a Bill to outlaw it. I do not know what the Tánaiste's excuse is. We have been hearing from the Minister that it could be unconstitutional. However, evictions could not be banned until this week. Suddenly, that is not unconstitutional. Therapists will gather outside Leinster House later in support of my Bill. A total of 60 professionals wrote to the Ministers for Health and justice and the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health. This is a health issue, by the way, not just a mental health issue. Survivors of gendered violence are much more likely to have self-harmed, poor physical health, suicidal ideation and eating disorders. Therapy is the one avenue that could possibly help them work through those issues.”
“It is a very cynical measure and is something that will be noted by so many people. This is an unbelievably damaging and misogynistic practice for survivors. I will give the Tánaiste an example of what Sarah Grace said: ... in many ways I found my trial more traumatic than the attack itself. Can you imagine saying that? ... I would take the attack again before having to step foot back in that courtroom. The most heartbreaking obstacle of all was the seizure of my counselling [notes]. Is the Tánaiste listening to what survivors are saying about our legal system - that they would actually go through the attack again, rather than go through the legal system? One of the most egregious things mentioned by survivors is the fact that their therapy notes could be read by the perpetrator of the heinous crime against them.”
“How important does the Tánaiste think the issue of gender-based violence is? The United Nations and the WHO say it is the greatest threat to the health of women and girls in the world. There has been a record number of calls to Women's Aid and a rise in calls to gardaí regarding gender-based violence. I am struggling to find one measure the Government has introduced in its six months. Today, however, the Government had a chance to allow a Bill to progress that would actually deal with something very concrete, that survivors and therapists are very much behind and that the Tánaiste supported only a year ago, namely, the outlawing of counselling notes being accessed by defence teams in trials for gender-based violence. The Government has decided to delay my Bill, which will be discussed in the House later today, by a year.”
“Petty legalities are being used in the face of a genocide. The Government is putting compliance with finance laws above the lives of millions of Palestinians. It is business as usual. That is complicity. My heart breaks for the people of Palestine. They are victims of an absolutely brutal phase of capitalism right now where colonialism and imperialism are unleashed. Greta Thunberg summed it up absolutely brilliantly yesterday when she was asked why this is happening and why governments are ignoring it. She explained that it was because of racism and a system that is so destructive that it puts short-term profit and geopolitical interests above the needs of humanity. I salute the march to Gaza and other initiatives by ordinary people. We cannot rely on governments like this Government. That is clear.”
“The Minister said it was an appalling tragedy. It is not an appalling tragedy. This is man-made and designed. I would love to be as calm as the Minister when he spoke. He talked about partners the Government is working with. We heard the Taoiseach yesterday talking about some of them as well. A lot of them are tyrants, by the way. Saudi Arabia and Jordan never give a toss about Palestinians. The Minister also spoke about a two-state solution. Does he think there will be two states left? The way things are going, Palestine will not exist unless there is action. The Minister is parsing and analysing words in the face of a genocide. The Central Bank took over this role after Brexit. An EU state was needed to approve these bonds. Ireland is a lynchpin State for the sale of these bonds. It cannot happen without Ireland's approval.”
“The Taoiseach gets annoyed when we use the word “complicit”. I believe the Minister does too. What does the word “complicit” mean? I looked it up again before I came to the Chamber. It means “involved in, or knowing something is wrong or unlawful”. The Minister knows something is wrong and unlawful and he has a big chance to do something about it. This is a really clear example. The Irish Central Bank is processing Israeli bonds that the Israeli state itself boasts are crucial to the conflict and the war in which it is involved. That is from Isaac Herzog. The Governor of the Central Bank says the bonds cannot be stopped without a legal basis. There are multiple legal bases, including the Genocide Convention, the International Court of Justice’s ruling and EU laws that have been cited in the Chamber today.”
“For so many people, the only thing they have in life is sitting outside in their back garden or enjoying their own home, given that they cannot afford to go out, yet this is what they are constantly subjected to. I have to hand an example of the noise of a drone, which was recorded as it flew over my housing estate in Mulhuddart. This is what people are listening to on a Saturday morning, in the evening or whenever. This really needs to be brought home because as one resident asked, will our skies become as busy as our roads? No private company should have the right to do this. If this is necessary, as Deputy Gannon said, for isolated areas, I can see that but it should be run by the State.”
“I did not have time to read the Minister of State's substantial prepared answer but the Department of Transport has known about this because residents have been in contact. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, is also based in the area and replied to residents last August. I warn people in Dublin city that this is what they are in for. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, it seems, will let these companies unleash this on people. One of the problems is that the drones are restricted from flying too high because of planes and, obviously, the lower they are, the more noise they generate. The operator is supposed to restrict their hours of operation but that is not being followed, according to residents. They are also supposed to alter their flightpaths so that they are not constantly going over the same houses. That does not happen either.”
“There are other ways to get food delivered. The environment is constantly cited as an issue, but people have a right to enjoy their environment in peace and quiet, as do wildlife. No impact has been done on this. A WhatsApp survey was done on a group of residents in Castleknock. Some 50 people answered straightaway. I have the replies. The things they talked about include the fact that there is "no consent". One person said "my elderly mother finds them very distressing"; another said there is "zero transparency or accountability"; while others referred to "the frequency of flights has noticeably increased"; "the environmental impact" and a "close encounter with a bird". I could go on. Nobody seems to care. This Dáil has to regulate for this.”
“As one resident said: "This is one company: what if the skies are opened up to all companies?" At the moment, it may be only bothering a limited number of people who are losing their right to enjoy their back gardens and their right to privacy. The noise is unbelievable. As one resident said, they have absolutely no issue with drone innovation technology, but beyond the serious privacy and safety issues, the persistent drone noise is disruptive and undermines the quiet residential character of the neighbourhood. They said it adds yet another layer of stress to daily life and reflects a broader problem, namely, the growing incursion of tech companies into our communities without democratic oversight or meaningful accountability. Drone delivery of fast food and consumer goods is not a public necessity.”
“Unfortunately, in Blanchardstown we have been suffering with this for more than a year and a half and nobody is listening. Manna Drone Delivery began operating in Blanchardstown and it, apparently, has 170,000 drone flights done. The plan is for 2 million. The company has now linked up with the massive multinational, Deliveroo. Let us be clear: the company is not delivering blood or medicine; it is delivering burgers and lattes for profit. So many residents have been raising this with public representatives in the area for more than a year and a half. We raised it on the council and now it must come to the Dáil. There must be regulation.”
“There is huge capacity that is not being realised in the local authorities and the public sector. I have given the following example and I have asked the Taoiseach about it and am now asking the Minister of State. There is a strategic land bank in Scribblestown in Ashtown owned by Fingal County Council. The council says it can provide 7,000 homes. There has not been a meeting between the Minister and the council about that. It has asked for €200 million to help start development. It has not received a reply as far as I know. That is a strategic land bank. We do not need to be kowtowing to the likes of Urbeo in Hansfield, for example, which is currently charging tenants a minimum €2,000 for a two-bed property. This is miles out of the city centre. We need the State to develop public housing. That is the only solution.”
“We have TDs in this Dáil who have a very big problem remembering they have tenancies, never mind other landlords registering them as well. The other thing is balance. What balance is there? All the cards are in the hands of landlords now. There is no need for this balance. Landlords already have all the power and nothing has been rebalanced. We keep hearing we must attract landlords back into the sector, but the number of landlords rose last year. This is constantly reiterated. It has been since 2016. Despite this landlords are increasing. The other issue I want to raise is that the Taoiseach said earlier these measures are to activate supply and we can never reach our target of 50,000 unless we take some measures like these. It is this pivot Fianna Fáil has taken that we need to shift to the private sector. I do not accept that.”
“We have not had a chance to question the housing Minister, that I can recall, since coming into this Dáil. I wanted to register that. We have already seen him raising this great idea of the housing tsar. Somebody commented that we have not seen a tsar disappear so quickly since 1917. That idea has gone. I will address some of the measures announced today. No-fault evictions have been banned for landlords who own four or more properties. How will the tenant know? How would a tenant have any idea how many properties their landlord actually owns so they can challenge an eviction if it is put to them? Before the Minister of State says they are all registered with the RTB, we know the vast majority of tenancies are not actually registered with the RTB.”
“Northern Ireland has an horrific history of violence against women - a native history. According to a recent Ulster University survey, 98% of women there have experienced at least one form of violence in their lives. It has the second highest femicide rate in the EU. The PSNI says there is a domestic violence report every 16 minutes. Unless those facts are brought out north and south of the Border, racists will continue to use this issue to stir up the racism they want. We need real action on gendered violence.”
“There were worrying and horrific scenes in Ballymena last night of hundreds, potentially thousands, of people gathering. It would appear some racist attacks were committed on homes. It follows an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl, and I extend my solidarity to that girl and her family. Two teens have been accused, and as soon as it became potentially the case that they were non-nationals or were from another country, these crowds gathered in what is becoming a familiar pattern in the North, the South, in the UK, etc. First, I condemn the attacks that appear to have taken place on the homes of non-nationals, including a Filipino family. We have to come out and make this clear. Gender-based violence is gendered violence. It has nothing to do with nationality.”
“The Taoiseach's Government promised 12 families that they would have places in the school last September. All those children are sitting at home or doing another year in preschool because Government failed to deliver. All that is needed are modular buildings but we have to be honest here: this is linked to chronic underinvestment in the public sector and to the housing crisis. We cannot get therapists. It is great that the Government has increased the places but most of these people are leaving the public sector or emigrating. We cannot get teachers either - I know teachers failed to live up to the Government's expectations by rejecting the latest plan for the leaving certificate - and especially not in special education, where people are not trained or resourced.”
“There was a march on Saturday through the streets of Dublin in horrendous weather. It was organised by parents, especially mothers, in a group called FUSS and Equality in Education Ireland. They are ordinary women who have had to spend their whole lives organising to get rights for their children. Many of them still do not have school places and many parents have contacted me who are in the same position. Danu Community Special School is a school I have raised before.”
“It is a shame. The Minister was asked what the alternative to deporting children was. Maybe listen to what Simon Harris said when children were deported a few years back and he rallied behind them but the Taoiseach has just decided that this is popular.”
“It is a high price to pay for a bit of virtue signalling to the far right - €325,000 or thereabouts to deport 35 people so that the Minister for justice can look like the strong man and this Government looks like it is doing something against racists because that it is exactly what it is.”
“One of the most brutal things I have seen is the picking up by ICE of children and people off the streets of the US yet how far away from it are we given what happened here last week where 35 people, including five children, were deported to Nigeria? The report from the children's school principal and those who knew them said that they had been fully integrated in the school for three years and that so many of the schoolchildren were upset. They came to the Red Cow IPAS centre and it told them they were going to deported and other children were listening to this.”
“What else should the Naval Service be doing, as part of a neutral country, other than trying to take part in humanitarian endeavours like that? If 12 activists can go on a ship, how can a professional navy not do that? Will the Taoiseach ask the EU?”
“The Madleen humanitarian flotilla was illegally intercepted by Israel in international waters. This is piracy, it is kidnapping and it is a crime to stop aid being delivered to starving children and people. Four people have been deported, including Greta Thunberg, and eight detained, and we commend their bravery. Three ambulance crew and a journalist were among the murdered last night. The Taoiseach gets annoyed when we say the Irish State is complicit, but he and the Tánaiste have both recognised that there is a genocide, yet they have done nothing active to stop it. For example, did the Taoiseach lodge an objection to what the Israelis did last night? Would he agree to the Naval Service going there to try to deliver humanitarian aid? He is shaking his head.”
“Australia has hard-to-fill vacancies and introduced scholarships in the amount of 5,000 Australian dollars. A non-UK student who is coming to the country to teach languages, physics, science or whatever else will get a bursary. Our Government is doing nothing. We need a city allowance for public sector workers. We need special education allowances. We need to consider how we will lift the hardship from public sector workers. Otherwise, they will continue to fly to Australia and other places all around the globe and our crisis will continue.”
“In other words, the Government is not going to do anything. That is the reality. It is going to stick by these collective agreements that do not serve all groups of workers. I will give the examples of the Tories, who I would not be singing the praises of at any time. Due to the teaching crisis in the UK, a scheme was introduced to make bursaries available. To teach chemistry, for example, a prospective teacher will get a scholarship of £31,000 and a bursary of £29,000, which is much higher than the average industrial wage. Postgraduate bursaries are being introduced. Irish people are going over to the UK to do their teacher training because they will be paid the average industrial wage. They will then stay in the system in the UK for a period.”
“In our mutual constituency, the resounding message at the doors is that young Castleknock is in Australia. That was said to me. I was told I would not meet anyone over the age of 23 in the area. The Mayor of London estimates that a worker needs £9,600 extra to live in inner London. There is a London weighting allowance, for example, for the NHS, whereby a worker in inner London is paid 20%, or up to £8,172, more. An allowance of 15% is available to those in outer London to attract NHS staff. The teacher shortage is acute in Dublin and all cities and urban areas, as it is everywhere in the country. How can we expect teachers to live in Dublin when the average rent is €2,377? How can we expect people to do that? They are going to emigrate and we will see a continuation of the situation.”
“What incentives will the Minister provide for public sector workers because of the acute shortages we are seeing? Some 382 roles in the national children's hospital are unfilled. There are 700 vacancies for psychiatric nurses. There are 529 unfilled posts throughout the children's disability network teams, CDNTs. Some 500 new social workers are required per year. Some 75% of secondary schools are unable to fill teaching posts. There are 9,000 unqualified individuals in our schools. Need I go on? This is having a massive impact throughout society. Unless the Government admits there is a real problem and institutes a city allowance or other allowances to attract workers, we are in for a continuation of the impact of this crisis.”
“Imagine nine of your children being targeted and killed by the Israeli state. The doctor to whom I refer, Dr. Banan Albatta, stayed to help people because of her social obligation. The Government is delaying and watering down the occupied territories Bill. Let us cut the crap. The Bill has been there since 2019. I remember being in the Dáil at the time and Fianna Fáil coming in talking about the occupied territories Bill. Six years later, it has decided to delay matters when it could have a workable Bill. It is taking away 75% of the effectiveness and strength of that Bill. The time for talk is over. We need action and we need it now.”
“In the context of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace, it would be a significant inconvenience if imperialist powers, which are assisting in the genocide in Gaza, could not use, refuel or stop over at Shannon Airport or if the planes landing there were inspected. All of the evidence has been given. I call on the Government to cease all trade with Israel, freeze all Israeli assets in this State, just like it did with Russia, and issue a travel ban against Israeli people in this State and those businesspeople who are assisting the genocide. The Government could help people medically or provide asylum to the spouses of citizens. For example, I am trying to assist a constituent whose wife, a doctor, stayed on in Nasser Hospital. We saw what happened to one doctor in recent days.”
“It is Israel’s biggest trading partner. The Taoiseach questioned the point of acting alone on the basis that it would not be effective. Action by one can be an example for others. Ireland also has a huge amount of trade with Israel. Ireland imported the second highest amount of Israeli goods, totalling €3.2 billion, which is a significant amount for our economy. Ireland's exports to Israel totalled €500 million, €97 million of which was dual-use goods that can be used to assist in the genocide against the people of Gaza. That should be stopped. The Government stopped it quick enough for Russia regarding its illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
“People often speculate about what they would have done in Nazi Germany or in the 1930s. The answer is that whatever you are doing now is what you would have done then. The Minister of State is in government and has power. I thank the Labour Party for moving this motion. I do not agree with every word it contains, however. There is no global community. That has been utterly exposed. Imperialism has been laid absolutely bare during this horrific genocide. The only global community is the Palestine solidarity movement and the ordinary people who have taken to the streets for 20 months. We need to translate words into deeds. Yesterday, I asked the Taoiseach to act unilaterally. We cannot wait for a review by the EU of the EU-Israel association agreement. The EU has exported €53 million in arms to Israel since the genocide began in 2023.”
“They will be able to work or organise childcare, whichever the case may be. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland made a submission and the point on this is that granting immediate family reunion rights to all GEP holders is not a burden financially on the State. It stated the permit holders will continue to generate income to the State and that the net income of the State would increase substantially with full family reunion rights. Therefore, any idea of pandering to racism or anything else is not justified whatsoever. The other key point is that we have to examine the type of care system we want. The care system should be run by the public and the State system and not for profit. This ensures we get the best care but also that workers who work in the system are guaranteed their employment rights and are treated fairly.”
“I am surprised to hear the review is still under way. People have made submissions. Unite trade union is now organising these workers. This is very positive because migrant workers have not traditionally been able to participate in the trade union movement. It is very difficult and scary for somebody working in a private nursing home to put their head above the parapet. These workers staged a demonstration at the Dáil last year. Again, that was historic as it was unusual to have workers coming from all around the country. It would break your heart to hear the stories they have told us. This will not be a cost to the State. That is highly important. These workers are living here. They have houses. They have homes and accommodation. If their spouses come over, it is not that they will be getting social welfare or anything like that.”
“They have critical skills. We are asking that the Minister for Justice abolish the categories in question in order that any workers who are resident here may bring their spouses, most of whom are health workers who could help to meet the need for staff in the health service, to live with them.”
“For example, a worker must be earning €34,000 under the scheme now, but the minimum salary has been €30,000 for new recruits. It is even lower for previous recruits, so they are kept deliberately under that level. Somebody would need a minimum household net income of €36,660 to bring one child over. It is €41,912 for two children. In excess of €47,000 is needed to bring three children here. There are also higher thresholds. We are separating families, even though we know these workers will be here for the long term. There are two categories. Category A comprises critical skills workers, which includes religious ministers and postgraduate students who do not have to adhere to any of those thresholds and who can apply for family reunification. Category B comprises the workers to whom I refer. They are essential workers.”
“That is not the kind of care system I want. I do not want someone looking after my older relatives who is miserable and cannot enjoy being with their children and who is separated from their spouse as well. The Minister looked as though he was sorting this matter out during the term of the previous Dáil. Then what was proposed was suddenly withdrawn. I am of the view that this was the result of pressure from private nursing homes about income limits. What we are asking for is to leave the private nursing homes out of it and that every worker who is resident in this country and who is working here should have the right to apply for family reunification without having to deal with all the barriers that are put in the way.”
“They have to try to communicate with them via Zoom, which, as anyone who has ever tried to have a Zoom call with children knows, is practically impossible, and particularly with different time zones. These people do essential work in this country. Care of the elderly will be a huge issue with our ageing population. The State has decided to privatise this type of care in the main. Many of the nursing homes are highly profitable. In many cases, they are operated by large multinational companies. However, the workers are kept on wages that prevent them from taking part in family reunification. My request is that we recognise that we need these workers and that they have a right to be treated humanely. Just imagine: we are forcibly separating them from their families while they are looking after our families.”
“This is a very important issue. It is about treating workers in a humanitarian way. We have a huge number of healthcare assistants, mainly working in private nursing homes, who the State brought here on special work permits because it could not find the labour in this country. These people are mainly women and mainly nurses. They are fully qualified nurses who work, if you like, below the level of their qualifications. We are getting added value from them. They work here as healthcare assistants to make a better life for their families. Most are from India, mainly the Kerala region, as well as from the Philippines and other countries. These workers have been here for three years. They are completely separated from their families. Think about it: these women do not see their children for years.”
“Every case should be audited and not just those chosen. We all know this is just being strung out. The board needs to go. There is no way it can move forward, in terms of CHI, into a new system. It has been absolutely ruled out.”
“I do not have time to make all the points I wanted regarding the research. I just want to say what the parents believe needs to be done at this stage. The HSE was proposing a two-stage review, by the CHI first and then by outsiders. That has been completely rejected. They are putting forward the idea of a partial ratified independent scrutiny mechanism, PRISM, as it is called, where the parents themselves would have a say in what happens and scrutiny over the whole situation. It is incredible how knowledgeable the parents are. I am sure the Minister knows this because she has met them. There must be a full and comprehensive review. Every parent and child should be entitled to a second opinion and not have to wait six months as is currently being proposed. We also need a full public inquiry into CHI.”
“We have seen it all at this stage. We have had unnecessary hip operations, unlicensed springs implanted into children, defective technology being a fixture in operations and we have had Wi-Fi issues. There is something new every week. Now, we have a doctor who, allegedly, referred public patients to their private clinic at the weekend and was paid money by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. This fund is meant to be used to expedite the most needy people first but these were not necessarily the children with the greatest need. The Minister's backbenchers keep thanking her, but she must listen to parents. We just heard an apology given to parents in the previous session. We all know we are going to be back here apologising to parents and the Minister is just stringing this out for as long as possible.”
“In Fingal County Council, which is in Dublin where there is a large housing need, there is a land bank at Scribblestown in Dunsink, which it has identified could build 7,000 homes. Has the Taoiseach or the Minister for housing held meeting with Fingal County Council? It has asked for €200 million to be given to develop the infrastructure to open it up. It asked for this more than a month ago. Has there been a meeting about it, as an example?”
“The overriding need in our society and in our economy is for housing. The Central Bank's director of financial stability has said 50,000 homes have to be built every year for the next ten years in order to fulfil the need. The targets the Government itself has set go nowhere near this. They are in the 30s of the thousands. Will the Taoiseach accept that the market cannot deliver the scale of this? This has to be led by the State. In fact, Fianna Fáil Governments in power previously were capable of doing this. What has changed? I bought a house from Fingal County Council 23 years ago as a single teacher. A single teacher now has no means whatsoever of ever buying a house, which is why we have the crisis we have among professionals in health and education. All of the councils have land banks.”
“The Government should stop all trade with Israel, freeze the assets of Israeli businesspeople, implement travel bans and do to Israel what it did to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.”
“The US President and regime are facilitating the carnage that is happening in Gaza. They facilitated it by opening up the prospect of Gaza becoming a tourist place but its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is also facilitating the starvation of people. Food distribution is being used to kettle Palestinians when they gather at a food place. The director of that operation has resigned. This is US-led. The latest is that a school in Gaza has been bombed. At least 35 children have been killed in an air strike and another 15 have been killed in a separate one. We need action. We need the Government to break away from the EU or whatever other countries with which it is trying to join forces. We need action today on behalf of the Palestinian people. We cannot wait for a review of the EU-Israel agreement.”
“I have introduced many controversial things, as have other TDs, and I have never stopped to Bill from going to Second Stage. I have been told to put on the big-girl pants and allow debate, but here we have a stifling of the freedom of debate and freedom of speech. I ask TDs and the Government to reject the call to stop the Bill progressing.”
“The number of foxes did not suddenly increase at all so it is a spurious argument. Foxes naturally control their own environment and they also control rodent and rabbit populations which cost farmers a lot of money as well. They can actually save farmers money, in particular arable farmers who suffer a lot from the rabbit population. Hunting in the UK has not led, as has been said, to a massive increase in foxes, neither would shooting be any less, which is often something that is put forward. Both are actually carried out together. I will finish on the proposal to oppose this motion. It is actually unprecedented for a TD to stand up and try to prevent a Bill from reaching Second Stage for debate. I have introduced Bills on repeal which people did not agree with; they were always allowed to go to Second Stage.”