Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:1. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [22204/25]
Ceisteanna - Questions
International Relations
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:2. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [13747/25]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:3. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [25525/25]
Ruth Coppinger
Ceist:4. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [25532/25]
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Ceist:5. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26753/25]
John Lahart
Ceist:6. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26754/25]
Ruth Coppinger
Ceist:7. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26853/25]
Shane Moynihan
Ceist:8. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27213/25]
Malcolm Byrne
Ceist:9. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27216/25]
Naoise Ó Cearúil
Ceist:10. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27217/25]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.
As part of my St. Patrick’s Day programme in the United States, I visited Austin and Washington DC. My programme in Washington included political, community and economic events. I was hosted at breakfast by the vice president and second lady and had a bilateral meeting with President Trump in the aftermath to celebrate the historic relationship between Ireland and the United States. I also participated in the ceremony and reception at which a bowl of shamrock is presented to the president.
My meeting with the president included discussions on strengthening our bilateral relations, including our strong economic relationship. We spoke about the depth of our historic partnership and our strong people-to-people links built on deep ancestral ties. I emphasised the two-way nature of the trade and investment links between Ireland and the US, pointing to the fact that there are 770 Irish companies in the US, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across every state. I also highlighted that Ireland is the sixth largest source of foreign investment in the United States, which is remarkable for a country of our size. I underlined Ireland’s wish to explore how we can further strengthen this relationship, including in areas such as cutting-edge technology.
I also updated the president on the current situation in Northern Ireland. I expressed appreciation for the continued role of the United State in supporting the peace process across our island. Northern Ireland is stable and we are investing heavily, both economically and politically, into strengthening our North-South relations. We also discussed global issues, including Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and, of course, the horrific situation in the Middle East. I welcomed the president’s commitment to bringing peace to Ukraine in his first days in office. I also reiterated the long-standing Irish support for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Other political engagements included the speaker’s lunch on Capitol Hill, meetings with Speaker Johnson and the Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus, which includes members from both the Republican and Democratic parties. I presented President Trump with a crystal bowl of shamrock at the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception in the White House, continuing a decades-long tradition symbolising the friendship between our two countries. I also invited the president to visit Ireland again, noting the success of his investment in the village of Doonbeg.
I thank the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Ó Murchú. Deputies should bear in mind that we have nine speakers.
Go raibh maith agat, a Thaoisigh. I imagine we have a very strained relationship at this point with the American Administration, and the European Union in particular does. While everyone welcomes the fact that the 50% tariff imposition is being put back until 9 July, supposedly after a really nice phone call - it must have been one hell of a phone call - what level of engagement has there been and will be? What is the plan for dealing with this? I get that we do not completely know. In some cases, President Trump threatens things and then walks back from them. However, 50% tariffs would sink the global economy and would be helpful to nobody, including the United States of America. President Trump, with his Overton window as regards the riviera in Gaza and the freedom zones, has changed the narrative and has facilitated and allowed Israel to do what it is doing at the minute. The Taoiseach spoke earlier about the EU-Israel association agreement. What engagement has there been? What does the Taoiseach think are the chances of having a proper review and dealing with that? That is what is required as regards Israel and the genocide it is carrying out at the moment.
I thank the Taoiseach for the report on the engagement with the US President and, indeed, on the issue of Gaza. I note that he raised that with the US President. The Palestinian ambassador and Palestinian representatives specifically asked that Ireland would use all diplomatic means at its disposal, including our connection with the US, to raise the need for peace and for a ceasefire for the people of Gaza and an end to Israel's genocide, so I hope that was part of that conversation.
The Taoiseach also mentioned the very concerning prospect of tariffs and the increased volatility of the Trump Administration's approach with the announcement just last week by President Trump that he would impose 50% tariffs from 1 June and then saying that would be postponed to 9 July. We in Labour have argued for many years now in the face of this sort of volatility, and it is particularly important now, that a sophisticated job retention scheme should be developed in the form of a short-time work support scheme for employers here where there is this level of volatility and uncertainty around tariffs.
Finally, has the Taoiseach been briefed on the use of Shannon Airport by civil contractors for the US Government deporting people to South Sudan in breach of US migration law?
I wish to pay condolences to Dr. Ali al-Najjar who works in Sligo University Hospital. On Friday, his sister-in-law, Alaa, a paediatrician in Khan Younis, said goodbye to her husband Hamdi and their ten children before she went to work to care for injured babies who barely survived Israeli attacks. However, after Israeli air strikes a few hours later, seven of her children's charred bodies came to her hospital, while two could not be found under the rubble. Only one of her ten children survived along with her husband who is now missing an arm, has brain damage and has serious shrapnel wounds in his chest. Nine children under ten years of age, all murdered by Israel while their mother worked to save the lives of other children. How does a family possibly recover from that? This is a genocide made in America, armed, funded and supported by President Trump and President Biden before him. We need action on top of words now from the Government. We need the occupied territories Bill for goods and services, we need to stop the overflights and we need to ban Israeli bonds.
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. 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.
Cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas an Taoisigh gur ardaigh sé an t-uafás atá ag tarlú i nGaza agus an cogadh san Úcráin leis an Uachtarán Trump agus gur chuir sé teachtaireacht na hÉireann in iúl go soiléir dó. I am also encouraged by the fact that the Taoiseach raised the US Administration's interest in Northern Ireland with the president. I would like to hear more from the Taoiseach about how his Administration is actively engaging not only with the Northern Ireland Executive but, indeed, wider Northern Ireland society in terms of economic and social development.
I am also interested in the Taoiseach's interaction with congressional leaders in the Capitol. He attended a number of events that were attended by members of the United States House of Representatives and the Senate, not least because Congress will play a very significant role in any future trade arrangements that are put in place with other countries, including the European Union. I would like to get a sense from the Taoiseach of the sentiment there towards the importance of making sure we have a strong transatlantic trading relationship in light of the discussions that have taken place between President Trump and President von der Leyen this week alone.
I strongly agree with the importance of maintaining our friendship with the United States and that our engagements with Congress must be conducted on a bipartisan basis, notwithstanding the concerns we have about the Trump Administration. I am particularly concerned about recent decisions by President Trump to deny access to international students to Harvard University. I hope that in the plans of the further and higher education Minister, Deputy Lawless, to extend opportunities to international students to come to Ireland, we might specifically look at some of those with the potential of travelling to Harvard and invite them to Ireland.
We all welcome the postponement of the 50% tariffs from 1 June to 9 July by the US. What are the Government's plans to accelerate talks and avoid escalation of the transatlantic trade war? I appreciate that it is an EU competency but how does the Government plan to feed into that?
In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, at the time of the visit in March, the primary objective of the Government and myself was to protect the Irish economy and jobs in respect of any tariff impositions on European Union goods, in particular Irish goods, from whatever sector. Therefore, we used the opportunity to emphasise the very substantial investment by Irish companies in the United States. We mentioned the substantial positioning of Irish companies in the US and the huge investment flows from Ireland, as well as reciprocal investment by US companies historically in Ireland.
It is a very robust and important relationship. That bilateral relationship continues to be important. We will engage with the US Administration bilaterally. Critically, as has been said by Deputy Ó Cearúil and others, the European Union will engage in trade talks and tariff talks with the US. There has been engagement to date but it has not moved into the latter phase of intense negotiations. One would hope after the exchange and phone call of the past week that this will now settle into a serious negotiation that will avoid any of the harm the imposition of tariffs could have on consumers, citizens and the respective economies of Europe and the US. We do not want tariffs. We believe they would be very injurious to our economy and the European and American economies. Ultimately, given the strength of the relationship between Europe and the US, it would damage the world economy.
With regard to Deputy Bacik's question, we have to wait and see where tariffs land. We cannot commit public funding in the dark or indicate that we will write a blank cheque without understanding what we are trying to solve and fix it in the first instance. Obviously, a lot depends on what emerges from this in terms of the level of tariffs, if there are to be tariffs, and whether they will apply to all sectors and so forth. Whatever we do has to be fiscally as well as economically sustainable in the longer term.
In respect of Gaza and the Middle East, the discussion on the Northern Ireland peace process was such that the president drew parallels between the intensity and ferocity of the violence in Northern Ireland and the horrific bombings that killed so many innocent people, including civilians and what was then happening in the Middle East. What is happening in the Middle East has been going on for a prolonged period but the point is that we said the peace process in Northern Ireland is a potential model to be used in the Middle East and you can deconflictualise a society and create pathways to peace. A two-state solution is, in our view, the optimal way forward, notwithstanding the policies of the Netanyahu Government.
Deputy Murphy raised the issue of Shannon Airport being use for deportation. Again, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is investigating that, along with the Minister for Transport. There are basic frameworks and international agreements around the landing of planes for civilian purposes. This is an issue we will inquire into further. It is not immediately clear from the international framework agreements on this issue how one can address it. We will examine it further and come back to the Deputy.
I join with him in expressing sympathy to Dr. al-Najjar on the loss of nine of his sister-in-law's children. The slaughter of children will come to define Israel's inhumanity to fellow human beings, in this case of Palestinians in Gaza. It is beyond any moral comprehension that such indiscriminate bombing, which is killing thousands of children and innocent civilians and destroys families, can take place. The US has significant power and influence over Israel. Some countries in the European Union have been supporters of the State of Israel for historic reasons, Germany being one, although I note the remarks of the German Chancellor yesterday in respect of the behaviour of the Israeli Government.
This Government is not just about fine words. We have taken very practical steps, insofar as we can and in the areas where we can. Contrary to what Deputy Coppinger said, I would not withdraw from the EU. I would try to do more in the EU to bring more people along to the proper course of actions that need to be taken.
It will be too late.
We are not going to change a whole lot on our own, to be brutally honest about it.
We are big traders with Israel.
Within the European Union, we can change. We were effective on UNRWA, for example. When there was a big move on to take funding away from UNRWA, we intervened, doubled down and increased our funding significantly. We said at the Foreign Affairs Council that other countries should not go along with the herd and withdraw their funding. There have been changes in the response of the European Union to the funding of UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority. The European Union remains the biggest donor in the world to the Palestinian Authority at the moment. We cannot forget that.
It is very challenging and frustrating because we have a very clear view but not everybody looks at it through the prism that we do. Bringing other countries with us is a huge journey in respect of this horrific war and event. We also work with the United Nations. We have been very active - not words - in the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice on a number of fronts. We have been active on the Genocide Convention in terms of a very well composed legal argument around the criteria for judging a genocide. We invited the court to consider access to humanitarian aid, conduits to humanitarian aid, intention and so on. Those are actions. I know Deputies on the other side of the House are anxious to say these are fine words but there is no action. These are sustained and pragmatic actions that are within our power and that do and can have an impact. We will continue to do that on a number of issues. The recognition of the Palestinian state was an act, not just fine words, which provoked a significant response and opposition from the Israeli Government and others who support it.
Aontaím leis an méid a dúirt an Teachta Ó Muineacháin faoi Gaza, agus an brú filleadh atá ar chosmhuintir Gaza de dheasca an chogaidh uafásaigh atá ann faoi láthair. I gcomhthéacs Tuaisceart na hÉireann, bhí cainteanna suimiúla againn leis an Uachtarán Trump, go háirithe faoin slí ina rabhamar in ann próiseas síochána a chur i bhfeidhm. Deputy Moynihan referred to trade issues. The fundamental issue of the interconnection of supply chains between the US and European Union was discussed. This is not a simple matter. Modern supply chains are very complex. A barrier cannot simply be put up because that can affect the manufacture of goods, the raw materials that are imported to enable companies to produce products and so on. The legacy Act was another issue we discussed with congressional leaders, as well as trade and Northern Ireland.
Deputy Malcolm Byrne referred to recent decisions in respect of Harvard. It is surprising the degree to which education has been targeted, in particular higher education. The initiative announced by the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to attract international scholars and research from the US to Ireland is good. In the past we have attracted some significant scholars and research teams to Ireland. They, in turn, produce products and ideas that feed into industry and help to create jobs in our economy.
Deputy Ó Cearúil raised a number of issues. I have discussed the tariff and trade issues. I hope that with serious negotiation we can get a deal that will benefit European consumers and citizens as well as consumers in the United States.
Cabinet Committees
Malcolm Byrne
Ceist:11. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [16779/25]
Ruth Coppinger
Ceist:12. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [21096/25]
James O'Connor
Ceist:13. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [22203/25]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:14. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [22205/25]
James Geoghegan
Ceist:15. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [22480/25]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:16. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [15144/25]
Shay Brennan
Ceist:17. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [22996/25]
Albert Dolan
Ceist:18. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [22997/25]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:19. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [25526/25]
Shane Moynihan
Ceist:20. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [27214/25]
Naoise Ó Cearúil
Ceist:21. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [27218/25]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 21, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness last met yesterday and is scheduled to next meet on 14 July. Membership of the committee comprises: the Taoiseach; the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and for Defence; the Minister for Finance; the Minister for public expenditure and infrastructure; the Minister for climate, environment and energy, and for Transport; the Minister for agriculture, food, fisheries and the marine; the Minister for enterprise, tourism and employment; the Minister for arts, media, communications, culture and sport; and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Other Ministers or Ministers of State are invited to participate as required. The committee oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments related to sustainable economic and employment growth, trade, competitiveness and productivity, innovation, the national digital strategy and pensions.
Despite many external challenges, we continue to see strong economic performance, with record numbers of people in work, low levels of unemployment and a return to real wage growth. While the current international trade environment has brought uncertainty, our economy has weathered several challenges in recent years and continues to demonstrate its resilience and ability to adapt to changing global circumstances. We will continue to advance an economic model founded on a well-established and successful pro-enterprise policy framework, a stable and sustainable regulatory and tax environment, with sound management of the public finances, and significant investment in the infrastructure, energy and skills required to ensure our future competitiveness and productivity. For example, in the context of the development of the Government’s new competitiveness and productivity action plan, the committee considers the related challenges of energy costs and infrastructure, research and development, regulatory reform and trade diversification. As with all policy areas, issues relating to the economy are regularly discussed at full Cabinet meetings, where all formal decisions are made.
I thank the Taoiseach. Ireland's economic success should not be taken for granted. It is critical that we continue to prioritise trade and competitiveness. With this in mind, the Taoiseach might indicate to the House when we intend to fully ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada. Trade and services between Ireland and Canada amount to €10 billion and it is a significant deal we need to ratify. The Taoiseach might also indicate for our inventors and creators in this country when Ireland will join the unified patent court system. Might the Taoiseach consider holding a referendum on it in conjunction with the presidential election this autumn?
The deployment of AI in the development of services to our citizens and by business has the potential to help our economy to grow. A recent Trinity College report on the AI economy in Ireland stated the potential of AI, properly deployed, could add at least €250 billion to Ireland's GDP by 2035. It is critical that we use AI in this regard and that it is adopted across the public service. The recent launch of the report by the Minister, Deputy Chambers, is welcome but we need to encourage SMEs to use AI and experiment with it a lot more. In this light, it is critical that in these Houses it might be considered that Members of the Oireachtas would be permitted to use large language models on Oireachtas devices to try to deliver services more efficiently to our constituents.
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. 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 a 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?
I want to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of energy prices in Ireland. We now have the most expensive non-residential electricity in Europe and we are third in terms of household prices. This is not sustainable from the point of view of competitiveness. I have raised here previously that Irish energy policy is deeply unsustainable. I have seen a growth in solar, with hundreds and hundreds of acres, in excess of thousands of acres now, unfortunately, taking up some of the best agricultural land in our country. I would like the Cabinet committee to look at this issue because it is not sustainable to have an 80% target for renewable energy by 2030 while also expecting a 40% increase in energy generation. Ultimately, because of the cost increases in wind, this will be pushed onto solar, which will destroy rural Ireland as far as I am concerned. It is not being built on poor agricultural land, as it is already regulated to do so in France, the United Kingdom, Italy and other EU member states. We have one of the most pro-developer-led strategies in the area of solar anywhere in Europe and I want to raise this matter. I have brought nuclear into the debate and I know not everybody is in agreement. Deputy Paul Murphy is in the House and he does not agree with me on this but I want to raise it as a matter of discussion. The way we are going about it will increase costs for consumers and businesses in a way that is completely and utterly unsustainable.
My thoughts are with the taxi driver and the passenger with a disability who were carjacked yesterday in what was an absolutely disgusting attack in Dundalk at approximately 10.40 p.m. My thoughts are also with the lady who lost her life in a road traffic collision in Dunleer. The Garda has requested all the information people have on these events, and any footage, particularly dashcam footage, as being necessary and welcome. Our thoughts are with these people and their families.
The Taoiseach has already spoken about the situation with regard to tariffs and he stated the EU has only really begun, at some level, its engagement with the US. We are all very glad D-day has moved from 1 June to 9 July but we are still dealing with a threat that is absolutely ridiculous and could be absolutely disastrous from a global trade point of view. What engagement has there been by the Government and its agencies with companies, particularly those in the med-tech sector and those in pharma, from the point of view of the difficulties they may already be facing on this? Beyond this, we have to get our house in order with regard to our homespun development. I also agree that AI has a big part to play in innovation.
When I asked a question two weeks ago about the Dublin city task force, the Taoiseach said progress is being made and that he hoped to be in a position to bring it to the House before the recess. In the intervening two weeks, has there been any further progress? Has the Taoiseach been briefed on any progress? Will he give an outline of what that progress looks like? With regard to the implementation of the Dublin city task force recommendations, is it the Taoiseach's expectation that they would be funded through the national development plan? Will there be specific lines in the national development plan that make clear some of the recommendations that flow from the task force will be funded?
In the context of trade and the proposed CETA agreement, I understand the Cabinet was to approve an arbitration amendment Bill today due to serious concerns about the investment court system proposed in CETA. Will the Taoiseach confirm whether the legislation was approved today? If so, when will the draft heads of Bill be published?
I also want to ask about concerns that the Government is rowing back on workers' rights commitments and commitments to recognise collective bargaining and on sick pay. The Government has delayed the introduction of two additional days of paid sick leave that were promised. Will the Taoiseach confirm for workers when the additional entitlement to sick pay will be introduced? The original intention was to introduce two extra days in 2025, taking the number to seven, and a further three days were to be introduced in 2026, taking it to ten days. Is this now indefinitely delayed?
As the European Union continues its negotiations with the US on trade matters, there are ongoing discussions on the development of a retaliatory tariffs list.
The final version of this list could potentially include measures affecting the aviation sector. Ireland is uniquely exposed in this regard as we have the largest aircraft leasing industry in the world, supporting almost 9,000 high quality skilled jobs and contributing almost €900 million annually to the economy. Given the scale and strategic importance of this sector, not just to Ireland but to the wider European aviation ecosystem, will the Taoiseach outline the specific steps the Government is taking, directly and through our representation at EU level, to ensure the interests of Ireland's aircraft leasing industry are fully protected in these negotiations?
In the first three months of the year, venture capital investment in Irish firms has surged to €587 million. This is a huge sign of confidence and hope for indigenous businesses. However, as the Taoiseach knows, we are going through global upheaval and massive global uncertainty, which require that the Government ensure these businesses have stability and a pathway forward. Does the committee have any plans to support Irish indigenous SMEs and ensure they are successful into the future?
The Taoiseach and the Government are using Trump's tariff threats as an excuse to exhume the full ratification of CETA and bring it back from the dead. There are good reasons that the Supreme Court buried it back in 2022 when it ruled that the ratification of CETA would be unconstitutional because it gives extreme powers to shadowy private investor courts that have no democratic oversight and cannot be overruled by Irish judges.
If CETA is passed and fully ratified as the Government wants, big multinational companies will be able to sue the Irish State for loss of future earnings if it does anything that impinges on their profits - it is known as indirect expropriation - regardless of the social or environmental costs. All they would have to do is incorporate a subsidiary in Canada to be able to use CETA's investor court system, ICS. If restrictions on data centres are brought in, with which the Taoiseach would not agree, for environmental reasons or to safeguard our water and energy, Amazon or Google could sue us for billions of euro. There is no way for Ireland to withdraw once it has been fully implemented, only the EU as a whole can do so. Why tie the hands of future Governments and subordinate us to foreign multinational companies?
The Taoiseach and I have discussed in the past the importance of recognising the efforts that go into sustaining and growing a business. As an important thing, it should be a feature of our political discourse. Core to our growth as a country in the future, as Deputy Dolan said, is the growth of indigenous enterprises, those that move from start-ups to scale-ups, and thinking about how we in government can support and assist the environment in which those businesses operate. Therefore, will the Taoiseach consider a number of discrete policy proposals that would incentivise and help that particular environment and encourage innovation? For example, small and medium enterprises are not represented in their own right on the Labour Employer Economic Forum. Is this something the Government could look at addressing to augment the representation of SMEs, which are vital to growth in the future?
Second, will the Taoiseach look at increasing the probability of innovation in our economy and the process around the research and development tax credit? A lot of feedback from businesses in my constituency states that at times it can be onerous to account for the use of that tax credit. If anything, we should be making it easy for companies to access it in order to encourage innovation and the demand-led growth that will sustain the economy and especially our indigenous businesses.
Last Wednesday, we had statements on the situation in Gaza and Palestine and since then there has been a continuation of indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians. Consideration is being given by the EU to the EU-Israel trade agreement and last week, the Taoiseach mentioned in the House that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet on the occupied territories Bill. Is the Taoiseach in a position to update the House on that?
I thank all the Deputies for raising a range of issues. I think it began with Deputy Ó Murchú. Am I correct? Was it Deputy Bacik? I apologise.
It was Deputy Byrne.
It started with Deputy Malcolm Byrne and then Deputy Coppinger.
The CETA trade deal was raised by a number of Deputies. I support what Deputy Malcolm Byrne articulated and am opposed to what Deputy Paul Murphy articulated. CETA is in provisional operation as we speak. The figures are interesting for the growth in trade between Ireland and Canada and particularly for Irish exports to Canada, which have gone up something like 460% - I can check it - which is phenomenal. There is also a significant multinational presence of Canadian companies in Ireland and Irish companies are based in Canada. Trade is the bread and butter of the Irish economy. We only put bread and butter on people's tables if we have sufficient trade. We export almost 90% of what we produce so I do not know how Deputy Paul Murphy thinks we can protect the working class and workers if we turn our backs on trade deals. People would lose jobs if we turn our backs-----
We do not have to sign up to the ICS.
Deputy Murphy.
-----on trade deals of this kind when the European Union negotiates on behalf of European member states. They have a significant impact on a small open economy such as Ireland, which needs access to markets all over the world. It is that simple.
You just said we had signed up already.
The Supreme Court did not bury it. It actually indicated the remedy, the avenue to facilitating the legislation for the CETA trade deal, which Deputy Bacik referenced - the Arbitration Act. It was approved today by the Cabinet and will go forward for legislation. The occupied territories Bill was also approved today. The Minister brought it to the Cabinet and it will go to the Dáil and the Oireachtas select committee.
On the other issues that were raised and housing in particular, the market is broken at the moment. The State and the Government are leading on housing. The bulk of investment is coming from the Department of housing. All the estimates show that we need without question to build more houses and to build them faster. We are at record levels of Government expenditure through a variety of schemes, including social housing, affordable housing, croí cónaithe and the Land Development Agency. It is all State-led and all the capital is acting as a catalyst for financing private sector development but we definitely need more private sector investment to support and supplement the State-led investment if we are to get to the critical mass of 50,000 units per annum. I am focusing on the how of getting to 50,000, not on the ideology of how to get to 50,000, whereas a lot of people on the other side of the House are focusing on the ideology-----
What about the councils?
-----and putting us into straitjackets that would reduce supply. On the councils,-----
There are not enough private companies to build those houses.
Deputy Coppinger, please.
-----we will engage with the county councils. The Minister engages with all county councils in this respect. We will engage with Fingal County Council, which the Deputy mentioned, and have done so. The previous Minister did as well, with a lot of good developments.
There is a memo coming to the Government, as I said to Deputy Geoghegan on the last occasion - I think he raised it last week - which has not arrived yet. However, as soon as it does, we will bring it to the Government and publish it. The NDP is being worked on by the Minister for public expenditure with all the various Departments.
Deputy Shay Brennan raised the retaliatory list. We are in constant engagement with the European Commission in respect of the trade tariffs. If there is a tariff war, there will not be any winners. Our focus is that we hope a negotiated resolution and pathway can be achieved between the European Union and the United States. Aircraft leasing is a significant sector in Ireland. The European Commission is well acquainted with it. Not just now but on previous occasions, such as during the initial outbreak of the war in Ukraine and so forth, Ireland has been supportive of the aircraft leasing sector and the EU has been facilitative and understanding of it.
I could not agree more with Deputy Dolan on venture capital. It is a good start to the year. It is perhaps something we have to engage on through various committees of the Dáil. The European Union is now looking at trying to accelerate a saving and investments union. Some member states that are strong in financial services, such as Ireland, have some concerns about centralised authority. I have indicated our commitment to progressing that within the EU because it would release more capital in the EU for venture capital, SMEs and high-potential start-up companies that Enterprise Ireland helps to nurture and develop.
Deputy Moynihan referred to indigenous enterprises and their representation on LEEF. IBEC is represented on LEEF. IBEC would claim that it represents small enterprises within IBEC's remit, but others would differ. No doubt those who differ are talking to the Deputy. Suffice to say, the voice of small businesses should be and has been heard.
Deputy Bacik raised the issue of sick pay and so on. The previous Government dramatically changed the dial in respect of sick days, giving a statutory protection and bringing it to three days. We have delayed going to five and seven days because of the cost involved for the retail and hospitality sectors. That was well documented during the election and all parties accepted that it was an issue. It is a matter of trying to get the balance right when it comes to advancing rights. We have done a good deal in that regard, and there will be continued increases in the minimum wage. The convergence of the minimum wage towards a living wage has also been deferred, and the Minister announced that.
Has there been engagement with companies regarding the dangers that may be faced, particularly those in the tech sector?
My apologies. There has been extensive engagement with companies. I have been in touch with many of the CEOs of major pharmaceutical, technology and medtech companies. The Tánaiste has been involved and has convened a trade forum. We are involved with Irish companies and multinationals based in Ireland at all levels - diplomatically, politically and business to business - while also trying to ascertain how people at a corporate level in America see this in the context of their interactions with the US Administration.
What about the unified patent court system?
I do not anticipate that we will hold the referendum in that regard on the same day as the presidential election. I am a great believer that we should have separate referendums on separate issues. The Deputy has been very consistent and persistent on this matter. He is correct that for an innovative economy, we should do it. However, we need to prepare properly for when we decide to have a referendum. We have to do the homework and be in a position to convince people of the merits of the case. We should not spring it upon them as a surprise and have everyone asking questions with a week to go as to what it is about. As we know, you end up losing some of those types of referendums.
Tá ceist amháin eile agam don Taoiseach.
I am sorry, Deputy O'Connor. We need to push the caution button. Solar is at approximately 3%. It is growing. Fossil fuel is not sustainable either. We need a balance. We have done well in the context of onshore wind. We have a journey to go on offshore wind, and solar will play a part in that mix.
I was in Texas prior to going to Washington, which is the subject matter of all these questions. We think of Texas as a fossil fuel area. It is going to go big on solar, nuclear, wind and battery storage. There will be a mix for quite some time yet in the context of what energy we will use. I take Deputy O'Connor's point. What he is really referring to is a planning issue. He is saying we do not really want a developer-led approach to solar. Some of the proposals that are coming our way might reflect that. We have not had a developer-led approach in respect of wind and offshore wind; it has been a planned approach. This is something we need to discuss with the Deputy again. Perhaps, however, the Minister responsible for planning and housing needs to look at that. The Deputy is concerned about prime agricultural land being used for solar, but many farmers will say it is their entitlement to use the land for whatever purpose. There are real issues here, but I take on board what the Deputy is saying about trade-offs in the economy.
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