I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re referral of Consumer Rights Bill 2022 to Select Committee (without debate)

- Motion re Thirteenth Report of the Committee of Selection (without debate)

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 2022 (back from Committee) (without debate)

- Motion re Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform on Amendments to Standing Orders correcting cross-references and other drafting amendments (without debate)

- Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad] (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted at 4.50 p.m. or after one hour, whichever is the later)

Private Members' Business shall be the Motion re National Maternity Services, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Statements on Just Transition (not to exceed 145 minutes)

- Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad] (Second stage, resumed) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted at 6.45 p.m. or after 90 minutes, whichever is the later)

- Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019 (Report and Final Stages) (to be taken no earlier than 6.45 p.m.)

- Sick Leave Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages) (if not previously concluded, to conclude at 8.30 p.m.)

Private Members' Business shall be the Motion re Subsidies for Developers, selected by the Social Democrats.

Thursday's business shall be:

- Motion re withdrawal of Planning and Development (Strategic Housing Developments) (Amendment) Bill 2021 (without debate)

- Statements on the Strategic Plan for the renewal of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (not to exceed 145 minutes)

- Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad] (Second stage, resumed, if not previously concluded) (to be interrupted at 6.09 p.m., if not previously concluded)

Thursday evening business shall be the Motion re Report entitled 'Report on the Detailed Scrutiny of the Education (Admissions to School) Bill 2020’.

Proposed Arrangements for this week's business:

In relation to Tuesday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the Motion re Thirteenth Report of the Committee of Selection shall be taken without debate;

2. the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 2022 shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion re Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform on Amendments to Standing Orders correcting cross-references and other drafting amendments shall be taken without debate; and

4. notwithstanding the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders, the proceedings on Second Stage of the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021

[Seanad] shall be interrupted earlier than 6.12 p.m. to take private members' business, either at 4.50 p.m. or one hour after the conclusion of Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 46(1)(a), whichever is the later.

In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the Statements on Just Transition shall not exceed 145 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time;

2. the proceedings on the resumed Second Stage of the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad] shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted either at 6.45 p.m. or 90 minutes after the conclusion of the Statements on Just Transition, whichever is the later, in order to take Report and Final Stages of the Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019, which shall, in any event, be taken no earlier than 6.45 p.m.; and

3. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Sick Leave Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 8.30 p.m. by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the Statements on the Strategic Plan for the renewal of the National Parks and Wildlife Service shall not exceed 145 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time; and

2. notwithstanding the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders, the proceedings on the resumed Second Stage of the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad] shall be interrupted earlier than 7.24 p.m. to take topical issues; if not previously concluded, the proceedings on the Bill shall be interrupted at 6.09 p.m.

Are the arrangements for this week's business agreed to?

They are not agreed. We had really shocking and devastating news from Westminster this morning for families and communities that have spent decades fighting for truth and justice for their loved ones who were lost in the conflict. The British Government proposes by close of business this evening to legislate for an end to families being able to take any civil actions or litigation and by the end of the year it will have blocked families from accessing inquests. Furthermore, it is proceeding with an amnesty for its troops.

This is an outrage. It is totally outside of international law. I have to say, it means definitively now the shredding of the Stormont House Agreement. It is to me akin to the actions of a rogue state.

Thank you Deputy. It is just one minute.

The British Government again acts unilaterally and refuses to implement that which is agreed. It refuses to work in partnership with anybody or with the Irish Government. Above all else, it treats families and survivors with utter contempt. I ask the Taoiseach to stand with the families today and to call out the actions of the British administration.

In addition, I seek a facility for statements in this House this week on this pressing issue.

My four colleagues from People Before Profit and I have just come from the Palestinian embassy, where we signed the book of condolences for Shireen Abu Akleh, who was assassinated in cold blood by Israeli snipers during a criminal raid by Israeli forces on Jenin last week. Over the weekend, this new low by the apartheid State of Israel was surpassed with the absolutely bestial behaviour of Israeli forces attacking the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh at her funeral and attacking the pallbearers, an act of such savagery that it is difficult to describe. This was a journalist doing her job, who was cut down and whose funeral was attacked.

At last week’s meeting of the Business Committee, it was asked that there would be statements about this shocking murder and we thought we had Government agreement that there would be statements, because we need action to be taken to make Israel accountable for this murderous action and its actions over the weekend at Shireen's funeral.

I certainly support that call, which is very important.

I seek statements over the course of the next few days in this House on delays in the processing of passport applications. I am not the only Deputy who has been inundated with calls, emails and other forms of contact from distressed constituents because of lengthy delays in the processing of passports, in many cases for urgent travel in the context of family bereavement abroad. It has become a matter of immense concern to us. We have corresponded with the Business Committee seeking statements on this issue. While we are conscious there are many other demands on the Dáil schedule, I ask that we might facilitate statements on this to see if we can find a way to resolve the issue. It is causing immense distress daily for many people across the country. It is not confined to any one constituency. There is a serious issue with the processing of passports.

The World Health Assembly is meeting from 22 to 28 May, which is next week. If it amends the regulations, all the powers of this Parliament and other parliaments in respect of when a pandemic is called or when there is a national crisis will be signed away. If this happens, one unelected person at the World Health Organization will be able to decide there is a pandemic in a country without that country even knowing it. Will the Taoiseach or other members of the Government be attending the meeting? Can we have a debate on this most serious situation in this House of Parliament, which purports to be accountable to the people who elect us? Are we going to sign away all our rights to the WHO?

To clarify, the Business Committee, in considering the brutal murder of the Al Jazeera journalist and the assault on her funeral, agreed we would also include, in any debate we would have, the murder in Ukraine of the Irish citizen journalist.

I thank the Deputies for raising the various concerns regarding the Order of Business as outlined this week. On the announcement today by the British Government, as I said earlier at the remembrance ceremony for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the 48th anniversary of the worst atrocity of that time, the Stormont House Agreement remains the agreed position of the two Governments and all the political parties. This unilateral departure by the United Kingdom is not welcome and I have made it consistently clear to the British Prime Minister on an ongoing basis that unilateralism does not work in respect of the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. People may have issues but I do not believe any serious effort has been made to implement the Stormont House Agreement. From that perspective, I have met quite a number of victims' organisations over recent months and I stand with the victims of all atrocities, not just those perpetrated by the British armed forces but all of them.

Some terrible atrocities were committed and we need full accountability for all of them. That needs to happen as well. There were discussions between the British and Irish Governments through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Again, it is regrettable that this move has been made, apparently in the context of a domestic party political agenda, as opposed to the context of the broader issues. To be fair, I do not underestimate the challenges all around but, when you meet the victims and the different victims' organisations in respect of different atrocities, they are very clear that they want no amnesty. They want full accountability and for people to be brought before the courts, if possible, and to be prosecuted. That is the least they deserve.

To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, my understanding is that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is not available for a debate this week. The Government is absolutely determined to hold such a debate in line with what the Ceann Comhairle has said. I share the Deputy's abhorrence of the aggression at the funeral. I could not comprehend that. It is important that we have such a debate to uphold the importance of a free and independent media in bringing honest and objective accounts of conflict situations to the world. We have witnessed this importance in Ukraine, where an Irish journalist lost his life endeavouring to bring the truth to the Irish public and the wider world through his work.

We will have a debate then.

We will have a debate but there is an issue with Deputy Coveney's schedule this week.

Perhaps the Minister, Deputy Coveney, could clarify.

To be helpful to the House, I would be very happy to have such a debate but I would like to be here for it, if that is possible. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I have made some quite strong statements on both the killing and what happened at the funeral, which was disgraceful and should be condemned. I have no problem in doing that but I would like to be here for the debate. I believe it would be helpful to the House. I happen to be in Turin on Thursday and Friday of this week because Ireland is taking the chair of the Council of Europe. That is unavoidable for me but I would be happy to attend a debate early next week, if the House agrees.

Deputy Bacik raised the issue of passports. We could have a debate, perhaps next week, but there will not be time this week. An additional €10 million has been provided in budget 2022. Passport Service staff numbers have increased by more than 300 since June 2021. There is a recruitment campaign ongoing for temporary clerical officers. The competition is under way and, once complete, we will see staffing numbers of over 900 in the Passport Service, which represents a doubling of staff numbers since last summer. Some 460,000 passports have been issued in 2022 to date. In the same period in 2019, 355,000 were issued.

Some 5,000 are being delivered per day.

It is not actually a matter of delays but a matter of a higher volume of applicants. We can have a more extensive debate on that.

It is a question of the impact on people.

Deputy Mattie McGrath raised the issue of the World Health Organization, WHO. I am a strong supporter of the organisation and believe we should increase and enhance its capacity to deal with pandemics. The World Health Organization is the body that calls pandemics, rather than national governments. There is a very good reason for that. Some governments in the world would never call a pandemic even if one was blowing right through their countries. I know that from previous experience. To put it another way, some are more tardy than others when it comes to admitting what is going on.

The Taoiseach himself is not shy.

I am not shy at all with regard to pandemics. To be serious, one risk is that during the last pandemic, the previous President of the United States, Donald Trump, made efforts to undermine the WHO. That did not serve the world well.

We are way over time now. Will the Taoiseach address Deputy McDonald's question? Where are we with regard to that debate?

I apologise. I suggest we hold one next week, if that is possible.

Is there no space this week?

I am looking at the schedule but I just cannot see any.

Will we sit for five days next week?

Would Deputy Pringle like to?

It sounds like we will have to.

I am open to it.

The Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 appears again on Thursday's schedule so there may be time then.

We need the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who will not be here, because he has been engaged with the British Government on this issue.

We are quite clear----

The Taoiseach did not answer my question. Will he be travelling to the World Health Organization next week?

Was the question whether I am travelling?

Yes.

No, I am not.

We are way over time.

Are the proposed arrangements for this week's business agreed to? Agreed.

I call Deputy McDonald who has one minute.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell will put the question.